Dessy Traikova: I feel rewarded when I build a relationship with the customer

Dessislava Traykova is Kingly’s Operations Director and can make every business dream become a reality. She still gets very excited when she deals with a new order and is passionate about making an extra effort to get the customer’s attention. How did you start working in the textile industry? What was the initial story that lead you to managing Kingly’s affairs? I started working in the textile industry about 17 years ago. It was very, very strange. They were looking for an office manager with Spanish and English. I started there when I was still at the university. And I had never ever thought that I would stay in this industry because it is highly stressful. Everything related to production is always nerve-racking. Basically, everything can go wrong – from the beginning until the delivery is made. So, I started working for a sewing company. They were constructing garments for ladies mostly. And then I moved to another company which was doing exactly the same. I was a sales manager there working with external and national markets. After a while I started working in terry towel company… And that was until I met Rob Armour (Kingly‘s Founder and Managing Director) six years ago on a fair in Moscow. When I went into a maternity leave, he thought that I have too much free time and that’s why I started helping him with the company. And now I work for him… basically. He is very, very creative, very good with marketing and so on. But his organizational skills, dealing with documents and details – that is not his strong suit at all. So, I had to put the things in order. Would you say that these are qualities that contribute to the overall work dynamic? I will tell you how I see the things in this company. I see Rob as an inspirator, the guy that comes up with the ideas. I make things happen for him. He knows that this is going to sell well, that it is going to be intriguing for the market, for our customers. But the whole process of organizing the production and how to make it happen and to be delivered on time is just a bit tricky for him. So that’s my part of the business. So far, he hasn’t come up with a business idea which I didn’t make a reality. We are working in totally different fields. We are not competing or anything like that – he has his part of the job; I have my part of the job. We are a very good team. What is the most interesting and inspiring thing about running a business together? I still get very excited when I see a new order. I really like it when you make an effort to get the customer’s attention. I feel rewarded when I get to build a relationship with the customer, not just sell products. You mentioned the industry can be very hectic. Are there any other challenges that you are facing? There is always too much work to do. Now probably more than before because we entered a new field that we are all learning about – the hygienic products. We have done some things in that direction before but not in that kind of scale. This is actually quite inspiring. You can’t just do one and the same thing all your life. I find it really inspiring to learn new things about new products. You start working with new suppliers, you start working with new customers, so this is very good. I think that is really positive. Who is the person who you can rely on the most within the team? Besides Rob, of course, there is Mira. What do you like to do for fun? I like to read mostly. I like going to the movies or watching a good movie at home. I like thrillers but prefer dramas and any crime story. I like suspense. I don’t like comedies. I find most of them to be very stupid. Of course, there are some very good comedies but it should be an Oscar winning comedy to grab my attention. Questions and cover photo by Desislava Pateva. — Interested in learning more about our textile or hygiene products? Ask for out latest catalogue via service@wearekingly.com Subscribe to our social media channels (click on the buttons above) and never miss our latest releases.

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