Introduce yourself in a few sentences:
My name is Ognyan Gadjev. Married with two children (from one wife). We have a small factory where we produce high-quality canned vegetables.
How did taking over the family business and making lutenica become “your” thing?
My father, of course, played a major role in the direction in which I decided to develop. I have been working since I was 16, first helping while they were building the first factory, then I cleaned cans in the warehouse, I have gone through all the stages on the ladder to the top. Not for a moment have I worked because I had to or to impress my father. I worked because I liked it and because I got paid. And I have loved money since I was a child, and I knew that the more I worked, the more money I would get. In my opinion, this has influenced my work to become a pleasure.
Making lutenitsa and canned vegetables is not “my” thing at all. My thing is being dynamic, being in action, traveling the world, working with clients, contacts with partners, and teamwork. For example, in the production process, we are a team, a chain, and I am only one of the links. From the pepper bakers and the women who peel the peppers to the technologists who brew the product, and the people on the assembly line, everyone has a role to play, and if someone doesn’t do their job, the thread breaks.
You must have had many difficulties over the years. What motivated you to get through them and move on?
I believe that everyone has a guardian angel. I know that every difficulty is a kind of test that makes us stronger. The best motivation is setting a goal. When you know where you are going, you have the desire to get there, you are ready for any trials along the way. The difficulty is like falling and scraping your knee. It hurts, but you stand up, grit your teeth and keep walking. And with time the wound heals. But there is always a scar to remind you of what you learned at that moment.
Why do you think it is important for a person to follow their dreams and goals?
If people didn’t follow their dreams, we’d still be swinging from threes. Every goal achieved perfects us, we become better than yesterday and leave a base for our successors to build on tomorrow.
What are the three most important things you’ve learned from business that you think every self-made person should know?
Motivation, Loyalty, Persistence. The explanation is redundant. Whoever gets into the meaning of the three words and understands it has potential.
What are the moments that make you say, “This makes all the work worth it!”?
A partner with whom we have worked and who returns to us again to order our products is the biggest reward for a job well done. Praise from satisfied customers, this recognition is rewarding. My daily life is quite busy, but because of the satisfied customers, “all the work is worth it”.
Share a motivational message to people who are hesitant to follow their dreams.
I can’t motivate a hesitant person, sorry! If you hesitate, you are not ready or unwilling to take the decisive step. One can achieve anything one sets one’s mind too. A person must know himself well, he must know his capabilities well, and dreams are built on this basis. I can’t dream of becoming a successful programmer, but I can dream of our products becoming what Bentley is to cars. A factory where everything is perfect, environment, machines, workers, products. Carry on, and don’t hesitate to try new things. Travel, meet new people, and new cultures. This is how you will get to know yourself, this is how you will feel the best path for you. If you take the right path, even the difficulties afterward are a pleasure.