Violeta Macheva (’04) is a passionate leader with a “cool mind and warm heart”. Balancing the masculine and feminine in her in a delicate dance, she has secured herself the position of CEO of Magic Outdoor – a journey that has been far from easy.
From personal challenges and powerful choices to undying dedication and character transformation, Violeta shares her story of leading with intention and compassion.
First lessons in professionalism
Violeta’s dream was to become a political journalist, and her acceptance to AUBG on a full scholarship was a delight. However, in order to sustain your scholarship at AUBG, one must keep their grades high, which can be challenging, especially for a first-year student in a new environment.
“During the first semester, I wasn’t able to get a good GPA due to my way of studying,” shared Violeta. “You have to discern which information is useful and which is not from large volumes of reading while summarizing the important points.”
Throughout the following semesters, she mastered the skill of critical thinking, and it has remained with her to this date. In fact, it has become an invaluable asset to her professional career. As CEO of Magic Outdoor, Violeta has to prioritize and delegate tasks to her dedicated team.
Violeta majored in Political Science and International Relations, and Business Administration. Another lesson Violeta learned during her first months at AUBG was to keep deadlines.
“Once, I was late by a minute or two for my exam in Political Science, and I got a bad grade in the finals for this class. That’s where I learned to be responsible and to keep up with deadlines,” she shared
“In the work I do now – advertising and printing – we have very strict deadlines with our clients and campaigns, and not adhering to them can cost us a lot. This is what I learned from AUBG, and it has helped me a lot in my entrepreneurial career because I have to teach my team to be responsible. In order to teach them, I have to act in a responsible way.”
A detour from a corporate career
Violeta had a brief corporate career, including helping launch the cutting-edge hosting company SiteGround and working in marketing roles at companies such as Leo Burnett and Avon. At All Channels Communications, she and her team were the pioneers in digitized paper brochures in Bulgaria. “We did some really exciting things,” Violeta reminisces.
Despite her corporate success, she wasn’t fully satisfied and wanted to taste the entrepreneurial way of working. “I’ve always felt that the 9-to-5 rush wasn’t for me, and wanted to create something of my own,” she shares.
At just 24, she became a Hallmark representative in Sofia, managing their card shops, with plans to expand nationwide. But things didn’t go according to plan.
“My husband, whom I’ve now been with for 20 years, was in the auto parts business. One day, he said, ‘I’ve heard that owning a printing house can be a very profitable business, and I’m thinking of investing in one.”
Although Violeta already had her retail business with Hallmark and a newborn baby, she agreed to help with the printing business for the first six months. Little did she know she was in for the long haul and ended up with a 30-person team to manage. Speaking with her, we can tell she loves her job.
Violeta Macheva at Women's Entreprenurship Day 2024
Violeta Macheva at 'Dream for a Child' Ceremony
Innovation makes a true leader
Violeta’s entrepreneurial acumen has been tested several times, but the most significant trial was during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When COVID hit, it tested us all. We had 16 men and four women on the team, and suddenly, all our work dried up – there were no events or campaigns. My team looked at me and asked, ‘What are we going to do?’ I said, ‘We’re going to make taxi partitions.’”
It was an unexpected decision, but Violeta was all in. She reached out to someone she knew in the taxi industry, pitched the idea, and they loved it. While it didn’t take off in Bulgaria, she ended up working with an international company and sold 50,000 partitions globally, excluding Bulgaria. The years 2020, 2021, and 2022 were their most successful ones.
“This experience changed me a lot. I learned to keep calm and cool-minded while having an open heart for people.”
In fact, her mindset shift has been an ongoing journey throughout her career.
“I am a highly emotional and passionate person – an Aries with a Taurus rising. In my early days, I led with a ‘hot heart and hot mind,’ often acting impulsively and raising my voice to my team.
“But I’ve learned to lead with a cool mind while keeping my warm heart intact.” This delicate balance helps her lead her team with integrity, recognizing their talents and skills, and helping them grow alongside her.
The AUBG connection
At AUBG, Violeta met like-minded people and made connections that extend beyond the classroom.
“It’s so wonderful because all my closest friends are from AUBG. With the people from AUBG, you don’t even need to speak because the connection is so out of this world.”
In the business world, the AUBG string is also evident.
“We, AUBG-ers, are very supportive of each other. It’s very easy when you go to a client meeting and there is a person who graduated from AUBG because we trust each other, and we know that we are very strict and responsible. We’ve already earned each other’s trust before even starting to work together, and trust is the foundation in our relations – not only professional, but also personal.”
