Inside the mind of Kibrit’s founder: Focus, grit, and the power of letting go

Kibrit is Bulgaria’s leading themed lifestyle subscription box, offering a fresh, curated experience every month. Focused on premium cosmetics and lifestyle products, Kibrit connects thousands of women with high-quality brands—at just a fraction of the retail price.

What began as a bold idea in 2019 with a modest 50,000 BGN turnover has scaled into a multi-million BGN business, reaching around 4 million in turnover by 2024. Kibrit has not only pioneered the subscription box model in Bulgaria but also built a loyal community of women who trust and love the surprise of every box.

More than just a product, Kibrit is a monthly moment of self-care, discovery, and joy—designed to delight, empower, and inspire.

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If we meet your business as a person on the street, how would it introduce itself to us?

If we're talking about my main business at the moment – Kibrit -  it would introduce itself as "grabo.bg for cosmetics" - giving thousands of women in Bulgaria access to high-quality cosmetics while paying only a fraction of the RRP.

If my overall business portfolio were a person on the street, it would be like a colorful bouquet of various online and offline ventures. A bit chaotic, but probably very interesting from the outside. :))

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Tell us about a moment when you had to close one door to open another. What made you take that step?

This is an ongoing situation. We’re currently negotiating the sale of Kibrit. From the very first moment the potential buyer called me at the start of 2025, I had absolutely no doubt that I wanted to sell the business so I could move on to other ideas and ventures that I haven’t managed to start yet.

Since the deal hasn’t been finalized and we’re under NDA, I’m not sure how much I can share at this point. But here’s another example I’m totally fine sharing:

Back in 2021, I was trying to kick off as many “side” businesses as I could. We partnered with www.oblache.bg, where we handled marketing and fulfillment for a percentage. I also tried getting into second-hand premium clothing and shoe space, focusing on mid-end brands. There are probably other attempts I’ve already forgotten about.

Eventually, I realized all of this was distracting me from our core business, Kibrit. So, I had to shut all those side ventures down to fully focus on growing Kibrit.

Some people manage to juggle multiple businesses really well, but that formula didn’t work for me. I had to close those doors to open one toward more meaningful and sustainable growth of our main business.

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Tell us about a moment when someone gave you a helping hand without expecting anything in return, and it changed something significant for you. What was it, and why do you remember it?

This story probably goes way back to when I was 13 (around 2007–2008). By chance, I met Srebrin Vatralov—founder of Grabo.bg, Pomagalo.com, gepime.com, and one of the early crypto investors (2012–2013).

Over the years, knowing him has given me so much—perspective on the world, advice, and plenty of shared travels to amazing places.

I still remember a Facebook post he once wrote that stuck with me and kind of became my life motto: "A man is as powerful as his dreams dare to be… never stop dreaming big!"

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Tell us about a moment when you stopped, looked around, and said to yourself: ‘Yes, this is exactly why I started!’ When was it, and what did you feel?

I had moments like that throughout 2024. At the beginning of the year, I came across a sponsored feature about our main competitor—and soon-to-be business partner (and hopefully future community member)—Stoyan Dobrev, Founder & CEO of Bellebox, the biggest beauty box in Bulgaria.

I thought, “Cool!” and briefly considered reaching out to Forbes about a similar feature. But then I told myself, “It’d be even cooler if they contacted me first. Maybe if they're doing a partner feature, they'll be curious to see other players on the market.”

A month later, that’s exactly what happened—we got an email from Forbes asking for an interview. They offered me the choice between in-person or online—I, of course, chose in-person.

At the end of our talk, the Forbes editor said: “I think we should nominate you for this year’s 30 Under 30.” (I had just turned 29.)

A few months later, the nominations came, and eventually the actual list—and I made it. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be selected, but I was.

So yeah, 2024 was a key year, full of “This is why I started” moments. And the cherry on top? That phone call at the start of 2025 from the potential buyer of Kibrit. If I had to describe the feeling in one word: AMAZING.

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If someone were to create a comedy series about your business one day, which scene must absolutely be in the first episode?

How, even after almost six years, we still don’t track key metrics that are typical for this kind of business.

Our software setup is a clunky old Laravel system that we haven’t touched in three years. At some point, I just said, “It’s working, no need to mess with it.”

I realize that’s kind of dumb, but honestly—it really does still work. :))