Successful entrepreneurs are usually married or devoted to their work

Introduce yourself in a few words..

Elina Ivanova-Atanasov, marketing expert with 20 years of experience in managing companies and creating innovative strategies.

I am the owner and CEO of Princeps Group – the oldest marketing and advertising agency in the country, with over 11,000 successful projects behind me. In my professional journey, I have worked as a consultant and marketing director for nearly 200 international and Bulgarian companies. Apart from that, for the last 4 years I have held the position of president of the European Vape Industry Association. Over the years, I have created and managed diverse successful companies, among which:

 

·       Smart Creative Group – a company specializing in the development of innovations  - production, trade and wholesale and retail distribution

·       European Business Academy - an innovative training academy for professional qualification

·       Carra Concept – a company for designer products aimed at the youngest

·       El Shisha – recognized as the most luxurious vape brand in the world

·       Vapy - one of the leading vape brands in Europe, which conquered the Balkans

·       ETRIA - a company for the development of superinnovative dietary supplements

·       EL WELL - an innovative platform focused on artificial intelligence, self-improvement, and biohacking

Currently, developing an innovation created entirely from my idea, which will be an absolute game changer on a global scale in the field of wellness, biohacking, and longevity. The details remain a secret for now, before we complete the patenting process in summer 2025.


Besides being an entrepreneur, I am also a business mentor with dozens of original articles and videos on marketing, advertising, and development strategies published in various specialized publications. I am currently finishing my first book, which will soon be published in Bulgaria.

I am ambitious, a workaholic, and a lifelong learner – I believe that a person can always improve. I am happy to have an amazing husband, two already grown awake children and many animals. My hobby is traveling, getting to know new cultures, and being inspired by the world around me.

How would you describe your career in a few words?

Intriguing, turbulent, diverse, challenging.

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

To delve deeply into the intricacies of marketing from a very young age, to learn how everything is done "from the kitchen", so that over time I can become an entrepreneur who creates and develops not only others' but also my own brands, products, and services successfully.

And of course, to never stop learning constantly and to develop. Continuous learning inevitably provides a competitive advantage and  helps to make better decisions.

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

That my perfectionism sometimes prevents me from seeing the "big picture". I don't know if this has helped or hindered me, but if I had thought carefully about this topic years ago, many things would probably have happened differently, faster and easier.

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

Usually, people like to do what they are good at. Or in other words, everything you have dedicated a few thousand hours to becomes what you can do well – i.e., it starts to be perceived as suitable for you.

When I conduct job interviews, I always ask a question to which I want a very candid answer – "What do you think you are not good at and what would you tell me that at this stage you do not want to deal with and if it depended on you, you would prefer it not to be in your duties? Not that you can't do it, you just don't want to or prefer not to?"

The most important thing is the attitude towards work – if you manage to make it so that you enjoy it and wake up with the desire to start doing it immediately, it means it fits you.

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

Working with artificial intelligence, prompt engineering, communications, emotional intelligence, flexibility, and adaptability.

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

People love to be listened to. They love to be helpful. They love to give advice. Take smart advantage of what they love while trying to provide them value with your presence. Get involved in groups, events, and clubs where everyone seems more capable, more successful, and smarter, and you will inevitably raise your level. Listen more than you speak. No successful person achieves everything alone – mentors and contacts can accelerate your development many times over. Try to learn directly from people who have already walked the path you are about to take.

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

I did not build a large team early on, in my eagerness to finish as much work as I could myself, believing that I was doing it better, faster, and more efficiently than others. Building a team of quality specialists and delegating tasks is fundamental to creating successful businesses regardless of the field.

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

This question is directed more towards employees than business owners, because the latter have nowhere to go, but for the former, I would define it as - the feeling that you do not want to go to work, because you feel anxiety, irritation, or frustration, without having the opportunity to communicate them with colleagues or managers who can understand you and take action. I place great importance on direct personal conversations at any time and on any topic, so that even the most minimal conditions for problems in teams can be eliminated.

What would you do differently if you could start over?

Knowledge accumulates with experience, so it is important whether the question is "if I could start over, with the knowledge and experience I already have…".

I would build teams that have the opportunity to self-develop, without having to do tons of work instead of them. I would delegate every easier task to others, to focus on the more important, larger, and more complex ones that match my knowledge, experience, and level.

I would be less tolerant of mistakes, laziness, not meeting deadlines  and other minor things that sometimes come from long-term employees, undermining  the corporate culture that I want my companies to have.

How to maintain our motivation in times of stagnation?

It won't be the first time I say this, I have been quoted many times with this statement – Motivation is a weakness. Habit is what makes things happen. Just get through the period by forcing yourself to do what you know is right, true, or important for your future “self”. Motivation will come again, but it should not be what you wait for to move forward. Move without stopping - with, without, or despite it.

How to achieve balance between professional and personal life?

Contrary to the clichés that circulate in the space, I would like to point out that among the most successful people in a work aspect, this balance is lacking.

And this is because the more dedicated a person is to their work, the less time, energy, and attention they have for personal relationships. And vice versa – the more dedicated they are to their personal life, the fewer resources they have for work.

The most successful businessmen globally are literally obsessed with what they do. In love with it. Immersed and obsessed. It is challenging to live with such a type of person, and successful entrepreneurs are usually like that – married to their work.

So – if we talk about balance, for me it is in proper prioritization. And if at some point a person feels that they are leaning in one direction or the other, to redirect their attention and dedicate themselves where they feel there is a lack.

I dare say that at this stage of my life I have this balance – I work a lot, in many different directions, at the same time I have a wonderful family and find time for travel and entertainment, without one being at the expense of the other.

For this, it is very important for a person to have an understanding partner by their side.

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

When we feel that we are heading towards burnout, but it is not just expressed in chronic fatigue, but in unwillingness to engage with that thing anymore, because it burdens us, depresses, and drives us to the edge. When we feel that we know what we DO NOT want to happen to us anymore every day, what type of work we do NOT want to engage in.

Or when we feel that we are ready to dedicate ourselves to our Ikigai.

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

Be obsessed. Keep moving constantly.

Be absolutely obsessed with your idea/product/service. Work as if your thing is the most incredible creation and you need to tell the whole world about it. Passion in work is an irreplaceable engine of success.

There is a very interesting dependency among successful people – they are fast. They make decisions quickly, assess quickly, start quickly, react quickly. Speed is a key quality – they do not overthink, do not plan too deeply, do not procrastinate and wait for the perfect moment. They move. They transition from idea to action in the time it takes most people to scratch the first draft of their idea. While others discuss, research, analyze, wonder, consult, and hesitate, they are already acting -  learning in motion, adapting and progressing. Success does not come to the one who has the best idea, but to the one who actually does something to make it happen and does so with a sparkle in their eyes.

What is Your definition of a “successful career”?

To feel satisfaction, pride, and unhidden happiness from achievements, to shop without looking at the price, to not need to introduce yourself, because they know who you are, to have the freedom to be absent whenever and however you decide and the work does not stop, to create things that provide value that changes lives and lasts over time.