"Pearls of Excellence" - Profiles of 50 successful women ...

2

Urednica: Anastasia Jelašić

Naziv publikacije: Pearls of Excellence

Recenzentkinja: mr Sanja Popović - Pantić

Izdavač: Udruženje poslovnih žena Srbije

Dizajn i priprema za štampu: AT HAUS

Štampa: NG Studio

Tiraž: 1000

ISBN: 978-86-910351-5-0

Beograd mart 2011.

CIP - Каталогизација у публикацијиНародна библиотека Србије, Београд

005-055.2(497.11)005:061.2-055.2(497.11)005:061.2-055.2(430)

PEARLS of Excellence / [urednica Anastasia Jelašić]. - Beograd : Udruženje poslovnih žena Srbije, 2011 (Beograd : NGStudio). - 60 str. : fotogr. ; 22 cm

Tiraž 1.000. - Str. 4: Foreword / Sanja Popovic-Pantic. - Str. 5: Dear readers / Christiane Stapp-Osterod.

ISBN 978-86-910351-5-01. Јелашић, Анастасиа [уредник]a) Удружење пословних жена Србије (Београд) - Чланови b) Удружење пословних жена (Франкфурт) - Чланови c) Пословне жене - СрбијаCOBISS.SR-ID 182231820

3

Foreword 4-5

About Associati on of Business Women in Serbia 6

7

Afrodita Bajić - AFRODITE MODE COLLECTION 8

Ana Jovanović - KROJAČ 9

Biljana Jovanović - LUNA 10

Biljana Trifunović - IFA 11

Branislava Gajić - INFOSTUD 3 12

Divna Minić - DAS HAUS 13

Dragica Božinović - NOVITAS 14

Gordana Đurđević - SLOVO 15

Dr Jasmina Knežević - BEL MEDIC 16

Ksenija Fekete Cvetković - AL GROSSO 17

Ljiljana Stanojević - STANOJEVIĆ 18

Maja Enis - ENCO BOOK 19

Marija Ivanković Jurišić - MARIJA HAND MADE 20

Maruška Topalović - STUDIO MARUŠKA 21

Mila Litvinjenko - AURA 22

Miroslava Jovanović - NOVEX 23

Nataša Marković - GALEB GROUP 24

Nataša Pavlović Bujas - BLUMEN GROUP 25

Sanja Veljković - LOGO 26

Snežana Mati ć - ELLA 27

Tatjana Vučićević - ART-IVAL 28

Tatjana Jevđević - BEAUTY IMAGINI 29

Tijana Sekulić - AT HAUS 30

Vera Šćepanović - TRIVIT GROUP 31

Vesna Jovanović - ASIST CENTAR 32

About jumpp 34

35

Anke Chouadli-Franck - BALANCEA 36

Barbara Naumburg - WORKSHOP FOR FURNITURE... 37

Birnur Öztürkck - Petek Business Network 38

Dr. Brigitt e Wiemann-Djafari - Psychiatrist - Psychotherapist 39

Carolin Munte, Stefanie Gröne - MAIN VEGETABLES 40

Claire Labigne - Labigne interpreti ng 41

Claudia Arnold - ARNOLD OFFICE 42

Claudia Zamponi - parasol-words 43

Doris Schüßler - DORIS SCHÜSSLER CONSULTING 44

Eileen McDonald - ENGLISH TO THE POINT 45

Helga Lauw, Ulrike Friedrich - O.PEN OFFICE 46

Jeanet G. Bruining - WINE HIKING TOURS 47

Jennifer Moritz - SCHRAEGER FUERST 48

Katja Schommartz-Koerdt -ALL ABOUT FAMILY 49

Kersti n Lichtblau - Arti st 50

Dr. Maike Höch - Veterinary Practi ce 51

Maria Puskic - Technical draft ing for heati ng and plumbing 52

Miriam Klemke - TAUNUS GARDEN PLAN 53

Monika Weitz - BUSINESS TREE 54

Nadia Qani - AHP Home care service Nadia Qani 55

Sonia Diaz - Sonia Diaz Photography 56

Sonja Laubach - SCOVENTA PUBLISHING COMPANY 57

Susanne Dessaive - MEDIANETCOM Agency 58

Sylvia Ebert - CITYGAMES 59

Zinnet Peken - KONOLINO – Nomad tent for kids 60

4

Dear readers,

This is the type of almanac of female entreprenurship which developed as a result of the joint project of two similar associati ons of women entrepreneurs. Reading these success stories, you will noti ce that, just like in the familiar story about the similarity among “all happy families” which are “happy in the same way”, there are also similariti es among the successful women in their excellence.

Persistent work, talent, willingness, courage...it’s a long list of the features that create the excellence of our “pearls” presented in this book. The only diff erences which we can noti ce belong to the diff erent business environment in which they started to build their paths to success. Women in Serbia stepped into the world of entreprenurship mostly as necessity-driven entrepre-neurs due to the social and economic obstacles dur-ing the 1990s, compared to their German colleagues, where the chance-driven approach prevailed.

However, by the ti me they were telling their stories for this publicati on, entrepreneurship was no longer per-ceived as a necessity but as a chance, a challenge and the best choice. It seems that as never before, they are closer to each other, not only for the opportuniti es that are opened for new businesses, but also for the obsta-cles imposed by the global economic crisis. This project has made us closer and shaped our fi nal aim - network-ing and cooperati on.

WE Create Opportuniti es and Soluti ons for W.E. (Wom-en Entrepreneurship) in Serbia is the acronym of our project but also our spiritus movens.

Power is in networking and networking brings power. Therefore, let this publicati on be a common ground for your mutal cooperati on, on your mutal interest.

With best regards,

Sanja Popovic-Panti c, M.A.PresidentAssociati on of Business Women in Serbia

55

Dear readers,

Starti ng a company was the right choice, as we can see from the profi les of the resourceful personaliti es who have gott en their concepts off the ground. Discover the originality of women who decided to become self-employed, whether it is through their business ideas or sheer moti vati on. You will see: women start-ups stand out with their authenti city, creati vity, innovati on, cus-tomer focus and integrity.

Business women are more and more interested in form-ing business partnerships that they know are stronger and more sustainable in the global marketplace. And with the internati onalizati on off ered by today’s technologies, women entrepreneurs can now look forward to a success-ful, solid and profi table expansion of their businesses.

Christi ane Stapp-Osterod

Executi ve Director and Presidentjumpp - Ihr Sprungbrett in die Selbständigkeit

6

Association of Business Women (ABW) in Serbia was founded in 1998 by ten young women who were convinced that there was a place for a dy-namic business network to encourage women to start up their own companies.

Set up as a not–for-profit , non-political, non-governmental organization, ABW now boasts nearly 200 members throughout Serbia. ABW members include those who are self-employed, running micro-firms, to women business owners with companies employing over 100 people.

Our Objectives:Increase the number of women start-ups•Raise awareness and reinforce the visibility •of women business ownersEncourage existing woman-owned companies •to expand their businessesProvide a forum where women entrepreneurs can •exchange ideas and increase their business contactsInfluence the development of public policies •which are favorable for SMEsStrengthen local, regional, and international •ties among women entrepreneurs Promote social responsibility and a high •standard of ethics in business

Activities:Training for women entrepreneurs, owners •of currently active businesses and for women would-be entrepreneurs/start-upsMentoring programs•Monthly networking meetings•Advocacy with policy makers and cooperation •with state institutions on SME issuesResearch and publications•Annual awards for best women entrepreneurs•Regional and international networking•

The share of enterprises with women as both owners and managers in the overall number of business

entities was around 17% , which is some 18,855 female companies in absolute numbers.

The share of enterprises with women as owners or co-owners is bigger – 25.7%.

We believe that data which indicates women as both owners and managers is more realistic.

In 2009, the share of female enterprises in the overall number of business entities increased by 5.2 percentage points as compared to the year 2008, while compared to the year 2007, there was an increase of 4.2 percentage points in 2008.

8

Following her entrepreneurial spirit, Afrodita Bajić left her job as legal representative of a major textile manufacturing company and entered the world of entrepreneurship with her husband in 1989. Today this mother of a daughter and two sons is co-owner and deputy director of the company “Afrodite Mode Collection (AMC)”, with 121 employees and two pro-duction plants for the manufacture and sale of women’s fashion clothing.

“There were countless difficult moments in my ca-reer… I could write a book about it. However, we over-

If you feel like having entrepreneurial spirit, let it come out

came all the difficult moments thanks to a lot of effort, persistence, and learning from our mistakes”, says the business woman who has a degree and qualifications for practicing law. “Our major success up to now is that we managed to save the company, to develop it in a difficult environment on our own and with very little support from outside.”

Over the years, AMC Company has won numerous awards and recognitions such as “Zlatna košuta” (Gold-en Doe) at fashion fairs, awards for the best collections at Fashion Selection, and Serbian Chamber of Com-merce annual awards to the most successful companies. Association of Business Women in Serbia also recog-nized her with the “Success Flower” award for the best model in employing women within her company.

Afrodita Bajić also attributes her company’s success to its dedication to corporate social responsibility and caring for people with special needs. The company has been employing disabled persons for the past ten years. From her own experience she sends the message to “foster your entrepreneurial spirit, be very patient, optimistic, have positive energy, work on your personal development and above all – persevere.”

www.amcafrodita.rs

9

After turning 30 and working in managerial positions in marketing and PR in both government and the pri-vate sector, Ana Jovanović realized that she wanted her name to stand next to the projects that she had designed and implemented. “At that age you are still young and strong enough to take an important step into private entrepreneurship. It is the right time to take life into your own hands”, she explains. “Today, Krojač is one of the top Serbian web designers according to the number of realized web projects and recognition in this field”, explains the executive director of her company, a web design company that has been present on the local market since 2003.

Her husband played the crucial role in her decision to become an entrepreneur and they are still each other’s main support. Now, they are going further. They formed the Tailor’s School of Web Design and are about to form a new company, Krojač Softver (Tailor’s Software), stick-ing to the slogan “With enough smiles and good will – challenging, creative, inspirational.”

It is the right time to take life into your own hands

Her greatest pleasure is the credibility and good image they have built, establishment of the Tailor’s School of Web Design and the many awards won by them and their clients. “We have created more than 200 internet presentations and won all important awards and recog-nitions in the IT domain. We are founders and coordina-tors of the first domestic internet gallery of CSS design (www.CSSdizajn.com) and the first internet souvenir shop in Serbia (www.SuveniriSrbije.com)”.

“We actively use social networks for promoting our company and services”, says Ana Jovanović One of the projects they have been working on is Ebaza/social-business network intended for linking busi-nesspeople and companies in all business fields. Through the contacts they have made, they look for-ward to larger cooperation with foreign partners. www.krojac.com

10

The “Luna” brand is for self-assured women who are aware of their quality and who do not conceal their femininity but enjoy it, like the owner and director of the company, Biljana Jovanović. “Luna is my first job. The company was established during my last under-graduate year. As the company developed my business experience developed, too”, she says. “I started dealing with fashion primarily to assist my mother who quit her job in a socially-owned company, where she had worked as a seamstress. Slowly our responsibilities divided in a natural way: my mother took care of production, while I dealt with all other ‘small things’ necessary for a company to live and grow.”

We are trying to make women feel more beautiful and self-assured

Eighteen years later Luna exports its line of women’s clothing and accessories to several European countries. Nevertheless, “everyone who has ever tried to be in independent business knows that every new day brings relentless struggle”, explains the entrepreneur who has a degree in IT system organization. “Only in difficult moments do you become aware of how you have worked and what you have built, and what your relations with business partners really are.”

The internet and social media are vital for Luna’s com-munication with business partners and customers as a responsible international brand. “The word ‘impossible’ should be deleted from the vocabulary, and for every problem besides option A one should have plans B, C...”, concludes Biljana Jovanović.

www.fashion-luna.com

11

It was actually journalism that had been her childhood dream come true. However, at the same time she was covering and interviewing government ministers and directors of big companies, Biljana Trifunović had a bookkeeping agency. “My father, an entrepreneur himself since 1963, was my first client. I had kept his books and his colleagues’ books since my student days. I developed my business and had many clients before my son was born”, she describes her entrepreneurial start. Today her IFA-International Financial Agency offers complete financial consulting, from professional accounting services with automatic data processing to all kinds of foreign trade transactions.

We take full responsibility for financial transactions of the company

“Due to responsible and professional business operations, our cooperation with some clients has de-veloped into much more than business partners – we have become close friends”, as she proudly points out that she has been working for some companies for 14 years continuously.

“I believe that being a woman entrepreneur is a big challenge worldwide, even bigger in Serbia. It is difficult for clients to get used to the fact that a woman solves their serious financial problems. Fortunately, there are ever more women like me” observes the director and co-owner of IFA. “I consider my greatest success to be that up till 1990, in former Yugoslavia, I was the first person – before any man – to carry out a foreign investment project worth 10 million USD.”

www.ifa.co.rs

12

“I never doubted that Infostud would become a seri-ous company, as it is now”, explains Branislava Gajić, Director of Infostud. “I have been with the company from the very beginning when it was formed in late 2000, but only in 2004 did I decide to work full time, even though my first wage did not cover my cost of living”. Today, Infostud is a leading internet company in Serbia, managing and developing its own websites. There are seven websites in the group, from those dealing with employment and education to those with automobiles and travelling, having developed greatly from her brother’s initiative to bring together people willing to develop a website dedicated to education.

I am surrounded by positive people who work for themselves, assume responsibility and create their reality

The political science graduate, specializing in journalism and communications, does not pay much attention to being a woman entrepreneur in Serbia, saying only, “I simply do my best”. She is much more eloquent when speaking about successes achieved, “I would now emphasize that I have a job that I like very much and that I am surrounded by positive people who work for themselves, assume responsibility and create their reality. Also, our starting team which consisted of a few founders, volunteers, has grown into some 55 employees. And we achieved it all from Subotica, where our headquarters are located.”

www.infostud.com

13

After many years of employment in Eurosalon, where she acquired great experience in the field of interior design and furniture, Divna Minić understood that there was nothing left to learn by working for others. In 2004 she became independent and established her own company DAS HAUS. The beginning was promising: “the period until 2008 was very successful and promising for HAUS. We decided that we needed bigger and more elite premises than the ones we were occupying at the time, so we moved into prem-ises three times bigger.” However, the renovation and move were completed at the same time as the global economic crisis reached Serbia at beginning of 2009. “Only trust, strong perseverance and very hard work have helped us remain a key player in our branch during the past two years”, admits the entrepreneur with a degree in architectural engineering.

HAUS is a unique furniture sales and showroom in Serbia, whose concept is to present designer furniture. Its team of architects render their assistance in

Only trust, strong perseverance and very hard work

equipping premises, from conceptual design to com-plete interior equipment (key-in-hand). All elements displayed in HAUS have their own story; behind each story there is a well-known and worldwide-recognized architect and “prototypes of some pieces of furniture that we have are in the MOMA Museum in New York and in other famous museums.” Over the past five years, a large number of people have passed through HAUS. “Our role of ‘educator’ is important, so that now there are a number of customers who appreciate design and architecture and who had not previously heard of Eames, the Bouroullec brothers, Pantone and other great persons who left a mark on the design of the 20th and 21st centuries. I believe that this is at least a small merit of HAUS”, says Divna Minić proudly.

www.haus.co.rs

14

1993, the year of massive hyperinflation in Serbia, was a turning point for Dragica Božinović. As a 33 year old professional with a degree in economics and nine years of work experience, she became aware of the uselessness of giving her maximum in an environment that reflected a general lack of care and negligence. “Wholesale and retail trade was what I knew best”, she recalls, “after spending all those years ‘practicing business’ in the socially-owned trading company where I worked.” With one-third of her last salary left in her purse, she and her husband started the Novitas Com-pany, a trading business.

An entrepreneur should strive to maintain her ‘emotional’ and ‘rational’ balance

Today the company operates in 24 locations, in two shifts, 363 days a year, with a chain of supermarkets employing 170 employees, out of whom 140 wom-en. “We strongly focus on the ongoing education of employees, and much attention is paid to our social responsibility in the local community, in the areas of health, education, culture and sports. The company is also engaged in developing environmental awareness of employees and customers through the recycling of cardboard packaging and plastic bags”, explains the en-trepreneur.

“The entrepreneurial path has not always been easy”, emphasizes Dragica Božinović while remembering the first investment into her own premises and the abrupt decline of Serbian banks. This businesswoman believes that her main success is the fact that she managed to endure exceptionally strong competition, without having any development subsidies. She advises young women entrepreneurs to follow their intuition, to do the job they like, to learn daily and develop their professional skills.

www.novitas.co.rs

15

What do you do if a company which was established two centuries ago is up for sale? What about if the pur-chase price includes technologically obsolete equip-ment and production for which there is no more de-mand? This was exactly the question facing Gordana Đurđević ten years ago, when the company where she had been working as a commercial manager was up for privatization. But while others saw a decrepit institu-tion, she recognized an opportunity for self-realization and became the co-owner and director.

“I encountered difficulties from the very beginning”, ad-mits the entrepreneur with a background in economics

It is not important to know answers to all the questions, it is important to recognize the path

and an MBA, “but Slovo d.o.o. Beograd is the first and only company in which I found myself professionally developing.” Through the process of market research and consultations with scientific institutions, she trans-formed the company. Today it is a house of creative de-sign, rendering full service in the field of signage, from consulting and designing to assembling and production. Gordana Đurđević is particularly proud that there were no lay-offs during the successful transformation of the company’s production activities. “The employees be-came aware of their own vision and mission”, she re-calls. “And at the beginning, it is not important to know answers to all questions, it is important to recognize the path”, she advises young women entrepreneurs.

www.slovo.co.rs

16

“Those were war years in our country and my hus-band and I thought that we must take initiative and do something or leave the country. We decided to stay here and fight”, recalls Dr. Jasmina Knežević, a pedi-atric pulmonologist who was the head of the ward in Dedinje Children’s Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases. So in 1995 she started her private business. “I decided to take this step because when working in the state institution I could not have any impact on changes. I set high goals both to myself and to my clinic”, explains the entrepreneur. Today Bel Medic is the leader in

private health services in Serbia, with 100,000 registered patients throughout three locations offering primary health care as well as hospital and surgery activities.

The doctor and entrepreneur set two main goals. “In the first place, I wanted to offer not only top medicine but top service as well, more humane and oriented towards the desires and needs of patients. The second goal was to support the development of the private sector in Serbia. We take an active part in changes of legal regulations and in creating a better business environment.”

Unfortunately, however, Jasmina Knežević is not satisfied with the State’s stance toward her work and the work of her colleagues in the field. “The most dif-ficult moment for me was when I understood that the State, actually the Ministry of Health, does not support private initiative and views the private sector as competitors”, she explains. After the ministry introduced several measures that jeopardize the private sector concept, Dr. Knežević banded together with other private health providers and filed an application with the Constitutional Court. “We are expecting the solution one of these days…The Minister is withdrawing his decision”, says the fighter.

www.belmedic.com

17

“Working as a social worker I mastered principles of good communication, which greatly helped me in the business that I am doing now”, says the social worker turned entrepreneur, Ksenija Fekete Cvetković. Her mo-tivation for changing career paths included not only the single mother’s desire to provide for her family, but also her wish to have an independent, dynamic, creative job where she can achieve results. “I started as an owner of several independent trade shops and a small restau-rant, and afterwards I established and developed my own private foreign trade company.”

Today, AL GROSSO is a foreign trade company which has been operating for 18 years with the import, export, trade, representation and distribution of foodstuffs on the Serbian market, and Montenegro as well. For the purpose of further development and improvement of business operations, a few years ago it merged with the French company MAYFERE. Now this joint venture com-pany is cooperating with companies all over Europe, being the sole distributor of more than 15 foreign and domestic confectionery companies. The company has developed and markets its own local health food brand – BIOTIKA.

The most important is not always the profit but surviving and preserving the job and working team

“There were moments of crisis and serious falls. Unlike other European entrepreneurs, we have a rich experience in fighting for survival under almost impossi-ble circumstances, such as sanctions, war, poverty, legal and political instability. We overcame difficult moments by being flexible, by adjusting to the circumstances that emerged. Behind the vision and skills of an entrepre-neur there is always her team as well’, she explains. Ksenija Fekete Cvetković is optimistic when advising young people who wish to become entrepreneurs: “Be bold and enter the business world. Set your goals high, focus on success, arm yourself with optimism, learn continuously, work diligently and persistently, do not give up your vision.” www.algrosso.com

18

“I wanted to make decisions freely and be indepen-dent”, describes Ljiljana Stanojević of her decision to become an entrepreneur. Before deciding to start her own business, the graduate engineer in organization sciences was employed in a local screw factory where she was responsible for technical control, planning and commercial operations. With the support of her family and business partners, she decided to apply her knowledge and acquired skills in her own production and trade company “Stanojević”.

She has two goals in her business: continuous improvement of business processes, and achieving

What does not kill you makes you stronger

satisfaction of service beneficiaries and employees. It is this emphasis on service and satisfaction, she insists, which has enabled her to hold onto some of her customers for as long as 20 years. “We have passed together through most difficult periods, such as the 1999 bombing”, explains owner and director of the company dealing with metal processing and trade and services of screws, bolts and spare parts.

Ljiljana Stanojević frankly admits that frequent finan-cial controls hinder her work. Nevertheless, she does not lose self-confidence and her message to young entrepreneurs is to “learn constantly, develop your skills, and pay special attention to good practice examples.”

www.stanojevicva.co.rs

19

Parents and their small readers recognize the distinctive Enco books: quality printed books for the youngest chil-dren from 0-3 years of age, creative picture books with pull tabs, and also fun quiz books for older children. The publishing house ENCO BOOK consists of a small team of educators and designers who are continuously in touch with children and their teachers through work-shops in schools, teachers and libraries.

After gaining experience as a kindergarten teacher and as a technical secretary, Maja Enis united her two loves of children and books to establish a private publishing house for children’s picture books. “The most difficult

Association of Business Women in Serbia is another impetus to be stronger together

moment is right now because it is the time of transi-tion, many companies go bankrupt and are then un-able to pay their debts. The legal system in Serbia does not work very well and we cannot collect the debts”, explains the owner and director. However, she advises young people to decide for entrepreneurship anyway. “If you choose the job you like and put a lot of effort into it, success will not fail. You should not expect it to come immediately, and you should trust yourself.”

Despite the difficulties in running a business, Maja Enis is pleased because of the joy the books bring to little ones. “Our books are recognized all over Serbia. Chil-dren gladly read them and play with them. I believe this is the greatest success.”

www.encobook.co.rs

20

“When I realized after graduation, in my first job, that I could not earn enough to support myself in Belgrade, my parents suggested that I move back home to Šabac”, explains Marija Ivanković Jurišić who studied design technology and fashion design. She quickly gained diverse experience by working for a small private company manufacturing small series of clothing, as well as designing several collections for a casual clothing line to be mass produced in a larger factory.

Items which make us happy when we look at them!

“With the assistance and support of my mother, I jumped into the world of entrepreneurship”, says the owner of the artistic workshop Marija HAND MADE. “First, though, we obtained valuable information about start-ups at seminars and workshops organized by the Association of Business Women in Serbia, which I found to be a great support to private entrepreneurship.”

Today, Marija HAND MADE is a workshop for making “items which make us happy when we look at them, en-joying their beauty while wearing them or giving them as a gift to others”, describes the entrepreneur. These items, including garments but also applied items and souvenirs made by hand, are created using techniques of hand weaving, crocheting, knitting and embroi-dery. “The best and most interesting part of being an entrepreneur is meeting like-minded people who decide to buy my products”, she admits. Accord-ing to Marija Ivanković Jurišić, “it means that we build a closer relationship with customers, where both parties must know each other better, so that both of them can enjoy the finished product.”

www.marijaivankovic.com

21

“It makes me happy to know that tens of thousands of women and men are wearing my products, thus proving that those who consider me the greatest Serbian silk painter are right”, quips Maruška Topalović. For almost two decades she has been uniting elegance, imagina-tion and style with top materials in her studio.

Her entrepreneurial start was spontaneous. “I applied to the Academy of Applied Arts five times! At that time only five students from all over Yugoslavia were admit-ted to this prestigious place and I was not in the group

Buyers are our inspiration and extravagance is our goal

of ‘the chosen’. Not having possibilities to study abroad, I was left to my own resources and my ambition”, explains the artist and entrepreneur.

Difficulties arose when business started to develop more seriously. “When business expanded and substan-tial funds were invested in modern equipment, we en-countered problems with both the suppliers and servic-ing, as well as with the equipment!”, Maruška Topalović recalls. “However, you can get over everything when you are aware that your work makes someone beau-tiful and has made his or her day brighter”, she adds.

www.studiomaruska.com

22

“My job is dynamic, creative and challenging. Given that it has nothing to do with what I studied, I had to start from scratch and get acquainted with all segments of business operations, from production, sales and book-keeping to marketing, development and investments”, admits Mila Litvinjenko, general manager and owner of the AURA Company. Dissatisfied with her job as a French teacher and interpreter, she founded a company dealing in the production and trade of cosmetics.

The entrepreneur believes that her wise selection of associates helped from the very beginning. “I select-ed people who were at the beginning of their careers

I had to start from scratch and get acquainted with all segments of business operations

and we learned together. Those people are still with me, committed and loyal collaborators.” However, not everything at the beginning went smoothly….like when the tax administration mistakenly withdrew a large amount of funds from the company accounts! “We did not manage to get the funds back, but they served as advances for the next year. Luckily, although we were beginners in business, our commercial bank was very supportive and granted us a loan”, she explains.

Today, Mila Litvinjenko recognizes that Aura would not exist without her dedicated employees and customers who recognized the quality of our products. “We constantly keep in touch with our clients, as well as with end users. We follow trends in cosmet-ics and continuously invest into new programmes.”

www.aura.co.rs

23

Top quality leather, hand made items, modern design and functionality are elements that have distinguished Novex products and made them successful for 20 years. The downturn in the Serbian economy and eco-nomic sanctions in early 1990s accelerated Miroslava Jovanović’s decision to start her own business. “I was sure that we would overcome problems in our economy much more easily if we relied on our own strengths, i.e. knowledge, skills and courage, which were critical at that time”, recalls the entrepreneur who has a degree in economics. After working as a sales specialist, deal-ing with the import and export of mass consumption goods in a foreign trade company, she and her husband formed Novex, specializing in hand made leather prod-ucts for women, men and business accessories.

Luckily for us, the number of women entrepreneurs is growing, which is encouraging for Serbian economy

According to the entrepreneur, “our biggest success comes from satisfied clients who have been showing their trust by cooperating with us for many years, and make it possible for us to have an impact on the devel-opment of their brand through our products.”

“The present business period is the most difficult one because it is provoked by the world economic crisis”, admits the business owner. However, she is a firm be-liever in networking, making new contacts and being well-informed to overcome the existing situation. The message Miroslava Jovanović gives to young women who are undecided about whether to start their own business is to “build good business relations and net-work with as many business women as possible. I truly believe in the woman-to-woman business support.”

www.novex.rs

24

Nataša Marković comes from an entrepreneurial home where she was included in the company’s operations since she was a child. “Given that I had a chance to work in my parents’ company, my brother and I assumed part of the responsibility in the business operations after secondary school and during our studies. I had a chance to work and be promoted and I believe that I used the opportunity in the best way”, says the general manager of Galeb Group based in Šabac, which is involved in a wide range of activities including trade and production of metal packaging, thermal paper and GPS technology. Even during her studies, when she was acquiring her

Young women entrepreneurs primarily must trust themselves and their skills, in which way half of the job is already done

business degree abroad, she was actively involved in the family business.

The business woman does not distinguish between male and female entrepreneurship, but rather believes that the general position of entrepreneurs is difficult due to the situation in the country. “Considering that the state is being financed mainly from the private sector, it would be high time for it to change its harsh treatment of entrepreneurs”, she adds.

Nataša Marković is thankful that her success has been no-ticed by the company’s 1,100 employees and in the busi-ness community. She has received great satisfaction from awards she recently received for best woman entrepre-neur from the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Valjevo and from the Association of Business Women in Serbia.

www.galeb.com

25

How did the graduate in chemistry Nataša Pavlović Bujas find herself in the world of communications and in the position of director of Blumen Group? “My first posi-tion out of university was the one I had always wanted. Working with students as a faculty assistant and deal-ing with science was more than inspirational. However, I expected much more from myself and from others than the circumstances offered in the 1990s”, says the entrepreneur. And a family business was created.

Mission in encouraging research, creative and entrepreneurial spirit of clients

Blumen Group has been providing services in busi-ness consulting, communication and goodwill and reputation management for more than a decade. Ow-ing to long term cooperation with many cultural insti-tutions and their results, the company has won many awards and it sees its mission in encouraging the research, creative and entrepreneurial spirit of its clients. “Clients trust us; they get attached to us. The average length of cooperation with our clients is three years”, she describes the importance of rela-tionship building. And this relationship building, re-spect and reputation, which are not easy to acquire and maintain in this field, according to Nataša Pavlović Bujas, proves to be her and her agency’s greatest success.

www.natasapavlovicbujas.com www.blumengroup.rs

26

According to Sanja Veljković, one of the many challenges that entrepreneurs often face is to choose which direc-tion to take. One such time was when she made the de-cision to enter into an agreement with the Small Enter-prise Assistance Funds for equity investment. “Although eventually it turned to be an excellent and timely move, I felt as if I was selling the ‘child’”, as she describes the IT company founded by her and her husband. “We at-tached ourselves emotionally to the company, but the company started outgrowing from a family company into a professional organization.”

The entrepreneur had actually started her career in a totally different direction….her first job after graduating with a degree in political science was at the counter of a

The company started outgrowing from a family company into a professional organization

video club! But very soon the club owners promoted her to the management of all operations related to copying, renting, public relations etc. And then she changed di-rections and set up a company with her husband. Today, their company, Logo, is a leading reseller, supplier and provider of information technology equipment in the local and regional markets.

Sanja Veljković believes her greatest success to be the confidence that clients and employees have in Logo. “We carefully nurture our relations with clients based on mutual trust. And we pay special attention to wom-en employed in our company.” So the entrepreneur who started a family business has even financed artifi-cial insemination for employees who have had trouble conceiving. That’s a real family business!

www.logo.rs

27

The challenge and the thrill of an unsaturated market! With her sharp entrepreneurial spirit, Snežana Matić left her job at the main hospital in Kragujevac and regis-tered the company Ella in 1995. Over the past 15 years, the shop selling women’s shoes grew into a company that independently imports fashion footwear for its own needs and owns three retail sale shops in the most prestigious locations in Kragujevac.

Ready to quickly adjust to new market conditions… and be one small step ahead of others

“What makes us different from the competitors is our long experience in this trading branch. We are always ready to quickly adjust to new market conditions and to be at least one small step ahead of others!” points out the entrepreneur whose long-term relationships with customers and employees make her particularly proud. “And I realize that I can transfer my knowledge gained after all these years to be implemented in any area of business”, concludes the Snežana Matić.

[email protected]

28

“When our son and daughter started school I joined my husband in the business activities of our Art-Agency, which later grew into the company Art-Ival”, Tatjana Vučićević, production manager and co-owner begins her entrepreneurial story. “We founded the Art Agency for the organization of artistic activities, following our individual artistic careers as folklore dancers in 1989. By 1992 we had expanded into a company that also deals with production and trade.”

After substantial preparations and selection of top pro-fessionals in confectionery, Art-Ival started producing dragées of the now well-known brand name “Premier” in 1996. From the very beginning of production they

Given that I have been an entrepreneur from the very beginning of my working life, I do not know how it is not to be an entrepreneur.

decided for quality, continuous improvement of pro-duction and products because “this is the only way to survive and extend our activities on the market”, ac-cording to the entrepreneur. And that is why production was moved to a new plant in August 2006, designed and regulated according to all European standards for hygiene, quality and production control.

Serbia’s Royal Family has even recognized Art-Ival’s award winning products by granting the company the title of “Purveyor to the Royal Household”. And when-Tatjana Vučićević looks back at the beginnings of her company, she is thankful to her own family, and par-ticularly to “Uncle Sreta”. “For sure the path to success would have taken much longer if Uncle Sreta had not recognized us as serious young people who wish to learn from the best professionals.”

www.artival.co.rs

29

Respecting principles that consider the organism to be a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual being, programmes implemented in “Beauty Imagini” center enable clients, through traditional techniques, to get a better insight of problems that have reflected on the physical body, on which classical medicine mainly fails to give an answer.

Beauty Imagini’s owner, Tatjana Jevđević, had worked in the health field since she was 18, but in administrative health services. However, when she realized that she could not respect the con-straints of working in a socially-owned company, she very soon started developing her own concept.

We spend the greatest part of our lives working; therefore the point is to spend it creatively enjoying what we do

The Center provides therapeutic services (massage, face and body cosmetology), applied in a holistic man-ner. The entrepreneur and her staff function as a fam-ily. “When we develop programs to be practiced in the Center, education with local and foreign lecturers is es-sential, and we invite employees from the Center and their colleagues from other centers”, she explains.

Tatjana Jevđević provides perhaps the best example of incorporating a holistic approach after experienc-ing a series of unpleasant situations, including an in-jury which prevented her from working for two and a half months. “I overcame all of these situations thanks to understanding why they occurred, and due to having trust in myself and my way of living.”

www.beautyimagini.com

30

“All the time while working in somebody else’s company I kept having the uncontrollable urge to do business that I like, that I believe to have talent for, and to finally be independent and autonomous”, begins Tijana Sekulić as she starts her story about entering the entrepreneurial world. At the time, “I was employed as an architect in a private construction company, supervising, designing and marketing….but in my free time I was engaged in making websites”.

Today, she is the owner of AT HAUS-Art and Technol-ogy Agency, under the motto “From Logo to Website”, creating the companies’ visual identity. “In order to be

In order to survive on the market we extended our business area to delivering trainings and education

empowered for managing my own company, I attended the CEFE training for development of entrepreneurial skills five years ago. Then I established my own agency”, she explains. And in the meantime, her younger sister, Aleksandra Anđelković, joined her as a partner.

The entrepreneur contends that it is necessary to in-troduce beauty into business operations and to assist companies in presenting themselves in the proper man-ner. “Our success is the recommendation of satisfied clients who recognized our creative and attractive visual solutions that will enhance their business.” And Tijana Sekulić’s advice to young people with entrepreneurial ideas: “Besides knowledge, skills and love for the job, meeting people and networking are also essential for success…and a most efficient tool is online social net-works.”

www.athaus.rs

31

What happened to Vera Šćepanović on October 27, 2003 proves that being an entrepreneur is a daily strug-gle. “The most difficult moment for me was that day when, at the unsuccessful auction for the purchase of the City Bakehouse in Vrbas, I lost the €100,000 deposit in a single day. However, I overcame that problem by taking part in the next auction, when we bought that company. Through continuous work, engagement, in-novations and constant growth in the sale of products we compensated the loss over time”, she recalls.

She is the director of Trivit Group which produces and distributes foodstuff, in a cycle “from field to table”. The company owns arable land, silos, cold storages and warehouses, production plants and distribution vehi-

The most difficult moment for me was when I lost the €100,000 deposit in a single day

cles. The company distinguishes itself from others by being able to control its products, from preparation of land and planting to positioning products on the shelves of end users. On the Serbian market it is a leader in pro-duction of strudels with poppy, walnuts and sour cher-ries, as well as “bag” spices.

“No one encouraged me for private entrepreneurship; the initiative was mine”, admits Vera Šćepanović, who worked as a physician until 1992, when she and her hus-band decided to establish a private company. Learning lessons from her experiences, she advises future entre-preneurs to “continuously learn, read as much as pos-sible, constantly seek new information, bravely create innovations, and find new ways of development and to be persistent and consistent.”

www.bag.rs

32

Vesna Jovanović considers an example of professional success to be a project that has a human dimension as well. “The greatest challenge was enabling the client to have access to his office, computer and applications from any place where there is access to internet. This particular project contributed largely to my client’s good health because now he is working from his weekend house, kilometres away from his office”, happily explains the founder and director of Asist Centar.

The entrepreneur established her company for IT consulting in 2008 and specializes in consultant ser-vices in the field of information and communication technologies, as well as in the planning, designing,

It is necessary to have an idea, boldness and good recommendations to reach good clients

implementation, maintenance and adjustment of systems in small and medium-sized companies. “Asist Centar was founded with the idea to enable companies that do not have IT professionals to use the services of professionals from different ICT fields… solutions made to measure”, she explains. The electri-cal engineering graduate got the idea about the need for such services after sixteen years working in IT for Serbian Railways and as a Project Manager in charge of major beneficiaries for a private systems-integrator company.

Of course, starting up her own business was the ma-jor challenge in her career. “Imagine transferring from a company that had numerous and major beneficiaries and good relations with all vendors worldwide, to an in-dependent business with an idea but no beneficiaries”, Vesna Jovanović admits, “but the support from my fam-ily and parents was my encouragement.”

www.asistcentar.rs

33

Until 1990, the confectionery technician Zorica Selaković worked in the Catering and Tourist Enterprise Čačak. “I entered entrepreneurship because I felt that things could be done in a better way, in a more modern way. I rebelled against the production standards at that time and felt that I could offer better and more quality products to the market and to the ever more demanding customers. Encouraged by the desire for newer and better, and supported by my daughters, I became involved in the adventure and I have not regretted it”, says this entrepreneurial woman about her beginnings.

Her independent craft shop, “Dessert”, has been operating on the local market for 20 years now. “Dessert” is a work-shop for the production of cakes, pastries, ice cream, and other confectioneries, using the highest standards and top quality materials. “What distinguishes us from others is the team of professionals, i.e. 50 women responsible for the highest standard of our production. ‘Dessert’ has become a recognized name for everything that has quality, standard, taste, visual effect and soul”, says the owner proudly.

I became involved in the adventure and I have not regretted it

The difficult period that she passed through proves that not everything is wine and roses in entrepreneurship. “The most difficult moment was when we changed our business premises in 2007. In order to go on with the production process and to keep employees I had to take a loan.” How-ever, troubles are behind and for Zorica Selaković the most important thing is that she managed to maintain the prod-uct quality and keep employees even under such difficult circumstances. It is a great pleasure for her when her work-shop serves as an example to young people and stimulates them to continue. Her message is, “Trust yourselves and others, assist each other, exchange experiences, continu-ously learn and nurture your acquaintances.”

www.dessertcacak.co.rs

34

Pioneers in Germany

jumpp has been preparing women to set up their own companies since 1984.

A platform for start-ups and expansion: awakening potential and providing perspectives.

The Frankfurt-based association promotes the professional independence and economic poten-tial of women: jumpp enables women to secure their long-term livelihoods through their entre-preneurial activities.

jumpp accompanies them in all stages of com-pany development: in preparing for the estab-lishment, in the start- and building-up phases or even in takeovers. This is done through individual coaching, trainings, seminars, workshops, as well as networking events and project support.

Over the years, jumpp’s experience and expertise has earned it national and Europe-wide recognition.

www.jumpp.de

9,500 companies set up since 1984

Over 1,200 women in the database

95% of the women are satisfied with their self-employment

72.5% of the companies are still operating

36

Stress reduction is Anke Chouadli-Franck’s specialty and “Acquiring new strength and finding inner peace” is her motto. She advises, coaches and trains individuals as well as companies using a holistic approach of body and mind, and achieving goals through energy and balance. The stress expert focuses on physically oriented, sus-tainable and culturally sensitive “deceleration“. „Feelings are taken into account and awareness of one’s body is learned. It is also important to keep other cul-tures in mind”, explains the owner of balancea’s special concept. Varying living styles point to different solutions

I draw positive ideas from other cultures

for problems. “I always find positive ideas to take from other cultures, and that is why international business relationships are always so enriching.”

At this stage she is focusing on developing business partnerships in Germany. “I would like to set up a health center with other professionals. Some of us met in a workshop organized under jumpp’s project on Business Partnerships and Cooperation”, explains Anke Chouadli-Franck. In addition, she uses virtual networks: “With specific search functions on internet portals, I can quickly find appropriate people for successful coopera-tion. I had already made a contact before a workshop, for example, before I had even met the potential busi-ness partner in person.”

[email protected]

Photo: © Youness Chouadli

37

A corner in jumpp’s (formerly Frauenbetriebe’s) metal workshop: this is how she started 15 years ago. For mas-ter carpenter Barbara Naumburg, occupation, training and growth belong together. Today her workshop takes up most of the ground floor and after the first five years going at it alone, she now employs two carpenters, an apprentice and an intern, all of whom are women she has trained.

The acceptance of women in this male dominated field is larger than it was during Barbara Naumburg’s school days. Despite the bad memories of that time period, she could not tame her passion which she likes to share

Preserving history – restoring originals

with others. It is important for her to give opportuni-ties to young people who can grow along with the qual-ity of their craftsmanship. “I am involved in restoration training at a school for master technicians, as well as through seminars of the German Foundation for Monu-ment Protection. I enjoy passing on my knowledge”, ac-cording to the conservator, who achieved her dream of opening a workshop for furniture restoration after completing her apprenticeship and further professional training in carpentry and art history.

www.naumburg-restaurierungen.de

Photo: © Barbara Naumburg

38

“We would like to strengthen the economic power of women entrepreneurs who have migrated to Germany, as well as to make their stories more visible. By building up their economic potential and entrepreneurial activi-ties, major players in business, politics and research can become more aware of their increasing significance - women migrants are an active business factor”, board member Birnur Öztürk (47) summarizes the objectives of the Association Petek.

Birnur ÖztürkckBoard of the Petek Business Network

for Women Migrants

I devote a lot of time and energy to networking

Leading such a group is very important for this entre-preneur of Turkish origin: she devotes a great amount of time and energy to networking in addition to her re-sponsibilities as the owner of VZO Trade & Business. “Clear labeling of goods is essential for retail distribu-tion and my company is specialized in this.”

The fact that her cultural roots were different has not been a factor in business; she was never considered as a migrant, “except for my name”, she grins. This is also what she strives for with Petek – that cultural prejudices and stereotypes of women migrants should be identi-fied and eliminated.

www.petekweb.de www.v-z-o.de

Photo: © Petek

39

Brigitte Wiemann-Djafari had accomplished a great deal in her career before she opened her private practice. She had been involved in the establishment of a clinic for addictive disorders where she worked as a medical director. However, rather than advancing through the institutional hierarchy, she decided at the age of 50 to open her own private practice.

“The administrative burden became bigger and bigger, while at the same time having direct contact with the patients was very important for me. And career ad-vancement for female doctors has become limited in institutions nowadays. I could not have evolved had I not become self-employed and gone into private prac-tice”, explains the doctor of her decision. Supervision, in-service trainings on the topic of addictions and AIDS consultations in neighborhoods near the train station formed the basis of her work in the early phases of the private practice.

Dr. Brigitte Wiemann-Djafari Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist

In private practice I have more time for my patients

The social aspects of her work are very important to Brigitte Wiemann-Djafari. “I started out small and my practice has grown slowly. Money was not my motiva-tion – as long as I can, consultations for addicts will take place.” In the meantime Dr. Wiemann-Djafari runs a successful private practice and actively works with un-derprivileged addicts.

Also with regards to cross-border opportunities, people are always at the center. “My personal interest in inter-nationalization is the technical and personal exchange, as I am curious about other peoples, cultures and ap-proaches. I find such relationships exciting. Profession-ally, I am interested in and enriched by the concepts and expert discussions from other countries.”

Photo: © Kerstin Wagner

40

How many people dream of the chance to be your own boss and have family and work under one roof? “We had been thinking about this for a long time and took over a small fruit and vegetable shop on Berger Street in Frankfurt. When the previous owner retired in 2008, we decided to continue the business”, according to Carolin Munte and Stefanie Gröne, owners of “Main Vegetables”.

Today they offer a balanced assortment of produce and specialize in offering organic products from local grow-ers. “Our customers want to find all their fruits and veg-etables in one place. But we also value regionally pro-duced controlled organic products which, due to their short delivery time, makes sense.” One thing is impor-tant for both entrepreneurs: the customers should feel the love of details as soon they enter the shop. Their concept of “good, green and healthy” exemplifies their current expansion: in May 2010 Carolin Munte and Stefanie Gröne opened a small and healthy snack shop “Suppengrün” (Soup Green). “Among others, we offer three different soups that we make with fresh ingredi-ents from our produce shop right next door.”

www.main-gemuese.de

Photo: private

41

“When my husband lost his job, it was clear to me that I needed to take matters into my own hands”, explains Claire Labigne, entrepreneur and politician. Not only did she return to her previous line of work for which she had trained as a conference interpreter, but she also set up her own company in 1990, labigne interpreting. “At that time there were many free-lancers in the field, but no organized teams – that was my chance”, describes the mother of three of her company’s initial phase.

With various languages and specialists on hand, she was soon contracting business from notable firms. Her com-pany quickly built up internationally and virtually with partners in Berlin, Paris and London. “Thanks to this network and pool of experts we can offer our clients a team of conference interpreters in every language and send them for international meetings Europe-wide.

Claire Labigne Labigne interpreting

Keen on services

Five years after founding her firm, Claire Labigne fol-lowed her third passion in addition to her family and profession. She became politically active and quickly successful in the Green party: in 1997 she was elected to the local council, in 2005 and 2008 she was a candi-date for national elections. Education, environment and social justice are important issues for her. She continues to run her company, while combining her political con-victions. “I still enjoy my work as an interpreter, but I can choose my assignments. The firm’s contractors as well: women represent over 90% of labigne’s interpret-ers and this is our positive discrimination!”

www.labigne.de www.gruene-labigne.de

Photo: © Ulrich Agurks

42

Claudia Arnold, very active in relationship building, has long been able to profit from networking. One cannot advance without connections to information and con-tacts – this is the experience of the owner of Arnold Office, providing services in sales, marketing and soft-ware. “We often stand there with a problem and search for an appropriate person. It feels good when we can bring two parties together. You have to be ready to give something even when you do not get something in re-turn, and sooner or later something positive comes out of it!” She has been a member in numerous women’s associations and initiated an additional regular gather-ing within jumpp’s Frankfurt “UFO (Women Entrepre-neurs) RheinMain” .

I have benefitted from networking during my whole career

She owes her good start as a business owner to her professional contacts at that time. However that is not enough: “An entrepreneur must always be on the move, regardless if it is through networking or keeping up with regulations. If I had simply stayed at a desk pushing pa-pers, I would no longer be in business today.” During the year new opportunities arise - sometimes too many! - and today Claudia Arnold cooperates with many dif-ferent colleagues who have also gone into business for themselves. A valuable relief!

www.arnoldoffice.de

Photo: © Uta Mosler

43

Claudia Zamponi has been self-employed as an Ital-ian translator since 2005. Due to her previous experi-ence, she has developed her niche in IT and computer science. “Independent contractors in this field should really do thorough market research because like all entrepreneurs they need to offer something special, and as a foreigner even more so!”, according to the Italian-born translator. She found her start-up phase in Germany rather difficult. It was a big undertaking trying to get information about start-ups and some banks even refused self-employed customers. “With respect to tax and administrative issues it was much easier in Ireland”, as she knows from her professional experience.

Claudia Zamponiparasol-words

Online communication is indispensable for me

Today she has clients from Italy, Germany, USA, Great Britain and Spain. “It is essential for me to build on and maintain international contacts. I am networked with many former colleagues from the field, and be-cause of my IT specialization it is also important for me to know how the industry is developing. For the most part I use the internet for this exchange of information with my peers.” In addition, business is also enhanced through her profile on virtual plat-forms. “My work is done almost exclusively via email and the internet. Client contacts and contracts are developed mostly over portals and electronically. Online communication is indispensable for me!” [email protected]

Photo: private

44

Doris Schüßler develops innovative tools and programs for SMEs. “We take existing administrative accounting systems and adapt them for individual use. A custom made system is created which is relatively affordable and makes the daily work of an SME owner much easier. However you need not only optimized instruments but also concepts”, explains the owner of Schüßler Consult-ing of her business idea. In March 2006, she received an award from the national support program “SME promo-tion - Work like the best”.

She also received an award in 2004 for a system for document management through electronic archives.

My team makes the daily work of an SME owner much easier

“Worldwide flexibility is in: clients can access their ac-counting systems with a password through our homep-age”. Online access is not only valuable for international clients, but it is also useful for her when she is commut-ing to London, Chicago, Austria and Switzerland.

Doris Schüßler can look back at her successful years of growth since 1999. Her team today is comprised of 6 people, including an intern who is about to finish her studies. “This expansion is based on the assistance which I regularly received in all phases from jumpp. In addition, I have recently entered into a partnership with other women entrepreneurs from the association’s net-work.”

www.dschuessler.de

Photo: © Doris Schüβler Consulting

45

A brother in Frankfurt, a desire for more international experiences after a year as a teacher’s aide in France, and the wish to improve her German knowledge all led Eileen McDonald to Frankfurt – a city “where it is al-most normal not to be German! Initially I just wanted to stay a year…Then I settled in! I started free-lancing as an English trainer in 1990, which in the field of adult edu-cation is fairly typical in Germany”, explains the Frank-furter from Scotland.

As an “old-timer” in the field, she recommends to lan-guage instructors who are considering working as free-lancers to familiarize themselves with pension obliga-tions and tax issues. “At first it is hard to defray our costs of living”, admits the trainer from personal experience. Today she has set up her own company. “It is easier for

Being a free-lancer in Germany is usual in the field of adult education

me compared to my German colleagues because the clients prefer a native speaker, although there are in-deed native German-speakers who are very good Eng-lish trainers”, she adds.

Eileen McDonald’s professional experiences in Germany have been very good. The Germans have “a positive and somewhat funny view” as far as the kilt-wearers from Scotland are concerned. Still she enjoys her work, de-spite the fact that her adopted country’s fellow citizens are more formal than the Scots. “We are much less for-mal in British business culture and are more likely to change our fields of business. Here it is much less flex-ible; people tend to limit themselves only to what they are already familiar with.”

www.ettp.de

Photo: © Courtesy Ajna-Studio

46

O.PEN Office and Personnel Service represents the 20 year successful partnership of Helga Lauw (l.) und Ulrike Friedrich (r.). “We have totally different charac-ters and personalities. But throughout all these years, fundamental honesty and deep respect have been es-sential – like in a marriage”, according to both business women. Additional key words related to successful and long lasting cooperation are the typical “catch phrases” such as sharing and exchanging information, which can be very lively. “We fight, too! Business partners have to be ready to accept constructive criticism”, explaining their success in their joint business.

Constructive arguing and stepping in for each other are essential ingredients

Before they became self-employed in 1990, they had al-ways been searching for interim solutions for their for-mer employer’s administrative office. “It really seemed to be a big market at that time”, explain Helga Lauw and Ulrike Friedrich. Today the team provide office staff-ing solutions and have a significant number of quali-fied candidates at their disposal. Through our affiliated “Office service” branch we also provide services to in-ternational clients, from marketing contacts to building management and personnel staffing, before setting up their operations in this country.” Virtual networks can be a great help in this regard. “They let you get a quick overview of totally different branches.”

www.o-pen.de

Photo: © O.PEN

47

Jeanet Bruining had to change careers for health rea-sons. “A friend asked me what I would most like to do, and I answered ‘Go up to the mountains with a nice bottle of wine in my backpack!’ This was the inspira-tion to organize wine hiking tours, starting in Germany’s Pfalz region for Dutch clients”, explains Jeanet Bruining. German-Dutch relations in 1991 were not the best, but “I found a gap in the market which I could finally merge with my passion! Through my conversations with wine growers and local tourist offices, I found out that there were no organized activities related to wine and wine growing in the Pfalz region. The initial reactions to my ideas were very positive. Those networks were invalu-able.”

The wine tasting tour confirmed the uniqueness of the offers – a daily highlight and only excellent winer-ies, and enthusiastic participants and wine growers.

I thank my love of nature for my creative new start

Jeanet Bruining prepared for her entry into the German market with a nine-month training course for start-ups organized by jumpp. “It was great and I learned a great deal about being self-employed. Organizing makes me happy and being out in the open is good for me.” Her satisfied clients can attest to the fact that she is in her element – some have participated 17 times! Over the years, she has also learned to systematically build on her business contacts. “I value networking that is clear and structured, as well as when it offers a platform for discussion. When I have a burning question, I throw it out into the open. Unexpected solutions and contacts come up, which also then enable mutual support and cooperation.”

www.weinwanderungen.org


48

”Seeking Mr. Responsible” or “I am my own disaster film.” This does not come directly from designer Jen-nifer Moritz’s mouth, but from “schraeger fuerst”. This is the character she has created - a black (but not so plush) cat with twisted and cheeky sayings that some-times go “too high, too fast, too far.” These show up in magnets, buttons, post cards or T-shirts.

My cheeky brand character can be politically incorrect!

With her accessories and unique textile prints she has been merging her two passions and skills since Decem-ber 2009. “I started out doing embroidery, trained as a jewelry and textile maker, but also as a media designer.” She also free-lances as a graphic designer. “The market has grown and there are so many opportunities because of the internet! I can check reactions to my products through my online shops, and I am using the advantages of a large portal in order to make myself known before I open my open store”, according to Jennifer Moritz. In the meantime, her products will be available soon in selected stores in Frankfurt.

www.schraegerfuerst.de

Photo: © private

49

Katja Schommartz-Koerdt is a world citizen: her three children were born in Switzerland, Brazil and Germany. “A woman has to be organized for that!” This experi-ence, as well as observations and market analyses con-tributed to this self-employed marketing consultant’s business idea – a prototype of the first Online Organizer for Families is being tested. The objective is to help or-ganize the daily lives of families with children by tying together things like appointments, child care and health care with innovative internet technologies.

Making the family’s daily life easier

“It functions like a ‘virtual refrigerator door’. All the in-formation comes together in one place…who is where and when, who has something to do, how can who be reached… Everyone – parents, children, child care pro-viders – have access!”, explains the 43 year old. “The tools that we are developing are universally applicable and therefore internationalization is an objective of our business model.”

Katja Schommartz-Koerdt enjoys using virtual network-ing to reach interesting people. With a view towards long term growth, she and her business partners are seeking investors for the launch of the Online-Organizer – which her children think is “super cool.”

www.allaboutfamily.de www.allaboutbrands.de

Photo: © Manfred Raab

50

Girls and animals with big eyes grip the onlookers. Dis-tinctive: they are Kerstin Lichtblau’s figures. “A continu-ous theme in my art is eyes and their look. The figures are what we face, they are always looking at us, and each person sees something of themselves in them. Over time, they have turned into a unique, recognizable world – my ‘brand’…”, explains the Frankfurt artist.

While charcoal and silver colors breathed life into her work in the past, today experimentation with colors is at the heart of the next exhibitions. And more and more red: girls and animals in the new series with hats and caps. “Fashion entering my work lies in the concept

My ‘eyegirl’ figures have developed into a brand

that I am developing. Fashion and art influence each other simultaneously…T-shirts, bags and skirts marked in small editions with my ‘Eyegirls’ will be more than just designer clothing. Fashion should take my art out onto the street.”

The reaction to the first T-shirts has been positive and she has opened an internet shop. The artist has also attracted international attention and exhibited in New York. “International contacts are very important for an artist in order to gain recognition over the borders.”

Online communication has functioned very well until now. She has been building and maintaining a meaning-ful network of local and international business partners, galleries and artists. Who knows, perhaps tomorrow also in Serbia?

www.kerstin-lichtblau.de www.augenmaedchen.de


51

“Animal clinics do not offer practical working hours for mothers. Night shifts and emergency services are dif-ficult”, explains Dr. Maike Höch the reasons for the flex-ible working hours in her practice. Four veterinarians work part-time in the bright, modern equipped offices. The veterinarians all have one thing in common: they are mothers and specialists in their field of veterinary medicine. “I started out alone, but I missed the exchange I had had with colleagues at the clinic”, as the doctor describes the advantages of her flexible hours model. “Besides, we can offer much more as a team!” These are the advantages of partnerships and networking”.

Highly qualified specialist and mother – I want to do both of these well

In order for everything to run smoothly, every detail of the patient is noted so that everyone has the same information. “A great deal of our time is spent on ex-changing information”, says the director of the practice. She also always has time to accommodate the sched-ules of the team. “We decide together who can work when and how.” Only one shift, between 8pm and 9am, remains unattended. “Night shifts are behind us!” They are nevertheless very customer oriented. They relate to the Frankfurt’s cosmopolitan nature and have trans-lated their website into English and French. Clients from faraway lands who are traveling through Frankfurt and need a veterinarian can come to the right place!

www.dr-hoech.de


52

“I could do it day and night!”, says Maria Puskic, who at the age of 57 is far from thinking about retirement. “I became self-employed in 2007 after 30 years of ex-perience in this field which I love!”, beams the drafts-man and planner. Many people wonder how she chose this field which is still rather uncommon for women. But engineering had always been an obvious choice since she was a child, subsequently being taken up by the whole family. Even her great grandfather had built ships on the Main river and among relatives one can find many mechanical engineers.

I have technology in my genes!

When it was time to decide on a career, there were no openings for training in her first choice of teaching…”Drawing plans have always fascinated me. When you think how everything is included in the drawing board, it’s incredible!”, says the trained technical drawer for heating and plumbing.

Many years of employment followed. She became unemployed in 2005 because she was “too expensive due to her seniority”… She did not let that get her down and decided to go into business for herself. Her network and previous contacts were essential at the beginning. She visited professional associations in Frankfurt, in-ternational fairs for heating and plumbing and she re-visited former customers and business partners while contacting new ones. The results: today she has more than enough to do! The 57-year old is still far from thinking about retirement….

[email protected]

Photo: private

53

Civil engineer Miriam Klemke first came into contact with an area that would later become her hobby 18 years ago. She was an application engineer who in-stantly had to become familiar with the topic of “roof-top gardens”…and she liked it. Later, after a yearlong maternity leave, she worked as a project manager for SAP quality management in various public utilities. “The working environment at my last employer was bad, and I didn’t have any real tasks. I gave in my notice because I wasn’t in the mood for petty activities anymore, rather I wanted to pursue responsibilities which I enjoyed”, de-scribes the career changer.

“As we started working on a garden that had long been neglected, I started becoming more and more interest-ed. I did a lot of research and finished a distance learn-ing course on landscape gardening.” Her career today is in detailed planning and individual consultations for

I look for jobs where I can develop freely and diversely

private gardens. “Whether it is after a training or a con-sultation in their own gardens, the clients are happy. They often need a confirmation or expert opinion to find the right path to their green oases.”

As Miriam Klemke grows her business, she knows that cooperation with a regional landscaper or planning of-fice is always helpful. “You need the experience and network in the field, as well as someone who is familiar with the everyday activities. Ideally the contacts should be mutually beneficial. I believe that good work spreads a good word, and online media can also shorten the path. Although social media currently plays only a small role in my branch, that will surely change.”

www.taunus-gartenplan.de


54

The reasons for business expansion are so wide-rang-ing and complex, like trees in the forest! Monika Weitz knows this. “When you look at the tree more closely, you can see its time profile or chronology, which you can also find in companies. A healthy tree remains stand-ing only when it can accommodate to changing condi-tions. Is it in the right place? Does it have enough place to grow? Business owners or managers need a system in place in order to precisely evaluate themselves and their companies at large. I assist them with the Business Tree® model I have developed”, according to Monika Weitz, who simply by chance stumbled onto the field of advising start-ups.

I stumbled onto advising start-ups simply by chance

“I was looking for career alternatives when a friend of a friend asked if I could help her with drafting her business plan. As part of that job, I attended a training course for start-ups (offered by Frauenbetriebe, now jumpp). I enjoyed the course and then registered my own company in 2002!”, says the business consultant. Only after a training as a personal coach five years later did Monika Weitz go into full gear. Her Business Tree® brand, which she had had in her mind for a long time, started to take shape. “I was meeting more and more business women who were reaching out to me.” Today she is very thankful for the help from these contacts and likes to share her experiences as a business woman with others.

www.unternehmensbaum.de

Photo: © Andreas Kauderer

55

“Foreign born home care patients often hoped that they would be returning to their homeland. However, most of them remain in Germany and home care in their na-tive language is very important”, explains Nadia Qani, owner of AHP. “We have to give them the feeling that they are at home as part of this society. In my opinion the only way a country can complete globally is when the interests revolve around its people and when peo-ple from various cultures find their place in society; this is business through added value and high regard.”

A person is an indivisible whole. Taking care of them means culturally sensitive care. The AHP team respects individual wishes and needs. “Respect for faith and hope in a peaceful world are the reasons for our actions. It is important that the people are cared for in the envi-ronment and language with which they are familiar”,

Taking into account culturally sensitive, individual care

according to the entrepreneur, who has 53 employees representing 23 countries and 37 languages.

All of them speak German and have completed their training and received the appropriate qualifications. “We offer positions for future advancement and care-fully select our employees. And our international staff should promote the German qualities of punctuality, accuracy and correct behavior”, stresses Nada Qani. For this is also integration, and the award winning German-Afghani is always wondering how she can help integrate people from other countries into German society.

www.ahp-qani.de

Photo: © Wygoda

56

It was clear to Sonia Diaz that, realistically speaking, it would be difficult to fulfill her dream without any help. She is a single mother of two young boys, ages 6 and 12. Thanks to her motivation, the native Spaniard has become a commercial photographer, despite deciding at first to take the long road due to her family respon-sibilities. She became self-employed as a commercial photographer in Frankfurt in 2007.

Photography has been her passion since childhood when she was secretly snapping pictures with her fa-ther’s camera. And she has not been able to keep herself away from the lens since she was fifteen.

Sonia DiazSonia Diaz Photography

I haven’t been able to keep myself away from the lens since I was fifteen!

Over the years, she became a self-taught photographer through “learning by doing.” However, the path to her dream job has been rocky. “Without the classic training it is difficult to receive state financial support for start-ups. Each day is a challenge and nobody believed that I could be financially independent with two children”, remembers Sonia.

She received support from the jumpp network when she founded her company. Her search for an interesting internship position led her to the Europe-wide estab-lished photographer Michael Zargarinejad in Frankfurt. “He has brought me forward and he really shows his passion for photography which he shares further.” The self-taught photographer benefitted from this year long internship, which she was then able to turn into a for-mal training.

www.soniadiaz.de

Photo: © Sonia Diaz Photography

57

No wide ranging course of studies can prepare any-one for a career as a publisher. A list of career train-ing options will also not include “Publisher”. What then brought Sonja Laubach-Hintermeier to her small pub-lishing house? “I simply set up shop and set a goal to publish the first book in the first year”, summarizes the businesswoman. She had started her first business, a research service providing background information to companies and businesspeople, when she was in her early 30s and had one child.

The entrepreneur developed her first contacts with au-thors and publishers and more and more ideas evolved. “Discovering and pursuing topics, building up a network

To be able to make my own way – that’s what a career means for me

and observing an area of business in upheaval…I could do that”, according to the entrepreneur. When her father became ill, she took over his canteen business for two years. It was a hard time, but “It’s fun to be a boss!”.

Sonja Laubach-Hintermeier, the mother of two girls, made a decision at the end of 2008. “I had learned my strengths and weakness and said to myself: publishing books…I’ll do that now.” Said and done. The first book, an evolutionary psychology book of advice will be on the market soon.

www.scoventa.de


58

Although Susanne Dessaive does not stand in the lime-light, she ensures that her clients’ editorial content makes it to television. “There are very few companies in Germany that offer TV public relations. With our worldwide partner networks, we can position our cli-ents in the appropriate media, from financial news on Bloomberg-TV, to ZDF (major German channel), CNBC or video reporting on the Web”, explains Susanne Dessaive. “For international TV PR you need interna-tional partnerships. We work for global clients and are part of a network of experts that can produce, monitor media behaviour or promote news across the globe.”

I already had many clients from the industry, while being at university

Through her Agency medianetcom, she advises compa-nies in two main areas: Firstly, on how to best utilize TV PR. This involves defining objectives and target groups, news relevance, strategy development, coordinating relevant partners, in addition to production and proj-ect management. Secondly she helps companies create and promote value-add corporate image films (a recent project was the making of Frankfurt Exhibition Centre’s new Hall 11).

Her team records financial press conferences, selects the highlights, and delivers the compiled material via satellite: This may be enhanced by, for example, inter-views with members of the board or other stakehold-ers, and is then distributed to relevant news agencies and TV news editors. Journalists from all over the world can view the material online and decide if this TV foot-age is relevant for their own reports.

Susanne Dessaive started her publicity company in 1997 after graduating in media studies and media law. During this time, she has supported numerous national and international broadcasters. TV is her passion!

www.medianetcom.de

Photo: © Farideh Diehl

59

Sylvia Ebert has organized more than 900 events in the last seven years. That also means that over 900 corpses lie in her path because Sylvia Ebert offers crime games for company parties, bachelor parties or private events in people’s living rooms. The audience members are si-multaneously investigators who can prove their detec-tive skills.

Besides organizing the games and dealing with all the activities which are involved in running her business, Sylvia Ebert writes the scripts for the plays. “Crime novels were my biggest passion”, explains the author and entrepreneur who was a manager for a telephone provider before she went on the crime story path. And who casts the actors? Who directs? “I do everything. I also search for appropriate locations and acquire the

Fun for everyone – for my clients and me

permits“, says the entrepreneur with a background in wholesale and foreign trade.

“In the meantime we perform all over Germany in ev-ery imaginable location. A second ensemble has been formed in Leipzig in addition to Frankfurt.” In the pro-cess, online communication is extremely important. “A business like mine would be unimaginable without the internet!”, as the majority of inquiries come via her website. The exchange of information with the actors is also mostly electronic, which makes the scheduling of their full calendar much easier. The all-around woman is not afraid of running out of ideas for her script. Murder is her hobby, and she has chosen it as a career.

www.citygames.info


60

A nomad asks them to sit on the pillows in Konolino, the small nomad tent. She hands them a nomadic yoghurt drink while they listen to shepherds’ flutes in the back-ground. Then she begins telling the story of “Kono”, the tent that the women weave out of goats’ wool. What do nomads need to roam around? What kind of tradi-tional tools do they use? Zinnet Peken, the owner of “Kononlino – Nomad tent for kids”, knows the tales and myths that the nomads tell every night, and she per-forms them for her guests with music and singing. Then they fill up with pita bread and cheeses made out of goat, cow and sheep milk to continue.

Konolino should raise awareness for respecting other cultures and also one’s own

“I introduce my personal experiences as a half-set-tled nomadic child and offer workshops for children or adults to learn about nomadic culture in a fun and active way. They should get a taste of “human values” such as festive rituals, customs and dance. What I offer should also raise awareness for a mutual interest and respect for other cultures and also for one’s own”, says Zinnet Peken.

She also offers training and discussions for adults. Her clients include museums, schools, pre-school and other institutions involved in cultural education. Also included in her client list are company and individuals who want to present something special to children, for example travels to different cultures!

www.konolino.de

Photo: private

"Pearls of Excellence" - Profiles of 50 successful women ...

Documents

Transcript of "Pearls of Excellence" - Profiles of 50 successful women ...