Team Tuesday: Meet our Commercial Director in Spain, Evelina Raykova
Where did you begin your career?
“After finishing my studies at Humboldt University of Berlin I started my career with LIDL which at that time expanded to my home country, Bulgaria. After intensive coaching in Germany I was responsible for searching new sites to acquire in west Bulgaria, incl. Sofia.”
What is the best career advice you’ve ever been given?
“Keep calm when things don’t happen in the way you have expected. Be more patient. I am impatient and want to close deals fast and successfully. There are always stones on the way and you have to fight and find solutions while keeping calm, it is important - I had to learn it.”
What tips would you give to someone starting in your profession?
“Real Estate is a broad world and covers a lot of areas: financing, transaction, investment and asset management. I worked in all areas, which helped me to deepen my experience. So, try to focus on more than one area.”
What is your greatest professional achievement to date?
“Being able to work in several countries and conduct business in 4 languages. I was based and worked in 4 European countries - Germany, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria. In addition I was placed at projects in Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro with constant presence in London.”
Tell us something people may not know about you
“When I was 19, I went alone by bus from Sofia with only €1500 in cash to study in Berlin. I managed it - studied, worked and partied.
When I was 23, I took an intensive Spanish course in Salamanca, Spain and fell in love with the country. I knew that one day I would live/ work in Spain - I did not know when. It happened 14 years later, when I was seconded by my German employer to the Madrid office and learnt Spanish in 6 months.
When I was 32, I invested my only savings to buy a flat in Berlin, taking a loan. I decided that passive income is the way to be in order to have financial independence and freedom. Now I own 6 properties in Germany, Spain and Bulgaria and have travelled to more than 50 countries.
Follow your dreams!”
