Bulgarians have had higher self-esteem in recent years

Introduce yourself in a few words..

Metodi Georgiev, 51 years old, married with two wonderful daughters, who in their own way keep my spirit always in shape. I can call myself a “city tourist” - I enjoy the dynamics and specifics of life of the people in the places I visit. I find it extremely interesting to travel to tourist spots outside their active season (including the Bulgarian Black Sea coast).

What does traveling the world mean to you?

Always interesting, energizing. And the return is always part of the pleasure.

How many different countries have you seen so far? Share with us a curious incident or highlights from your travels?

I can't count the countries I have visited, but I have traveled quite a lot, mainly in Europe. I lived with my family for 5 years in the USA. Although I had traveled a lot as an athlete, our departure for the USA in 2000 was quite interesting, as we saw a different world. Everything seemed big to us - from the potatoes, to the cups for soft drinks, to the portions in restaurants. We experienced the same surprise when after a year we returned for a vacation in Bulgaria and the water glasses seemed to us like rakia glasses. The service here and there was vastly different.

Do you like to repeat destinations? Give examples and motivation “for” or “against”?

The general answer is that I love to visit with my family places where I have already been for work. Otherwise, there are definitely destinations that we have visited more than once or would like to visit again. I can't think of countries that I wouldn't want to visit again.

What was your first trip that truly changed you as a professional and can be said to have changed your thinking?

I can divide my travels into three different types based on the reason I traveled or am traveling. The first type is the trips I had as an athlete. The second type is for pleasure and the third is professional. Here I should also add the time spent in the USA with a green card. This is also the place that had a strong impact on my professional development. Besides earning in perhaps one of the most developed economies and facing a very open, competitive, and highly developed business world, I also had the opportunity to complete a business master's degree there. All of this, in its entirety, shaped the foundation for how I later developed as a professional.

What do you learn about yourself and your professional skills when you are in a new cultural environment?

The sector, in which I have been working for about twenty years now (IT and outsourcing) is international at its core. Somehow, we naturally get used to working with different cultures, partners, and clients. Although we often don’t realize it, we are part of the Western world and this helps us a lot, because we are close in culture, even if different. Working in various multinational companies, I have noticed that we are a bit more open in sharing our criticisms compared to other nationalities. This is useful for me, but it has also created challenges when I have to communicate it to colleagues or managers from other cultures. We need to manage communication in the right way so that it is not misinterpreted as negative.

Have you met people or ideas during your travels that have influenced your career Vand path?

I have had colleagues and managers from other countries who have influenced my development and I have tried to learn from them. One of them was my manager in the USA, an American. The other, from whom I have tried to learn, was my manager from Germany. Besides being German, he was an engineer with rich sales experience and was one of the best leaders I have worked with. A very unique and rare combination of skills.

Do you think that your travels help you expand your professional network? How?

Of course, over the years of accumulated experience we create contacts that, although personal, are also an opportunity for professional connectivity, because we are who we are in our entirety - personalities, professionals. Somehow, it becomes very easy to start conversations that seamlessly transition from the personal to the professional and back. Our professional achievements remain with the people we communicate with, but they are always based on our personal qualities and built impressions.

What skills do you develop the most when you travel, and how do they reflect on your work Vand?

The ability to navigate in an unfamiliar city and unfamiliar place. This is of course in the realm of humor, but it is not unimportant. I think that the need to talk to different people from different cultures when we travel makes us more flexible in communication overall, including professionally. I notice that for both me and my colleagues who work in international companies, it is very easy to start a conversation and shorten the distance even in virtual meetings with people from different countries. We should note the positive fact that the world today is open and a large part of people travel both professionally and for pleasure, and we can say that active people may not be exactly citizens of the world, but they are the connection between different countries and cultures. You know, it’s interesting, but in my professional contacts, I can’t recall a case where problems between different countries, religions, or cultures have stood between us. This shows that when we are focused on our professional duties, we are inclined to accept the differences among us.

Is there a city or country that has Vand inspired you to start a new business or project?

Maybe I can't say inspiration for a specific project. But I was impressed by how easy it is to start a business in the USA. Registering a company, along with a tax number, took me 30 minutes online more than 20 years ago and cost me 1 dollar. Imagine how relieved the bureaucracy is and entrepreneurship is facilitated. This also applies to the administration of the company subsequently. Last year, my colleagues and I developed a platform for predicting employee turnover and suggestions for specific actions to increase employee engagement regarding their motives for changing jobs, everything based on Artificial Intelligence. When we were developing the product, our idea was entirely focused on the American market due to its size, the size of companies, and the specific situation where, even with layoffs, for large companies it is critically important to identify their key employees and possible steps for their retention and motivation.

When you are in an unfamiliar country, do you feel more motivated or more distracted? Why?

When I am in an unfamiliar country, I am more disciplined and focused in my actions. Not only in terms of orientation at the airport and on the street, in transport, but also in terms of behavior towards the culture and rules. I admit, that I felt the most stressed with my family upon arriving for the first time in Dubai. This was our first visit to a Muslim country with strict rules. We were extremely careful not to violate the rules and not to hurt the faith of the locals, although Dubai is still a place that has strong Western influence.

Are there destinations that act as a “restart” for your creativity and ambition?

For personal and professional reasons, Vienna is one such place. Extremely energizing with the amalgam of people you can meet, as well as the mix of rich culture and history, old Austrian business and new modern ones.

How do you manage the balance between work and pleasure when you travel?

Whenever I travel with my family, it is associated with fun and pure tourism. During professional trips, when I have the opportunity, I try to “steal” a few hours to walk the streets of the city I am in, to have coffee in local cafes and to visit a local supermarket. All of this gives me the chance to feel the “spirit” of the city. Visits to restaurants and attractions are usually covered in the professional program.

How have travels changed the way you perceive the value of money?

I always try to build a budget for everything I do. This gives me and my family predictability during travels. Traveling allows us to notice the difference when visiting one or another country. In recent years, it has been noticeable how Bulgarians feel closer to the standards in other countries and I think this gives confidence to people.

Do you travel with the aim of finding new ways to make money?

I have had two trips to explore potential opportunities, but in today’s connected world, it is extremely easy to do your research online. It’s interesting how there are businesses that operate in countries where the owners have never set foot. These are the opportunities of today.

What lessons about financial independence have you learned from different economies and cultures?

Perhaps the most important lesson I try to follow in my personal life, I learned in the USA, but with the opposite sign. There, the economy is built on consumption and the indebtedness of people who want to afford everything “now”. But this taught me to strive for a lack of obligations. Of course, in business, the situation is not the same and borrowed capital is of utmost importance for development.

According to V, is it better to spend on experiences rather than material possessions?

We live in a material world and balance is of utmost importance. We cannot do without material possessions, and they also bring us comfort and satisfaction. But experiences bring exactly that - experiences. We all live with the expectation of the next trip, the next sea, ski vacation, or celebration for a birthday.

How do you see the future of digital nomadic life?

The opportunities are here. Now it remains to happen more and more. We see many such nomads and will see more opportunities for them. I think they will increase, but there is still a noticeable reverse trend in large companies that are making efforts to bring employees back to the offices in some form.

Are there specific countries that are more favorable for work and investments?

There certainly are, and it is a pity that Bulgaria is losing its strategic advantages with slow decisions, lack of good collaboration between business and government, although both sides declare that they strive for this. Otherwise, we can take good examples from Ireland, Kosovo, and other countries. I think, that although it is a very large topic, I should mention that the European Union can take much bolder steps to make the union more attractive for investors. We have a huge opportunity to take advantage of the global situation and the uncertainty in the USA.

If you could choose one place in the world to develop your next big idea, what would it be and why?

I want to develop my current project, as well as future ones in Bulgaria, but to be realized in the USA. This is the market that is extremely attractive with its scale, as well as with the hunger for quick implementation of new ideas.

What are the destinations that you would definitely recommend to be visited and why?

Italy with its history, cuisine, and people.

Austria with its history, culture, nature, and atmosphere in every settlement - small or large.

Japan, as a different country with a rich culture and different attitude towards life. Here I emphasize that for me this country is known only from what I have read and heard about it. But I believe that for a European, it is interesting to visit such a different culture.

What is the career advice you would give based on what you have seen around the world?

Never stop learning. Learn new skills, visit different places, and if you have the opportunity, work in another country. This will give you a different perspective, but you will also be perceived differently.