Her life, both private and in business, is focused on her contribution to improving our planet and helping people to enjoy healthy and ethical products.
She is one of those who stand out from the negative and sensational entrepreneurial stories. She has worked for the largest corporations in the world and has met the biggest stars such as Uma Thurman, Jared Leto and Steve Jobs. Such stories as hers are rare indeed, since the business world is dominated by values such as ingenuity, though often at the expense of fellow human beings. With Bianca this is turned the other way round.

What is currently taking up most of your time?
We are redesigning websites and consolidating the BeeZee EcoLand brand, which brings together all our products, i.e. all our established brands. The new collection features clothing for babies, women, pregnant women, men, pets, jewelry and artistic prints with messages of love for nature, animals and home. BeeZee EcoLand project is my essence - ideal, compassionate to all beings and our planet, the world. My most ardent wish is for the textile industry to return to Europe and, in general, for the health and ethical values underpinning the products to be placed above quantity and promotion of consumerism.

Why is the company in Slovenia, and you live in Germany?
I wanted to help local people with this project. I was tempted to register my company in London or Düsseldorf. I still don't understand why there are so many bureaucratic obstacles in Slovenia. In the US, where I lived for 13 years, everything is much simpler. They really want people to become self-employed. However, I still believe in Slovenia and Slovenian people. The world is changing and I want Slovenia to jump soon onto this train of "green" changes, or, as I always like to say, join the process of the green revolution. I hope that Slovenia will in some time truly be a country of compassion, ethics and great concern for nature. Slovenians can compete only with quality, luxury products, and unique products, know-how, its beautiful natural environment, organic farming and eco-tourism.

Do you want your business to become a corporation one day or are you more inclined to boutique business?
I have never thought about this project as of a corporation, but as of a group of people with similar goals and infinite love for what they do in life. My goal is not to expand on a large scale, my goal is above all to help as many women as possible from Prekmurje who lost their jobs in the Mura company. The increasing unemployment in Slovenia makes me very sad. We maintain a personal relationship with our customers. I like to be involved in all levels of the company's operations and enjoy being in very close contact with and available to all who are part of this project.

In your experience, how much of this kind of business is carried out abroad and how do you assess the situation in this field in Slovenia?
In general, there are few such companies throughout the world. However, more and more companies that at least partly include the green and ethical dimension in their business model are emerging. From the financial perspective, it is not easy what I do. To be good, to raise awareness among people and to speak the truth is much more difficult than to lie and sell toxic pig in a poke, I would say (laughs). Greedy corporations in cooperation with manipulative media have left their mark in the last 50 years.

Two years ago when you won the SEA prize, you said that you were going to focus on the global market. Have you succeeded?
Of course, as we have clients from Melbourne to Dubai to London, Seattle, New York, Paris and even Wellington in New Zealand. However, I have to emphasize that German and Austrian customers predominate. But this year, to my delight, we have also recorded an increase in Slovenian customers. Up to the current month in 2014, foreign buyers accounted for 45% of customers, and last year this figure was even higher. Quite a few people visit our beautiful studio / showroom in Düsseldorf, and my Mom is very active in the showroom in Slovenia (Murska Sobota). There would be nothing without my Mom. I had quite a few very large demands for supply from the US distributors, but we are too small to be able to sew 3,000 pieces of some product in a week. I am conservative and I prefer us to remain a healthy small business than to engage in some maneuvers that could ruin us financially in the long term.

It is often said that the success of a company largely depends on the manner in which the business is managed, that is, on the personal maturity of its leader, the director. What kind of a business leader are you?
I am an emotional person and I can't hide anything. Anybody can tell anytime what's on my mind (smile). I treat colleagues as my equals and friends until something goes wrong. Then I turn into a problem solution seeker and include them in the process. I believe in financial rewards and I also give loud praise to all. Above all, I value my colleagues as people. When we achieve major success I also invite them to dinner to reward them symbolically. I believe that by discussing the problems we are facing we grow as persons. Sometimes, however, I also become a kind of "drama queen", particularly when I cannot understand why everyone is not as passionate about the project as me (smile).

If you were asked by a young person how to become a successful entrepreneur - what would you tell him or her?
Dream big, work hard and do not let others stop you.

Eco-products are expensive. I will therefore ask you the following two questions:
Why would someone who has an average income buy your product and what would you recommend to them as their first purchase?
For me, the values that I look for in the product that I buy are its healthiness, quality, durability, ecological factor and ethical dimension. Our products last longer, although their maintenance may be a bit more demanding (natural materials breathe, natural colours are washed out more quickly, textiles without toxic additives are less wrinkle resistant...), and are healthy. Our customers also help the Slovenian economy with their purchase. The money goes to the people who make these products and not to intermediaries. You really get something that is full of positive energy and you get it for yourself, your family and the whole world! We are cheaper in the long term.

Who are your buyers?
The best-informed are educated women who take care to eat healthy, who do not want to be part of the cruel and profit-driven global corporations that exploit child labour or engage in mass murder of animals, women who use natural compassionate cosmetics, who travel... But I am always surprised by men who buy our products in large quantities, while women love the uniqueness of our products. They include girls aged 14 and span all ages up to our eldest customer, a 78 year old "girl".

You would not change your profession and the way you live your business life?
Never. My profession and what I do is me in person, I see almost no segmentation here any more: myself in private life and myself in business life are merged. I appreciate all the bad, the pain, problems and all the mistakes I've made in my life, because otherwise I could never be able to become what I am today.

You are a Slovenian from Prekmurje. What do you like most in Slovenia?
I like staying in the house where I grew up until I was 18, with my Mom and Dad. I am very proud of where I come from. I had enough entertainment and nightlife in my twenty years spent in Manhattan, so I stay at home and mostly focus on the family and, of course, the various projects which I am working on under BeeZee EcoLand umbrella project.

Tanja Glogovčan, SINFO