Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
We must learn to forward-thinking, we have to learn to better cooperate with others and to make sure that we really have a good idea, and this is only possible if we thoroughly explored the area in which we want to operate.
This is the main message that was sent to the entrepreneurs and those who want to become one by Lazar Džamić, an expert in digital marketing with professional experience gained at Google, at the 13th Business Café held at the Falkensteiner Hotel Belgrade.
The theme of the Business Café was “Go or stay”, and guests, in addition to Džamić, were entrepreneurs who live and do business abroad or operate in foreign markets: Jovana Lea Simić, owner of the premium brand of jams “Little Blue Pot” from Serbia, which are sold in New York, and Nenad Blagojević, author of the portal “Priče sa dušom” and travel guide for the French-speaking world.
Pointing out that the circumstances that decide whether someone will build a career abroad or will remain in Serbia are absolutely specific for every individual, and that there can be no generalizations, Džamić did say he believes that “in the civilizational sense it is good to spend some time abroad because the world is not what we see on the internet.”
“Today there is shortage of resources in all areas, and modern companies have realized that they have to be innovative with significantly reduced resources. This state of things is normal for us, we are taught to ‘get by’ and I think that’s our advantage in relation to the world. We need to institutionalize the so-called ‘getting by’, we are always trying to be innovative in poor conditions,” said Džamić. However, he also said that we haven’t developed a sense of cooperation with others, while it’s completely normal in the world that entrepreneurs achieve good collaboration with partners. Džamić also noted that in our area there is a problem with creating really good business ideas.
Jovana Lea Simić on the other hand is resolute in the attitude that success depends on the entrepreneurs themselves, and that the environment in which they work does not have any great effect: “He who wants to succeed has a chance for that because they themselves create the conditions for success. Nobody will do something for you, you need to do your own work,” she said, telling the audience how she opted to quit a corporate job and venture into private business.
Before doing so, however, she thoroughly investigated the market of premium food which she wanted to deal with, defined the niche in which to work, decided to offer her products first and foremost to the world centers that dictate trends in nutrition, such as Manhattan and Brooklyn, gradually discovering what it is that these centers lack, and, when she found it, she set off to conquer the attention of local customers.
“I do business only with those whose business practices I support. I don’t go with my product to large chains if I do not agree with the business policy of such a big system. I don’t sell products there, but rather go to a small health food store which was opened by a friend. I work with young designers, young people who run a printing press, we connect so that we all know each other, and if the product succeeds, we all succeed,” said Jovana.
The third guest of Business Café, initiator of the portal “Priče sa dušom”, Nenad Blagojević talked about his experience in dealing with tourists from France who are increasingly coming to Serbia as well as on how he finds “Stories with a soul” which he publishes on the portal. He pointed out that entrepreneurship, however, is not for everyone, and that those who are thinking about launching their own business should think about whether such rhythm of life suits their habits and needs.
Entrepreneurs also got useful information from Branislava Simanić from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, who invited all entrepreneurs, whenever they have a problem, to turn to this institution, whose doors are always open, to talk about new forms of financing and plans for the establishment of new services for the protection of entrepreneurs that will help them when they meet with illegalities or irregularities in the work of the state bodies.
As of this September, the Business Café in Belgrade is held at the Falkensteiner Hotel.
Sponsors are Wiener Städtische insurance, Grand Kafa, Totally Wellness and Belgrade Workshop. The sponsor of this event is also Friški Jazački cheese from Vojvodina. Sponsor of the location is Falkensteiner Hotel Belgrade. Partners are Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Moja Firma. Friends are PR agency Kontakta, Law Office TSG and Hairdresser Uglješa. Media sponsors are BizLife, Nova ekonomija and eKapija. Regional media sponsors are Media Marketing, Intervju.net and BG Online.
Business Café gatherings within the past two weeks were held in Sarajevo, Koprivnica and Belgrade, and the schedule for meetings and speakers until the end of September is also already known:
20.9. Pula – Creators of your own success – Kristina Ercegović, conceptual initiator of Business Café and owner of Zaokret company, Gordana Deranja, CEO of Tehnomont and Croatian Employers’ Association, Valter Roša, actor nominated for the Audience Award for Artist of the Year, Darko Špelić, innovator and owner of Prestige
22.9. Zagreb – Where has the loyalty gone – Ivana Matić, owner of the portal Women in Adria, Rujana Lukač, a spokeswoman of HomeExchange for the Adriatic region and Tomislav Dujmović, owner of Quantum ICT
27.9. Novi Sad – Be different, be yourself – Vladimir Elesin, owner of Tegla’s salads in jars, Tatjana Verebeš from Taya Bow Ties and Robert Čoban, “Balkan media mag”, owner of Color Press Group from Novi Sad with more than 300 employees and associates
28.9. Šibenik – Hrvoje Bujas, the owner of Crno Jaje and GoHome, Borna Škornjak, president of the Association StartUp Šibenik and Anita Šipe – popular nutritionist, author of the book Truths and lies about food and the first Croatian LCHF chef
29.9. Skopje – Patrik Džefson, former private secretary of Princess Diana, Mary Jo Jacobi, a global communications expert and best presenter in Macedonia, and Kosta Petrov, author and founder of Pi World
29.9. Varaždin – Come and stay in Croatia – in preparation.
Under the hashtag #KinderJajeZaOdrasle which is a saying of one of the visitors of Business Café, a new Facebook campaign was launched with motivational messages delivered at this year’s Business Café gatherings in the region. They are published every day at 5 am until mid-December on the page www.facebook.com/BusinessCafeEvent. BC said that they like the comments of visitors so much sometimes, that they become a description of what they do.
On 2 September an article by journalist Dragana Radusinović was published as a guest blog post on the website of the initiator of Business Café, Kristina Ercegović, where Radusinović answers the question: Why has Kristina Ercegović made networking in a café into a unique brand?
New media sponsors of Business Café are Intervju.net, SamoPozitivno.com and BGonline.rs which along with the existing partners spread the message of unity in business in six countries in the region.