Interview with Nina Angelovska Stankov, Founder of the E-commerce Association of Macedonia

I can say that my passion for e-commerce, and e-business in general, began at the Faculty of Economics at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, with my decision to enroll in the E-business department in 2006. Practically since then, I have been “breathing” the e-commerce market — first in theory, and immediately after graduation in practice, with the launch of Grouper in 2011. During my studies, I participated in many competitions — I considered them a way to “test” myself, and I also learned new things because I invested a great deal of energy in preparing for them. In 2011, just before graduating, I won the competition for the most innovative business plan, organized by the National Center for Development of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Learning (NCDiel) at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, where I received a small grant to start my own business. Becoming an entrepreneur and running my own business was not something I had dreamed of since childhood. Probably the entrepreneurial genes from my parents and the way they raised me provided a solid foundation and starting point, but the main push was most likely winning that award, which encouraged me to dive into starting my own business immediately after graduation.