Be bolder in the early years and eliminate internal doubts

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Valeri Mitev and I am the owner of an outlet and second hand store. For the last 15 years, my path has gravitated around this type of activity, going through various roles. Starting as a regional manager, passing through expansion, franchise sales, and then operational manager. With this, I gained experience in opening locations, preparing budgets, building teams, and other business-related matters.

How would you describe your career in a few words?

Colorful and very logical. Colorful because I started from a field dealing with bathroom furnishings, then I went through selling interior products, and my biggest experience is in second hand clothes.

What was the most important choice that shaped your path??

Always to follow my path and feel significant in what I do. It may sound cliché, but at the beginning of my career, salary didn’t matter. I wanted to have contact with experienced people from whom to learn. I knew that once I acquire skills and knowledge, the rest will come, as it did over time.

What would you like to know at the beginning of your career that no one told you?

- That failure in a given situation is the best teacher;

- That not everything happens the way we want, but goals must be pursued with persistence and dedication

- That you should not allow yourself to be distracted.

How can a person understand which profession is suitable for him?

Through provocation. You go somewhere and compare whether this is what you expected. At first, it’s harder because you don’t have the experience, the basis for comparison, but over the years you learn what your thing and passion is.

Which skills do you think will be key in the next 10 years?

Change and adaptability. The world will continue to change, and so will we. Somehow I believe that soon people and needs will turn back to nature and the essence of life.

How to build a network of useful contacts without looking interested?

To be honest, this has never been an end in itself for me. Different platforms have filled up with videos of people giving opinions and advice. Personally, I find this at times even annoying. I believe that building a network of contacts happens over time, in the context of realizing different projects.

What is the biggest mistake you have made in your career, and what did you learn from it?

Not always the attitude you show and give to people  and colleagues is the same as what you will receive. For some people, there are no things they wouldn’t do to follow their path and move up professionally. As I mentioned above, mistakes are the best experience.

How to recognize a toxic work environment and when is it time to leave?

For me, this moment comes when I start going to work unwillingly. When this starts to happen often, and it’s not some momentary situation, it’s time for a change. Such an environment is deadly for energetic, motivated employees.

What would you do differently if you could start over?

To be bolder in the early years, eliminating internal doubts. To believe even more in myself and what I do. And last but not least, when facing a problem, to immediately talk to the people above me, rather than keeping it to myself, because you are not always understood. Conversations, especially with experienced managers, are extremely valuable.

How to maintain our motivation in times of stagnation?

In life, besides periods of growth and success, there are also times of stagnation. We accept that this is part of the journey and wait for new challenges. In such cases, traveling in nature, sports, and doing different things are great starting points to see things from another angle.

How to achieve a balance between professional and personal life?

This is a very thin line, and I am sure that every successful manager has lost balance. For each of us, it is different. Everyone must arrange their priorities. In my professional path, there was a case where I wished to descend a few steps down the hierarchical ladder precisely to achieve balance in my personal life.

When is it time to change our career, not just our job?

This can be imposed by many circumstances. Entire businesses and industries vanish, are restructured. When you feel that what you have been doing will never be repeated and the moment for change has come. Being in different situations and roles is very valuable experience, even if it doesn’t seem so at first.

If you had to give just one piece of advice to people who are seeking success, what would it be?

To be fully committed to what they do. To know that although the direction is upward, there will be challenges that are part of the journey.

What is your definition of a “successful career”?

It is something that brings satisfaction. Looking back, it makes you smile J