VISITS TO SMALL BUSINESSES Osnovna škola Bartola Kašića Vinkovci Erasmus+ 2016-2018 Young Enterprising Europeans VISITS TO SMALL BUSINESSES June 2017

After lessons and workshops at school, we started looking for small local businesses that we can visit and learn about starting and running a business, about problems that business owners face. In March and June we visited three small businesses. The interesting thing about them is that owners had other professions and jobs before deciding to follow their dream of being an entrepreneur.

TRADICIJSKI OBRT IVANKOVIĆ Mr TRADICIJSKI OBRT IVANKOVIĆ Mr. Ivanković’s grandfather started making richly decorated sheepskin coats and jackets 70 years ago and it has been family business since then. The whole process is traditional: old tools are used and everything is hand-made.

As the jackets are very expensive and hard to sell, Mr As the jackets are very expensive and hard to sell, Mr. Ivanković started producing lovely accessories: key chains, necklaces, belts, bags, etc. They became popular souvenirs.

MARINA PEDIKO Mrs. Marina Pahić worked in her mother-in-law’s well-known hairdressing salon for more than ten years, then she went to shool again and acquired a profession of a podiatrist. In 2013 she opened her own pedicure salon. Being a salon owner has advantages and disadvantages. Mrs. Pahić showed us how complicated bookkeeping can be.

UJEDINJENE BOJE CVIJEĆA (United Colours of Flowers) Mr UJEDINJENE BOJE CVIJEĆA (United Colours of Flowers) Mr. Andrija Senčić from Ivankovo, a village near Vinkovci, is an English teacher, but he gave up teaching after two years of teaching. He decided to follow his dream and grow flowers. He has two permanent employees and some seasonal workers. They grow about 100 species of flowers in greenhouses that cover 2000 square meters. Growing plants is hard because you depend on weather conditions.