Intro by 1-StopAsia:

Sam’s been with us for some time now (3 years) and I’ll never forget the first time he entered our office for his interview. All we heard was “Ohhh that gorgeous English accent”, which later on turned out to have been voted for the most beautiful English accent at some point in the UK.

A few years later knowing him is still as interesting as it was then but we’ve got quite a few more qualities to add to his own modest description of his personality.

So look carefully behind the short answers in the interview below and you’ll see for yourselves: reliable, modest, and with extreme tenacity for perfection, he is a treasured friend and colleague for us.

Interview:

How many languages do you speak? Please write them in a list. Which is your mother tongue?
English is my mother tongue but since I left the UK when I was at the age of 16 (?), I had to learn Bulgarian. Now, 10 years later I am proud to say that I have an advanced level of speaking the Bulgarian language, too.

What is your favorite sport or hobby in your free time? Why is it so? Any interesting stories on it?
Hitting the gym is a favorite occupation of mine, so I do that quite often. Other than that, I enjoy watching MMA and movies. If you dig a bit deeper, you’ll find out that I love playing games on my PlayStation.

Top 3 things we don’t know about you? Might be something funny, quirky or strange :)
First things first - FOOD - To some, it might sound outrageous but I love Hawaii pizza. If you wonder why I said “outrageous” that is the one with pineapple :)

Believe it or not, I have a severe fear of heights.

As a person that comes from the UK, I believe there is nothing better than a fresh ot of the tap Guinness beer.

What was the most surprising thing you learned about Asia while working here?
When I started working at 1-StopAsia, I decided to be very open-minded about everything - culture, habits, and what people are like. So in truth, nothing really surprises me about Asia. However, there is one obstacle I never anticipated and it is the time difference and the fact that when your job is intertwined with Asia, the time difference has a totally different dimension.

Favorite book or a book that changed your mindset and why it did?
In an industry in which it is all about language, I must confess I am not a book person. I usually take everything in stride and I shift my mindset according to life as it happens.

Your most extreme experience so far in your life/biggest challenge in your life?
One of my most significant challenges that truly matters was quitting smoking after practicing that habit for more than 10 years. So far, I am still the winner out of this situation and I minted to keep it that way.

Your top 3 goals in professional life for the next 10 years

1. One day I want to have a company of my own, I am aiming to make it successful enough to be able to support my family and myself with its profits.
2. The next one on my list is to be able to work less - about 25 hours a week, which is quite ambitious in today’s reality. :)
3. The third one on the list is something that currently is a reality and it has to do with remote working - I want this to be my form of work in the future, too.