It’s my pleasure to spotlight MogulMoxie® Maven, Katya Varbanova!
I first met Katya on Periscope in the early days … in the fall of 2015 … and eventually became a member of her Peri10k Association — an awesome group of incredible speakers from around the world who share their wisdom on Periscope. Facebook has provided a platform for us to stay connected.
As is true of so many of the MogulMoxie® Mavens we’ve featured, social media platforms have been instrumental in “virtually” meeting Katya and staying connected!
Katya is the founder and CEO of her company, Peri10k, and she’s a phenomenal Live Stream Strategist. Her unique and uplifting story will leave you feeling positive and inspired about what’s next for you!
One of the things I love about our MogulMoxie® Maven series is that everyone’s educational background is unique experience!
Tell us about your educational background.
I have two parts of my education. One is the typical route of high school, then university. The other route is becoming self-educated.
I went to Math and Science High School in Montana, Bulgaria and I was an A student. I specialized in Math and Computer Science and always had perfect grades. I thought they were necessary (and in a way, who knows if I would have been accepted in the UK University without them).
After I graduated, I applied to Law School in 5 different Universities in the UK. The reason I chose the UK was 1) better education and 2) student loan provided. I got rejected from my top choice (Edinburgh University) but got accepted in my second choice (University of Liverpool) to study Law and Business.
My first year of law school I didn’t take really seriously because it didn’t count in my degree. Second and third year I got really serious and I earned the award for “Highest Exam Performance” in my year. I graduated with what UK people call “First Class Degree” which is the highest you can get. Funny, I never used that degree since I opted out from being a lawyer!
Self-taught … I got into social media from a young age as a “user” but it wasn’t until 2015 that I started studying and testing social media (and live video especially) for marketing purposes. I’ve done over 1000 streams, worked with thousands of people/clients and have helped many realize the potential of live streaming. Everything I have learned was through trial and error.
Self-education and learning through trial and error are amazing ways to learn because they both require strong ambition.
What does ambition mean to you? What role has it played in your life?
Ambition to me means being the best version of myself and proud of it. It means reaching out for the unreachable. It means challenging myself every single day. It has played a tremendous role. My parents were very ambitious so naturally I have gotten it from them. I always knew I would be successful and I never gave up.
You never gave up, and now you’re a successful business owner! That is pure Moxie!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I help individuals and brands go from digitally invisible to online authorities that others admire and buy from. Have built over 40,000 social media followers, have been responsible for a 6 figure launch, have spoken at huge conferences, travel the world and love every second of it (even the tough times).
You’ve built a interested social media business –fantastic!
Tell us about a typical day in your work life?
I definitely DO NOT have a typical day. My favorite type of day is waking up, playing tennis in the morning, jumping for a swim.
I love doing a live stream in the morning and engaging with my audience. Creating videos and trainings throughout the day is how I spend my dates. Create. Create. Create.
Cinema in the evening with a nice meal makes the day perfect!
You’re obviously very motivated to “create, create, create.” Love that!
Tell us a little more about what motivates you.
Impact and Influence. When people get inspired and listen to me, I get really pumped up to create even more. Money drives me also but it’s probably in 3rd place. I’d rather have a million people who care about my knowledge/opinions/thoughts and have NO money versus having a million dollars but have NOBODY listening! Mainly because if you have a million people who listen to you, you can always create something new that brings money. 🙂
What a refreshing perspective you have on impact and influence. This reveals your confidence.
Have you ever struggled with confidence and/or courage in your business? Tell us about it and how you’ve overcome the struggle.
Never with confidence or courage. I have struggled with indecisiveness and procrastination that resulted from overwhelm and lack of strategy. I was always a confident kid who was NEVER afraid to fail or face their fears.
You’re so right that procrastination and indecisiveness can be incredibly draining, so it’s encouraging to know that you overcame those struggles!
Tell us about one of the toughest things you have had to do in business and what you’ve learned from it?
I overcame betrayal and manipulation. One of the toughest things I had to do was to be firm and say NO to the wrong people in my life. I used to be a people pleaser and wanted to make sure everyone was happy until I burned myself. What I learned from it is to trust my gut instinct more.
Trusting your gut is important and I’m sure it’s helped you tremendously in your business! A major part of succeeding in business has to do with cash flow.
Tell us what has been helpful to you in increasing and managing your cash flow?
Live Streaming 100%. It has helped me build an audience of people who like me and trust me. Now, all these people are an asset to me and that asset continues to pay off. And it’s unlimited. I can grow it until forever.
You’ve reached a beautiful place of freedom in your career!
What have you accomplished, created or built that makes you the most proud or brings you the most joy?
What brings me joy is the life I’ve created. The location independence and the freedom to earn a living HOW I want WHEN I want has been so liberating. I never believed it was possible until a few years ago. So I try to remember how grateful I am every day.
You are such an upbeat and confident person. I love it!
Do you consider yourself unusual, strange, weird, or pretty normal?
I am a weirdo. I make silly sounds. Crazy faces. Parodies. My jokes are weird. Yah… and I am very controversial and say the things everyone’s thinking but is afraid to say 🙂
Based on how you describe yourself, I’d love to know your favorite word and why?
Live … because it stands for the 2 important things in my life.
Live your life every day. Just live. But also.. go LIVE 😀 ‘cause it works!
Your super active and upbeat life is fantastic!
What’s coming up that you want our readers to know about?
More trainings on live stream for entrepreneurs and brands!
How can our readers keep up with you?
Download my FREE “Show Up Already – The Live Video Planner to Stop You Scheming and Get you Streaming” and stay updated via email. All details are on my website at www.livevideoplanner.com.
Katya’s upbeat and inspiring story absolutes oozes with positive energy and has given us so much to chew on!
Here are a few key TAKEAWAYS:
- Knowing where you’re going and not getting bogged down in distraction is critical to success. In Katya’s words, “One of the toughest things I had to do was to be firm and say NO to the wrong people in my life.” By refusing distraction, your path to success will be smoother.
- Money is not as important as impact and influence — without these qualities, you will struggle to create an income, but you will always encounter opportunities to make money with impact and influence!
- “Ambition means being the best version of yourself and proud of it.” Your ambition shines through when you identify and reach for YOUR highest potential!
I hope you were inspired and uplifted by our interview with MogulMoxie® Maven -Katya Varbanova. Leave a comment and let me know how you’ve been impacted. ~TC
