I’m a millionaire who grew up sharing a bed with my parents until 19 – how I went from 80p an hour job to £1.4m fortune
A WOMAN who shared a bed with her parents until she was 19, and earned less than a pound an hour, now owns a six figure business.
Katya Varbanova, 32, may have come from humble beginnings making 80p an hour as a waitress at one point, but she now gets paid £1.9k per hour for consulting and her viral marketing company made £1.4m+ in revenue in the last 3 years alone.
Katya says despite sharing one small room to sleep in, her lifestyle in post-communist Bulgaria set her up for success as a “scrappy” entrepreneur in the UK.
Katya, who has 250k+ followers across all her social media @theofficialkatya said: “My parents made sacrifices to support me. It goes to show the importance of believing in your kids”.
“We lived in a tiny apartment, so they could invest in my education, my piano lessons, or tennis practice. They dreamed of big things for me and I am blessed that they told me from a young age that I could be anything – because it helped me believe in myself too.”
Now Katya is the CEO of a multi-faceted online business, Viral Marketing Stars, with over 20,000 customers worldwide and over 250,000 followers across her social media channels.
When she was 19, Katya left her humble home life in the small town of Montana, Bulgaria to study law and business in Liverpool. After graduation she lived in Liverpool, London and Leeds and her business is registered in the UK.
But for now she lives in Malta with her fiance, Jamie Nudelman, 32, because she says she has built the business to give her the freedom to travel and take time off whenever needed.
She added: “When I moved to the UK I had zero connections and barely any money. I didn’t know one person, it was a huge leap of faith but as a Bulgarian, I learned from a young age to get scrappy because you have to do your best with the cards you’re dealt with. And unfortunately, coming from wealth wasn’t on my card deck”.
“Me and my mum got the cheapest flight to London and got trains to Liverpool with two suitcases.
“I took out a student loan, lived in shared accommodation, my parents helped as much as they could and I got a few part-time jobs to make extra income (all of them at £10 per hour or under).”
Katya says the lifestyle she has built since graduating from Liverpool University Law School in 2013 would have been unbelievable to her teenage self and yet sometimes she misses the “simple life” with her parents in their flat.
She said: “I love my life and business today, but from time to time, I miss the simpler and more communal life in Bulgaria. My grandparents had a farm, and we would barter produce with our neighbours which cultivated a supportive local community. You didn’t need to make a lot of money to have a happy and healthy life.
“Life in the West is different and much more expensive, creating a need to earn more money, which can bring more pressure on today’s generation.”
Katya says her family’s studio apartment contained a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom with two sofa beds to share and sleep on.
Her mum was a telecommunications manager and her dad was a police officer. They encouraged Katya to get good grades and poured everything they could into their daughter’s future.
Katya said: “My parents chose to keep our small apartment because they wanted to prioritise my education and they knew they didn’t need luxury items or experiences to feel content.
“When I was a teenager, me and my dad would take the sofa bed, and my mom, the single.
“It felt safe and cozy because I had never known any different. I only wished there was space for my study desk in the kitchen because I couldn’t stay awake later than my mom and dad. But I guess you adapt to your environment.”
When Katya was 15 she got her first job, waitressing for 80 an hour. She also took on side hustles like Avon direct sales and made pocket money selling £8 Henna tattoos to her friends.
She said: “From a young age, I loved the feeling of making and saving my own money and so I wanted to go to university, study law and one day make money doing something I feel proud of too.
“When I was 16, my mum planted some brochures for UK universities on my desk and I was amazed by these beautiful historic buildings and castles in the pictures. And I realised I could apply for a student loan.
When I was a teenager, me and my dad would take the sofa bed, and my mom, the single
Katya
“It motivated me to work hard for my A* grades in Maths, Languages and Computer Science. I applied to five universities.”
Then in September 2010, Katya was accepted to study Law and Business at Liverpool University Law School.
And being on campus was the start of her interest in Business & Marketing.
Katya said: “I needed lots of jobs to keep me afloat at uni. I would work intensely for three months and then I’d cram and study for the fourth month.
“It wasn’t easy but I absolutely loved the whole uni experience.
“People were disappointed their bedrooms were too small but I was over the moon to have my own room and space for the first time ever.”
Katya worked various jobs including as a tour guide, kiosk staff at Everton FC & Liverpool FC, a tennis coach, and took on brand and marketing campaigns for her campus.
If 12-year-old me knew I’d be where I am today, she would smile
Katya
She said: “I landed a job in a marketing agency as a brand manager. My job was to manage campaigns and promote big brands like Superdry, HP, Dell, and Network Rail via social media & on campus, reaching thousands of students”.
Seeing the success of her campaigns on campus planted the seed for Katya that she might have a future in marketing. but at the time she wasn’t sure it would be as lucrative as other careers.
So after achieving a first-class degree and graduating, she signed a two-year contract with Santander UK bank as part of their Retail Graduate Scheme, working in various roles including sales as well as executive assistant to the Managing Director.
She said: “Although I loved my job and time at Santander, something felt missing.”
“I wanted to make a bigger impact and create something of my own I could feel proud of. I wanted more money too, so I could pay off my student loans and support my family for all the sacrifices they made for me.”
So in the summer of 2015, Katya started a side hustle on the now-defunct platform Periscope. She hosted live streams, documenting life living in London as a banker.
Katya added: ”Since I already had experience in marketing, I figured out how to go viral and grew very quickly. I reached 1300 followers in 3 weeks and decided to start a community to collaborate with other creators”.
How to start your own business
Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
Katya’s community started as a free group and due to its popularity, it evolved into a paid membership club starting at £10 a month.
She said: “It turned out my idea was in high demand because I enrolled enough members to match my salary and I handed in my 4-week notice in October 2015. I’ve never looked back”
Katya has evolved her online career from being a successful viral video creator to becoming a thought leader in her industry and an advisor for other creators and businesses who want to grow their platforms.
Today, Viral Marketing Stars offers marketing and business templates and workshops.
And Katya consults for large scale businesses on their media strategy and speaks at conferences all over the world.
Since 2015 Katya and Viral Marketing Stars have helped over 20,000+ customers to grow their audience, boost engagement and sales, and get more publicity.
Thanks to the success of her business, she was able to pay off her mom’s debt and paid off her entire student loan before turning 30.
Katya said: ”I’m proud that my business today doesn’t just generate good income, but allows me to make an impact with my creativity. I love what I do and see myself doing it for decades.
“To this day, I keep my parents’ belief in me close to my heart and I remind myself that you can do anything you set your mind to.
“Over the coming years, I’d love to help more creators and businesses to grow their influence & platform.
“I believe personal branding is the future of influence online. People buy from people more than they do from faceless companies.
“If 12-year-old me knew I’d be where I am today, she would smile.
“I am grateful to my parents for teaching me that happiness is more about the people you surround yourself with and having a supportive environment where you are encouraged to be more of who you are, instead of pushing you to be something you’re not.”
Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email:fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.
