Start Before You’re Ready: The Lessons That Changed How I Build a Business: Vlatko Sulev

This is a KOLEKR ProTalk where I would like to present my experience from the moment of arrival in Skopje with a bag up until the creation of Balkan Prime Tours. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a recipe for entrepreneurship, but I am convinced that each experience deserves to be shared. If I manage to inspire just one entrepreneur in his/her endeavours, I will consider it a success.

People Often Ask Me Where My Entrepreneurial Journey Began

When people ask me how I got into founding Balkan Prime Tours, it’s safe to assume that they are looking for a dramatic story or an elaborate plan. This is not the case. My story did not start with entrepreneurship, but rather with a decision to step out of my comfort zone and create a new future for myself, regardless of what that would look like in the end.

In 2006, I arrived in Skopje with little more than a backpack, my education in tourism and a strong desire to learn. At that stage, becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t even part of the plan. Like many other young professionals, I was more concerned about accumulating experience, familiarizing myself with the industry and finding opportunities for myself. Looking back today, I realise those early years taught me far more than any business plan ever could.

One thing I’ve learned is that we often believe successful entrepreneurs have everything figured out before they begin. My experience was exactly the opposite. Every important opportunity appeared before I felt completely ready, and every challenge forced me to grow a little faster than I expected. That’s why I always encourage young entrepreneurs not to wait for perfect timing. In business, confidence usually comes after you’ve taken the first step, not before.

Hospitality Taught Me Something Business Schools Can’t

After completing my tourism studies in Varna, Bulgaria, I started working in a small hotel in North Macedonia. At the time, I believed I was learning how the tourism industry worked. I soon realised I was actually learning something much more valuable—how people think, what they value and why small moments often leave the biggest impression.

Every guest who walked through the door arrived with different expectations. Some wanted recommendations for places only locals knew about. Others only enjoyed the fact that someone actually took the time to listen to them after unexpected changes to their travel plans. These experiences taught me that people hardly ever remember all the little details about their travels. They remember how they felt during their experience.

This realization has been with me through my whole career. Even today, whenever our team designs a new journey, we don’t start by asking which hotel to book or which attraction to include first. We start by asking ourselves a much simpler question: “What kind of experience will our guests still remember years from now?”

The first lessons that shaped my thinking

My First Business Idea Didn’t Succeed-and I’m Glad It Didn’t

Like many first-time entrepreneurs, I believed my first business idea would be the one that changed everything. I invested months developing an online accommodation platform because I genuinely believed it solved a real problem. When things did not turn out well, I found myself wondering whether I made the right choice.

As time went by, my perception changed completely.

I realised the project hadn’t been a failure; it had been my first real business education. It taught me not to become emotionally attached to an idea, but to stay focused on the problem I wanted to solve. Markets evolve, customer expectations change and opportunities appear where you least expect them. There may be times when the best decision you can make is not to try even harder in making the same concept work.

It was then that I learned how to approach all other opportunities in the future. Instead of asking, “How can I make this idea successful?” I started asking, “Does this genuinely solve a problem for someone?” That single change in thinking became one of the foundations of everything I built later.

Three Lessons I’d Share With Anyone Starting Today

Before we move on, these are the lessons I wish someone had shared with me at the beginning of my journey.

Looking back to where I am today, I would say that my entrepreneurship journey did not begin once I started my company. It started much earlier, with a simple decision to keep learning, stay open to new opportunities and trust that every experience—even the difficult ones—would eventually become part of a much bigger story.

One Question Changed the Way I Looked at the Balkans

People often ask me when I realised I wanted to build my own company. If I’m honest, there wasn’t a single day when I suddenly decided, “I’m going to start a travel business.” The idea developed gradually, and it started with a conversation that stayed with me long after the journey had ended.

In 2008, I had the opportunity to welcome one of my first international groups to North Macedonia. Like any young professional, I wanted everything to be perfect. I checked the hotels, confirmed the transport, reviewed the itinerary several times and hoped our guests would leave with a positive impression of the country. At the end of the trip, one traveller smiled and asked me a question I had never really thought about before: “Why doesn’t more of the world know about the Balkans?”

I remember driving home that evening and thinking about those words. Growing up here, I had always seen the mountains, lakes, villages and traditions as something completely normal because they were part of my everyday life. It took someone visiting from another country to help me see my own region differently. I realised the Balkans didn’t need a better story. The story was already here. What was missing was a better way to share it with the world.

That conversation became the starting point for Balkan Prime Tours. My goal wasn’t simply to organise holidays. I wanted people to leave with a deeper understanding of the region, its culture and the people who call it home.

Creating Memories Matters More Than Selling Tours

When people hear the words tour operator, they often think about hotels, transport and sightseeing programmes. Of course, those things are essential, but I’ve never believed they’re the reason people remember a journey.

What stays with people are the unexpected moments. It’s the conversation with a local family over dinner, discovering a small winery hidden in the countryside or hearing stories that never appear in guidebooks. Those experiences create an emotional connection with a destination, and that’s what people take home with them.

Even today, when my team sits down to design a new itinerary, we don’t begin by asking which attractions we should include. We start with a different discussion. What experience will make someone return home and say, “You have to visit the Balkans”? If we can answer that question, everything else becomes much easier.

What guides every journey we create

Some of My Best Business Ideas Came From Listening

As Balkan Prime Tours continued to grow, I noticed something interesting. The ideas that made the biggest difference rarely came from sitting in my office. They usually came from conversations with travellers, local guides and business partners who shared their experiences honestly.

One traveller might suggest spending more time in a small village instead of another busy attraction. A guide might recommend a family-owned restaurant that visitors would never discover on their own. A partner from another country would explain how their clients travelled differently and what they valued most. None of those conversations seemed particularly important at the time, but together they gradually shaped the way we built our business.

That’s probably one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned as an entrepreneur. We often spend so much time trying to find the next great idea that we forget to listen to the people already using our products or services. In my experience, customers usually tell you exactly how to improve your business—you simply have to be willing to listen.

The Toughest Years Reinforced the Right Values

Like everyone working in tourism, we faced enormous uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel stopped almost overnight, bookings disappeared, and nobody knew how long the situation would last. This was certainly a challenging era for our whole industry, but it also taught me some valuable lessons about what is truly important in business.

Instead of focusing only on recovering sales, we focused on staying connected with our partners. We continued talking, planning and supporting one another because we believed those relationships would still matter when travel returned. Looking back, I think that decision was one of the best we made. When the industry gradually recovered, many of those partnerships became even stronger because they had been built on mutual respect rather than short-term business.

What This Part of My Journey Taught Me

Twenty Years Later, I Still Think Like a Student

People sometimes ask me what success means after spending so many years in tourism. My answer has changed over time. When I was younger, I probably measured success by business growth, new partnerships or entering new markets. Those things are still important, but they don’t motivate me in the same way they once did.

Today, I find the greatest satisfaction in much simpler moments. It’s seeing a traveller experience the Balkans for the first time and leave with a completely different impression from the one they had before arriving. It’s hearing a long-term partner call us again because they know we’ll look after their clients. These experiences have taught me that business is all about one-on-one relationships, and this is something that no marketing effort can substitute.

Something else that has stuck with me throughout my professional life is learning. I am fond of reading, particularly books on leadership and business. I’m not looking for one idea that changes everything. I’m looking for small ideas that help me improve the way I think, communicate and make decisions. When you keep collecting those ideas year after year, they quietly shape the way you lead a business.

People often imagine entrepreneurs as people who always have the answers. I don’t see it that way. The longer I’ve been in business, the more comfortable I’ve become with asking questions, listening carefully and accepting that I can still learn from customers, colleagues and even competitors. In my experience, curiosity is one of the most valuable qualities a founder can have because the moment you believe you’ve learned everything, your business stops growing as well.

A Few Things I Wish I’d Understood Earlier

There isn’t a formula for building a successful business, but there are a few ideas that have stayed with me over the years.

Before We Finish…

If someone asked me to describe my entrepreneurial journey in one sentence, I wouldn’t talk about the company I built or the countries we’ve worked in. I’d probably say that I’ve been fortunate to spend my career meeting interesting people, learning something from every conversation and helping others discover a part of Europe that I genuinely love.

When I arrived in Skopje all those years ago, I couldn’t have imagined where that decision would take me. I certainly didn’t know I would one day build Balkan Prime Tours or work with partners from around the world. Looking back, I’m actually glad I didn’t know. If I’d known every challenge waiting ahead, I might have spent more time worrying than moving forward.

That is why I never advise young entrepreneurs to follow a certain example. Each company has its own history, and each founder is dealing with a unique set of issues. What I do recommend is to remain open-minded, attentive to surrounding individuals, and never forget the spirit that inspired them to embark on the entrepreneurial journey in the first place. Opportunities seldom come to us in the way we anticipated but rather emerge from a continuous process of education and growth.

Thank you for your time. I hope my experiences remind you that every successful business begins with ordinary decisions, honest conversations and the willingness to take the next step—even when the destination isn’t completely clear yet.

About Balkan Prime Tours

Balkan Prime Tours is a destination management company (DMC) based in North Macedonia, specialising in tailor-made travel experiences across the Balkans and Central Europe. Established by Vlatko Sulev, the company is based on one simple principle – the most memorable travel experiences happen through the genuine connection between people.

Cooperating with tour operators, travel agencies, and corporate travel companies all around the world, Balkan Prime Tours creates custom-tailored itineraries which are more than just sightseeing programs. From cultural tours, leisure and family holidays to incentive travel programs, special interest tours and group tours, the company develops unique itineraries highlighting the rich culture, people and traditions of one of the most interesting destinations in Europe – the Balkans.

Having almost 20 years of experience in the travel business, the company gained the trust of its international partners thanks to professional service and the ability to create unforgettable travel experiences. Not only do we organise travel programs, but we also help our clients discover the Balkans through the eyes of its residents, making your travels truly memorable.

Be it a tour operator seeking a destination management partner or an individual traveller looking for a unique Balkan travel experience, our company offers a combination of local insight and international standards.

Learn more about Balkan Prime Tours:

About the Author

Vlatko Sulev is the Founder and General Manager of Balkan Prime Tours, the destination management company focusing on offering the best experiences of traveling throughout North Macedonia, the Balkans and Central Europe. Almost 20 years of experience working together with international tour operators and travel agencies have enabled him to show people all the beauty of North Macedonia not only in terms of landmarks but also thanks to its people and culture.

Apart from running a successful business, Vlatko is convinced that traveling can have much bigger meaning than just having fun and enjoying the time. Thanks to this belief, he creates all the trips and partnerships offered by Balkan Prime Tours.

Not only as an entrepreneur, but also as an active member of the tourism industry, Vlatko participates in the activities of NAITM (National Association for Incoming Tourism of Macedonia) and Spiti World Network as its President and Vice-President, respectively. He works together with other experts in the sphere to collaborate internationally, offer sustainable tourism solutions and show everyone what a perfect place for traveling the Balkans is.

Away from entrepreneurship, Vlatko is a big fan of books and the author of the Best Business Books Club. As he believes that good entrepreneurs never stop learning, he tries to get new experiences through different books, discussions and travels.

In this KOLEKR ProTalk, Vlatko tells about the experiences that turned him into the person he is today – from arriving in Skopje with a backpack to founding Balkan Prime Tours. His story doesn’t involve fast success; it is the story of curiosity and development through learning from challenges.

Connect with Vlatko Sulev

Balkan Prime Tours