> The economy is not developed, making it extremely difficult to convince anybody to buy anything you try to sell them. People are pessimistic and desperate, most of the rich make money through corruption and criminal activities. There is little support or financing for running a legitimate business. Talent is scarce. There is nothing to compete over and nobody to compete with on a local level.<p>Away with the violins already. Bulgaria may not be entrepreneur friendly or corruption free, but it is not a misery cesspool (source: my friends there).<p>> Unlike the people I met in the Silicon Valley, only a handful of our tech-oriented students had participated in hackatons, contributed to open-source software, had started a personal blog or answered questions in online help communities such as StackOverflow.<p>This is classical Silicon Valley fetichising. Some wannabe entrepreneurs have it too, here in Belgium. But if you want that mindset, you better look at the rest of the ideology that comes with it. Personally I want no part in it.<p>Nevertheless, the rest of the post shows that it is in fact <i>easier</i> to start a business in Bulgaria. The relative immaturity of the tech scene means it's actually much easier to make a splash and find opportunities. Better be self-taught in the land of opportunity then well-schooled in a saturated market.<p>And at the end of the day, that's also what entrepreneurship is: doing your own thing, with no one holding your hand.
Eastern Europe is state of mind, not a geographical location.<p>It just boggles my mind why a young person (like the article author) would choose to think in such a lazy manner and beat that narrative to death -- corruption, local economy, the struggle to run legitimate business, etc.<p>With all due my respect and w/ the risk of being downvoted -- that is BS; and completely opposite of the SV mindset.<p>It just shows that the author haven't been exposed to the actual environment (i.e. not the university) in Bulgaria -- there are numerous large-scale companies w/ strong regional presence, as well various small outsourcing shops and at least 5 co-working spaces, where you can find lots of very capable people working in very healthy environments; anecdotally, for the last ~13 years I haven't heard even one founder/c-level exec of being asked to pay anything under the table.
> only a handful of our tech-oriented students had participated in hackatons, contributed to open-source software, had started a personal blog or answered questions in online help communities such as StackOverflow<p>It's Eastern Europe, so those even marginally competent who haven't left are employed for peanuts in outsourcing centers, working on brain-numbing projects 9-5 or even 8-6. Ain't nobody got time for that.
1. Opportunities are often global, and location doesn't matter as much if you can sell something via the internet.<p>2. One big advantage of Bulgaria which is often overlooked, if you do make it: the corporate tax rate is 10%. Meaning you get to keep most of your profits.<p>> Most of the rich make money through corruption and criminal activities<p>Is this the case? Could you give an example?
>> The economy is not developed, making it extremely difficult to convince anybody to buy anything you try to sell them<p>You easely get the same thing on the opposite end. In countries where people are used to buy a lot of stuff, people are constantly bombarded with advertisements and drivel.<p>In a poor country, it is hard to convince anybody that stuff you sell is good. In a rich country, it is hard to make people buy your stuff, even when they know it is good enought.
> Unlike the people I met in the Silicon Valley, only a handful of our tech-oriented students had participated in hackatons, contributed to open-source software, had started a personal blog or answered questions in online help communities such as StackOverflow.<p>The overwhelming majority --by a huge margin-- of entrepreneurs have never done any of this.<p>Your perception is skewed by reading HN and following the Silicon Valley "culture". That isn't at all a reflection of the majority. In Silicon Valley and in politics there are certain things you might have to do to signal club membership.<p>In the case of starting and running a business none of the items you list are a necessary part of success at all. I know people who are doing multiple millions of dollars a year in revenue who have never gone to hackathons, contributed to OSS, started a blog (that one is particularly funny) or spent time answering questions on SO.<p>The shadows you are looking at are not reality.<p>Note: Before anyone thinks that's an insult, google "Plato cave" and read it.
Bulgaria has low income tax, but a monsterous social security, EI and pension payments as is with most formerly red countries.<p>This gives self employed people, or people leaving their profits on a company account an ennormous, unfair advantage