"I've been an entrepreneur since 2009 and at some point I realized that a bird doesn't fly alone and I need people to communicate with, share work challenges and try to find solutions together. This was the reason why in 2013 I sought contact through a friend with the Selena Association of Women Entrepreneurs. Two years later, I was invited to become a member and today I am its president," says Slavyanka Stoykova.

The Association was established in Bulgaria in 2007 by the Italian Elda Lettieri with the mission to create a professional network between Bulgarian and international professionals to share know-how and exchange knowledge and experience.

In recent years more and more women in Bulgaria have decided to go into business, and according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI) over 30% of entrepreneurs in Bulgaria are women. To date, the Association has nearly 80 businesswomen members who are actively working to support entrepreneurship among women. This in no way means that we discriminate against gender, says Desislava Avdjieva, Vice President of the Association.

Yet women in business are still undervalued globally. The reason, according to Slavyana Stoykova, lies in so-called purely feminine qualities.

"These traits are inherent in every person. They're just more commonly exhibited by women and that's why we call them feminine. These are qualities like emotionality, the ability to bring people together in teams and communities, adaptability. In reality, women are often more cautious, perhaps more timid about financial decisions, but on the other hand this makes them more cautious about taking risky decisions that can be fatal to a business."

All this will be discussed during the events related to the International Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.

This holiday has been celebrated since 2013. It is currently marked in 144 countries and 110 universities and institutes around the world to help bring change and development to the estimated 250 million girls living in poverty. The date on which the world honors Women's Entrepreneurship Day is November 19.

This year Bulgaria joins the initiative for the fourth time. Starting on 24 November under the motto "Women in their different roles", the aim of the event in Sofia is to focus on all the roles that every woman has to play in her daily life. 

The organizers from Selena Association note that a discussion on the topic will be held during the event. Representatives of various international organizations will take part in the event to motivate women to develop their entrepreneurial activities in other countries without leaving the country.

There will always be differences between people, but the key to success lies in using those differences for good. And to reinforce this, Slavyana says that international studies show that women in top management positions contribute a greater proportion of their earnings to social causes. Accordingly, during this year's edition, the Association will support two causes - For Our Children Foundation and Pass On Foundation, focusing on organizing Christmas dinners for the elderly in nursing homes across the country.

Text by Vesela Krasteva (based on interviews by Hristina Simeonova, BNR-Hr. Botev and Martin Nikolov, BNR-Varna)