by Violeta Macheva
Violeta Macheva is a female entrepreneur who leads with her heart. Working in a predominantly male environment, she has mastered the delicate balance between feminine and masculine energy to become a successful leader. As the CEO of Magic Outdoor, a wide-format digital printing, design, and advertising house, Violeta has walked a long journey. She has navigated multiple businesses, gained experience in sales, and unexpectedly stepped into the role of CEO – not for lack of skill but due to the unpredictable unfolding of events. Meanwhile, she has juggled motherhood and learned to nurture a thriving team, a quality which is the cornerstone of great leadership.
Today, Violeta shares the lessons she’s learned to inspire other women who may feel uncertain about their paths or how to balance professional and personal roles. For Violeta, every woman has the seed of success in her; she just needs the right guidance and example to cultivate it.
Leading by Example: Building a Skilled Team
Violeta sees teaching her team responsibility, prioritization, and adherence to deadlines as a core part of her role as a leader. She achieves this by leading through example and sharing her knowledge with her younger colleagues. “Our youngest team member was born in 2003. They often ask me for help with prioritizing tasks. I teach them how to stay calm and solve problems step by step,” Violeta explains.
Her commitment to leadership took root during her time at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), where she earned her two BA degrees in Political Science/International Relations and Business Administration. AUBG provided her with invaluable lessons in time management, critical thinking, and perseverance. “In our line of work—advertising and printing—meeting deadlines is incredibly important. I’m grateful for the discipline AUBG instilled in me,” she reflects. She also learned the power of breaking down large tasks into smaller steps. “You can’t eat an elephant all at once; you have to split it into pieces,” she says. “Otherwise, you’ll get overwhelmed and spend all your time worrying.”
From Accidental CEO to Strategic Visionary
Violeta’s entrepreneurial journey began unexpectedly. She had a natural flair for sales from a young age, which later manifested in her career as a leader with strong business acumen. Violeta had a stint in corporate roles, working in marketing and customer relations at companies such as Leo Burnett and Avon. With the help of All Channels Communications, as part of AVON team, she created a project for revolutionizing advertising in Bulgaria by digitizing paper brochures, a groundbreaking move at the time. “We did some really exciting things,” Violeta emphasizes.
Despite her corporate success, she felt the need to create something of her own. “I've always felt that the 9-to-5 rush wasn’t for me.” At just 24, she secured the Hallmark representation for Bulgaria, managing their card shops with plans to expand nationwide. But things unfolded in a different direction. “My husband, whom I’ve now been with for 22 years, was in the auto parts business. One day, he said, ‘I’ve heard that owning a printing house can be very profitable, and I’m thinking of investing in one.’” Violeta agreed to help establish the business for the first six months. “But life had other plans,” she shares. “I ended up running the printing house while juggling a newborn and my retail business with Hallmark, with two teams to manage.”
Leadership in Times of Crisis
Violeta has been running Magic Outdoor Printing for 17 years now. The journey hasn’t always been easy. “When COVID hit, it tested us all. We had 16 men and four women on the team, and suddenly, all our work dried up—no events, no projects. They looked at me and asked, ‘What are we going to do?’ I said, ‘We’re going to make taxi partitions – transparent shields that separate the driver from the clients.’” Her team was stunned, but Violeta took a calculated risk. She reached out to someone she knew in the taxi industry, pitched the idea, and created a prototype. While it didn’t take off in Bulgaria, they ended up selling 45,000 partitions globally. Those years—2020, 2021, and 2022—became their most successful. Her ability to stay calm and think creatively under pressure transformed her company’s trajectory, showcasing the importance of composure and innovation in leadership.
Leading with a Cool Mind and Warm Heart
Violeta’s leadership style has evolved over the years. “I am a highly emotional and passionate person - an Aries with a Sagittarius rising. In my early days, I led with a ‘hot heart and hot mind,’ often acting impulsively and raising my voice to my team. But I’ve learned to lead with a cool mind while keeping my warm heart intact.” This balance helps her manage a competitive team, most of whom are men, working in high-pressure environments.
What has helped her cultivate a calm mind is counting to ten, avoiding impulsive reactions, and participating in leadership training with Vladimir Borachev. For the last ten years, she has trained her team to take responsibility. “Letting go of control and empowering others to become leaders themselves was crucial. I realized I couldn’t handle everything on my own—I’d go crazy. I’ve stopped trying to micromanage and learned to delegate.” This change has allowed her to develop her team’s talents, strengthen their skills, and help them grow alongside her.
The Importance of Hiring the Right Team
"I discovered that the hardest thing to master as a CEO is hiring the right people.” Over the years, she faced numerous setbacks, from choosing individuals who weren’t a fit for their roles to dealing with the impact of poor hires on the company’s culture. However, she overcame this challenge by refining her intuition and building what she now proudly calls the best team in the company’s 17-year history. By fostering an environment of trust and learning, she has cultivated a team that is not just skilled but also deeply invested in the company’s success.
For Violeta, leadership is about more than achieving goals—it’s about empowering others to reach their potential and leading with both purpose and compassion. Through her journey, she exemplifies the transformative power of female leadership driven by heart and vision.
Connect with Violeta
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