Interview with Ivelina AG, Founder @Business Clinic®️ by newtrend

Ivelina Atanasova-Genchev (Ivelina AG) is a Fractional CMO and creator of the BRAVO Method and Business Clinic®️ by newtrend, with over 20 years in growth marketing and business innovation. Her strategic expertise and commitment to delivering tangible outcomes have driven substantial growth across various industries. Ivelina is passionate about promoting gender equity through female entrepreneurship, believing it crucial for societal progress.

She has received numerous accolades, including the “John Atanasov” award from the President of Bulgaria for her contributions to computer sciences. Ivelina is also the President of DigitalKidZ®️ Foundation, which supports adults and children in developing digital literacy skills. Triple TEDx speaker and a regular speaker in marketing, business strategy, and education, she advocates for a neuroscience-based, holistic approach to education and business.

Learn more about her work at https://ivatanasova.com.

Let’s get started. Enjoy!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Growing up in Bulgaria during a period of economic hardship profoundly shaped my early life. Born in 1983 to a working-class family, I was directly exposed to our struggling economy. My mother, driven by a need to overcome long-term unemployment, opened a small grocery store during these lean times. Despite her empathy and commitment, the business succumbed in less than three years, overwhelmed by debts from customers who couldn’t pay. This experience served as my first poignant lesson in entrepreneurship, highlighting common pitfalls such as inadequate funding, the absence of a clear strategy, and a lack of a solid business plan.

Far from being discouraged, this early setback fueled my desire to understand what distinguishes successful ventures from those that fail. At the age of 14, I began working at my mother’s grocery store. I quickly realized that enthusiasm alone was insufficient for business success. This prompted me to create the BRAVO framework—a strategic approach to customer engagement, marketing, and business management. This methodology not only helped me navigate daily challenges but also ignited my passion for business development and marketing.

Over the following 25 years, I polished and refined the BRAVO method, culminating in its publication last year, and developed thebravo.ai – an AI-powered tool that seamlessly integrates with the brand book, ensuring every piece of content created is a reflection of the brand’s unique identity. 

My journey, informed by these early lessons and subsequent experiences, inspired me to become a business consultant. I now focus on helping other entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of starting and growing their businesses. I am proud to be the first successful entrepreneur in my family, specializing in strategic marketing and business growth. My work involves helping companies thrive globally, whether through public offerings, sales, expansion, or scaling to new heights.

The insights I’ve gained through overcoming adversity have equipped me with a deep understanding of business dynamics, which I am eager to leverage in my role here.

Can you give us an overview of Business Clinic®️ by newtrend and Ivelina A.G?

As a serial entrepreneur, I oversee a suite of brands, all centered around marketing and business enhancement. Each of these ventures is guided by our proprietary BRAVO methodology and caters to distinct aspects of the business lifecycle.

Business Clinic serves as the ’emergency department’ of our group. Hosted online at Business Clinic, our mission is to support companies in critical transitions, whether that involves executing a successful exit, salvaging a business incurring losses, or navigating through digital transformation. We offer a trademark partnership program where freelancers and companies can get educated, certified, and become part of our global network, enhancing their business services significantly.

Newtrend Agency, with branches in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Brussels, Belgium, focuses on empowering startups. We provide comprehensive 360-marketing services that include SEO, web development, design, strategy formulation, social media management, communication, market entry strategies, and consulting on venture fund and business angel engagements. 

In addition to managing these brands, I also engage personally as an interim Chief Marketing Officer, business coach, or mentor at the C-manager level. My role involves supporting leaders in building their personal brands and enhancing their media presence.

In today’s hyper-competitive market, our group stands out by not just offering solutions but also partnering with our clients to ensure their success, leveraging our unique blend of innovative strategies and personalized, in-depth consulting.

Marketing strategies can vary significantly across different industries and stages of a company. Based on your experience, what marketing strategies have been most effective for you, and how have these evolved as your company has grown?

In my 25 years of experience, the cornerstone has been the BRAVO framework, which ensures sustainability and optimization across all marketing channels and strategies. Here’s how each component of BRAVO has played a crucial role:

• B stands for Brand Purpose: Every successful marketing strategy starts by defining the brand’s mission and core values and clarifying the company’s “why”. This step grounds all further marketing efforts, ensuring they align with the value that aims to deliver to customers.
• R is for Relevant Target Audience: Understanding the audience profile is key. By defining the ideal customers and their demographics, behaviors, and needs, tailoring the marketing messages and engagement strategies to resonate deeply with them.
• A represents Archetype Branding: This involves crafting a distinctive brand identity based on archetypal principles that forge a strong emotional connection with the audience. It helps in establishing a memorable and relatable brand persona.
• V and (unique) Value Proposition: A compelling value proposition that distinguishes offerings from competitors, clearly outlining the unique benefits that our customers can expect.
• O stands for Omni-Channel Presence and notably User Experience: Establishing a robust presence across multiple channels has been crucial. This ensures that the brand engages with its audience effectively wherever they are, leveraging both digital and traditional platforms.

This holistic approach not only allows marketing strategies to evolve as the company grows but also ensures that they remain effective and integrated, driving success across all stages of business development.

This is just a snippet from the original interview we posted on our blog for small business entrepreneurs and freelancers, Viața de freelancer.

Read the full interview here:

Thanks for reading.

Our goal with this SaaSy interview series is to bridge the gap between SaaS & tech founders and marketing professionals. We bring useful tools and services closer to the community of specialists and we help our community better understand your industry. 

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