PLAMEN “ROCCO” AYVAZOV
WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION & PASSION?
I have been married for 19 years to Diana, my beautiful wife, and have 2 boys. Doni is 18 and Ethan is 6. My motivation and passion is to provide a better, more stable life for my family than what was offered in Bulgaria. I would like my family to remember me for being a great father and husband.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN BUSINESS?
I was 11 years old in Bulgaria. One summer, I worked every Sunday helping a neighbor tend to his farm. At the end of the summer, my pay was a foosball table. Recognizing the opportunity, I immediately turned it into a profitable business.
I convinced 4 friends to carry the foosball table around to the neighborhood kids and charged .25 cents for every 3 games. At the end of the day, after the 4 helpers carried the table back to my house, I rewarded them by allowing them to play the foosball table for 1 hour free of charge. I had my first business!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY.
I was raised in communist Bulgaria for most of my childhood. I always had the feeling that I needed more freedom to achieve something BIG. This need brought me to the US and helped me see bigger opportunities. At every turn I had to overcome the fact that I could not read, write or speak English. Nay-sayers along the way were motivation to learn and prove everyone wrong. The Journey Continues Today.
HOW DID YOU START YOUR BUSINESS IN THE U.S.?
It started out of necessity. When I emigrated to the U.S. I held several lower paying jobs, then I got into construction. As I learned construction hands-on, my need to grow and learn took over and I realized I would need to take risks to achieve the ‘American Dream’ of owning a business. I realized it was possible. So I started.
My first flip was in East Stroudsburg, PA. I purchased a single-family home for $38,000 and through sweat equity, sold it for $253,000.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ALONG THE WAY?
I’ve learned that to progress I must take risks, but be disciplined. I must trust in others and delegate and empower others. I must be consistent and do what I commit to do not only for myself and family but for my company as well. I learned I must surround myself with people who know what I don’t and acknowledge, consider and if appropriate adopt their points of view.