To fall forward: attempts are more valuable than victories

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

My name is Aleksandar Netsov and I am a 'professional tester' or as it is now fashionable to say 'serial entrepreneur'. At the moment I manage a digital agency Web to Spec, I am a co-founder of Speed Lounge (a bar with realistic car simulators) and I am developing several SaaS in the medical field and real estate.

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood?

Watching my parents, I always felt a little or a lot obliged to continue their entrepreneurial path. Although they never forced or pushed me to do so, on the contrary - they always wanted me to make my own choice. Over the years, I saw how they built their company, the difficulties they went through, the sacrifices needed, and finally the freedom they have.

At what age did you earn your first money? Tell us an interesting story?

On in 9th grade I started a business selling headphones, replicas of an expensive brand. Unlike everyone else, I bought the highest quality replicas and accordingly my reviews were very good. Subsequently, the niche diluted and I finished while I was still in profit.

What are the main factors and examples that shape us as a person at an early age and form our interests? What is your recipe for curiosity, sources and wells of information and inspiration at this stage of our human development?

Gradually, I realized how much everything I saw from my parents when I was little influenced me. From their daily life to their attitude towards money, things, and towards me. Things I perceived as normal, I later saw were completely atypical for other children.

I can't call it a recipe, but what shaped my curiosity was assembling numerous constructors in my early childhood. At first, I started with metal constructors with bolts and nuts, which many of us had inherited, and later came out with Lego.

Since my parents worked, I grew up with my grandparents. They would leave me for hours to play alone and explore the world around me.

Then came the computer era. The first game I played was Colin McRae Rally. This probably influenced my future hobbies to a large extent.

Subsequently, accessible internet appeared, which taught me to find solutions to problems on my own. I learned how to search correctly and test solutions as quickly as possible. One of my first encounters with “fail forward” approach.

Did any significant difference occur in your perceptions in a more mature age about what motivates you to do or not do something?

At the beginning of university, the biggest change that ever happened to me occurred. Suddenly, I began to experience incredible pleasure from optimizing processes in the family business.

After there was nothing left to optimize, I moved on to growth in terms of both products and markets. My strongest motivation was to achieve the given goal I had set for myself.

Whose decision was it where to pursue higher education and what to study?

As with everything else in my life, my parents left me to make the decision whether and what to pursue. They only gave me a choice: “If you study, we will support you; if you don’t study - you move out”.

After I did an internship in 12th grade in England, I decided to explore the university options. Even the more budget options seemed expensive to me. Although we could afford it, I couldn't justify such an amount for those universities. For better or worse, I stayed in Bulgaria and chose TU Sofia branch Plovdiv, majoring in Computer Systems.

Was this decision correct, looking at today?

Given everything that has happened since then, I dare say that this was the right choice. I met interesting people, renewed old acquaintances, one of the most fruitful being with one of my current partners.

Share more about your interests, knowledge, skills, and hobbies?

I find pleasure in many activities, but those that have left the most impact and still do are: video games, mountain biking, and motorsport.

Computer games are a means through which you can find both true friends and experience incredible adventures. A well-made game makes you reflect on the values in life and appreciate more the truly important things in life.

Thanks to mountain biking, since my teenage years, I learned financial culture and had the motivation to earn money. Everything went to the bike, and the parts and equipment became more and more expensive. The moment I could comfortably afford everything, I switched to motorsport.

Like the bike, I see the car as a means of mental relaxation, meeting new people, and most importantly, developing myself. The challenges in these sports teach you calmness, persistence, and a lot of perseverance.

Unbeknownst to me, all the knowledge I accumulated in motorsport turned out to be key to the realism of the simulators we offer.

 

 

 

Would you change your profession today and which fields of activity capture your interest?

I have always told myself that if I hadn't become a programmer, I would have become a pilot or a surgeon. Both have always attracted me a lot, but they require incredible dedication for a whole lifetime. In some other life, I will try both.

They say that personal branding is everything that people say about you when you are not in the same room with them. What would you like to hear today?

It has happened before, but every time I hear it, it makes me just as happy. Several times my acquaintances have told me: “You motivate me, you showed me that things can happen, and I managed to achieve X, Y and Z.”

Emotional intelligence, adaptability, and flexibility, as well as our soft skills are key conditions for success in the last few years. How do you cope with the daily challenges of life to be in good shape and mood?

Whatever difficulty I encounter, I always try to face it with a clear mind and minimal emotional investment. This way, I know that the decision will be rational. To this tested recipe, we add intuition shaped by years of experience.

What are the most important conclusions you have drawn so far for maintaining proper communication considering the different characters of the people you meet daily – colleagues, friends, relatives?

One of the most underrated skills is to be able to put ourselves in the shoes of the person opposite. Initially, it is difficult to swallow our own views and set aside our beliefs. However, once this barrier is overcome, communication with the other person becomes much easier.

Suddenly, you understand why the client is nervous. It’s not your fault. Their deliveries are delayed, and without wanting to, they take it out on you. Your partner is not as angry with you as with the colleagues who stressed her in the office. In every situation, there are 2 sides to the coin, and it is important not to react primarily and hastily.

What do you think about money? What is their influence on your life? What is your advice to people who often ask themselves questions related to money and how sufficient they are?

Money is a means to achieve goals, ensure comfort and freedom. Many people cling either to their available savings or to the idea of making money. Neither is productive, nor is the other. The number we see in the account is never enough and can always be more.

A more constructive way of thinking is the pursuit of freedom. Starting from there, more adequate decisions are made, whether for saving, investing, or starting a new venture.

What is the most valuable career advice you would give to people?

Fail as much as you can. Nothing is more valuable than unsuccessful attempts from which we learn. Victories are the natural development after failures and it is normal for them not to come quickly.