A successful career is not a title, number of followers, or an impressive CV

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Diana Aladjova, partner in the investment fund Silverline Partners, founder of a company for outsourced financial directors CFO Insights, co-founder of the social enterprise Box to Remember in support of the deaf community in Bulgaria and a lecturer at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

How would you describe your career in a few words?

A dynamic path between investments, finance, and balancing with social causes.

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

To make decisions and act even with minimal chances of success – this has been decisive for my professional path. I applied for a master's degree at LSE, despite 0.2% chance of acceptance; I returned to Bulgaria to practice a profession that was still not developed here; I founded a company during maternity leave and developed a second one while expecting my second child. I am convinced that there is no perfect moment for career development, it happens when taking action.

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

Careers are not a line, but a network and you must be ready to untangle problems, while building the foundations.

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

The right profession brings with it a sense of pride and enthusiasm, a desire for improvement and meaning in efforts, even before there is recognition. This is also the way for a person to become one of the best in a given profession.  

Which skills according to Inyou will be key in the next 10 years?

Communication – I believe that the key to good professional realization is communication skills. To communicate well, first and foremost we need to develop our emotional intelligence. It is the mechanism that allows us to understand and interpret the emotions of the other person and thus to lay the foundation for good professional relationships.

Discipline – Although luck, opportunities, and good partnerships can significantly contribute to success, they do not guarantee achieving the desired results. For success, we need persistence, focus, and disciplined approach, and when they meet the opportunity, we reach the goal.

Adaptability – The ability to adapt to new situations, information, and perspectives has been a tool for me to manage problems and make informed decisions. This quality brings with it the desire for continuous learning and improvement.

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

The main rule in my opinion is to build your network and create contacts NOT with the idea of what you will take from them, but with the idea of what you will give them. A network that is built on mutual partnership and benefits is very strong and starts to bear fruit faster.

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

To believe that success comes only with results. In fact, success is resilience – and it comes with well-built systems, people, and culture. Numbers are only half the picture.

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

An environment where the culture exhausts instead of energizing, there is no dialogue, only directives, success is individual, but failure is collective – this is a toxic environment.

What would you have done differently if you could start over?

I would have invested earlier in developing personal qualities of the diploma.

How to maintain our motivation in times of stagnation?

Stagnation is overcome through movement – literally and metaphorically. It is necessary to take proactive action to change direction, develop a new idea, enter a new network of people, develop a new skill.  Motivation does not come on schedule – it requires provocation and meaning.

How to achieve a balance between professional and personal life?

The balance between professional and personal life is not a static state, but a dynamic equation, which changes with the phases of life and our priorities.

It is achieved not through perfect time distribution, but through a clear awareness of its value. It requires the ability to set boundaries, to delegate, to say "no" to good opportunities in the name of better choices.

True balance comes when you do not have to abandon one part of yourself to develop the other – when your professional effort is in sync with your personal values and life rhythm.

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

It is time to change our career when the sense of meaning is systematically absent, not just the motivation from a specific role.

If you have exhausted not only the tasks but also the desire to improve, if you no longer recognize yourself in the environment, in the topics, in the people – this is not fatigue, but a signal.

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

Do everything in the best way you can, even when no one is watching. Success is not one bigstep, but thousands of small steps that we take every day in the right direction.

What is Inyour definition of “successful career”?

For me, asuccessful career is not a title, number of followers, or an impressive CV.

It is a match between what you can do, what you love, and what brings value to others. Success is when you are useful without losing yourself, when you progress without burning out, and when you leave a mark – not only in results but also in people.