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Post by mambo on Mar 18, 2011 20:06:10 GMT 1
@ Carol,
Closing a business is indeed a very costly affair and a complete nightmare, so the only thing to do is pack yr bags and leave !! By the time they figure out I have left I wish them good luck, have no intention of ever coming back. If they will make it easier I will come back to close the company, but otherwise .........have fun.
Last year I visited Ghana and I was amazed to see that they are light years ahead of Croatia. Opening a company ? 1 day. Licenses ? Maximum 1 week. Taxes ? Straight forward Government support ? Maximum
If an African country can accomplish this...........why can't Croatia ?
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Post by Madgolfer on Mar 19, 2011 9:03:58 GMT 1
As for investors, "they" might also consider that SME's are a way into the future too. If they keep making it so difficult for everyone (including Croatian investors!) to start the smallest business, a few "big ones" are not going to help much.
Western Europe has 80% of its workforce in SMEs, not in big factories that close down and go settle where it's cheaper...
In the not too distant past most Eastern European economies were based around large, state run companies, so the change to the western model of SMEs will take some time.
It is the way to go, but as so many people here are employed in the public sector, having an entrepreneurial mind set is not the norm. Listening to some of our Croatian friends, being in business for yourself 20 years ago was almost impossible and scrutinized and over regulated beyond belief.
Last year I went to a meeting in Zagreb about "how to set up and run your own business".......... to say it was a complete joke would not be an overstatement.
With so little competition here there are plenty of good opportunities for experienced (SMEs) business minded people, and that is certainly where the future of Croatia's economy lies.
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Post by mambo on Mar 19, 2011 10:45:52 GMT 1
There are indeed a lot of opportunities, but unfortunately the Croatian mentality is one of 'not willing to try new products'. Instead of seizing the opportunity to have a product in their shop, business which is brand new and therefore has the potential to give them a lot of profit, they rather take products which everyone else has as well. They will wait until one large company tries it first and then perhaps they will try it themselves.
One big mistake, which almost everyone makes, is that they think it is vital they like the product themselves. Instead of thinking as a customer ('would my customer want to buy this ?') they ask themselves the question: 'do I personally need or like this product ?
The result is that it takes many many years before products become successful and the question is whether the producers or importers are able to last that long ? On top of that there is the extremely poor payment behavior of many supermarkets, companies, small shops and you know it is next to impossible to introduce new products on the market unless you have extremely deep pockets.
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Post by crojoe on Mar 19, 2011 11:22:12 GMT 1
There are indeed a lot of opportunities, but unfortunately the Croatian mentality is one of 'not willing to try new products'. Instead of seizing the opportunity to have a product in their shop, business which is brand new and therefore has the potential to give them a lot of profit, they rather take products which everyone else has as well. They will wait until one large company tries it first and then perhaps they will try it themselves. One big mistake, which almost everyone makes, is that they think it is vital they like the product themselves. Instead of thinking as a customer ('would my customer want to buy this ?') they ask themselves the question: 'do I personally need or like this product ? The result is that it takes many many years before products become successful and the question is whether the producers or importers are able to last that long ? On top of that there is the extremely poor payment behavior of many supermarkets, companies, small shops and you know it is next to impossible to introduce new products on the market unless you have extremely deep pockets. Agree! Slow payment or none at all. Happily I have not had this happen to me (must be something about a "hit squad" in my contract text). What I think is that a product has to appeal to ego. At one mall I graced (for a period of 1 month due to some work), I kept an eye on different stores, and noticed those RMU (retail merchandise units) they have in the middle of the walking areas where doing better business then the vast majority of permanent stores. What I noticed was if the staff where on the attack and had people sampling their product (plus appealing to a person ego), they sold quite a few items each day. I even saw some people buy only due to a good sales pitch and sellers working ones ego (more so then buying a product out of need). I saw about 15 RMU in action, and only the ones with active staff got the money. I kind of wonder if the staff at the active RMU's got a commission? If anyone is thinking to do trade in malls, I'd go for an RMU over a store front any day, and pay minimum salary, then add commission so staff have an incentive to sell your product. This is where students are good.
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Post by MartinM on Mar 19, 2011 13:35:06 GMT 1
The guy hates everything. He's opposed to wind power proposals in the UK, because wind farms would spoil the views in HIS constituency. I bet he enjoyed the sun, sea, food and wine on expenses while he was here in Croatia!
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Post by newdarkages on Mar 19, 2011 20:33:51 GMT 1
Maybe I can help ;D
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Post by mambo on Mar 20, 2011 1:09:32 GMT 1
Just saw the video of this Roger Helmer and must say that I could not find a single item in his speech which was untrue. Unfortunately many politicians in the EU turn their head and look the other way. Many don't even have a clue about what goes on in Croatia, they simply don't care.
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