Publisher "Skolas Vārds" founder: entrepreneurial spirit took root in childhood

Violeta Brenčeva, founder and head of the publishing house "Skolas Vārds", says her interest in entrepreneurship began in childhood, spending time at her grandparents' home in the countryside. There she played the roles of both shopkeeper and pharmacist - her grandfather was a veterinarian, so the household had no shortage of pharmacy-related items, which she carefully organized. Her grandparents and their friends would come to her to "shop", paying with plantain leaves.

Brenčeva recalls being around eight or nine years old and enjoying how everything was organized and structured - a person would come to her with a problem, and she would find a solution. Soon after came her first real experience of earning money - in the 1990s she collected linden blossoms and other herbs for tea, which she delivered to a pharmacy in exchange for a small payment. This activity gave her a genuine sense of satisfaction from investing her time and effort and receiving something in return, teaching her that achieving goals requires taking action yourself.

A lesson beyond university

After graduating from Balvi State Gymnasium, Brenčeva studied political science at Riga Stradiņš University. However, one of the most vivid lessons of her life, along with her first sales experience, came outside the university. During her studies she traveled to the United States, where, as part of a student summer program, she sold educational materials to American families.

Her workday began at six in the morning, and within a couple of hours she had to knock on the doors of complete strangers carrying a heavy backpack, trying to get them to at least listen to her offer. According to Brenčeva, this experience taught her not to fear being completely outside her comfort zone, and it later proved useful in business - especially in moments when decisions had to be made without knowing in advance how things would turn out.