Forber for Naturelle with LOVE & I Can Too Foundation

“I’m really focused on our new products,” says Radeva, who hasn't yet decided what percentage of the brand's revenue will go to I Can Too.

 

The next big step for Radeva was to invest all of her personal savings. “I don’t remember how much it was. I only know that  

 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, she has not been able to employ a team and does everything herself. Friends of hers lent her a hand and it was these friends who suggested the idea for Naturelle.

The brand is a logical response to the numerous questions regarding how Radeva takes care of her skin and health. This is a very special topic for her - she even shares that "I have always made homemade toothpaste with coconut oil".

When asked when she started working on I Can Too, she admits that working with numbers is not her forte. "I don't remember dates, number of gigs and events. They must be nearing a thousand by now, but I'm not sure and I don't want to mislead. I wouldn't even remember that I registered the foundation on June 16, 2006, if we didn't celebrate its birthday every year," Radeva says.

The foundation's story began with a request from the Centre for Hope, which takes care of children with disabilities - could Radeva possibly find a car to transport the children? At the time, Nelly Radeva (then 36) had been living in Germany for 20 years and had experience in media and event organisation. In order to help, she developed a marketing strategy. She selected a company and focused all her efforts on its current media presence needs in order for the company to donate one of its old cars to the centre. Despite her efforts and preparation, she was turned down. A few days later Radeva saw all the materials she had sent to the company uploaded on its website - albeit for a different initiative.

"If they felt the need to steal from me, that means that there is a shortage of ideas in Bulgaria. I told myself that I really want to help these children, but in order for that to happen, I needed to change the public’s perception," said Radeva, who decided to create the "I Can Too" foundation and through it to present the problem through the beauty of art and the messages of celebrities.

She chose the name "I Can Too" because it says exactly that: "Everyone can help a cause with whatever they can. And also, that children with disabilities are able to do no less than others."

 

I could have bought two or three apartments but instead I bought myself a foundation.” A friend gave her a list of the most famous Bulgarian celebrities and she started calling them without even knowing what they look like. Most of the celebrities joined the initiative, with several musicians dedicating upcoming concerts to I Can Too.

Radeva manages to find sponsors for everything she does, including the salaries of two assistants who help her out. She knows she has no other choice, because “Bulgarian celebrities are not as rich as those abroad” and she cannot ask them to constantly raise funds for the foundation. That is why her goal is to start talking about the issue in a different way, not just to raise capital.

“A lot of people thought I was crazy. They told me, “Okay, you explain nicely what's going on with these kids, but where is the money going to come from for your foundation?” Her team still tries to raise funds in personal ways. For example, during some of the concerts Nelly Radeva and her assistants sold T-shirts with the foundation's logo. “The first time we prepared 250 pieces and sold only 3. We stayed there all night, all three of us on the stand without any meaningful result.”

 

As you can guess, the T-shirts don't bring in much revenue, in part because Radeva often gives them away. The other reason is that her idea for the T-shirts is not to raise profit. In 2008, the Foundation wanted to spark the interest of young people. So, she created the T-shirts and organised a series of photo shoots of celebrities wearing them. Additionally, videos and photos were created that show how the shooting process went. Interest was great, and Radeva still regrets not having an Instagram account back then to reach even more people.

I Can Too is becoming more and more popular and people are starting to look it up themselves. This is how several filmmakers came forward and offered to make videos for the Foundation for free. The Ministry of Transport also contributed to the cause by putting I can too banners in vehicles and public transport bus stops.

“I don’t remember how much it was. I only know that I could have bought two or three apartments but instead I set up a foundation.”

Sofia Municipality allowed the foundation the use of its billboards. "They gave us a lot of billboards. If we had to pay for them, they would have cost us over BGN 1 million a year."
In 2008, the I Can Too Foundation partnered the parent organisation Children with Developmental Challenges. The Foundation focused all its efforts and identified companies to donate their products and labour towards the construction of a medical centre for children with multiple disabilities in Student's Town.
Meanwhile, actress Diana Lubenova also wanted to help. “Her husband works in Hollywood productions and decided it would be a good idea to have famous actors pose for us,” Radeva says. This is how stars like Antonio Banderas posed with I Can Too T-shirts and become ambassadors of the foundation.
In order for the photo shoots to make an impact, funds for Bulgarian children with disabilities could also be raised in the United States. Therefore, in 2012, Nelly Radeva registered the Foundation in the USA. In the same year, she and her team started working on the construction of a centre for children with autism in Plovdiv. They started from scratch, but found sponsors for everything. In 2015, the centre was already in operation and is the largest of its kind in Bulgaria.
In the meantime, the Foundation helps to adapt housing to the needs of children with disabilities and continues to organise concerts and art exhibitions for its cause.
“There were companies that we had worked with, which wanted us to only work with them. That couldn't happen because we were organising hundreds of events. We tried to alternate so that we wouldn't offend anyone.”
In 2018, the I Can Too Foundation and Fantastiko raised BGN 100 thousand for a “Mobile Therapist” 

a specialised vehicle to be used by the Centre for Hope to transport children. “This is the same vehicle for which I founded the Foundation 12 years ago. We finally found a donor,” says Radeva.

t the beginning of 2020 the pandemic put a stop to live events, and Radeva began to toy with the idea for her own business.
 She became interested in organic cosmetics and considered whether she could develop her own products in Bulgaria and export them to the USA, where the organic products market is much more developed. She found an investor for the project and created Naturelle.
However, the supply chain suffered setbacks. In the autumn of 2021, her first product, toothpaste, was ready, and Radeva's friends from Bulgaria purchased several units. This served to change Nelly Radeva's mindset and she decided to start selling in Bulgaria after all.
However, she was unable to achieve large turnovers from toothpaste; turnover was important so that she could find additional investors. Thus, she embarked on further products. She showed our team products that have not yet been introduced to the market. These are a moisturising body cream and a designer cosmetics bag that can fit several of the products from the cosmetics line. She shared that for the bags she collaborated with a company which makes some of the world's most iconic brands.
Over the years in which she has worked for the Foundation, Nelly Radeva has created important contacts. With their help, she was able to position Naturelle in 60 stores, including a beauty salon in New York and a boutique in downtown Beverly Hills, all within three months. She says she didn't have to convince anyone to work with her, because this is their way of saying “I Can Too” – I can help Bulgarian children with disabilities.