No LT01-KA Best practices of Life Style Entrepreneurship Examples from Lithuania

Best practice No.1 Type: Arts Business idea: decoration for parties EGLĖ STUDINSKAITĖ 35 years old Masters degree in Public Administration; Family situation: divorced and has one child: son – 7 years old.

Business idea: decoration for parties Business description: making party decorations as pinatas, garlands etc. Start –up year: 2014

The biggest part of my hobby is making piñatas. I’m trying to use as much recycled materials as possible. Crepe paper, glue, metal patterns, ropes constitutes the other expenses. Time spent making piñata adds the biggest part to it’s value: per week you can’t make more than 3 piñatas with the special, unique design. But the time spent making piñatas lets me express my creativity.

Best practice No.2 Type: Food Business idea: teaching others healthy lifestyle and cooking Aldona Širmulienė 49 years old High Education; Family situation: merried and has three children: 9, 11 and 14 years old.

Business idea: teaching others healthy lifestyle and cooking Business description: creating new recipes for cooking and new steps for healthy life organizing Start-up year: 2015

I create new lunch and fast food recipes using healthy dietary rules. I use different food products ant combinations on them and try them with my own family. I participate in competitions. The creation of a new dish can last from moments to several weeks. It’s interesting to create new recipes, because every time I can try something new.

Best practice No.3 Type: Interrior Business idea: Making sitting-bags KRISTINA ONYSKAITĖ  37 years old  Higher education in the Business administration  Family situation: married; two boys 15 and 7 years

Business idea: making sitting-bags and other details of interrior Business description: suiwing and selling the interrior details. Start-up year: 2009

Best practice No.4 Type: Handcrafts Business idea: knitting toys for children VIRGINIJA ARMONIENĖ 40 years old Masters degree in Psychology; Family situation: divorced and has one daughter – 7 years old.

Business idea: create safe, environmentally friendly and educating handicrafts, and toys for children Business description: Knitting toys for children Start –up year: 2014

I knit toys and accessories for children. My own daughter and my sister’s son were the source of inspiration and encouragement to produce such handicrafts. I wanted to create toys that would be nice, safe, but at the same time would foster the child's creativity and imagination, as well as would develop the child's motoric.

Knitted toys for children kamuoliuk%C5%B3-istorijos / kamuoliuk%C5%B3-istorijos /

I was able to crochet, knit from my childhood, but how to make/produce the toys, I got interested only when my daughter was born. I was looking for handicraft ideas for babies and children. I wanted to create something nice, suitable for the child of particular age.

Initially, crochet and creation of toys was only my favourite activity, by doing which I could make feel happy and joyful my daughter, as well as children of my friends and relatives. Later the idea to show my handicrafts online, on Facebook page, came. The first orders came when I started to share my handicrafts on Facebook.

When it was the time to return to work after the maternity leave, I have decided to start my business and took a business license. As I am single mother, I wanted to spend as much time as possible together with my daughter, participate in her education, so I decided to go back to work only part-time, and to spent the other time with my daughter as well as make handicrafts. This was good solution, helping to balance my work and family responsibilities.

Best practice No.5 Type: Other Business idea: Floristics Tatjana Baryskinova 57 years old Higher Education; Family situation: merried, has 2 grown-up children.

Business description: Flower compositions for different occasions Start –up year: 2014

Tatjana‘s lifestyle business is in floristics field. The idea of her own business was to combine her interests and skills into a business that promotes her values and passions. She has been working in this field for all her life, most of time she was employed as a paid worker. But one day she was fired.

Tatjana has a passion for grows flowers all her life. She has a lot of them in her garden and often decorates with them her house. Tatjana’s first experience as business women was also related with flowers that she grew herself. One day she challenged herself by deciding to make bouquets of flowers to the wedding of her close family friends. The whole church has been decorated with beautiful flowers that Tatjana created and the bride also had a nice flower composition in her hands. Everybody admired the flower composition that Tatjana made for that celebration. This event inspired her and as a matter of fact Tatjana realized that she found something that she would love doing. Seeing the great enthusiasm and strong wish to dive into the floristic business, Tatjana’s husband also supported her both emotionally and financially. Tatjana is successfully developing her own business now.

Best practice No.6 Type: Health and Beauty Business idea: BEAUTICIAN/ VISAGIST Jurgita Jurašienė 39 years old Higher education In cosmetology Family situation: single mother: 2 children.

Business idea: BEAUTICIAN/ VISAGIST Business description: making face beauty procedures and make- up for different occasions Start –up year: 2016

Jurgita‘s lifestyle business is in beauty field. The beauty industry is big business. There are a lot of beauticians and beauty salons in Lithuania so the idea to start own business in this field was not easy. Jurgita has finished vocational training school as a professional beautician. After her studies she was working as beautician for several years. Jurgita had small children and she couldn’t work for the whole day. Jurgita decided to raise her children at home. Unfortunately, few years ago her husband passed-away and she became a widow. It was very hard for her to live alone without the breadwinner so to find a job for her was crucial. She understood that it was very difficult for her to find a job because she didn’t have any working experience. So step by step Jurgita decided to create her own business. At first she started to look up for the premises. She bought all necessary equipment and tools necessary for starting her business and started to work as beautician. Now Jurgita says that being a beautician requires huge amount of devotion to work you do and personal interaction with the client. Jurgita is happy to work on her own. For her it is necessary flexible work schedule that allows her to balance work and family life.