The Entrepreneurship Youth Magazine #3

THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP YOUTH MAGAZINE NUMBER 3

Entrepreneurial Education for Youth Project FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION THROUGH ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME Sprijin si Dezvoltare Association

The content of this magazine does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union.

Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the magazine lies entirely with the author(s).

Sprijin si Dezvoltare Association Romania – Project Coordinator and Applicant Sorina Carmen Vacariu – Project manager Gabriela Adam – Intellectual output expert sprijinsidezvoltare@yahoo.com https://sprijinsidezvoltare.wordpress.com/ https://www.facebook.com/SprijinSiDezvoltare/

Inercia Digital – Project Partner

CEFE Macedonia – Project Partner

Project period February 2017 – January 2019 1|Page

Dear readers,

This is the third issues of the magazine! This issue is focused on innovation approach to management and strategies, leadership and entrepreneurship styles and communication. The magazine will help you to identify your own business idea. Reading the magazine, you can learn and understand more about entrepreneurship and startup. We had the pleasure to interview entrepreneurs in this issue. They had shared their experience and give valuable advices for you to follow.

The articles from this number will contain: ✓ Innovation: innovative approach to management, innovation styles in communication to stakeholders and social media, innovative management towards working environment, innovation in financial management and accounting ✓ Management: long-term management strategy, medium-term management strategy, shortterm management strategy, management plan ✓ Management and leadership styles ✓ Financial management ✓ Human resource management: tasks and responsibilities, work environment and team building, set up aim and objectives, control and evaluate the work performances, staff motivation ✓ Communication ✓ Example of business and interviews with entrepreneurs The articles will also explain the social, political and economic context from Romania, Spain, Macedonia and Europe and how the context can influence a business.

This magazine can be used for personal reading and self-education or as an educational instrument and material in non-governmental organisations, schools, universities, vocational education and training organisations or any other organisation and freelancer.

Enjoy, Sorina Carmen Vacariu - Project manager

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Dragi cititori,

Acesta este al treilea număr al revistei! Acest număr se axează pe abordarea inovativă a managementului și al strategiilor, a stilului de conducere și diferitelor tipuri de antreprenori și al comunicării. Citind revista puteți învăța mai multe despre antreprenoriat și startup. În acest număr am avut plăcerea de a lua interviu unor antreprenori. Aceștia au împărtășit din experiența lor și au furnizat sfaturi valoroase pentru voi. Revista vă va ajuta să identificați o idee de afacere.

Articolele din acest număr abordează: ✓ Inovație: abordare inovatoare a managementului, stiluri de inovare în comunicarea cu părțile interesate și comunicarea prin intermediul rețelelor de socializare, inovație la locul de muncă, inovație în management financiar și contabilitate ✓ Management: strategie de management pe termen lung, strategie de management pe termen mediu, strategie de management pe termen scurt, planul de management ✓ Stiluri de conducere și management ✓ Management financiar ✓ Managementul resurselor umane: sarcini și responsabilități, mediu de lucru și formarea echipei, stabilirea scopului și obiectivelor, controlul și evaluarea performanțelor muncii, motivarea personalului ✓ Comunicare ✓ Exemple de afaceri și interviuri cu antreprenorii De asemenea, articolele vor explica contextul social, politic și economic din România, Spania, Macedonia și Europa dar și modul în care acest context poate influența o afacere.

Această revistă poate fi utilizată pentru lectură personală sau ca instrument educațional în organizații non-guvernamentale, școli, universități, furnizori de formare profesională sau de către oricare altă organizație pentru formare și de către liberi profesioniști.

Lectură plăcută, Sorina Carmen Văcariu – Manager proiect 3|Page

Estimados lectores,

¡Bienvenidos a la tercera edición de nuestra revista! Este número se centra en un enfoque de innovación aplicado a la gestión y a las estrategias, al liderazgo y a los diferentes estilos de liderazgo y comunicación. La revista te ayudará a identificar tu propia idea de negocio y al leerla podrás aprender más acerca de varios aspectos del emprendimiento y la creación de start-ups.

También en este número hemos incluido entrevistas con emprendedores que nos comparten su experiencia a la vez que ofrecen consejos útiles que podrás aplicar.

Los artículos de este número contienen: ✓ Innovación: enfoque innovativo para la gestión del negocio, estilos de innovación para la comunicación con las partes interesadas y las redes sociales, gestión innovativa para el entorno laboral, innovación en la gestión financiera y la contabilidad ✓ Gestión: estrategia de gestión a largo plazo, estrategia de gestión a medio plazo, estrategia de gestión a corto plazo y plan de gestión ✓ Estilos de gestión y liderazgo ✓ Gestión Financiera ✓ Gestión de Recursos Humanos: tareas y responsabilidades, entorno laboral y formación de equipos, establecimiento de objetivos y metas, control y evaluación del desempeño laboral, motivación del personal ✓ Comunicación ✓ Ejemplo de negocio y entrevistas con emprendedores Los artículos también explicarán el contexto social, político y económico de Rumanía, España, Macedonia y Europa, y como el contexto puede influenciar a un negocio.

Esta revista puede usarse como lectura personal y autoeducación o como instrumento educacional y material didáctico para para organizaciones no-gubernamentales, escuelas, universidades, organizaciones de educación y formación profesional, así como para cualquier otra organización y para profesionales independientes. ¡Esperamos que os sea de gran utilidad!

Sorina Carmen Văcariu – Gerente de proyecto 4|Page

Драги читатели,

Ова е трет број на списанието! Ова прашање е фокусирано на иновативниот пристап кон менаџментот и стратегиите, стилови на лидерство и претприемништво и комуникација. Списанието ќе ви помогне да ја идентификувате сопствената бизнис идеја. Читајќи го списанието, можете да научите и разберете повеќе за претприемништвото и стартапите. Имавме задоволство да разговараме со претприемачите во ова издание. Тие го споделија своето искуство и даваат совети вредни за следење. Статиите од овој број ќе содржат: ✓ Иновации: иновативен пристап кон управувањето, стилови на иновации во комуникација со засегнатите страни и социјалните медиуми, иновативен менаџмент кон работната средина, иновации во финансискиот менаџмент и сметководство ✓ Управување: долгорочна стратегија за управување, стратегија за среднорочно управување, стратегија за краткорочно управување, план за управување ✓ Управување и стилови на лидерство ✓ Финансиски менаџмент ✓ Управување со човечки ресурси: задачи и одговорности, работно опкружување и градење на тим, поставување на целите и задачите, контрола и евалуација на работните перформанси, мотивација на вработените ✓ Комуникација ✓ Примери за бизнис и интервју со претприемачи Во прилозите ќе се објасни и социјалниот, политичкиот и економскиот контекст од Романија, Шпанија, Македонија и Европа и како контекстот може да влијае на бизнисот. Ова списание може да се користи за лично читање и самообразование или како едукативен инструмент и материјал во невладини организации, училишта, универзитети, организации за стручно образование и обука или било која друга организација и слободна пракса. Уживајте, Сорина Кармен Вакариу - проект менаџер

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Contents Innovation ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Take management seriously! .......................................................................................................... 9 Who are you? Who will you like to be? ....................................................................................... 16 How to manage your money? ....................................................................................................... 20 How I manage my personnel?....................................................................................................... 21 Tasks and Responsibilities .................................................................................................... 22 Work Environment and Team Building ................................................................................ 23 Set up aim and objectives ..................................................................................................... 25 Control and evaluate the work performances ....................................................................... 26 Motivate your staff ................................................................................................................ 27 How I communicate with my staff? .............................................................................................. 28 Innovative approach of management, leadership and entrepreneurship styles and marketing ..... 30 Systems 4 enterprises - Innovative approach to management ...................................................... 31 Stay Uncle - Innovation styles in communication to stakeholders and social media ................... 34 ADEVA – Innovative management towards working environment - remote work ..................... 37 Marand Consulting - Innovation in financial management and accounting ................................. 40 TeachHoot ..................................................................................................................................... 43 Real live examples of entrepreneurship ........................................................................................ 45 Meet Natà lia Perarnau, founder of Kids & Us .............................................................................. 47 Francisco_Tellez ........................................................................................................................... 49 SUGAR'S NOOK. ........................................................................................................................ 50 GRAFYDIS................................................................................................................................... 51 Home Huelva ................................................................................................................................ 53 6|Page

El faro de tu ciudad ....................................................................................................................... 55 Informรกtica Onuvense ................................................................................................................... 57 Optica Huelva ............................................................................................................................... 59

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Innovation Gabriela Adam, Sprijin si Dezvoltare Association

What is innovation? In which way we can innovate? How innovation can help us? In this magazine we will try to answer at these questions. I had the pleasure of talking with 10 local entrepreneurs about innovation, management and finance.

Based on interviews with them we have created some articles in which I have approached the main ideas of these interviews. These are simple and useful ideas that any entrepreneur needs to know when opening a business. Knowing these ideas, rules and principles will make it easier for you to manage and grow your business.

You can innovate through an idea, a device, a methodology, a new method or anything that is new, changed and improved. Innovation is the introduction of something new or changes made to an existent idea, device, methods or other. There is a difference between invention and innovation.

Through an invention you create something new. An invention can be in the same time an innovation. For example, it was invented the cellular phone and after some years, in 2007, Apple created the Apple smartphone, and this was an innovation in the telecommunication files.

You can innovate through your product or service, but you can innovate also through management and communication strategy. There are different types of entrepreneurs, but their goal will be always to innovate, it doesn’t matter in which field they are.

If you innovate through your service or product you can make bigger profits. If you really produced innovation, you must know that your competitors will `come after you` and they will copy your product/ service. This is the risk that you will take when you open a business. You need to be cautious and to take the necessary measure to protect your business, for example patents if applicable.

You can also innovate through your management system by creating new systems or adapting something old. A better management can increase performance and profits.

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To understand it better I invite you to make an imaginary exercise. Think at yourself as a consumer, then think: -

If you want to buy clothes, you will choose an old fashion store, or you will go in the stores that are more fashionable, are using recycled materials and they have a new method to sell their products?

-

If you want to buy a phone, you will choose a regular cellular phone, or you will choose a smartphone?

-

If you want to buy a car, you will choose a diesel car, or you will choose an electric car?

-

If you want to take the dinner out, you will choose the new restaurant, where the menu is changing all the time with good food, or you will choose a restaurant that didn’t changed their food and design in years?

I can imagine your answers. As a consumer we will always choose what is new and innovator. As an entrepreneur we need to make sure that we gave the customer enough reasons to buy our products/ services. Innovation is also transferable. If you see something in other city or in other country, you can take that specific innovation and implement it in your city/ country. When you develop your product/ service think on how you will like it and start designing it!

Take management seriously!

Gabriela Adam, Sprijin si Dezvoltare Association

Yes, you can innovate on the management level! Innovation will increase performance and will raise your profits.

An efficient and effective management will help you grow up your business. In this article we will highlight important aspect you should consider when you develop your management strategy. You may think that you are silly to develop a management strategy if you are small business, but you are not!

All the interviewed entrepreneur highlights the necessity on having a management strategy. It 9|Page

doesn’t matter if you are only 2 persons in the organisation, with a good management strategy you can have more.

First, you need to think on what management means to you and think on what classical management means. Second you should think on different ways how you can improve the classical methods and what you can bring new, so it suits better your business, to innovate the management process.

In a small business you should always thing to develop at least 4 management strategies: one for global

management,

one

for

operations management, one financial management and one human resource management. Yes, you will need all these strategies, it doesn’t matter how small your business is. Each of the strategy will help you set up your business direction and measure your performances. You may think that a lot of small businesses are working just fine without all these strategies, but this is how you may differentiate yourself from others.

The general management strategy should include the strategic development of your business. You should create a global management strategy that includes long-term perspective, as well as shortand medium-term perspective. It is easy to create your strategy, start by writing your dream done.

Long-term management strategy What is your dream? What you want to achieve? Your dream will be the business aim, so write it down. After you write your dream, make it into a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound). You can dream to have a successful business, but this is not a goal, you need to define what means successful. Usually success means profit. How you will know that you have created s SMART goal? How you recognise a smart goal? The best way to recognise a smart goal is by identify if you can measure and evaluate it. If your aim is to be a successful business, how you will measure it? Successful can be relative if you not define it. We can say that successful 10 | P a g e

means profit, and profit it is specific. To be measurable it means that you need to set up some numbers to achieve, so write down the profit margin that you want to achieve. After you set up a profit margin you need to think if the profit margin can be achieved, don’t set up goals that you can achieve. You need to set up next the time, when do you want this goal to be reached?

You are setting a long-term strategy so the time frame should be for at least 10 years. After these steps ask yourself if this goal is relevant for your business. If yes, then congratulations you have set up your mission for the next 10 years.

Based on the business aim you will create specific objectives and clear directions of action. So, what you want to raise your profits margin and be a successful business? In order to reach a specific objective, you should implement at least one measure/ activity.

Create a SMART specific objective if you want to maintain, develop, consolidate, or diverse any area of the business activity. Ask yourself what you want to change, improve or develop. For example, you want to develop a new client support system in the next 3 years. After you set a specific objective you will have to write activities, what you will do in order to reach the objective, to develop this new system. In a business you can make different changes and improvements: -

Economic: increase the incomes, cut costs, increase sales, and other;

-

Technical and technological: modernising the production process, improve the production process, increase the labour productivity, obtain new licences;

-

Distribution and logistics: enter in new markets, change the distribution channels;

-

Product/ service: increase the quality, update the product/ service according to the market needs;

-

Marketing: develop a brand, be known at national level

-

Human resources: professionalization, increase motivation and sense of belonging

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For example, if one of your specific objectives is to modernize the production process, an activity will be to buy 2 new machineries for the production process in 10 years.

For each activity that you want to develop you will write the needed resources and expected results, so you will know what you need in order to implement the activity. You don’t need to be very specific when you write the long-term strategy, but you need to be realistic. Take also in mind the money depreciation when you establish the financial resources.

When you develop your long-term strategy, I recommend you do to it chronologically, so you will know what to do first and what comes next. It will help you develop your short and medium-term strategy. When you develop the long-term strategy try to focus on the global process, not on specific details. You will the create other 2 management strategies to write details. Yes, you will have to write details, but you don’t need to write a novel, you just need to write important aspect and key words, don’t struggle yourself with the writing, you just need to write the relevant information and your strategies will be perfect!

I made you a scheme so you can understand better how you will develop your long-term management strategy:

Medium-term management strategy The medium-term strategy it is not completely different than the long-term management strategy, on the contrary, based on the long-term strategy you should create a medium-term strategy.

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Through this strategy you will make sure that the long-term strategy is accomplished. For a 10 years long-term strategy you will have 2 medium-term management strategy, one for every 5 years.

You will first do a 5-year strategy, after will pass these 5 years you will make another one. You will take the specific objectives that you have planned to reach them in the next 5 years, and you will write more details to the activities and needed resources.

Short-term management strategy You guessed it! The short-term management strategy is created based on the medium-term management strategy. The interviewed entrepreneurs recommend doing an annually short-term strategy, chronologically and with even more details. For example, if you wrote that you will buy 2 machineries for the new production line, you will provide specific activities as: what suppliers will you contact, when you will contact them and other relevant information.

Management plan Based on the short-term management strategy you will develop you’re a monthly plan, where you will write the specific activities that you need to implement in each month. Let’s continue the example with the 2 machineries. You have wrote that you will contact specific suppliers in the strategy, in the plan you will write how and when you will going to search for their contact details, you will write a specific date when you will contact them what you are going to do with the machineries after you purchase it, who will install them, who will be in charge to train the personnel and other relevant information.

Will be challenging for you to write all this information and to foresee each activity that you need to do if you are at the beginning of your business. Don’t worry, you will do your best to write it down, and as time passes you will gain more experience and you can add information to these strategies and plans. These 3 management strategies and the yearly management plan will help you to reach your aim and your dream.

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If you thought that your management job ended here, well you are wrong. You still must do 2 more things to do for the global management.

First you need monitor your achievements. The simple way to monitor your achievements is to create checklists based on the management strategies. You will check each accomplished activity and each reached objective and results. You can track the implemented activities every day, but at least once a month, because after long periods of time you will forget what you did, and you cannot evaluate your progress.

Second you will need to do the evaluation. You will need to do initial, intermediary and final evaluation. The initial evaluation is at the beginning on the strategies. The initial evaluation will help you set up your specific objectives, you will evaluate the position of your enterprise (even if it is a startup, you will evaluate your initial situation) the financial situation, the current situation and the need for growth and development. You will evaluate intermediary the entire process, the reached specific objective, the implemented activities, the achieved results, the efficiency and efficacity, and you will identify deviations from what was initially planned with what was implemented. You can evaluate using checklist as instruments and statistical methods to analyse the data. Why you make this intermediary evaluation? Because you need to know what is happening with your enterprise, if you are on the right road. If you are far from reaching your goals you need to make improvements and set up new objectives, activities and new deadlines. It is 14 | P a g e

perfectly normal to adjust the management strategies but, in the end, no matter what changes you will do, you need to reach your aim, to reach your dream. Don’t get upset it you need to change more than you expected, this is how you learn to plan. The final evaluation will evaluate the accomplishment of each strategy objectives. You will do the final evaluation at the end of each management strategy period. You can use the same instruments and methods for the final and intermediary evaluation. After the final evaluation of the long-term strategy, a new period begins, with a new strategy and a new aim.

To be a manager it is not easy, but if you follow all these suggestions you can be a better manager, that has a clear vision and mission and knows exactly what is happening in his own business. You need to have control on the entire business, and this is the way to do it.

Changing plan and strategy doesn’t mean that you failed to plan, it means that you are aware on the results and impact and you have the strength to change what it didn’t work. Of course, there will be situation when you are going to change something because you didn’t plan it properly, but who cares? You don’t need to know anything from the beginning, you will learn a lot of thigs on your way.

To understand better this simple management strategy, I have made a scheme, it is simple, you just need to do it and learn from your own success and mistakes.

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Who are you? Who will you like to be?

Gabriela Adam, Sprijin si Dezvoltare Association

Who am I? We ask this question about ourselves since the day we become conscious about ourselves. As an entrepreneur you will ask yourself What kind of manager am I? Who I want to be? you can create your own management a leadership style, based on how you want to lead your enterprise. Of course, your leadership style will be influenced by your temperament and personality, but still you can shape your own style.

There are different type of management and leadership style. You cannot be just one style, one will prevail, but you will make a mix of styles, based on each situation.

Searching for a management and leadership style is an outgoing process, people change, you change, business change, employees change, be open and change when you fell you should. Only experience will teach you the appropriate way to lead, but you cannot start your business without knowing what type of manager you will like to be. In this way it will be easier for you to face certain situation and to make decisions. Together with the interviewed entrepreneurs we have developed an entrepreneur model type, to guide you when you create your own profile.

Start by defining your personal values and principles. What are your values? How about your principle? Most you the people doesn’t think actively on their values and principles, you just have them, learned and acquired first from your parents (imagine your parents always said: ‘don’t do that because it is not right!’ or ‘you should always take this into account when you are doing this!’ or ‘be kind with other people!’ or ‘you should always fight for your rights!’), than from the playground, from other children and then from friends, from school, high school and so on. These values and principles made you how are you today. After you define all your values and principles, select only the values and principles relevant while managing a 16 | P a g e

business (you can select all of them). This will be your management and leadership style foundation. You cannot create a management and leadership style based on other values and principles, because then your foundation is going to be weak. The values can be transparency, discipline, commitment or honesty. A principle can be ‘ensuring decision making transparency’.

It can be hard to do this task, especially if you didn’t think conscious at it until now. Take the necessary time, you cannot start the list and finish it in 2 hours, unless you already identified in the past. Create a list with 2 columns, one with values and one with principle, start the list and don’t decide when it is going to end, let it open and fill the list as you discover a new value or principle. Almost every value can be transformed in at least one principle.

After you identify your core values and principle identify your strengths and weakness. Will help you to identify your strong competences that will help you on the management process.

If you know your weakness you can anticipate the future challenges and know what you will need in order to face it, even though it can be hard for you.

Now it is time to figure it out what type of manager do you want to be. as you may know, or not, there are different manager typologies (negative, bureaucrat, creator, altruist, promotor, autocratic, autocratic with goodwill, hesitant), only you can say in witch typology you are. Of course, if you want to be a good manager you will want to be for example a creator, not a hesitant or a negative manager.

Think on what you will need to manage. In a small business you will have to manage: the entire business – global management, the production/ service process, distribution, logistics, clients, marketing and personnel. Is unlikely to have middle or lower level managers in a small business.

Most likely you are going to create the management strategies and the personnel will implement the strategy. A lot of work to do. You will create management strategy for all of them. It will be easier for you if you have strategies, so you know what to do, when and what are the expected results and impact.

Create your own management typology, be the manager that you dream to be. Sometimes can be hard, and maybe in the beginning will be hard for you to be organised, but in time, it will be simple.

Remember the time when you were a child and your mother tried to teach you to brush your teeth 17 | P a g e

twice a day and it was hard? It was a behaviour that it was hard for you to accept, but it was for your own sake and health. Now is the same situation, you need to acquire a certain behaviour in your life, to plan everything, to make management strategy for every aspect of your business, to evaluate and to measure the performance. In time you will do it out of habit and will be easier for you to do it, and this time is for the sake and health of your business.

Together with the 10 interviewed entrepreneurs and based on the existent manager typologies I have created a to do and not to do list as a manager:

Things to do:

Things to avoid:

Develop aims and objectives, follow the Don’t develop clear aims and objectives, management strategies and evaluate the manage the business without tracking the performances progress and evaluate the performance See the big picture, have a long-term strategy

Focus on short term tasks and objectives

Focus to achieve the results

Don’t know the expected results

Design the production and service process and Doesn’t know the production and service know it very well process Innovate, develop new ideas

Don’t innovate, don’t bring new ideas

Seeks new opportunity and take them

Being conservative and not willing to take opportunities

Solve your task with confidence, don’t be Be afraid to solve different tasks afraid to make mistakes Know, analyse and be aware on the business Don’t know all the business problems and problems and solve it as soon as possible deficiencies, don’t solve immediately all the problems Know all the business

Doesn’t have all the information on the business

Always want more, develop business growth Looking only for minimum return strategies Embrace change and new

Don’t embrace change and new

Develop strong professional relations with Not interested to develop relationship with your employees staff or become too friendly Work differentiate with people and clients 18 | P a g e

Doesn’t adapt to the needs of the clients

Things to do:

Things to avoid:

Pays equal attention to the human factor and Doesn’t pay equal attention to the human production factor and production Build a pleasant work environment

Don’t care about the work environment

Listen to the employers complains and Don’t care about the employers complains and contribution. Involve them in the evaluation contribution. Involve them in the evaluation process. process.

Develop a conflict resolution

Avoid solving conflicts

Focus on the human creativity and employs Don’t allow employees to have initiatives, contribution, support their initiatives and don’t care about their contributions and talents talent Set up deadlines and respect them

Doesn’t have a clear timeframe

Develop a decision-making strategy

Take decisions randomly

Keep it informed with the latest trends in work Don’t believe in long-life-learning education and management

The most known leadership style classification is the White and Lippit scale: democratic, autocratic and laissez-faire. I recommend you use all these styles in different situation. In this democratic society, a democratic leader can be a good leader, but be careful not to become friends with your employees, or to let them to decide too much. You can be a democratic and to be autocratic and laissez-faire leader when is necessary. To be a true leader it means that the people will respect and follow you regardless your position. You need to be kind and authoritarian in the same time as well as to care about people’s feelings and contributions.

To understand who you are and what type of manager do you want to be will help you to manage your business. There will be situation when you will not like how you have managed the situation or how you had reacted, in these situations focus on the learning lessons and not on the mistakes.

Always emphasis your strengths and be prepared to face your weakness and try to transform it in strengths.

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How to manage your money?

Gabriela Adam, Sprijin si Dezvoltare Association

In this article we are going to approach the most important aspect on a business, the financial management, in other words the business MONEY. It is very important to know how much money you have and how much money you will going to make.

You will open a business for several reasons, but one of the most important reason is profit and wealth maximisation.

What means to manage the money? It means to make financial and investment decision and to create the dividend policy.

Don’t make financial and investment decisions without knowing the financial situation of your business, or of your startup. A business idea may sound very good, but if you analyse the efficiency and profitability of the business, the business may not be so good as you though it will be. Always use financial indicators to analyse the situation of your business or any other investment project.

Invest your money wisely, don’t let the feelings take over the business.

After you analyse the business make budgets. What does it mean to create budgets? It means to foresee al the expenditure and revenues that you will have in the following period, can be in the following years. It will be easier for you to identify the expenditures for each department. If you have a small business, then you will start to think ‘What departments?! We are only 3 people in the enterprise!’. Well then think in categories, make the budget by categories. You can have the following departments/ categories: management, sales, marketing, production/ service process, new investment projects. For each department/ category you can have personnel costs equipment, raw materials, licences and other assets costs and stocks. You should always create the budgets with your employees, they can bring valuable contribution to the planned budget. After you developed all the expenditures, you can create a global budget to see the final expenditure list.

After you identify the expenditures is time to write all the money that you will have. Please try to 20 | P a g e

make it as realistic as possible, you don’t want to face that situation when you will not have money to buy the raw materials. The value of the foreseen capital must be higher than the foreseen expenditures.

Based on the annual budget you will create also a monthly budget; it will be easier for you to follow the budget if you do a monthly budget.

One of the most important aspect on a business is the cash-flow. Even successful businesses can fail if they don’t have cash. Calculate your cashflow and plan very well every expenditure, you will don’t want to face the situation when you will not have the money to pay your employees or your suppliers. Don’t create too much stocks and plan wisely when you are going to pay the suppliers and when you are going to receive the money from the clients. Don’t promise to pay the suppliers before knowing when you are going to sell because you will face the situation when you cannot pay your suppliers.

Always monitor and evaluate your budget. Track every expenditure, write it down and see if you have planned correctly. Make check-lists and compare the planned budget with the execution budget. Make budget adjustments and always spend the money wisely. Use charts and graphics to analyse the expenditures, it will help you to understand better the data.

At the end of the year always evaluate the budget execution and try to identify new approaches on how to reduce the costs. Analyse where you had spent too much money, why, and how you can fix it.

In management you should always follow these steps: analyse, make prognosis, organise, coordinate, engage, control and evaluate. It doesn’t matter what you manage, you will always follow the same steps.

How I manage my personnel?

Gabriela Adam, Sprijin si Dezvoltare Association

As a `top-level manager` in a small business you will have to manage all your employees. Do not confuse the hierarchy with management. A person can have a higher position than other, and still 21 | P a g e

to not be a manager. To be a manager requires patience, especially when we are talking about human resource management. Plan everything in order to achieve the expected results. Together with the interviewed entrepreneurs, based on their management strategies, we have identified some measures and activities that you may consider when you create the human resource management strategy.

To manage your staff, you need to create the organisational chart.

This organisational chart should be known by all your employees because it shown all the relationship between the personnel and the hierarchy. In a small business to create an organisational chart it is very easy because you have a few people to work for you. So, create the organisational chart and give it to your employees. You need to do this step even if you have just one employee, you will not look ridiculous you will look professional.

Tasks and Responsibilities The employees should know very well their tasks and responsibility. When you hire them, they agree with all the tasks and responsibilities but make sure that they do understand it. Take the necessary time to explain them and give the employees the appropriate training, it doesn’t matter if you hire people with experience or not, you need to explain them in the same way. You will avoid the situation where an employee with experience do their tasks in their own way, as they were costumed, not as you like, or when an employee without experience make mistakes.

Have patience and give the employees the necessary time to accommodate and learn. A new hired person will not produce for you right away, it will take some time until they will produce money for you. The start is very important is like building a house, if it doesn’t have a strong foundation it will fail.

So, as I said, the training is very important. The training is very important to set up a professional relation, to know the person you have employed better and to create a start for a pleasant work

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environment. First part of the training will be to evaluate the employee’s competences, you probably did this part on the interview, but do it again, and this time observe more. People can be more capable than you think.

The second part of the training is the tasks, show them exactly what they need to do, when they need to do it, how they need to do it, what they need to accomplish. Shown them how will you like to do it, ask them if they have other ways to do it (if appropriate and relevant), give them time to lean and to understand. Some people are more emotional than you think, and the fact that you, as the boss watch them doing their tasks can be a little hard for them, so be patient.

The third part of the training is the responsibilities, why they will be responsible for? Every employee should have their responsibilities, it doesn’t matter how important are those responsibilities is important to have them. Why? Well because it makes him fell part of it and will take more care.

The fourth part is to make it known what will happen if they don’t fulfil their tasks and responsibilities. You cannot go unnoticed by the mistakes and failures of the employee, you don’t need to punish them, but at least a warning you should give them. Be realistic, for example don’t cut from the employees’ income if they forgot to do something small with no negative impact on the result. The `punishments` should be directly proportional to the impact it produces. They should also know that their performance will be rewarded, so include also what happens if they successful accomplish their tasks and targets.

If it is possible, make a manual with their tasks and responsibilities, in this way the employees will have always where to look.

Work Environment and Team Building It is up to you, the owner and the manager to create a pleasant work environment, where the employees will come with joy to work. There are more productive if they are more relaxed and happier. A happy employee means productivity. In the recent years the big companies as Google, have created a create environment for the staff, with room for relaxation and other features.

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The work environment starts with the company. Ho is the company, what are the company vision and mission (other than profit and wealth maximisation), what are the company values and principles, what it produces, how it produces, what you promote, what is the expected results and impact, company achievements. All this information should be written in a manual, a manual that every employee should receive and should read. This manual will help you also promote your company, but about marketing we will write more on the next magazine.

Then you start to think about the place, how it will look like, should you have a coffee and relaxation corner? Do you want to personalise the place? You can put flowers, canvas or any other decorations. You can support the employees to bring one personal objects to work, can be a photo, a medal, and reward, anything that describe him and will make him fell is part of the office. We spend at least 8 hour a day at work, so we can say that is a second home, and I believe it is good to create a comfortable place, to come at work with joy.

Think on the interpersonal relations, team building and the desired behaviour at work. How you want to build the relations with your employees and how you will support the relations between them. First, think at the relations between you and them. You cannot be friends with your employees, so you need to be careful, being friends with your employees it means that you will have less control and it will be hard for you to manage. You cannot be an outsider either. You need to develop a beautiful professional relationship with them. What means professional? It means that they know who you are, who is your family, what you like or don’t like, but not overshare, for example don’t discuss personal matter as that you gone into a fight with your wife/ husband last night. You need to share just basic information regarding your private life, they don’t need to know too much. A professional relationship means that you don’t go for coffee and drink, barbeques or clubs with your employees. You should do this activity with your friends and family not with your staff. Of course, in these days it is necessary to have leisure activities, but in an organised way, we will approach this subject also in this article.

Second you should think at the relationship between them. Your purpose is not to make sure they become friends, your purpose it to build a professional relationship between them. Create an environment where they support and help each other or where they have time to discuss and get to 24 | P a g e

know each other. Encourage them to discuss the work challenges and to help each other to solve different issues at work. Develop a common consciousness, try to teach them that a co-worker challenges and problems affects all the company, and if it is necessary all should get involve in solve certain situations. You can write most of these things on the company’s manual. It won’t be enough just to write the desire behaviour, it needs also to be built, and the simplest way to do that is by doing and give examples. Real life situation will help you to build strong professional relationships.

Thirdly, think on a work day, how you picture a normal work day and what can you do to create a pleasant work environment. You can schedule different breaks such us: morning coffee break, or lunch break, or even evening break. Breaks were very employee should take and have time for chit-chat and discussions. You can also create a special corner/ room where the employees can relax, take a break so they can recharge their batteries. The informal activities will help you to build a strong team.

Fourth, create a strong team. All the mentioned aspects above will help you to build a string team.

You can also do create team building activities. You can do specific activities in the office, different games and rules, you can also do specific activities outside the office. If you are enough people you can do team building weekend activities. Don’t organise too many team building weekends, once a year is enough. You can also organize festive dinners, before Christmas or Eastern Holidays, dinners where you, as manager can participate without entering in the friend zone.

A nice work environment and a strong team will increase performance and productivity but will also create the sense of belonging to the company, means more loyal employees.

Set up aim and objectives Probably you are saying: ‘Again aims and objectives?!’. Well…. YES! It is extremely important to set up aim and objectives for everything, so you know what you want to accomplish.

This time you need to set up the aim and objectives for each employee. They work better if they 25 | P a g e

have clear directions and something to achieve. Your aim can be to raise profits or to expand your business, but an employee will never resonate with your aim, because it is not his aim. They must know the company growth strategy, but they need to have their individual objective, something that they can accomplish through their individual work. For example, their individual objectives can be: to increase sales, to do at least 10 shoes/ month, to identify new suppliers, to reduce costs, to find new clients. These are specific objective that combined will lead to the general objective.

Individual objectives will motivate your employees and will increase performances.

Control and evaluate the work performances It is very important to control and evaluate what your employees are doing, in this way you will know if they will achieve their goals, if they are on the right track or if they have low performance. You can control your employees through monthly/ weekly reports, where they need to write what they have did in that week or month. It is easier for you to create check-lists for them to fill in the report and in the same time to let them fill the report with other implemented tasks and results that they achieved.

To control the work performances, you can create weekly work meeting where you will tell the employees the weekly aims and tasks and they can tell you their plan for the next week. In this way they are forced to do a plan and they will be more organised.

You can do evaluation meeting, one to one or group meeting. The one to one meeting you will do it do measure the individual achievements and accomplished tasks. You will do an evaluation based on the results and the received reports, but you can also give the employees the possibility to do a self-evaluation, so you can have another perspective. At the end of this meeting give only constructive feedbacks, highlight their strengths and give clear direction how they can improve their work performances. Everyone has weakness, there is no point on focusing on the employee’s weaknesses. You rather focus on their strength and explore them, use them to grow your business.

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The group meeting will focus on the business, not on individuals, you will evaluate the business aims and objectives. To motivate and appreciate your staff in this meeting you can also highlight each employee contribution and their achievements. In the group evaluation you will present what didn’t go as expected, what you need to improve and how you are going to do it. Always ask feedback from the personnel and involve them in finding new solutions and strategies. You can have group meeting evaluation monthly, or any time that is necessary.

Encourage feedback and communication, give instant feedback to your employees don’t wait for the right moment, the right moment is when it happens. Be careful, I am not saying to be impulsive and react immediately, you may overact, think and analyse what you will say, and always offer a constructive feedback.

You like it or not, you are also part on the human resource category, you are the manager, and you also need an evaluation. You should also develop monthly report to track and evaluate your work.

Receiving feedback from the employees regarding the management style. They can do it through feedbacks or questionnaire. The employees can also give solution to improve the processes of production or service provision, so ask for their feedback.

Motivate your staff People work because they are motivated. The biggest motivation is the money, they need the money to eat, go in vacation, buy a house, a machine, raise a child and so on. On the long-term money, it is not

Support the employee’s

enough to motivate people and to raise their work

initiatives

performance. You need to give them much more. A

The personnel are motivated

motivate employee is a trustful employee. The aim of the

for their self-realisation

motivation strategy is to increase performance and work satisfaction.

Always reward the staff,

Support the employee’s initiatives. Always listen to the

create the motivations

employee’s ideas and give the `wings to fly`. Not being

parameters and scale

an entrepreneur, it doesn’t mean that they cannot have good ideas, on the contrary focusing just on one task can generate lots of ideas.

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The personnel are motivated for their self-realisation, most of them want to build a strong career.

Show the staff the possibility how they can build this career on your company. Give the staff new tasks and responsibilities and once in the while raise their salaries (if possible).

You can motivate your staff also by putting pressure and give penalties. As much as we want not to put pressure, it is impossible. Some people respond well to the negative factors because the positive factors are not enough to be motivated to reach their targets.

Always reward the staff, create the motivations parameters and scale, what exactly you will measure. Without rewarding, the employees don’t fell motivated to work, to stand out and to increase their work performance. Depending on what they are doing and how they contribute to the business you can offer money, appreciation and endorsements, bonuses, goods, coupons, vouchers, tickets, vacations, dinners, clothing and many more. Make sure that you reward the staff correctly, the award must be directly proportional to the work done, be constant in the rewarding, and make sure you are treating everybody the same. If you are thinking that it will cost, you too much to motivate your personnel think that maybe the costs on hiring and training other people can be higher than motivating the existent employees.

To manage people can be a challenge, especially because all the people are different and react differently in the same situation. Create a human resource management strategy and always be willing to change it if necessary. Don’t assume that your first human resource management strategy will be good, because it will not. Learn from your failures and become a better manager, it is ok to not have right.

How I communicate with my staff?

Gabriela Adam, Sprijin si Dezvoltare Association

Communication is very important in an enterprise. As a manager you communicate everything to your staff. You create the management strategies but then you need to communicate these strategies. So, how you are going to do it? I have asked the interviewed entrepreneurs how they do it and they have given me some real-life examples.

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Not everything that is written in your management strategies need to be communicated to the staff.

You need to select the information and change the vocabulary it is necessary.

To communicate the general strategy of the company you can do it in written, by e-mail or in a handbook. After you give the written information you should communicate and explain the strategy in a meeting. To explain the general directions, it is necessary to use also verbal communication so you can make sure that your staff understood the direction.

The same situation if you want to communicate the individual aims, tasks and responsibilities. You need to create a written document and to do individual meeting to make sure that they have understood the information.

For the daily communication you can use written or verbal communication, especially if you are near to your employees.

You should always use written communication for important tasks and responsibilities.

You should make a strategy for emergencies, how you communicate the emergencies. Usually when something is very urgent you use verbal communication, because you don’t have time to create documents.

Make weekly meeting to set up the goals and activities for the outgoing week. Also, create monthly evaluation meeting to evaluate the performances. Communicate the individual evaluation through evaluation reports.

Use immediate feedback for appreciation and endorsements. You can tell the feedbacks verbally, in written or if is necessary during the meetings.

In general, you should use written communication for important aspects of your business, such as aims and objectives, strategies, tasks and responsibilities, or evaluations, and you should use verbal communication to strengthen the written message as well as for daily communication.

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Innovative approach of management, leadership and entrepreneurship styles and marketing Igor Izotov – CEFE Macedonia

In the previous editions of the magazine we talked lot about entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in Macedonia. But what we didn’t cover was the innovative approaches that they have taken over the years towards solving organisational issues. In the following pages through examples we will see how some of them have solved those issues and what innovative approaches they took.

Moreover, it has been long proven in various startups, multinationals, big corporations and even small teams that it is the leadership style of the person in charge of the team that creates the appropriate climate for entrepreneurship and innovation inside the company. If the person who is immediately above you in the hierarchy is not entrepreneurial or innovative that will directly influence your innovative approach and work ethic.

Therefore, most innovative people change working places often thus the saying people don’t change workplaces they change bosses.

Another interesting fact is that founders of businesses/ startups/ organizations are great entrepreneurs but not necessarily good leaders. However, on the other hand, managers are not only good leaders but also turn out to be quite innovative in their approach to motivate their subordinates. In addition, two managers and entrepreneurs are never identical in their styles of managing, there are no two Steve Jobs or two Elon Musk out there but there are common traits that most of the successful leaders of people express. In this magazine we will try to find the traits that Macedonian successful entrepreneurs and leaders have and what innovative approaches they follow in various elements of the business aspect: finances, organization, managing etc.

The next section we will have interviews with entrepreneurs who did something innovative in their approach in doing business. The following examples are of great entrepreneurs turned great managers and leaders.

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Systems 4 enterprises - Innovative approach to management Igor Izotov – CEFE Macedonia

Stefan you are serial entrepreneur, but interesting before entering the startup world you were active in youth organizations, can you tell us how they changed you as a person, entrepreneurs and professional?

The activities which shaped my personality and put me on the crossroad of the tech and the social sciences happened mainly during my adolescence.

I was shy prior to taking drama classes in my early teen years. When they put you on stage that is it, you cannot be shy anymore. In the real life everything happened in my head, and I just decided that it is same as stepping on stage. My friends now tell me I am one of the most outgoing people they know. To my colleagues who are afraid of talking in front of audience I recommend thinking as if they are actors, they have no other option, because that is the reality in almost all professions.

Computers came natural to me. We had a computer in our home when I was 7. My father later opened a school for computer skills, and I was teaching part time. He believed that programming is a skill that is needed in most professions. Even if you are not a programmer if you know to think like one you can be much more successful in most

Computers came natural to me. We had a computer in our home when I was 7.

businesses.

During high school I was heavily involved in youth organizations where I have learned how to motivate volunteers. This is essential. Once you learn how to lead people which are unpaid to do tasks for the greater good it is much easier to do it with professionals. I have learned how to create an atmosphere where caring, understanding and group growth are essential. So, starting a startup just felt as a natural extension of this path.

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System for enterprise is a startup that you found some years ago, can you tell us something more about S4E? We strive to make the world a safer place trough creating innovative solutions for the insurance

I was shy prior to taking drama classes in my early teenhoo d.

industry. Our approach is to care. We care about the needs of our clients and the needs of their clients. By understanding the bigger picture, we make better long-term decisions. Our goal is making a fullfledged insurance enterprise solution. To get there we are developing each module of this enterprise solution as sellable piece. This approach pushes us to make each module competitive with the industry best.

When the synergy of these modules occurs, I have no doubt that we will have the best insurance enterprise system out there.

It is interesting that in System for Enterprises you have obligatory cooking timeslots, how did this tradition started and how it has evolved over the years?

It all started as a problem. Our office is in a resident area and there are no good lunch options in a walking distance. We started as a small group and cooking came natural in the beginning. The challenge was to organize it as the team grew. We have decided to stick to it and make it part of our identity. When you think about it, we are saving money as this takes less time than having hour long breaks. More importantly it is a great team-building activity.

Most of the people did not knew how to cook prior to join us. Now we are making sushi and our own beer.

Cooking is an innovative approach to make team building part of the company and helps with the satisfaction of the employees, but what other benefits and team building activities do you integrate in your everyday management and leadership?

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We have company library, weekly trainings, database of courses and everybody can purchase any course (even on unrelated topic) on the company bill. It is not only about “what”, but also about “how”. We empower people to be: proactive, initiative taking, to care about their work and the team. There is a process which encourages making

group and

decision easy

communication. For example, I design instances when interns have same decision power as I do, this in return creates great dedication.

You are avid behaviour economist, how has behaviour economics influenced your leadership and management/entrepreneurship styles?

The science of decision making, and influence is essential for any manager. Behavioural economics teaches us when the most common pitfalls in our logic occur.

We can use it to both change our behavioural, design team behaviour and

We empower

understand and nudge our customers.

people to be

What are the new products you are working on?

As part of the insurance enterprise solution we are working on increasing the synergy between the products we have created:

proactive, initiative taking, to care about their

Our communication module – Dopamine, which is created around the

work and the team

needs of the insurance salesmen. Every standard enterprise module

-DIAM NOBIS

includes emails. We went a step further by allowing salesmen to schedule personalized SMS. This way their client relationships get personal and lasting. Our Reinsurance module – ORM includes optimization of the reinsurance processes and guiding the companies towards their best choice in reinsurance. None of the enterprise solutions offer something like this.

Our Claims module has incorporated task management system – b0ard. This system is more 33 | P a g e

intuitive and feature rich than Trello. The mobile and web sales platform which is fully configurable by business people with zero programming skills.

The insurance tech is an interesting field to be working on, what are the newest trends and what is S4E doing to follow them?

Insurtech is very exciting. Startups are experimenting with: blockchain, AI, big data and innovative sales channels. Vehicle insurance will significantly diminish by 2030 when the autonomous cars overtake the market. This will no doubt bring substantial changes in the insurance industry.

As we are getting heavily dependent on our digital solutions the cyber-risk is also on the rise. I expect by 2030 cyber-risk to become biggest risk class, bigger than natural disasters.

In short what does the future hold for S4E? The future is where I live đ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Š . believe remarkable things are coming ahead.

Stay Uncle - Innovation styles in communication to stakeholders and social media Igor Izotov – CEFE Macedonia

Blaze, you are the co-founders of a highly rated and successful startup in India - Stay uncle.

Can you tell us more about how you ended up in India and how the startup was started?

My first foray in India was in August 2011 after series of unsuccessful attempts to land on internship or career opportunities in Europe. My primary objective was to pump up that resume of mine and gain professional experience. I didn’t imagine that India will further stoke my entrepreneurial passions 3 years later. From the early beginnings Stay Uncle was original in its communicational activities. Can you tell us which communication channels you used and why?

We started with a mere Tumblr blog and email newsletter where I put my cofounder’s Tinder adventures and sort of made them a public affair. He wasn’t aware about it. It was like a sort of 34 | P a g e

reality show, but it wasn’t manufacturing reality. It was real. People loved it. The popularity of the newsletter grew so much that soon it found its way into his parent’s house in a small town in Uttar Pradesh. His mother got a mild attack when she got to know about the content of it. We kept doing it nevertheless. Consistency matters.

Stayuncle is active on social media and is one of the first startups in Indian startups that utilises the community to the maximum, how did you create the community of loyal uncles?

We were very humane, and we were vulnerable. Like we’d like a friendly neighborhood uncle to be. Because of StayUncle’s controversial nature and the way we branded ourselves, we were often a target of organized cyberattacks.

Every time our business was affected, and our website shut down by hackers we cried out and openly asked for help from our community. And lo, others came to our aid. We acknowledged the help. Then we cried for help even more and acknowledged those who helped us even further. We created a magical loop

of

asking

for

help

and

acknowledging those who assisted us.

It worked. Soon one fan of ours even created a website called The StayUncle army campaigning and inviting the public to register and mention the type of skills they possess that could help StayUncle.

Stay uncle regular is featured in world renewed newspapers such as national geographic, Bloomberg, Forbes etc what does a story in this magazine bring to stay uncle on the long term?

It brings what India’s first hotel aggregator for couples truly needs. Credibility and trustworthiness.

Indians always pay a second look if a company is acknowledged by international media. Plus, a solid ranking on Google SERP for a search category which keeps growing. That acts as an entry

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barrier and even protected us when India’s biggest budget hotel aggregator ventured into couple friendly accommodation later.

You are also the writer of the white trophy book inspired by your entrepreneurial endeavours in India and how you made it from zero to million dollars, what do you want to communicate with the public though this book, what are the main innovative approaches you used in the promotion and distribution of the book?

If you wish to create wealth, entrepreneurship is the way ahead. Government jobs, such popular alternative in post- communist countries will only take you this far. And If I, an average youth who was tilling the land yesterday, living in an impoverished family can turn a leader of multimillion dollars’ company today, so can you. To turn a book into a commercial success you need to see it yet another product and you yourself as a marketer. Being a writer is no longer enough.

Writing the book is only half of the job. As a marketer-writer you are expected to do what every other marketer does to successfully launch a product – segment the market, pick up his niche, communicate using the right language, hit the right sentiments shake hands with the best distributor and hit hard on promotion.

What is the future of stayuncle?

We want to migrate from an online aggregator to fully managed franchise model. We plan to open India’s first exclusive love hotels.

If you are to start again what other innovative communication tools will you use to transfer your personal massage (the white trophy) and the massage of the company (stay uncle)?

Email newsletter again. Fortunately, India hasn’t yet caught up on those pesky anti-Spam laws and that sort of gives bidding entrepreneurs with just little bit of creativity a chance to be noticed. And I would definitely add Instagram stories and Instagram influencers within the mix right from the start.

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ADEVA – Innovative management towards working environment remote work Igor Izotov – CEFE Macedonia

Katerina and Tosho, you opened Adeva quite some time ago as a purely outsourcing company, but something changed. Over the years Adeva has become a Macedonian synonym for out-staffing.

Can you tell us something more about Adeva and out-staffing?

That's right, Adeva started as an outsourcing company with a traditional approach to working with clients: we got a project, worked on it in-house and then delivered it. After a while, we started feeling first- hand everything that companies find repelling in outsourcing. We had the control over the work, not our clients. It was our team, our working processes, our values. It's great when you're working on MVPs or individual fractions of a project that don't depend on anyone else. However, it's not the right approach when it's an ongoing collaboration where you need to build trust and accountability.

We started learning from every challenge we faced and everything that was even remotely an issue for our clients. That's how we came

‘Honestly yes. It is the time to start your own business.

It will not be easy, but it will be worth

up with the outstaying model - a way of work where our clients have

it. Our office is

full control over their team. They get to use their own tools and

empty most of the

processes, schedule regular meetings with their remote team and have

time.’

each team member align with their own culture and their own values.

So what is Adeva at the moment? You are known for taking good care of your employees, can you elaborate more on some of the innovative approaches that you have taken on leadership and management of your organisation?

Adeva is a bridge between tech companies and world-class talent from around the globe. Our vision is to bring untapped talent to hyper-growing tech companies and help them launch international careers. We do care about our people and we believe in a world where everyone organizes their work around their own priorities. To empower our team to do that, we introduced 37 | P a g e

remote working around a year ago. At first, people were split between the pros and cons of remote work. Now that they got used to it, there's no going back :) Since the office is not a limit any more, we recently started expanding to the global talent market.

Using unconventional approaches for sourcing, screening and evaluating engineers, we are constantly growing our talent community. Our goal is to redefine the way people work. That is, everyone should be able to work on what they want, from where they want to. So, no matter where they are, we empower our developers and designers to tailor their perfect job position. Then, we match them with the right client, instead of doing it the other way around.

You both are advocating for remote working, how does a remote day in Adeva’s offices look like?

Empty :) Seriously, people started enjoying remote work so much that there are initiatives to start a mandatory office day so that we start hanging out more in person. The best thing about remote work is that everyone is able to work from wherever they feel most productive. That doesn't mean that place can't be the office (especially if it's an empty office :)). There are usually 4-5 people

working from the office on a normal day. Others are combining work with travel, visiting family, or simply working from home on a hot summer day. It's amazing how the priority is shifting from sitting in a desk for 8 hours to organizing work around your life.

Is the future of organisations remote?

Honestly yes. It is the time to start your own business. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it Our office is empty most of the time. Yes! The technology has advanced so much that you can call anyone on the other side of the world and feel like you're talking to your friend next door. Even at the office, we communicate more over Slack than we do in person. On the other hand, the global 38 | P a g e

tech centers are overcrowded and it becomes impossible to hire qualified engineers in budget.

Having amazing talent distributed around the world, why would we limit our choices to a small geographic region? Remote work contributes a lot to our quality of life, but it's not just an idealistic view of how our lives should look like. It's also a strategic choice for growing companies from global tech centres.

Where is Adeva in 5 years?

In 5 years, Adeva is a fully remote company that contributes to reshaping the global working landscape. With a thoughtfully designed process of matching candidates with the right companies, we help developers find the job they'll love and at the same time make sure the company gets a candidate that fits their culture and performs best in such environment.

Adeva is also active on the product market. Can you tell us something more about your newest product, who is it for and what is the innovation?

We are working on an AI-powered platform for automating a big part of the sourcing and screening process of tech talent. It's meant to boost what we've been doing in the past years in a way that will make it even easier for entrepreneurs and HR Managers to get quick access to qualified talent ready to start right away. Again, our focus will stay on empowering developers to define their own working conditions and preferences and we'll make sure to match them only with clients that meet them. For the clients, this will mean access to hand-picked candidates who fit both their technical requirements and their culture.

Finally, community or corporate work?

Both :) If you only do community work, you can't really scale it. That's why we try to interlace our corporate work with our "responsibilities" to the community. In an indirect way, partnering with amazing companies and organizations from around the world makes it possible for us to bring exciting possibilities for professional growth for developers.

With the lessons we learn in the corporate world, we can coach developers on how to perform better and 39 | P a g e

grow their careers. In a more direct way, our corporate work gives us the resources to support local and global communities, as well as start initiatives for growing the ecosystem. We support WeTalkIT, local developers community in Macedonia; Learn IT, Girl, a global initiative for mentoring women in tech; and organize many events and initiatives in Macedonia, with Adeva's Female Bootcamp being the latest one.

Marand Consulting - Innovation in financial management and accounting Igor Izotov – CEFE Macedonia

Marijana,

you

started

your

consulting company over 13 years ago. I can say that you were among the first in Macedonia to specialize in providing advices to companies and entrepreneurs in the domain of taxes, legal and financial advisory.

Can you tell us more about the beginnings?

Our beginnings are closely connected to the beginnings of young entrepreneurs in the IT industry.

My former colleagues who started their business, needed support in the field of taxes, finance, accounting, and payroll. It all started on a friendly basis. Later, I was thrilled with the idea to run my own firm under “my rules”. Admiring old and experienced accountants having a pile of tax reports of their clients, proudly standing in a row in front of the PRO, I pictured myself in their position craving their shoe size. I knew hard work was on the rise. Nowadays, a dozen of folders is required for the tax reports of our clients. These IT entrepreneurs, as my first clients, inspired and supported me, but more importantly – showed me the possibilities of being different than an “average accountant” by using IT technology at each stage. The embracing of their way of “smart”

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thinking and the possibility of e-accounting placed a new trace in the later stages of the work of my team.

What were the main advices that you gave to companies and entrepreneurs then (13 years ago) and now?

They must be aware about their financial position at any moment. Taking risk is crucial for every business, but I always point out to the entrepreneurs that they must be aware of the “calculated risk” (as much as it can be calculated).

Regarding nowadays, the principal advice stays the same, only supplemented with the necessity to focus on what they do best, having in mind opportunity costs, while acting in a way – “I can do almost everything”. This is a statement without a promising future, because taking care of many non-important things is always more expensive than use the possibility to adopt virtual teams and outsource as much of their non-core businesses.

What has changed in the mindset of managers and entrepreneurs?

From our experience, treatment of employees is something that is on the top of the list. Finance, investment, and distribution of profit are below it. Employees are the most valuable asset for a firm. That being said,

hard-working

and

good

employees do not leave employers, they leave Managers. Having this embedded in a high-profile Manager mindset, sometimes seems impossible.

It might be attributed to the culture or just the clear objectives of the firm, where profit and output are the main drivers.

In your opinion, what should entrepreneurs have in mind from financial and accounting point of view when they are starting their company?

Nowadays, access to finance is not the biggest issue in starting a business. Anyone that has a good idea, good product, and can find its place on the market, should start the business without any

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doubt. Human capital and entrepreneur’s agility are crucial for emerging businesses, because new opportunities might be missed in a blink of an eye.

We know that the financial sector is changing rapidly, we have more and more online banks and applications that take care of our financial well-being; this being said, what innovative financial approaches would you recommend to young entrepreneurs?

Our main strength is the adjective “e”; so, we are delivering services of e-accounting, cloud-based ERP software, easy to use from anywhere in the world. Clients have access to software which has all data daily updated. Finance, HR, banking, all of it can be managed even from one’s phone. For example, for businesses that require frequent travels, traveling costs are significant item on the cost side, and the possibility of daily data entry by the employee is very useful.

We are using interface friendly ERP solution, connected to a mobile application for the purpose of delivering timely information. It is applicable when the employee is out of office on an assigned task or sent abroad on a business trip. The application is connected to the software (Android only) even when offline and collects data about each cost the employee is having. When the phone is connected to the Internet, costs

are

automatically

recorded. The possibility of real-time data and timely processed information are the basics entrepreneurs rely on.

If you are going to list 3 things that every entrepreneur MUST do before starting a business from a financial perspective, how would that list look like?

Structure business plan in the simplest way: Find Human capital and Prepare strong marketing and sales policy.

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What about the DON’T? What should entrepreneurs be careful about when starting their business?

Stay on the ground in terms of finance. Do not forget to be careful in spending for the things not related to business, and do not spare on employee costs, education, equipment, and other facility costs.

Lastly, what do you think will be the future of Marand Consultancy? Will you be going international through franchising?

We already succeeded in exiting the borders. Acting as registration agent for establishing companies in Macedonia, we acquired the first client from Dubai last month. Regarding the financial planning and reporting, going international is the future. We are already involved in reporting for our investors from UK, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, and by word of mouth, we are soon starting to work directly for foreign entities. Having the team of 9 extraordinary enthusiastic “bees” doing only regular day to day activities is just not possible. These professionals are the driving force to implement many innovative tricks in supporting clients in the managing of their finances.

TeachHoot Igor Izotov – CEFE Macedonia

Tosho

Micevski

is

the

Founder

and

CEO

TeachHoot.com, a web-platform where tutors and students met and share knowledge. In my opinion this startup has taken tutoring in Macedonia on another level students have taken to another level. Is the future of tutoring digital? - we will find out in the following interview with Tosho.

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Hello Tosho. You have quite the exciting professional life path. You were working in Australia for long years and then decided to come back to Macedonia and start an online tutoring platform. Can you tell us more how the idea emerged and why in Macedonia?

Tosho: As a student, sometimes I needed assistance with a particular subject, usually one day before the exam. I was irritated by the fact that I could not quickly find someone explaining to me the math problems that I had difficulty with. Sometimes that help was needed after 10 pm at night.

Even then I cried out why someone had not invented an online platform where quickly and simply the support would be reached. I was waiting, but the solution didn't come. So, I created the solution.

I chose Macedonia as a destination because here the costs of establishing a company and the very cost of living are far lower than in Australia. This give you more focus on innovating then surviving the next month.

Tuitions

and

education

online

are

competitive markets, if not the most competitive ones. What’s your biggest threat at this moment?

Tosho: That is true. Other competitors entering

your

space

pose

the

most

significant threat. That’s why building your brand name is vital; without a strong marketing campaign, one math tutoring service is likely to look much the same as another.

Do you think tutoring will become entirely digital in the following years? Can you elaborate globally and then focus on the Macedonian market?

Tosho: I think the future of online tutoring is bright, but only as a helping tool, the classical offline education would still be here in the time to come. Although currently, it’s a nascent market, the global private tutoring sector is expected to cross 102.8 billion by 2018 according to Global Industry Analysts, Inc. (GIA) of which the United States, Europe, and the Asia Pacific is to encompass more than 90% of the global private tutoring market. The Macedonian market is unfortunately delinquent in the implementation of new technologies. Skepticism and distrust in everything new is the main reason for this trend. For us to accept something, one needs to be 44 | P a g e

recognized from around the world first. I think over time this situation will improve. For this to happen, we need to change the way we think, and it's not an easy process. I see virtual reality and augmented reality as the future of online education. These technologies will mark the next 20 years. We as TeachHoot see the future in utilizing and integrating these technologies as a part of our long-haul strategy.

What resources are on disposal to startups in the region? Do you think these resources are enough for entrepreneurs and innovators?

Tosho: Unfortunately, assistance to startups in the region is almost non-existent. More money is thrown to quasi-non-governmental agencies then innovative ideas. Getting the money is hard. The lack of real venture capital firms and business angels does not help our case. Bootstrapping is our way for the time being. I hope the things will change so that we can see more prosperity in the region.

Real live examples of entrepreneurship Inercia Digital

We interview Manuel Mesa for our first interview for this magazine. Located in Cรณrdoba Manuel has built a business in his native city. Manhattan Language Studio provides innovative and professionals methods for English learners. In this interview we ask him about his experience in the entrepreneurship area and his point of view on how things are in Spain.

What made you become an entrepreneur?

The willingness to fulfil my ambitions and to run my own business in the way I think it might work 45 | P a g e

How did your business emerge?

When I got to meet a partner who I thought matched my goals and work philosophy What objectives does Manhattan Language Studio propose for this year?

To get to the end of the school years having met our students' expectations What is your greatest fear as an entrepreneur?

To face a sudden fall in the number of students or just not having enough money for the business to continue working properly.

How were the first months of development?

It was hard work and thorough market research, trying to plan everything carefully so as to have everything under control Which tool do you consider essential to become an entrepreneur?

Think of your hypothetical customers and try to guess what their expectations and needs might be beforehand. It is also essential to get advice from experts, who could help you find the most appropriate location for your business and its profile How could you self-manage your expenses and incomes?

At the beginning of each school year I try to estimate the expense that the business might have to deal with as well as the income in order for the business to, at least, break even Was your company affected by the context of the crisis in Spain? How? We started our business in 2016, when, in theory, the economic crisis had already finished What are your ideas for the future of Manhattan Language Studio?

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I just want the business to continue working. I would like our employees to stay with us working with good conditions in a happy and respectful environment. Then, in the long term, I want the business to grow and, perhaps, open new centres.

If you went back to the past after everything you've learned, would you start again?

I would definitely do it again, though I would prepare myself, especially psychologically for all the challenges that being an entrepreneur is.

Meet Natàlia Perarnau, founder of Kids & Us Inercia Digital

Kids & Us is a learning method of English for children, starting at one year old, that is changing the learning of languages around the world. Natàlia Perarnau is the founder and creator of this method.

Her passion has always been languages, particularly English, that's the reason she cannot began to explain why she started engineering studies because they did not make her happy. Shortly after, she decided to turn around her student life and she began to put all of her efforts into her real passion, to what she knew she would do well, her vocation. She ensures that it was not an easy decision, but "Not a day goes by that I feel immensely fortunate to be able to dedicate my working day to what I really love", and she affirms that working on what we like can make us shine with our own light. With enthusiasm, Natàlia Perarnau recognizes that "the culmination of my project is to see that those who were once children in Kids & Us are becoming adults, that their English has grown as much as they have and that thanks to this, they will be freer to achieve whatever they want.”

Where did the idea of Kids & Us come from?

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At the age of 23, when I was studying at university, I founded my own English school in Manresa: English Study Centre. This came out of the frustration of seeing that students didn't have decent communication skills despite of the years spent learning English, this along with the desire to transmit the language to my children made me start the development of a new method to learn languages from the first year of life. It was the year 2003 and I was also encouraged by the response of my eldest daughter, Laia, by the stimuli that I was offering her in English: she, being a little girl, advanced much more than my students at school. Kids & Us had just been born. I wanted the new method to reach children all over the world. That's why, in 2005, we started the expansion of Kids & Us with licenses and, in 2007, Quim, my husband, joined the project. That's when Kids & Us became a franchise model and today more than 115,000 families trust us to make their children learn English.

What is the Kids & Us methodology based on?

With the "Natural English" method of Kids & Us, one-year old babies are exposed to the new language orally and in a global way, without restrictions and in situations and contexts adapted to their age. This way we take advantage of all the learning capacity that children have from an early age. Our method is based on a total linguistic immersion that during the first years is done through tales, games, songs or dances, and complemented by our own and exclusive pedagogical materials .In addition to a defined method, we offer a personalized follow-up of each student that includes a service of tutoring and reports on the evolution, continuous training, quarterly audits with all our teachers and a unique universe of activities that helps to consolidate what is learned in the classrooms What are the activities of Kids & Us? In Kids & Us we want English to go beyond the classroom, and that is why we have created a universe of quality stimuli and activities so that the language learning experience can be shared within the family. The activities we offer go from story hours to science, cooking or theatre workshops, going through English camps during school holidays. Our universe is very wide, and it is aimed for all children, whether they are Kids & Us students or not.

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How many Kids & Us centres exist?

Kids & Us has started the 2017-18 school year with 376 centres in Spain, Andorra, Mexico, Italy, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Morocco.

Francisco_Tellez Inercia Digital

What made you become a videogames developer?

Making videogames has been my hobby since I had a computer, when I was 14 years old. Back then, videogames were very expensive, so I had a lot of time to practice and experiment with the BASIC. It was so exciting for me to start doing things and achieving better results, that programming became the top activity on the list to do in my free time. Later on, I discovered that one could make a job out of it, and I took the leap without a second thought, and I started working at UbiSoft, my first job in the videogames sector.

How were the first months of development?

Unepic started as a personal project, in order to escape the monotony implanted by a period when we were doing B videogames on request. It was like going back to the days when we were doing things at house just for pleasure and because we wanted to. The first months were great, because I was very excited and hopeful, and things were coming out quickly.

What have been your main supports?

Actually, I have worked alone almost the entire project. To get the first version I had the support of two graphic designers who made me the bosses, the portraits of the main characters for the dialogues and the cover of the game. Later, once the game began to be known, a musician and a sound technician signed up in order to improve the soundtrack of the game.

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How could you self-manage your expenses and incomes?

That was the simplest thing, since I had no expenses or incomes, it was a personal project created during my free time. The only expenses I had were paying a graphic designer for some drawings I needed. I asked my family to cover the cost of those drawings as a birthday present.

How has the context of the crisis affected you?

Curiously, the general crisis and the crisis of the indie sector in PC do not coincide. When there was the Great Depression (2008 - 2016), there were few videogames being published on PC, which lead to the golden age for the indie videogames on PC, there was much expectation and buyers since there were few games coming out back then. On the mobile phone world was just the opposite: there was already saturation in Apple and Google stores.

Now that "supposedly" the general crisis has ended, the indie PC videogame is going through a saturation crisis. The massive entry of videogames on Steam has caused sales to plummet (as they have to be divided among many more games) and a lot of projects find impossible to make themselves profitable.

If you went back to the past after everything you've learned, would you start again?

Of course. It would be the first thing I would do.

SUGAR'S NOOK. Inercia Digital

How did Sugar's Nook emerge?

Sugar's Nook emerged as a hobby. I have a degree in CCEE AND BUSINESS and I was working in a family company in the construction sector, with the crisis and after my father's death we had to close the company and it was then when I decided to make a job out of my hobby and offer my talent to others.

What objective does the company propose for this year?

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My objective has always been the professional recognition by the clients, and this year I am getting this recognition from magazines such as "Novias" and from wedding websites such as boda.net which has awarded us with the Golden Wedding Awards 2018 at the national level as the best company of wedding cakes.

What is your greatest fear as an entrepreneur?

The high costs and taxes we have. The cost of being self-employed in Spain are really high for small businesses.

Which tool do you consider key of being an entrepreneur?

Digital marketing and social networks. I think, for me it's been an ease to have had a degree in business.

Was Sugar's Nook affected by the context of the crisis? How? No, since most of my clients are couples who seek quality and professionalism over price at their weddings, and that is exactly what we offer. We give a premium service and work with premium quality raw materials.

What are your prospects?

Double the weddings we work on, we currently do 30 weddings a year, and my goal is to have 60 for 2019.

GRAFYDIS Inercia Digital

How did Grafydis emerge?

I had always liked to use the design programs in my house, for me it was like a game, I learned how to use them through the internet, retouching photographs, making montages, designing logos... When I had to decide what career to study, I decided to study a degree in business studies 51 | P a g e

in order to have the necessary knowledge, so I was able to carry out my own company and, once I finished them I specialized in graphic design to be able to dedicate myself to what I really like.

Since I had it so clear I asked the University of JaĂŠn and the CADE for help, and they worked with me until I finally achieved my goal, to have my own graphic design company. Today they are still with me, advising me and helping me to grow as a company.

What objectives does Grafydis propose for this year?

The objective for this first year is for Grafydis to be known throughout JaĂŠn and little by little throughout Spain. To gain a good reputation in the graphic design sector and that people recognize the name of Grafydis for being a serious company in their work, professional and always looking for the best result for its clients, in a totally personalized way for each one of them.

How were the first months of development?

They were and are hard. The start of any company is very difficult, you have to live with the uncertainty of whether you have done good by being an entrepreneur or not, whether people like your design style ... but with the help I was offered at the CADE in JaĂŠn I felt safe at all times and I felt very supported by them. Today they continue helping me and I feel so serenity and security so great. The king that makes you think your project cannot go wrong under any circumstances.

Was your company affected by the context of the crisis? How? Yes, graphic design is a complicated sector. The first thing companies stop investing in times of crisis is publicity, so we, designers take a second place to entrepreneurs., Due to this, many entrepreneurs are "satisfied" with the design made by their nephew, their intern ... according to them they know how to manage the design programs but, from my point of view, it is a very big mistake because, advertising is the image of your business, reflects what your company is and as we all know, first impression always counts and a lot.

Which tool do you consider essential to become an entrepreneur?

The most important tool in order to undertake is the illusion and the attitude. You have to investigate a lot before starting an activity and that takes a lot of time and patience, and I repeat, you have to do a lot of research, it's very important.

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Another fundamental tool is support, to feel supported by your family is very reassuring, but having support from centres such as the one I mentioned above, the CADE of JaĂŠn, which advises you and helps you to develop your business plan, to apply for grants, they offer you accommodation ... for me it is the most fundamental tool of all, because, when I wanted to start, I asked myself, and now what ? Where do I have to go? Where do I start? ... and they solved all of my all my doubts.

What is your greatest fear as an entrepreneur?

The biggest fear is that, after putting so much effort, enthusiasm, time and money into your business idea to carry it out, it does not work... Putting an end to the dream of having my own company because I did not know how to manage it well is my biggest fear right now.

Home Huelva Inercia Digital

We interview Francisco SĂĄnchez and Fernando de Paula Located in Huelva we can find a real state agency that aims to provide a change in real states agencies in the city, being focused on helping people who need it. Among its duties we can find providing houses to people who are not from Spain and are in need to find a house such as emigrants or refugees. Working with its labour as a Social Company with already is part of different associations such as Cruz Roja for their help. In this interview we ask them how they see the state of entrepreneurship in Spain and about their experience upon it.

What made you become an entrepreneur?

I've always wanted to be entrepreneur. I come from the labour sector as an employee. I've been in a company for 25 years, and during the crisis year, the company carried out a workforce restructuring. I

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think this was one of the reasons why I decided to be an entrepreneur and among other things because I also wanted to leave a legacy for my family.

How did your business emerge?

My company emerged because, well, from the year of the crisis until I set up my company, I had a few years of transition with the goal of setting up my company, which is now a real estate company. We took that decision because we wanted to do something solidary, something that could help people and especially good people who come from other countries as a political refugee and others.

What objectives does Huelva Home propose for this

My greatest fear as

year?

entrepreneur are the

This year objectives are to grow in sales so we can start

beginnings

hiring staff What is your greatest fear as an entrepreneur?

My greatest fear as entrepreneur are the beginnings, they are the beginnings but above all the greatest fear is that you cannot advance and grow due to the competitiveness that is so bestial in the sector and well... and most of all, the fear is that if you do not move forward in Spain in another country, here in Huelva we consider that as a failure not as a learning.

How were the first months of development?

Well, the first months of development were a bit atypical, I think, because we were on a period of transition and we had to take the period of transition with the development of the company it came a time when you have to decide whether keep yourslef still in the period of transition or you dedicate to the company, because you cannot be on both sides at the same time. So, in August 2018, it's when I made the decision to be fully dedicated to the company.

Which tool do you consider essential to become an entrepreneur?

The keys are, first the institutional subsidies. That now you cannot find any, that on the one hand.

Knowledge, having basic knowledge and especially marketing, being very prepared in marketing and personal growth How could you self-manage your expenses and incomes?

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We do a study and the investments we are making. We analyse incomes a lot now, because, as I have already told you, we have been going with the business project since August and well, we have our economic limitations to invest. What do you find there? That no one gives you subsidies of lost fund. Nobody tells you, neither the Chamber of Commerce nor Diputación Junta Andalucía the grants of lost fund that you can get.

What are your ideas for the future of Huelva Home?

What do we want? Becoming a solidarity real estate, people do not understand this. We want to become a real estate agent to help people and especially as a result of that, then create a foundation or an organization where we can cover all these people who come from other countries. Such emigrants... political refugee emigrants because they have problems in their country. On that path is where we want to help them. And, at this moment we are already present in 4 or 5 websites, in CEPAIN, Huelva Acoge, Red Cross If you went back to the past after everything you've learned, would you start again?

Yes, and if I could even before I did.

El faro de tu ciudad Inercia Digital

In this interview we talk to Miguel Ángel Kobe, creator of the app El Faro de tu Ciudad. El faro de tu ciudad is an application for smartphones. The application works offering: offers discounts and promotions from all the businesses that are advertised in the application, as an offer to users.

The users are those that download the application which is free. If a user who is interested in the offer goes to the shop and shows the application the shop will apply the discount.

What made you become an entrepreneur?

Well, the concern to take projects forward, to take my own project forward How did your business emerge?

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El Faro de tu Ciudad came from a digital magazine I had. In order to give services to the Digital magazine I created an application, and, at the end, the application seemed more interesting to me than the digital magazine What objectives does El Faro de tu Ciudad propose for this year?

Well, we are franchising the business and... keep expanding, we will continue making our expansion through Spain.

What is your greatest fear as an entrepreneur?

What I fear as an entrepreneur, there is nothing I can think of. I do not have any particular fears, the only thing I can think of are that the conditions are given so that I can work propetly.

How were the first months of development?

They were hard, very hard, a lot of work and little incomes but we were making progress.

Which tool do you consider essential to become an entrepreneur?

Knowledge, you need to get to know your market. So, before launching any type of business you can do a good market study to know if you have or not have place there, or what to offer.

How could you self-manage your expenses and incomes?

Well, basically the same I have told you, a lot of focus on the sale. There are a lot of times when what happen to entrepreneurs is that, they are so in love with their own idea that they do not realize that, the only way to sustain it is by selling and someone buys something from someone. The fundamental thing is that, to be clear, the objective is to sell.

Was your company affected by the context of the crisis in Spain? How? We started when it was already ending but, I have not seen my business really affected because what we sell is advertising within our application, and all the companies really need advertising, so we have not been very affected 56 | P a g e

What are your ideas for the future of El Faro de tu Ciudad?

So it prospects, keep developing the application keep improving it and it keeps growing in Spain and, at some point, to start an international expansion.

If you went back to the past after everything you've learned, would you start again?

Yes, of course

Informรกtica Onuvense Inercia Digital

We interview Luis Miguel Camargo from Informรกtica Onuvense. Informรกtica Onuvense is dedicated to repair electronic devices, computers especially, tablets, laptops, videoconsoles, television sound equipment, video camera and also the maintenance of company, local networks and their computer maintenance, maintenance of software and hardwre.

What made you become an entrepreneur?

I was a little forced by the circumstances. I've been trainer for 20 years but for different circumstances the courses were over, it was occupational training, as that was a bit bad, I saw myself almost without work and the situation forced me to do something and I decided to start a business.

How did your business emerge?

I had the company founded since 1992, and I made the company compatible with work for others and as I said in 2008 and in 2009, I finished with the trainings and decided to dedicate myself fully to the company.

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What objectives does Informรกtica Onuvense propose for this year?

Well, keep on going which is not small victory What is your greatest fear as an entrepreneur?

The greatest fear is not being able to keep the company and the falling sales and not being able to afford the expenses, because there are many taxes. Not able to endure, I would say is the greatest fear. For the moment, in the six years that we have been here, we are good.

How were the first months of development?

Well, they were better than what I thought they would be, because, it is always said that beginnings are not easy, and everyone kept saying to be that on the first months I could have lost, and I started the activity with a lot of fear, but then, it was not so bad at the beginning. The first few months maybe a bit harder because the people don't know you but at no time there were losses Which tool do you consider essential to become an entrepreneur?

Well, you really need to have a lot of attitude and have some idea, a bit of economic remains and also support from your closest friends in terms of what we say to the non-physical and well, I think that it is enough with enthusiasm and attitude. With attitude of work, I think it's enough.

How could you self-manage your expenses and incomes?

It is not easy, because there are many expenses but there are not always incomes, then, there is a period of many incomes. The thing is the expenses are always the same, but when there is sufficient income it is not too complicated, but the times in the that income goes down and expenses do not, it's not easy. But you have to do a little economic workshop.

Was your company affected by the context of the crisis in Spain? How? Yes, a lot. Well, really, in the hard years of the crisis I was not yet with the company assembled.

Yes it is true that the last throes of the crisis caught me, but I was with training, I was dedicated to training and I did not miss the courses, so I did not notice much of the crisis, until the last two or three years of the crisis caught me here, so a little yes, but I'm not one of the most affected either.

What are your ideas for the future of Informรกtica Onuvense?

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My perspective, as I told you before, to keep the company alive until my working life ends, which will be in about 7 or 8 years, and that is what I intend, to continue keeping active until retirement.

If you went back to the past after everything you've learned, would you start again?

If the circumstances forced me to do it if not I wouldn’t. I have set up a business because I had no choice but, if I had been able to choose, I do not start, having a business is very sacrificial, a lot of worry, 24 hours of worry.

Optica Huelva Inercia Digital

We interview Juan Antonio González Gutiérrez an optician who has set different optics around Huelva and who offers product of quality and great treatment with the costumer.

What made you become an entrepreneur?

To work for myself and create jobs.

How did your business emerge?

Well studying a lot, spending a lot of money to be able to mount the first optics and working hard What objectives does your optic propose for this year?

For this year at least cover expenses What is your greatest fear as an entrepreneur?

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As an entrepreneur, the biggest fear I have is that there is no help, for the businessman and the small entrepreneur and that the state invests in the education of workers with much more practice and less theory.

How were the first months of development?

With much sacrifice, with nerves and paying as you can. The bank does not give you anything if you do not have assets and until you begin to amortize the capital that you have invested, many years go by in which you have to work hard and pay for things as you can.

Which tool do you consider essential to become an entrepreneur?

Help from the state, of some credits which, after a while you have to present some balance sheets to the state of how the business has worked. If the business has worked then great and if it has not worked then, at least the state has helped you but, it may not be the right time or location for your business.

How could you self-manage your expenses and incomes?

Well, puzzling over the years you come to a stability which does not even cover my needs I mean if I retire the result is that the retirement is minimum, we have a ridiculous pension, the self-employed have a ridiculous pension.

Was your company affected by the context of the crisis in Spain?

How? Very much. For not having consumption because people did not have money. The multinationals have arrived in Spain and are lowering prices with low quality products.

What are your ideas for the future of your optic?

Well, for me that it allows me to able to eat and aspire to a good retirement.

If you went back to the past after everything you've learned, would you start again?

I am an entrepreneur. And thanks to entrepreneurs Spain can move forward.

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