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UK Top Young Enterpreneur: Bulgaria's Future Bright |
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Written by Boryana Gotsova,
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Wednesday, 19 March 2008 |
Photo by Boryana Gotsova | MAR 17– Boyan Benev, British magazine’s Start Your Business top young entrepreneur of 2007, talked about the prospects of Bulgarian entrepreneurship at an Investment club lecture on Monday. Benev said Bulgaria needs thorough investment strategies and structured marketing. “It’s not just enough to put a sign on the side of the road saying ‘For Sale,’” he said. Benev identified the exclusive concentration of companies in Sofia and several other big cities as a major problem. He predicted that if this model does not change, eventually “the provinces will drag down the country.” However, he admitted that Bulgaria has made significant progress: “The business and entrepreneurial practices we saw in the 1990s are changing. People are taking a much more developed attitude towards structuring and developing a business.” He said the service industry is improving, and highly qualified professional staff is making its way to the top of companies. |
The speaker supported the idea of financing projects in Bulgaria either by attracting local investors or by taking loans from banks. “Bulgarian entrepreneurs have the advantage of knowing the market. They shouldn’t jump to get foreign investors at every opportunity,” he said. Benev described Bulgaria as a great place for young professionals with fresh ideas for the future. “There is still so much opportunity because there is so much to do. It is an optimistic way of looking at it.” Benev was born in Bulgaria, but his family moved to England in 1991. He graduated from University College London in 2006.. Since the age of 13, Benev managed projects varying from selling antiques to making custom-made wine bottles. Today, Benev is the Managing Director of Benev Limited, which he founded together with British partners. His business provides “off-market high-level real-estate brokerage.” In other words, he finds appropriate land properties and building projects for investors. He has succeeded in handling big ventures like shopping malls and airports. Yet, Benev intends to shift the primary activity of the company from intermediation to consultancy.
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