Chris Royal

Chris Royal was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and spent his first five years as Hristo Stratsimir. His family lived in the village of Bankya, which had a population of 6000 people. He used to walk to the bakery early in the mornings with his grandmother, and watch visitors come and go from the ornate buildings of the Mineral Baths. His father, an internationally ranked gymnast, took the family to the United States when Hristo was five, to become a U.S. men's gymnastics coach. Hristo adapted easily...See more

Chris Royal was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and spent his first five years as Hristo Stratsimir. His family lived in the village of Bankya, which had a population of 6000 people. He used to walk to the bakery early in the mornings with his grandmother, and watch visitors come and go from the ornate buildings of the Mineral Baths. His father, an internationally ranked gymnast, took the family to the United States when Hristo was five, to become a U.S. men's gymnastics coach. Hristo adapted easily to his new home near the Olympic training center just outside Indianapolis, Indiana. He was an outgoing, gregarious child from birth, and has maintained a positive, friendly outlook. Hristo's parents encouraged him to change his name to the anglicized version, Christopher, and because 'Stratsimir' had been the name of one of the early royal emperors of the country, the family permanently changed their name to Royal. Thriving at the Harvard Business School, Chris considers himself fortunate to have studied Organizational Behavior under the renowned Paul R. Lawrence. He spent many happy hours in the Baker Library, at Harvard Business School, and a strong interest in entrepreneurship grew. Royal has developed several startup companies and Android apps. Currently, Chris hosts seminars, writes motivational blogs and keeps busy with new ideas. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and daughter, and enjoys their presence on his travels, as he presents material at seminars throughout the country. Despite tremendous success in the business world, he has not forgotten his roots. Each spring, Hristo Stratsimir returns to Bankya, Bulgaria, bringing his exuberance, ideas, and liveliness to family in the area. See less