Author: Mira Bekar
As we wrote in our previous issues of the Newsletter, the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs - AWE project resulted in many successful stories. MAAA encouraged documenting the stories and activities of four women, participants in last year's AWE project and founders of start-ups, so here is the summary of the testimonials by Marta Pejoska, the founder of Marta Atelier, Marina Tosheska, founder of Tricky Treats Tail, Aleksandra Stajkovska, co-founder of Nuclean Health, and Nadica Gorgieva, founder of Chia Dia.
Marta Pejoska, the winner of the first award from the AWE for best business plan, established her filigree atelier. She admits that as an artist she lacked business and entrepreneurship skills which they managed to improve through the Dream builder program as part of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs. It was not easy for her to situate her creative idea into a business frame within six months. The training academy program helped her. Similarly to the other competitors, Ms. Pejoska highlighted the value of networking. She is thankful to MAAA and the American Embassy in Macedonia for the whole support.
Marina Tosheska, the founder of “Tricky Treats Tail”, won the second place for best business plan at the competition of young women’s entrepreneurs. She is thankful to AWE for the opportunity to develop her business idea, from a start-up into a well-recognized business in the local community. As an expert in veterinary medicine, she felt she had no knowledge in the field of business and entrepreneurship. So the AWE helped her with proper access to resources and valuable guidance. Ms Tosheska appreciates the idea of networking with other creative and business-oriented women.
Nadica Gorgieva, founder of Chia Dia, also secured second place in the AWE competition. She believes the opportunity to join AWE came at the perfect time, as she needed guidance in areas like business planning, market positioning, results tracking, and securing funds to elevate her product into a recognizable brand. Ms. Gorgieva found the program modules well-structured and effective. After product creation, her concept underwent testing, and a prototype was developed to meet customer needs and expectations. She credits the Academy with both her personal and professional growth, strongly recommending AWE to ambitious women with innovative ideas. Programs like AWE have the potential to empower young women to build businesses within Macedonia, rather than seek opportunities abroad.
Aleksandra Stajkovska’s idea resulted in establishing a genetic testing company in Macedonia and the Balkans. In her testimonial, she noted the importance of AWE which equipped her with tools and insights into navigating today’s business landscape. In other words, the Academy shaped her mission to innovate in the field of health and precision medicine. She expressed her excitement and eagerness about the implementation of what she created and measuring the impact of her vision. She won third place in the competition for young women entrepreneurs.
