The history of the company told by Daniel Petrov - Founder and CEO of the Plovdiv IT company, written by Economy.bg
Article: Как стартира VSG Bulgaria? - Economy.bg
Daniel Petrov - Founder and CEO of VSG Bulgaria. Photo: Economy.bg
Lear how did VSG Bulgaria get started from Daniel Petrov - Founder and CEO of the Plovdiv-based IT company.
https://vimeo.com/825398713?share=copy pass: eco1
How did VSG start in Bulgaria, what were the first projects, customers, markets?
VSG Bulgaria started in 2011 in Plovdiv. In fact, with my partners in America we started working as early as 2004-2005. Then we were freelancers and decided that there was business potential to make a company in Bulgaria. They liked the talent we had and presented, and we decided to expand in Bulgaria an American company, which at that time was a startup.
Our first project is still running - a Loan Origination platform. In general, it is a platform on which business loans are created or launched. Financial companies and financial institutions such as banks and credit bureaus use our software. The platform is large, and it is still in active development and support. This was the first project we started. After a few years, when the company has already grown a little and we had more capacity, we have also launched the second FPS project. And after a few more years and our third project Loan Marketplace.
Who is the person behind the idea of the company starting in Bulgaria?
This is my partner and manager in America Mark Hill. He saw the potential to create a company in Bulgaria. I was then a software developer, and it was a challenge for me to start the business, find people and grow the company in Bulgaria.
What were the biggest challenges in the beginning?
Normal for a developer the challenges were bureaucracy and the things we had to do outside our domain and beyond what we understand and can do. That is why my wife helped me a lot. She dealt with everything related to the company – administration and everything necessary to develop documentaries. Her help was important so that I could focus on the company's development purely technologically.
With what technologies did you start and what has changed over time?
We use Microsoft programming languages such as C#. In the future, the Frontend underwent a lot of changes, we went through normal Java Script, then we tried Angular. For the last 5-6 years we have been using React and this is the stable technology on which we are currently developing the Frontend.
Who were the first employees?
The first employees were friends and colleagues, their friends, and colleagues. A network of acquaintances. Of course, we were trying to find people from the market, but then we were a start-up, we had no name, marketing strategy and no one had heard of us. We were looking for people by word of mouth, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues from the university.
What is the company today?
We are currently a team of over 70 people. Our central office is in Plovdiv in Office Park Plovdiv. We have an office in Veliko Tarnovo, we also have colleagues from Sofia who work remotely. We are strikingly like who we were at the start, but also very different. And I am incredibly happy that all the years we kept the fire in us to be technical experts.
This is what drives us in life, in business, and in work. Solve problems and love challenges. From this point of view, we have preserved and are the same as we were 11-12 years ago. At the same time, however, we have developed and improved very much organizationally. Over the years, we have learned a lot about organization. Now, with each year of looking back, we see how much we are changing and getting better at how to get from one talent and skills to a result.
I have been through a lot of trouble, but it has been worth it. I did not think I would get here, but now I believe I can go much further.
The most valuable business advice of Daniel Petrov, VSG Bulgaria
See the philosophy of success of the founder of the Plovdiv IT company, Daniel Petrov - Founder and CEO of VSG Bulgaria, written by Economy.bg
Как стартира VSG Bulgaria? - Economy.bg
Daniel Petrov - Founder and CEO of VSG Bulgaria. Photo: Economy.bg
https://vimeo.com/825399423?share=copy pass: vsg1
The moto of our company is: Do the right thing, do whatever it takes and have fun.
Everyone and I believe in this philosophy.
"Do the right thing" – for me business makes no sense if it morally and worthily does not follow the rules of life. And that has always led me – to be correct, to be responsible, to do the right thing. Overall, this is a guarantee of success. It is not just a guarantee of success, but it guarantees you. That you can succeed in the right way.
"Do whatever it takes" is what drives us every day. We are people who love challenges. And really, to succeed, you must make a lot of effort and focus on what you want to achieve. Because nothing good happens easily and if you are not ready to give your best, you will not succeed so easily.
"Have fun" is the third part, which is also especially important. One should not forget that life is not just work and enjoy it, appreciate what it has, and seek happiness.
