The image of the entrepreneur in Bulgaria

Ambitious and willing to work around the clock for an idea. Innovative, knows how to take risks and isn’t afraid to. Persistent, brave and an active player in the national economy. With this short description, it’s easy to picture the successful entrepreneur. You might think people like that are either few and far between or crazy to start anything at all in Bulgaria’s uncertain economic and political reality. But entrepreneurship in Bulgaria is a fact, and entrepreneurs are becoming more and more visible on the country’s economic stage.

Being an entrepreneur means, first of all, having an idea, a talent or a niche that you can and want to develop. I sincerely hope you don’t think of an entrepreneur as “a crook with no education or trade, but with a fat wallet and a shaved, empty head.” That’s a stereotype many Bulgarians still carry from the 1990s, when the chaotic transition from communism to a market economy produced a wave of shady, thuggish “businessmen.” Many Bulgarians see entrepreneurs as giants hungry for money and fame, who exploit people’s labor and trample every moral value for personal gain. It’s an image we’ve lived with for years. It was born out of fear and insecurity, and we usually associate it not only with business people, but also with politicians, bankers and officials in general, anyone who has made us suffer or grow poorer. But the trends actually show something different. Today’s entrepreneur in Bulgaria is usually young or middle-aged, with a new idea, a profitable venture and a desire to grow personally and professionally.

Bulgarian economic and financial experts say it plainly: entrepreneurs are the real engine of our economy today. Uncertainty and fear of failure may be the main problems Bulgarian entrepreneurs face, but they aren’t making their numbers shrink. In fact, economists are confident that entrepreneurship here will find even more fertile ground, because Bulgarians are resourceful and flexible, full of ideas and hardworking. These are all qualities you need for a successful start in business. And let’s not forget that entrepreneurship creates new jobs and often gives young people and specialists in narrow fields a chance to prove themselves. Many Bulgarians today prefer to work for exactly this kind of person. Entrepreneurs don’t just give young professionals a chance to build a career. They also change Bulgarian prejudices about people who want to go into business. Working for an entrepreneur today means offering your support, believing that things can happen (even here in Bulgaria) and becoming part of something new, different and better. That’s what all of us are waiting and looking for.

According to a recent survey, entrepreneur is one of the most desirable and promising career choices for young people in Bulgaria. That’s definitely good news, and it leads to another conclusion: young Bulgarians still believe they can succeed and build their careers here. Older people also have a much better opinion of today’s entrepreneurs. Looking ahead, there’s a positive feeling that Bulgarian entrepreneurs will give a fresh, successful start to an important and urgently needed part of the national economy.

Does Bulgaria need entrepreneurs? Yes, absolutely! Because they’re the ones who give us a chance at a better future, and because they’re a symbol of progress in our time.

What do you think? What is the image of entrepreneurs in Bulgaria?