Harmony in personal life is the foundation for success in professional life

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Antoniya and I am an expert in sales, marketing, and hotel operations. I started my career with serious experience with international chains and different types of hotels – vacation, city, and boutique, always focusing on better sales with exceptional hospitality and customer experience.

 

For several years, I have dedicated myself to my own project – Above & Beyond Hospitality -  I work as a consultant and help independent hotels achieve higher revenues, by improving their sales processes – online presence, pricing structure, distribution, marketing activities. I have serious experience with the biggest names in the industry and can easily offer any hotel an action plan that guarantees results.

 

How would you describe your career in a few words?

I followed the path I chose and I am satisfied with every step and meeting so far, I am grateful for my experience and what I have learned. I work with interesting people and I am careful about who I spend time with at work – the environment is extremely important!

 

What was the most important choice that shaped your path?

The most important choice was the principled decision not to make compromises and to work only with serious employers, where I could learn a lot and have access to the best practices. Thanks to this, I have impressive experience for Bulgaria with some of the biggest names in the hotel industry at a global level, such as Kempinski, Melia Hotels International, Iberostar, Marriott and others. I have worked for both city and vacation hotels and my knowledge of the local market now helps me to be useful as a consultant for independent hotels that want to operate by the best global standards.

 

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

With patience, everything falls into place – years ago I was quite impatient, perhaps like everyone at the beginning of their professional journey.

 

There was a period when I found it difficult to balance work and family – when my children were younger, for example. At that time, I realized something important – more responsibilities and workload make us much more effective and organized. Of course, not to infinity!

 

It is important for a person to have a vision for their future and not to go with the flow, but the career path is connected with experience that everyone must accumulate.

 

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

We should follow our interests and choose a profession that comes easily to us.

 

What skills according to you will be key in the next 10 years?

In the dynamic world of AI, it is most important to be open to changes, to think critically, and to be able to communicate well – empathy and emotional intelligence are irreplaceable, universal, and open many doors.

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

The work environment can be toxic for many reasons, but it always reflects as depriving employees of the desire and pleasure of work. Maybe I am too optimistic, but I believe, that a person should love their job and feel the meaning and contribution they give to the world.

If you feel a strong reluctance to work – it is time to change something!

 

What would you do differently if you could start over?

I would spend more time with my family and I would have dedicated myself to my own project earlier than I did!

 

How to maintain our motivation in times of stagnation?

There are such moments, but as I mentioned – patience is valuable, and it is important for a person not to lose their direction. In such moments, it is useful for a person to enroll in an additional course, for example, to enrich and update their knowledge - this provides motivation, ideas, and new perspectives.

 

How to achieve a balance between professional and personal life?

This is a key moment for everyone, because the intertwining of professional and personal life is inevitable. The main thing is not to work excessively long hours, except in exceptional cases, and not to bring work emotions and problems home – quite simple, but it works!

 

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

This is a serious change, which requires a completely new environment, new skills. Surely everyone has thought – I would not want to throw away knowledge and experience and start over, but I am sure, that in many cases it is justified.

In fact, there are several people around me who successfully undertook such a change after 35 and I admire them a lot!

 

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

Choose a profession you love. Success is not an end goal and stop, but a journey!

 

What is your definition of “successful career”?

To love what we do and to understand the contribution we make to the world. At the same time, to have a fulfilling personal life.