A business started by love for good food

Liutauras Daugirdas, an enthusiast of good food, has been managing the company Kepsnių tiekimas which owns the famous Steak Supply brand. Liutauras says that this business has been inspired by hobby and search for quality. Several stores established by him and his partners have been selling only high quality meat of bovine animals reared in Lithuania, organising meat cooking educational events and monitoring gradual changes in Lithuanians’ attitude and nutrition habits.

Under what circumstances was Steak Supply established?

I love cooking, especially high quality meat: beef, mutton, veal. I have tasted a good steak while working in the United States during my studies. As time passed, I generated an idea to open an outlet for myself, my closest friends and good food lovers. Yet this idea has developed into a serious and unique project – Steak Supply. Thus, five year ago, together with business partners we established the first specialised store of matured beef for steaks in Lithuania and the Baltic countries.

What is so special about meat you sell?

It is exceptionally of Lithuanian origin. Steak Supply stores in Vilnius and Kaunas sell only Lithuanian beef, mutton, lamb and veal. Besides, we offer only matured beef: dry-aged or wet-aged. Dry-aging lasts 30 to 60 days, while wet-aging lasts 28 days.

We do not believe that fresh beef so liked by Lithuanians is good for a quality meal – it is often very tough. Whereas matured meat not only has a more refined taste, but also does not require any additional marinades.

At what time of the year do you have the biggest number of customers?

The steak culture has been growing in Lithuania: the season starts in April and lasts until October, when customers mainly buy meat for outdoor grilling. The best selling month is December – as a rule, we always prepare for the crowd of customers before Christmas and New Year’s Eve. At this time of the year people want to indulge their family and guests with high quality, delicious meat dishes.

In our first year of activity customers would most often buy traditional meat: entrecote or tenderloin which is suitable for burgers. Today they also buy something more exotic, for example, ham, flank, cheeks, tails, etc.

This shows that people trust our products and are satisfied with them, and they not only return, but also dare to try novelties.

How do customers find out about you?

In our first year of activity we have been active participants in all cooking related events and exhibitions. Today we mainly focus on social networks, organise meat cooking educational events.

Do you have plans for development?

We are already fed up with development. In the short-term we plan to maintain the excellent results of our several stores in Vilnius, and we do not want to lose quality while experimenting and expanding.

What advantages do you see in being part of the Swedbank’s entrepreneurship platform “Everyone Can”?

This project is fantastic. It is a very good opportunity to show to our current and potential customers our daily business and to reach a wider audience.

We aim at being recognised as producers of top class products of excellent taste, who can boldly compare with meat traders from other European countries.

Owner of fur business: if you envisage a few steps forward, you will not be afraid of warmer winters

Vytautas Gylys from Kaunas took over the fur business from his late mother and has been directly managing it for three years now. In fact, Vilko kailiniai has been operating since 2000. The company has underwent different business stages during this period. One of the most recent stages is connected to warmer winters, yet the entrepreneur has a plan.

Vilko kailiniai has been continuing the history of the company Vilkas, established back in 1932. How did you decide to continue the tradition and resume company’s operations?

My mother worked in the old factory when it was named after Kazys Giedrys, and she was in charge of the fur production workshop. Some time later the factory was renamed as Vilkas, and I worked as a fur cutter there. After the factory went bankrupt, we decided to continue sewing fur coats, especially considering the fact that there were almost no private furriers in Lithuania. We have earned a good reputation and gained experience during our existence since 2000. We have opened stores in Kaunas and Vilnius.

How has the competitive environment changed over 19 years?

The number of small private fur companies has increased in the country. In addition, huge quantities of fur coats and leather jackets are imported from China and Poland. Yet they are sold at a marketplace, whereas customers looking for quality come to our stores. The volume of fur trade has been declining recently; however, the company carries out operations because we offer quality. I can remember a few cases when the customers returned after some ten years asking to slightly renew the fur coat as it was still in good condition. There are also many customers who buy their fifth or seventh fur coat from us. These are the most pleasant moments in business.

What is specific about fur business?

It is a tough business due to a short season of winter. There have been winters without cold and snow but only rain instead. If this is the case, people do not want to buy fur coats. We notice this pattern when analysing our sale results. If the day is rainy, people don’t come. If it gets frosty and starts snowing, customers come. Later, from spring to autumn, we prepare for the season. We use our winter earnings all year round.

What products do you offer to your customers?

Our assortment mainly consists of fur coats for women, men and children. In addition, we also sew vests, caps, scarfs, gloves, fur pillows and slipcovers for car seats or office chairs. We even sew fur clothing for pets. We make everything from sheepskin that we buy in two regions: Spain and Italy. It is light dressed sheepskin of the highest quality.

Meanwhile, in summer we sell high quality linen clothes made by Lithuanian manufacturers. We have been cooperating with them for many years now.

How many persons do work in your company?

Our company currently employs 10 persons. We had more employees previously, but there was a crisis, euro was introduced, winters have become warmer – everything has a boomerang effect and the team has eventually shrunk.

You mention warmer winters and changing climate. How do you respond to it?

We are considering the development of our assortment. We have been looking for high quality material for coats from Italian manufacturers, and we will probably bring it to Lithuania and offer to buyers. We will monitor the results and maybe will start making coats from fabrics one day.

Own business constantly faces a variety of challenges, yet there are pleasant moments as well. What motivates you to move forward, not to give up during tougher periods?

This business has been established by my late mother, thus I really want and feel it important to continue her work.

You take part in Swedbank’s programme “Everyone Can Be Big”. What could you tell about your participation?

When the project started, we decided to register and in 2015 we even won a prize – EUR 3000 – to strengthen our business. It is an opportunity that we are glad about and appreciate very much.

Well-paid job exchanged for family business and love for flowers

The company Gėlių lanka is one of a few Lithuanian companies founded right after regaining of independence and functioning to date. Growing flowers developed into a family business with two salons in Anykščiai and Rokiškis. “You have to love this job so much that you couldn’t live without it,” says director of the company Ieva Kupčinskienė, who has taken over this business from her parents.

Ms. Kupčinskienė told the story of Gėlių lanka and the main challenges to the project “Everyone Can Be Big” initiated by Swedbank, in which her company also takes part. The programme is aimed at strengthening small businesses of the country, sharing valuable expert advice, organising special events or campaigns for its members.

Gėlių lanka has turned 28 this year. How was your company established?

My parents lived in a village. My mother’s profession is a planter and she was very fond of flowers and always cared about planting a more interesting plant or flower. After my brother was born she looked after him and after her flowers and did not return to her work in the collective farm. After a while my father joined her.

There were no flower salons at that time – only flower cooperatives. We grew flowers and sold them at the store of flower growers society. We also traded in the marketplace, and I helped my parents when I was small. Our business was quite successful, so my parents together with partners decided to open a joint shop in Anykščiai. However, we had to abandon it after some time.

One day in Rokiškis gave a new impetus. We went there to sell flowers. It was very cold and we decided to leave our flowers in some place. We left them in a pawn shop and the staff kindly agreed to sell them. Our flowers became popular there. The sale volume increased until we finally decided to open our shop in Rokiškis. After a while, we opened one more shop in Anykščiai.

What do you do to make your business thriving for so long?

You have to love your job so much that you couldn’t live without it. It is not a business to earn for a villa or a luxurious car. But if you love it, everything else does not matter.

I lived in Vilnius for a while and I had a well-paid managerial job there. While studying the executive master studies at ISM I decided to write my final thesis about my parents’ company, so I had to come back home to Janušava. I saw how much I could change and renew there as well as apply new business methods. I was eager to implement all this. Eventually, I decided to help my parents and to challenge myself.

It was not easy to return, because at that time I was earning a triple salary than that in the flower business and I also had home and car loans. Yet I wanted to do something and flower business gives an opportunity to realise yourself and try new things.

Since I was fluent in English, we started looking for products in third countries: India, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Taiwan. It was an opportunity to introduce novelties in the market that people haven’t seen yet.

What major challenges does your business currently face and how do you overcome them?

The biggest current challenge for us and other flower sellers is involvement of major retail chains in the flower trade. They have recently started to sell bouquets and artificial flower compositions. Thus we are losing quite a big share of the market, and this share is growing every year.

Professionalism is our strength, because only we can compose an individual and exceptional bouquet. Our other services such as e-commerce or home delivery of flowers are also important.

A jewellery designer from Marijampolė dreams of sprucing up all female town dwellers

“Several thousands, actually, but I haven’t calculated precisely,” designer Vaiva Bagdanavičienė answers the question how many jewellery items she has sold over nine years of her work. The owner of a small hand-made jewellery store Damėja in Marijampolė dreams of sprucing up every single female town dweller with her brooches, earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Upon noticing customers wearing the pieces of jewellery she has designed, the designer feels even more motivated to reach out for this goal and improve every day while looking for novelties.

Your jewellery brand is Damėja. Did you have an intention to describe spruced up woman’s transformation into a lady?

Definitely yes. Before creating a business I had a goal to make every woman a real lady with Damėja jewellery. This goal has remained the same for these nine years. In general, I became interested in jewellery design ten years ago. I started designing for myself, then made gifts for my friends, and eventually it all turned into business. Thus, I did not linger with the answer having received an offer to open a jewellery store.

You have designed a variety of jewellery items over this period. What do you offer today?

I have been working for a long period of time and seen trends changing, thus I also had to keep up with new developments. I used stones, leather, and slime for my designs. Now I create brooches, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and the major share of Damėja jewellery is made with Swarovski crystals. They provide luxury, glitter and quality. I try to consider every detail, my jewellery is subtle and designed for an elegant woman.

Could you describe the lady who chooses Damėja?

My customer base is diverse. I have loyal customers who recommend me to someone else, thus the number of customers has been growing. And when I see a woman wearing my jewellery, I feel motivated to move on. The market of jewellery is quite big, and competition is tough, yet I think that every item has its own buyer. I have regular customers in my town, who buy jewellery again and again, and I hope that it is not their last visit. I also cooperate with the owners of the wedding dress salon, thus the major share of my customers are would-be brides.

However, even regular customers are always hungry for novelties. How do you manage to surprise them?

I have to admit that while developing this business idea previously and to date I have been facing a lot of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is to surprise the customer and offer a quality product that is good value-for-money.

If you had an opportunity to sit at one table with the most world-renowned designers such as Coco Chanel, Gianni Versace and Karl Lagerfeld, who also designed accessories, and to ask only one question, what question would you ask?

I always wanted to know what the secret of their success is. If I had such an opportunity, I would ask namely this question. I hope that the answer would inspire me to create and try even harder. And now I am mostly inspired by customers’ feedback and compliments.

Does the Swedbank project “Everyone Can Be Big”, in which you are taking part, inspire you to create?

Absolutely. I think that this project is perfect for small businesses. It is a very good opportunity to show people what you are designing and share it with a wider audience. In addition, you can bring your products to other cities while participating in fairs organised within this project.

From a famous Lithuanian SPA centre to one’s own SPA space

Masseur Robertas Kantauskas says that he started his own business when he felt that he has accumulated a sufficient knowledge base. That’s how Miesto SPA zona (City SPA Area) was born. In the beginning, the specialist used to accept one or two clients per day, whereas today he receives up to ten clients.

How and when did you decide to establish a personal massage and facial skin care space called Miesto SPA zona?

I worked for almost a decade in one of the best SPA centres in Lithuania before starting my own business. Then I felt that I was already ready because I had enough knowledge to create my own working space.

You have mentioned that you had previously worked in large cosmetology and massage centres such as Baltora and Vilnius SPA. What biggest differences can you see now when you are self-employed?

In large centres, the processes are coordinated by many professionals who are experts in their field, whereas when self-employed you have to coordinate everything on your own: from client service, order of products to marketing solutions.

How could you describe Miesto SPA zona? What space have you intended to create?

Miesto SPA zona is relaxation in the urban rhythm. I wanted to create a cosy space and invite to forget everything that happens outside the SPA area for at least a short period of time.

What was the start of your business?

It was scary but also full of pleasant surprises. I understood that even with scarce resources you can start a business in Lithuania. However, it is highly important to know what final result you are seeking.

What is specific about SPA business? In your opinion, what should a person who plans to set up such a business know?

When establishing you have to know your exact SPA vision. The range of services, cosmetic products, equipment, even the interior design – all depend on the vision. I wanted to establish a small day SPA centre offering massage, body wrap, scrub treatment and facial treatment procedures.

What work principles do you follow while working and managing your business?

The most important is to do what you believe in. Of course, you have to consider the needs of your clients.

How has the number of your clients evolved since the start of your business?

I started with one or two clients per day. Today I accept seven or even ten clients.

You create signature massages. What are they? What is particular about them?

Signature massage is the massage that you – as a specialist – consider to be the most suitable for your client. It is like systematisation of available knowledge. My developed Lithuanian SPA massage is like cuddling and cradling by mother or grandmother in childhood. It is performed on hay with linen sash and is a perfect method to regain strength after a tiring working day.

You are constantly improving your qualification in training courses in Lithuania and abroad and are interested in novelties. What are the latest developments in the field of massage and cosmetics?

Ethnic and eco-friendly concepts are still relevant worldwide. A symbiosis of Eastern and Western massage practices. Eco cult also prevails in SPA cosmetology.

What is the best business lesson that you have learned while developing your business?

Understanding that if you have already started doing something, don’t be afraid and finish it. You will encounter difficulties but they will not be so scary as you might have imagined before starting a business.

Designer of ID Workshop accessories: about strengths that help lead in business

Indrė Šidiškytė, the designer of leather accessories ID Workshop, says that due to abundance of brands and products present-day competitive pressure is rather tense. However, it should not frighten those who offer high quality exceptional products. The designer revealed the principles she has been following for three years while developing her brand

What is the history of ID Workshop? How did you decide to design leather haberdashery items?

As far as I remember myself, I have always loved handicraft and when I was a student I designed accessories for myself. When I saw that others liked my works I was eager to create more. I was interested in novelties and sought improvement. That’s how leather appeared in my works and the first ID Workshop items were born.

How has your brand grown and evolved since the beginning?

I aim for aesthetics and perfection in my creation. You need knowledge and a lot of work to create a high quality item. You can achieve all this only if you constantly follow trends, search for novelties and do not stagnate. Gained experience gives an opportunity to better reveal yourself in creation. At the beginning of ID Workshop I only designed bracelets, and now I also make handbags.

What do you take into consideration when designing leather haberdashery? What principles do you follow?

I try to create such items that you could wear both at work and on other occasions. There are many colours in my designs, but everyone individually selects which colour suits our outfit and contributes to personal style. Stricter and more edgy details prevail in my works.

How did you attract customers? What methods did you use to spread the news about ID Workshop in public?

I find my customers while taking part in various fairs held in different cities. I talk to people, tell them about my products, help them choose. This helps establish a connection and people come back, buy gifts, ask about the new collection. Social networks also contribute to dissemination of information. I don’t want to limit myself to the Lithuanian market only, thus I trade on foreign online platforms, seek to spread news about me by sending out my works portfolio. Searching for customers is a constant work that requires both time and financial resources.

What are the biggest challenges in your business? How do you cope with them?

At present, there is a rather fierce competition: many designers, a lot of products. The customer finds it difficult to decide what is more acceptable to them and whether they really need this or that item. Thus, the product must be high quality and exceptional. Suggesting a new product is most difficult, because you do not know how the customer will accept it. In all cases, family support is very important. I am glad that my partner always supports me, expresses his opinion and gives advice.

What business moments do please you most?

People wearing my products. I communicate in fairs, suggest trying the item, and they reach out their hand and show me the bracelet designed by me. I feel so glad that the item bought is not hidden somewhere in a drawer but is worn every day.

What would you advise a person considering to start a similar business?

A person should primarily believe in his or her idea, be curious and improve in this field. You have to understand that business has ups and downs. Thus you should not give up and try to do your best to achieve your goal. Family support is very important, since it always motivates and encourages you to move forward.

You take part in the project “Everyone Can Be Big”. What could you tell about your participation?

I think that this programme helps be noticed and provides an opportunity to inform about yourself. This is the reason why I take part in it. I also took the opportunity to take part in Swedbank’s Christmas fair.