Could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Gogo Rafajlovski, and I am currently working as an Operational Director at the Technology Park – SEEUTechPark in Tetovo. At SEEUTechPark, we help entrepreneurs and innovative startups to reach their maximum potential.

What prompted you to apply to the business and entrepreneurship development training: the LEADER project?

There was this ‘buzz’ about the LEADER project’s awesome program at the time, but I didn’t know many details about it. Operating in the startup ecosystem myself, I met with a good friend from the startup community – Igor Izotov, who had just completed the previous edition of the program, so I asked him what his sincere opinion was. He said that the program was amazing and that you have to enroll with the highest recommendations. I took it seriously and applied for the next open call. Now, after finishing, I also became the ‘unofficial ambassador’ of the training, and I fully recommend it as one of the best entrepreneurship and business programs in Macedonia.

Can you please outline at least three main benefits from the program that helped you extend your skills and abilities and business growth?

Firstly, I really enjoyed the short, but intensive, mini MBA program developed and implemented by the Ivey Business School at Western University. It was ten days of great work and excellent case studies, through the use of real-life scenarios to prove or reject our business hypothesis. It was super useful to share these know-how blueprints, and I even use them today in my consulting and mentorship sessions with the startups.

Secondly, the network that I have created during and after the program has opened more than a dozen brand-new doors for me. It was great to see other young, strong and energetic business individuals coming from different backgrounds, yet also sharing the same vision. Their goal was to integrate their success stories into a new national economy, one which is based on the core values of our traditions mixed with new digital opportunities of the modern era. I am more than glad that I have built very strong personal & professional relationships with some of these business people, to a point where we have even started new joint ventures together.

Finally, if you are trying to implement your new business idea from scratch or if you looking to improve your professional career by developing marketing, financial, sales or development skills, then learning from one of the best business schools is a very eye-opening and refreshing experience.

Please tell us how we can support you more.

More of the same please! I would be extremely happy if the LEADER project became a continuous event, since this great experience would be passed on to many future generations of entrepreneurs.

What you do through these trainings may be small in scale – but it has an extremely significant impact on our business goals.