DepilConcept is an international franchise brand of the Beauty industry, which has over 150 centers and 300,000 satisfied clients worldwide. The recipients of the Master License franchise of this brand in Serbia are Irma Kasavica and Nemanja Nikodijević, and their first DepilConcept center in Serbia recently celebrated its 2nd birthday. On that occasion, I did an interview with Nemanja, who presented his brand to the members of the lonac.pro community, but also shared his experiences of franchising.
Danica: Hi, Nemanja! Thank you for agreeing to do an interview for the lonac.pro community. For starters, can you briefly introduce yourself and your business?
Nemanja: Hello! First of all, thank you for your cooperation and interest in the DepilConcept brand.
My wife Irma and I are recipients of the Master franchise of the DepilConcept brand for the market of the Republic of Serbia. We have been in this business for 5 years, and we started cooperation with the DepilConcept brand in 2018. It is an international franchise brand in the field of aesthetic centers, which was founded in Portugal in 2007. In addition to the home country, the brand operates in Brazil, Poland, Serbia, and from this year in the Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We are currently working on 4 locations in Serbia. The first center was opened in April 2019 in Belgrade, and now it also operates in Mladenovac, Zemun and Čačak. Our first next location is Novi Sad, where we plan to open the center in the fall.
Danica: As you know, lonac.pro is a community for activism and entrepreneurship with over 60,000 members, and almost 50,000 of them are young people. Many of them are taking their first entrepreneurial steps or thinking about improving their business. In this regard, how would you explain the concept of franchising to those who do not know what it is about? What kind of businesses can be franchised at all, given that there are prerequisites that must be met?
Nemanja: The franchise business concept is a great choice for starting a private business. The great advantage of entering the franchise system is that you do not necessarily have knowledge and experience from that industry or entrepreneurship in general, precisely because by purchasing a franchise you take a ready and already developed business model, work protocols, technology, knowledge and skills from a particular industry, i.e., know-how system brand. This is an additional security for all franchisees and the starting position is incomparably better and more stable, and thus the results and profitability of the business, from day one.
Danica: When you want to start a franchise, do you need some kind of prior knowledge in entrepreneurship and that specific area? How much does your franchisor help you and how much does his or her mentorship mean to you?
Nemanja: The support of the master licensor is of great importance to us, just as our support is of great importance to our franchisees. This primarily reflects the strength and quality of the brand. Daily cooperation and mentoring help to overcome obstacles easier and faster and to achieve the best results. The cooperation we have with our colleagues from Portugal is really extraordinary and we are proud of that!
Danica: When we talk about franchising in Serbia, it is mostly reserved for some well-known, high-budget franchises that seem untouchable to young people. What does it actually mean to start a franchise business in our country? What does this process look like? Are the regulations acceptable and how difficult are they to comply with?
Nemanja: There are several franchise brands in Serbia from different industries. You should certainly be careful when choosing a brand and partner, because franchise business generally provides for long-term cooperation under precisely defined conditions. Our advice, especially for young people, as well as for less experienced people in the world of private business, is that it is always desirable to be well informed about the basics of entrepreneurship before starting cooperation. In the franchise system of the DepilConcept brand, we offer all franchisees the full range of necessary information on the regulations and conditions for starting a business. We believe that the conditions are acceptable, and it is a good thing that the necessary information is increasingly available in Serbia as well.
Danica: What obstacles did you encounter when starting a business, and what kind of business did you encounter? Is it difficult to harmonize world standards with those we are used to here?
Nemanja: As in any business, expected and unexpected obstacles are an integral part of the job. Although markets generally differ, models and work protocols are the same wherever a brand operates, so obstacles are much easier to address. The support we have from the Master Licensee is of great importance to us in that part of the business as well, and that is another feature of a quality franchise chain.
Speaking of unexpected obstacles, the best possible test was the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have not even celebrated the brand’s first birthday in Serbia yet, and we had to temporarily close the centers due to the state of emergency. Not only did that not stop us, but in 2020 we opened 2 more franchise centers and expanded the number of employees, introduced new jobs and got a large number of satisfied clients. We passed the test and showed the real strength of the franchise chain. Given that the crisis that has befallen the whole world is slowly behind us, we can say that now is perhaps the best time to enter entrepreneurial waters. The periods after the previous great crises have always been the most fruitful for entrepreneurship.
Danica: Can you tell us more about DepilConcept? You are the only salon on the market that offers a written guarantee of success to your clients. How important is it to your business to maintain good public relations and how do you implement them?
Nemanja: DepilConcept is a narrowly specialized brand that primarily deals with treatments related to hair on the human body. We offer the highest quality laser and IPL/SHR epilation treatments, hot and cold wax depilation, face and body phototherapy, we also offer LashLift eyelash treatments and eyebrow correction and eyebrow coloring. In all our centers, we have the latest generation technology and the world’s most innovative work protocols. Only professional and qualified staff work in DepilConcept centers. These are the reasons why we are the only brand in our industry that offers a written Certificate of Results Guarantee for all hair removal treatments! In addition to services, we also have our Concept + product line, specializing in the treatments provided by us. All our products are manufactured according to high EU standards and can be purchased exclusively in DepilConcept centers.
A professional approach to each client individually, through free consultations, as well as the top results we achieve, lead to the fact that clients have great confidence in our brand. Satisfied clients are our mission!
Danica: Let’s look at it from another angle now. What does it mean to be a franchisor and what obstacles, and what advantages, does it bring with it?
Nemanja: Being a franchisor in a certain market is a big and responsible job. The task of the franchisor is to adequately transfer to all recipients all the necessary knowledge and skills offered by the franchise system. Also, almost daily support and assistance in starting and running a business is of great importance for all franchisees in the market. Precise cooperation is the key to success, and good results are the only real indicator.
Danica: Would you recommend young people to enter the franchise system? How would you recommend them which brand (and which area) to choose? How can they get brands that offer franchises in Serbia in general?
Nemanja: Before starting the cooperation with the DepilConcept brand, we were already part of the franchise system and then we decided to do franchise business again. That is the best indicator of how much we believe in this type of business. We would always opt for this type of entry into a private business, due to the many benefits and security that you get by buying a franchise. Research says that 97% of franchised private businesses continue to operate after the first year of business, and that 93% of franchised private businesses continue to operate after the fifth year! First of all, we advise young people to choose the activity they would like to do. The beauty industry is in the top 5 fastest growing industries in the world and in our country. If they decide on the activity of body care, I recommend the DepilConcept brand franchise. Be the best with the best! 🙂
Danica: Do you have any advice for young (future) entrepreneurs?
Nemanja: As young people, we have also embarked on entrepreneurial waters and we warmly recommend it to all young people who are thinking in that direction. You should not be afraid of risks and potential mistakes. Youth tolerates it well. 🙂 It takes a little courage and a lot of work and effort, but the most important thing is to further educate and improve ourselves over and over again. Knowledge is power! 🙂
