Tischner European University Entrepreneurship

PROJETS -  software development for e-commerce business                      Interviewer: Cyprian Liske                     Entrepreneur: Bartłomiej Matlęga "Projets" is a company providing full cycle tailored software development of e-commerce online stores or web apps with focus on functionality & intuitive design. I asked Bartłomiej Matlęga, the co-founder of the company, a few questions about his work and the evolution of his undertaking. 1. Bartek, you provide software and branding services for your clients dealing in e-commerce business. This branch seems to be fairly competitive. How is your company different from others? Are there any special processes or solutions which you would like to share? Yes it's true. Competition in this industry is intense. In our company, we try not only to be a software house that do the job ordered...

Interview with Marco Franchini Marco Franchini is the owner of a company (F.lli Franchini Srl) based in Rimini, Italy, which plans and builds electrical systems, heating and plumbing systems and systems for renewable energy sources serving the biggest public infrastructures and buildings, as well as private, in Italy and abroad. V : What is your business about? M : We build technological plants (electrical wiring, mechanical and from renewable sources). V : Why did you start your business? M : It was my father’s company and I took over when I was 18, together with my brother. But when I took the company there were 5 employees, today the company counts 100 people. V : What is your annual turnover? M : It’s about 12 million per year, with the objective of getting to 15 million soon. V : How much money did you invest? M : We are investing money all the time. We are investing money to buy always new technologies, equipment, vehicles. So our investment is continu...

What inspired you to launch your business? The key reasoning behind my decision was that I was fed up with working as a full-time employee for a major corporation. All the rigid structures and implied hierarchies made my life miserable and full of disdain. Therefore I decided to start something fresh on my own and since I was always good at computers I naturally leaned towards becoming a front-end development. What issue does your core service help solve and how so? My service helps maintain network infrastructure within a public kindergarten in Cracov. I provide professional servicing and advise cost-cutting solutions so that my clients' network and computer devices run smoothly and efficiently. Have you had any mentors or role models that have influenced you? Since I do not believe in mentorship I did not follow any role models. Do you consider yourself successful and by what means do you measure success? I consider myself to be in the middle of my journey. In a way...

1.Where did the idea for starting your own business come from? Well, before I set up my company, I’d worked in the same trade but I strongly wanted to earn money by myself and for myself. In my previous job I was ‘right hand’ of my boss and   I realised that I could be appropriate person to be the boss. 2. What were the beginnings of starting and running your own company? As you can imagine, beginnings are hard but I had a lot of knowlegde how to cope with problems and how to fix it in the best way. I have  great accountant who helped me in legal regulations and great friends who I could count on everyday. 3. Who are the clients of your company? Mostly individual clients who has problems with their cars but I work also with international companies (maliny from the UK, Slovakia and Germany)  that give me temporary orders for big amount of repairs or regeneration of couplings . 4. How did you imagine being an entrepreneur before starting a business? I thought that I would...

1. How did you get your idea or concept for the business?  I had language teaching background and I was into language teaching and not into translations. I didn't just get the idea of opening a translation the business, it was an evolution. I worked in the language industry and more and more people were asking to provide them with translation services so I did and it is how the company grew. Initially we provided just one language and then we moved on to deliver translations into more languages on as needed basis. New customers appeared and we extended the range of service.  2. What's your company's goals? Make money in a sustainable way. Keep everyone happy and provide quality service. Stay away from trouble :) But also be fair with customers and partners. Innovate and be creative. 3. What is unique about your business? Aside form good quality product we provided quick response, minimum formalities translation service. Flexibility has also always been our domain ...

I'm going to present the interview with Jerzy Grajdek - an insurance agent and owner of the WARTA S.A. Insurance Agency in Zawiercie. Jerzy graduated business studies at Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu and after that he decided to set up his own economic activity. Before running the agency, he worked as a policeman. One day he made up one's mind that he want be his own boss and left the police. 1. What exactly does an insurance agent do? I offer life insurance, property, personal and communication insurance - civil liability, AC, accident insurance, pension insurance, travel insurance, business insurance and group life insurance. 2. Why an insurance agency? Where did you get the idea for a job in this field of business? I worked in the police for many years. It was a very responsible and stressful job, I liked it, but one day I felt that I had to change something in my life. I didn't want to work for someone anymore, I wanted to be my own boss. Therefore, while still working a...

Interview with owner of two kintergardens, an enterpreneur Alicja Wojas What kind of Corporation is your business? My corporation incudes two local kintergardens, one on Reja street and the other one on Radzikowskieg in Kraków. My kintergardens are both public. What made you choose your current location? Mainly my place of living, family, friends and other obligations. What is unique about your business? From my point of view the unique thing is that my first corporation went really well. At the very beginning I wasn't expected that in one year I would be able to open the new kintergarten. But generally speaking unique is that we cooperate with EU so we have many additional projects that we have to manage as a team. What are your responsibilities as the business owner? I have to take care about administrative stuff. What means everything!(laugh) But thanks God I have got my mum. She works as a main director and she leads team of teachers. She also organiz...

Peter Zastavny frankly told about himself Peter  is a very successful Ukrainian entrepreneur , has  popular restaurants in Ternopil „Na nebi”,“ Jan Amour”, pub   “Passage Adlera 13”, night club “Young”. He also is a blogger in Instagram and provides master classes , where Petro shares his experience with others. I decided to talk to him . - Petr, You have first planned to be a lawyer and now You are a successful entrepreneur . Why did you decide to change your specialty?  - When choosing a profession, I was in the tenth or eleventh grade. This was a  decision of my parents.  I completely saw the judicial and law enforcement system in a different way.  During my studies at the University I was practicing in the court and the prosecutor's office.  Being in a cynical environment, I understood that it was not for me. -When  did You decide to go to the restaurant business?  - On the second course during the summer holidays I went to...

When we are looking for inspirational people to learn from, we naturally turn to those who achieved success and are doing well. We look for those whose path we want to follow in our life. But can we also learn from those who actually are not doing well, yet who know what it was like to be successful in the past? Mr Pawel is an example of such a person. He used to be a DTP graphic designer, with very prominent client base. Now he is a homeless painter and his 'customers' are random people who ask him to draw portraits of themselves or their friends. There is no doubt that his life deteriorated dramatically, and there was a reason behind that - mostly sacrificing relationships with his closest ones for a career. Mr Pawel was very eager to share his words of wisdom about threats waiting for people pursuing success, and what to avoid in life not to fall down really hard. Who are you? I am a musician and a former graphic designer. I used to live in Kielce where for 18 year...

Greetings, below you will find an interview taken from Oleg Piskunov, entrepreneur here in Cracow Q: Would you tell what are you doing, maybe short description and main ideas of your business? A: Well, we run waste sorting factory here, just outside the Cracow. We are buying waste in Ukraine, transport it to Poland to our factory, sort it out and find customers on the final product. Q: Oh wow, that is really interesting and not common business to me. But why the waste recycling, what are the main factors to do it? A: There are several things. Firstly, it is profitable of course. Ukraine has a lot of extra waste because of lack in the recycling and segregation area. And the second thing is we are helping to preserve nature. It is nice to know that you are doing your part in saving eco-system. Q: That’s a combination of two really good things. But where did you get the idea of starting it? A: It is quite easy. It is very fast-growing and popular business tre...