Boris Grozev's Blog

Is there anyone so wise to learn by the experience of others? Voltaire 

Last Friday, as I was taking my daughter to her Bulgarian community school in Jumeirah, and one of the fellow parents asked me what is my blog about, I admit I had to stop for a second think about it before I could give an answer. What is its focus? Where is the value for you? What do you get in exchange of your most precious asset which is your time? What can you learn? These are the sort of questions that I would ask myself before spending time on any website. Logic for many, I would suppose.

So there are three things that are the focus of this blog. Naturally, these things are something that I am surely not the only one to care about.

Financial Happiness

This is the creative name I have given to the journey to achieving financial freedom, a clear goal in my mind. In this category, there are articles that come from our personal experience investing in financial, alternative, real estate and other markets. Achieving financial independence is not an easy task or a short process. It is a journey that for me has started with monetary losses, things that have not gone as expected, deadlines that were not met. Knowing how to acquire a property, maintain it or rent it is a skill set that most of us learn by doing… The value for you lies in the fact that you can use some of my experiences to avoid some obvious mistakes or even expand the investment ideas you look at. Surely, you can also help me avoid future mistakes by commenting or dropping a line.

Business Development

This is something that I am doing professionally for the last seven plus years. Additionally, most of the people who surround me are entrepreneurs so I gladly help them grow their business, open a new market, draft a clean action plan, better their product, adopt a new technology, draft and implement a clear business strategy, as I love challenges the list is really long… There are plenty of things that I keep learning day in day out. Also, guess what, I love doing that and others (bosses, clients, friends, contacts) say I am really good at it. It is not a rocket science, with time you learn techniques that tend to work, however the key is just to do, to challenge yourself and grow out of your comfort zone. To do that first cold call without being afraid, to test whether something works, to fail and fail again. Surely, you can learn from my failures and successes in business development. Writing that paragraph, I actually wonder when I will write and article about one my shared failures, namely not to develop a wine business… Anyway… Certainly, I want to learn from yours that’s why spare a second read and share.

Fintech Thoughts

Finance is changing. Technology is making huge leaps forward.  It is coming to disrupt how traditional finance is working.  I see the process only accelerating. From security origination through bond issuance and IPOs new technology is coming to change how business works. Data science, block chain, digitisation, artificial intelligence, cyber security are only few of the phenomenons who will impact the way banks, asset managers, insurance companies work.  Traditional players will have to adapt to the new paradigm and justify their survival. New comers will have to learn some of the old ways of doing business. New skills will be needed to keep working for your employer. Many non core functions will be outsourced and automated. I can see all of the above in my day to day. Often, I also cross paths solid industry innovators. There so many things to share and discuss together. Please join me on the day to day journey.

Bulgaria as a business destination

You will notice a post every now and then about Bulgaria. There are a few reasons for that. Number one is the fact that with my family we have a number of investments in the country. We see the business realities day to day. We have a very good understanding about the culture code of the country. Our local expertise is built over the years can often save you both time and money. I also secretly hope that my blog posts will contribute to building a more adequate and real image of the country abroad. And yes, if you were about to ask the beaches are spectacular, the mountains are picturesque,  and there are plenty of great business opportunities over there.

Health is wealth

My passion for sports and active lifestyle is another reason why you can spend time on my blog. Sharing experiences what are the eating habits, mindfulness practices as well as workouts that can keep you going is pretty cool I think. Being real about it like the two other topics is something super valuable. It becomes increasingly rare, I feel as we are often oversold on sport apps, personal trainers, food supplements you name it… Like everyone else, I have commitments. I work long hours, constantly travel to different countries and have numerous ( often not easy) family engagements, however keeping fit and even getting fitter is a passion, a goal and a real pleasure. My most recent challenge was to run a mile below 6 minutes. Managed to achieve it this week. It was not easy, but I loved it. The training plan and the picture of my friend Zak who pushed me to do it are soon to be shared.

I guess that’s it, erm I was about to forget what is in for me are your comments, so that I can learn from you. Thanks for reading. By the way you can listen to the episode here:

About the Author
Boris Grozev is a seasoned fintech executive. Moreover, he is an entrepreneur by heart. Boris has helped number of businesses. To clarify, he has created and implemented business development and product enhancement strategies. In addition, his advisory work in emerging and frontier markets has resulted in culture and technology change. Above all, it has fostered innovation and lead to tangible results. He also invests in variety of asset classes and shares his experiences from the journey to financial independence. Boris’ leadership abilities, ambition naturally spread to others. He is a fast learner. His stamina, attitude and passion to succeed help to achieve common goals.