We decided to review the interview of Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Potapenkо on the FranchTV channel. The businessman has an interesting perspective on doing business in Europe, whether entrepreneurs from former CIS countries are needed in the EU, and where to start a business here.
For reference, Dmitry Valeryevich Potapenkо is a Russian entrepreneur, economist, managing partner of “Management Development Group Inc”, and radio host.
We have practical experience of living and doing business in Poland, and we would like to comment on some points from the interview.
— “Europe is a big village, business processes run slowly, Europeans are quite conservative.”
In general, we agree with this definition of Europe. Europeans are indeed conservative when it comes to decision-making, and the further west a country is, the more pronounced this tendency becomes. When it comes to innovation, Europeans are trying to compete with America.
— “In Europe, there aren’t as many regulatory bodies, and their behavior is significantly different from that of our countries. Property rights are protected.”
We agree with this. In Europe, property rights are respected, and there is no “business takeover” here.
— “Working with the diaspora is a stupid trend.”
We also partially work with the diaspora, especially for entrepreneurs who want to enter the Polish market. But here, we’re talking more about the approach and attitude toward business and people. When someone is greedy and wants to profit off their compatriots, we oppose that approach. Potapenkо is saying that this is foolish because, with such an approach, the entrepreneur narrows down their market.
— “If you were nobody in your home country, the same situation will happen in another country.”
If you were not an entrepreneur in your own country, simply moving abroad will not transform you into a businessperson. We agree with this. Entrepreneurial skills won’t appear out of nowhere. So, when moving to Europe, consider your business education, find a partner with experience, and take an online or offline business course.
— “What you are given by birth in your own country, in another country you will earn for at least 5 years.”
We partially agree that when you move to another country, you will always feel somewhat “outsider.” This applies to both the mental barrier and the language. To understand the culture and values of others, time is needed. But that doesn’t mean this will last forever. The longer we live in Poland, the better we feel and the easier it becomes to communicate with Poles. We don’t feel any pressure from them.
— “When coming to Europe to build a business, you must be stronger than you were back home.”
We 100% agree here. A person must be strong and even a little stronger than they imagine in their mind. Business in Poland is the same as in your country, only a little more difficult because, most likely, you don’t know the language, mentality, and laws.
— “Few of ‘ours’ have built businesses in Europe.”
Statistics show that not many of our compatriots have built big businesses or corporations in Europe, but at least you are not “pressed” here, and business is stable. Business in Poland and Europe, in general, exists, it’s just different. Up to 60% of Poland’s economy is based on small and medium-sized businesses.
— “No one should help, at most, a translator.”
This approach works when you already have money and business education. But if you have a small or medium business, or you are just starting your entrepreneurial activity, it’s easier to use a paid consultation or get help from someone who is competent in certain matters.
— “Before opening a business, study it from the inside.”
In general, this is a recommendation for any business. If there is an opportunity to dive into business processes, do it, especially if you have an idea to create something innovative and competitive.
— “In all EU countries, the process of opening a business is approximately the same.”
This is generally true, the process of opening a business in European countries is similar, the only difference is the cost. In Poland, 1 euro equals 4 złoty, so, for example, in Germany, it will cost more.
— “We have no other object of work, only us. The environment is secondary.”
Golden words. Changing the country is unlikely to change something in your head. You must start with yourself. In most cases, how you acted in your country is how you will act in another.
— “In European business, you need to think about clients.”
That’s right. Most entrepreneurs we talk to from our countries are focused on how to pay taxes correctly, how to comply with government inspections. In five years, no inspector has come to check on us or issued a fine. In general, everyone here is reasonable.
What you should focus on is studying the market, the target audience, and marketing in general. This is exactly what Uniconsulting does — helping to understand the market needs for business.
