DO WORK YOU LOVE

Photo and word: Marina Nikolic

Work matchmaker, Galina, is a quiet, unassuming lady but bubbling beneath this exterior there is secretly a game changer.  Several years ago, I met her giving a passionate presentation speech at the Strascheg Centre for Entrepreneurship to young students, encouraging them to follow their dreams. Since then, she has realized how important it is to follow your gut and to connect.

A few years later, skilled in professionalism and astute in sensitivity, Galina makes a living with coaching and events called "Do Work You Love". That sounds romantic, but it isn't. After a degree in business Administration and experience in event management, start-up realisation and consulting, she realized that there is a lack of an "easy going" interpersonal encounter in a well structured German city like Munich. From a small village in Bulgaria called Dorkovo, she comes to Munich in 2004 for her studies and manages to make the benefits of both cultures, West and Eastern Europe skilfully integrate into the world of work. 

What does "Do Work You Love" do? 

Simply speaking, we help people find a job that suits them in which we gain clarity and link them together. We also work with best practise examples and organize lectures and events. It is a platform that links people online and offline. 

So it's no longer a question of career or money, but more of a balance of life? Is this the "Do Work you Love" philosophy? 

We network with those searching for meaning in what they do, mostly academics, usually between 20-45 years old. Clearly the money plays a very important role, but it has to be matched with purpose.

How did it start? 

So really it started in my childhood, growing up in a small village in Bulgaria where it was quite normal to just go to the piazza and visit friends spontaneously, to socialize in everyday life openly and frequently. Over the years, it has become increasingly rare to practice this kind of dynamic communication, even in the business world and in professional life there is a lack of networking. I started to deal with event management 10 years ago, and through this experience, I realized what immense positive effects it has to bring different people together.

How did your career go before that?

I studied business administration with a focus on hotel business and event management  gaining experience in this field. I worked for large corporations learning quickly and realized my areas of strength. These were big names like; Infineon, Siemens, Allianz or even some smaller hotels. While at a seminar on Business Models Development in 2009, I discovered the impact when people from different backgrounds come together and bring fresh ideas and perspectives. Something comes into effect, and I saw the possibilities in front of me. Since then I've been in the world of innovation, business models development and start-ups on the go. I worked for the Strascheg Centre for 4 years, supporting, coaching and training people to make it happen in their work. I then worked for a management consultancy, but after a while I came to myself and I realized what I really wanted. To start my own business.

“I realized what immense positive effects it has to bring different people together”

How long have you been independent? 

Since the summer of 2015, I'm now doing "Do Work You Love" and have been able to organize events with on-stage speakers on topics such as Women in Tech, Digital Products, Sport and Nutrition and Customer Experience. In addition, I organize a breakfast twice a month where I  give additional workshops and coaching on "Do Work You Love" . During these two years, I witnessed how literally hundreds of people have received and shared impulses, contacts and content.  

Are you still influenced by your Eastern European roots? 

The Eastern European side of me is the fun side! It's easy for me to approach people and playfully find points of contact. I also bring these not to be underestimated 'soft skills' into the work place. I was also working with "Bit and Pretzels" which is the largest digital start-up festival in Germany, taking place at the Oktoberfest, and is now in its 5th year and expanding. However, it turned out that there is room for improvement on the topic of networking, and that's where I come into play and bring in the essential topic of business "Match Making". The whole thing is also strategically considered and will connect people to their subject and is problem specific. Instead of solving it soberly and technically alone, I will boost networking at this start-up festival in a more personal, more Eastern European style. It is important to me that apart from the expertise that often comes to the fore, a human being encounters a human being. 

You have been self employed for a while now, did it change you? 

It has been a long journey in the last 2 years, I feel more myself and can do things as I see fit. As hobby I work with Toastmasters, an organization where I develop my rhetoric and leadership skills. I would call myself a visionary but at the same time I am also very pragmatic and a practical thinker. The painstakingly gained previous experience helps to translate your thoughts into concrete ones faster. But now I feel like I am on my chosen path and I have the experience and foresight to go the extra mile.