BOTA | World Views & Culture

You're listening to BOTA, the podcast that shares world views, culture, careers, and all the above from an Albanian American perspective. I'm your host Leonita and here I interview inspiring people who are experts in their field and have achieved significant milestones in their life. But most importantly, it’s a place for people to find their voice and share their stories. A place where they feel comfortable to express their ideas, aspirations, and offer listeners an inside look into the highs and lows of their lives.Stories of culture, hardships, perseverance, insight, and success. Follow on Instagram @botapodcast. Listen to podcast episodes on Apple Podcast + Spotify + Buzzsprout + everywhere you listen to podcasts.

All Episodes

BOTA | World Views & Culture

Emina Pelja Owner of Balkan Bred: Entrepreneurship + Podcasting + Building a Brand

July 06, 2021 • Leonita • Season 1 • Episode 26

Emina is originally from Bosnia. Her parents moved to the USA a few years before she was born due to conflicts during the Yugoslavian war in the mid 90s. Her parents drove from Seattle, Washington to Atlanta, Georgia. She was born in '96 and grew up in the US. Her family kept many Bosnian traditions alive and Bosnian was her first language. She found a balance of expressing her Bosnian heritage and living that American lifestyle.

She graduated with a degree in Marketing from Kennasaw State University. Here she took an entrepreneurship class. Where she had a build a business and pitch it to angel investors. During this project she discovered that letters and stories have such a deep importance. She noticed that she could find any sweatshirts, tees that had her hometown city on it. She started making shirts with Bosnian city coordinates. She graduated university and started her business "Balkan Bred" at the young age of 21. She has been building her brand and business since then.

2.5 years later she was able to quit her 9-5 and fully commit to her thriving online business. Not only does she sell Balkan city coordinate shirts, mugs, products with Balkan sayings, she also shares a story.

She has a blog called "Meet the Diaspora" that showcases people who have accomplished so many great things who are from the Balkans. She also has a podcast and vlogs on youtube.

We get into what it means to be an entrepreneur, how to build a brand, social media, marketing, and ways to be your authentic self when being a boss.

Follow Emina:
Instagram: @balkanbred
Website: http://balkanbred.com/insta-links/

Time Stamps:
9:00 Majoring in Marketing and Graduating from University and how she got the idea for building her business
15:30 Building her online business "Balkan Bred"
23:00 Online business
29:00 Social media & branding
38:40: Day in the life of an entrepreneur
54:10: Future goals

Follow BOTA:

Instagram @botapodcast

#entrepreneur #balkans #bosnia #albania #culture #diaspora