“Working with pleasure – that is happiness”

In the podcast “Business Café with Galbachev”, Maxim Behar talks with host Krasimir Galbachev about his journey from a factory workbench to the global PR stage, Generation Z, social media, doing business in Bulgaria, and the role of truth in public communications.

Working with pleasure – that is happiness”

Host:
Maxim, how are you, and how do you manage to work with such energy for so many years?

Maxim Behar:
“I’m great. I work a lot and I truly enjoy it – that is happiness for me. Life is not long enough to spend it doing work you don’t like. If you don’t enjoy what you do, change direction. Start something that makes you wake up in the morning with enthusiasm.”

He emphasizes that the free market gives everyone a chance:
“We live in an ocean of information and unlimited communications. Anyone can succeed – but you need to know where you want to go, from point A to point B, and build the path yourself.”

Generation Z – a challenge and an opportunity

Host:
Young people often change jobs, prefer short formats and fast content. Is that a problem?

Maxim Behar:
“I don’t see anything wrong with someone joining a company, realizing it’s not their place, and trying something else. What matters is that they try. The greatest advantage of our time is choice.”

He says he closely observes Generation Z:
“They are impatient and want quick success, but they know what they want and pursue it. We, the older generations, won’t change them – we must change ourselves and learn from them. That’s why I’m even planning a book about this generation.”

From factory work to global PR business

Host:
How did your journey in PR begin?

Maxim Behar:
He goes back to his early years – starting work at the age of 13 in a dairy factory, followed by five years in a machine-building plant:
“The vise I worked on is now in my office. It reminds me where I started. That is also PR – experience, real life, discipline.”

After journalism and co-founding the newspaper Standard, Behar decided to leave the media and build an agency:
“We started as an advertising agency – pens, notebooks, calendars. Gradually, the market demanded media expertise, and I had 12–13 years of journalism behind me. I went to the U.S., saw how this business works there, and came back to develop it here.”

Today, more than 30 years later, he leads M3 Communications Group, Inc. and says:
“I believe I’ve achieved no more than 40–50% of what I want to accomplish in PR.”

PR vs. advertising – and why truth is the main product

Host:
What is the difference between PR and advertising?

Maxim Behar:
“Advertising buys media. PR earns media. In our profession, we don’t sell campaigns or events – we sell trust.”

His favorite definition:
“PR is telling the truth in a way that people understand. Truth is mandatory. Creativity lies in how you tell it – through text, video, reels, podcasts, and on which platform.”

According to him, so-called “black PR” is simply a lie:
“If the information is true, it’s not black PR – it’s reality that you must accept and respond to. If it’s a lie, it has nothing to do with our profession.”

Bulgaria – a country with enormous business opportunities

Host:
You often compare Bulgaria with the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. What is different?

Maxim Behar:
“Those markets have been developing for 200 years, with strong industrial traditions. In Bulgaria, many niches are still open. Yes, we have bureaucracy and corruption, but despite that, you can start a business, work 20 hours a day, and achieve global success.”

He points to successful IT companies and high-tech manufacturers:
“These are people aged 25–35 who started from scratch and now create competitive products for the world. If they can do it, it means it’s possible.”

Behar also speaks about Bulgaria’s future adoption of the euro:
“Joining the eurozone won’t just change our currency. It will give investors a sense of stability and recognition – they will come to a country that is a full part of the common financial market.”

Brand “Bulgaria” – the painful topic

Host:
What should Bulgaria do to attract more tourists and investors?

Maxim Behar:
“Bulgaria’s greatest asset is its people – intelligent, motivated, calm. Sofia is one of the safest cities in Europe, and almost no one communicates that.”

He criticizes the current national branding:
“Bulgaria lacks a strong logo and meaningful slogan. We need an open competition for a new logo, a powerful concept, and modern videos showing people, business, and safety – not just beaches and spas. Tourism matters, but it’s only part of the country’s image.”

Social media and the “revolution of transparency”

Host:
Social media – opportunity or threat?

Maxim Behar:
“Social media has made the world better. It removed hidden stories – if someone lies, steals, or behaves badly, sooner or later it appears online. That’s a powerful moral control.”

He gives a simple example:
“People now say, ‘Please don’t post it on Facebook, I’ll move the car immediately.’ That responsibility slowly makes society better.”

He also defends young people spending time on TikTok and Instagram:
“You can’t restrict them. It’s better to teach them what is valuable content and what is nonsense than to ban devices.”

Artificial intelligence – an ally, not an enemy

Host:
What is your opinion on artificial intelligence, and do you use it?

Maxim Behar:
“I use it constantly – mainly to check whether my writing skills are still competitive.”

He believes AI will support business:
“AI won’t take your job. But people who know how to work with AI will. It’s a great assistant and advisor, as long as we remember that conversations like this – with emotion, experience, and human stories – cannot be replaced.”

“The spark in the eyes” – the only requirement for new team members

Host:
What do you look for in young candidates?

Maxim Behar:
“I have only one requirement – a spark in the eyes. That means motivation, ambition, and willingness to work in a team.”

He deliberately avoids asking where people come from or what they studied:
“I can turn a doctor into an excellent PR professional. What matters most is integrity, discipline, and ambition. We follow the three Ps: professionalism, precision, and proactivity.”

Learning from success, not from failure

At the end, the key question arises: do we learn more from success or failure?

Maxim Behar:
“Everyone says we should learn from failures. I strongly believe the opposite – we should learn from our successes. Failure tells you only one thing: you didn’t succeed. But when you reach a peak, you must analyze how you got there.”

He uses his favorite metaphor:
“You climb a mountain, take a selfie at the top – there’s no point in looking down, you already know what’s there. You look toward the next peak. But first, you must understand how you reached this one – with what preparation, decisions, and people. Only then can you plan the next success.”

Final message

At the end of the conversation, Maxim Behar addresses the audience:

“We all have problems. But focus on the small positive things – you’ll learn much more from them than from difficulties. Look upward, toward the next peak.”