Until today, different businesses have been presented in lonac, the ideas from which they originated, their development paths. All these young and hard-working people who stand behind their works have been presented to our community. However, this time we decided to give space to slightly different stories. We want to present unusual business ideas with a series of articles, to praise young people who not only started something of their own, but also came up with something original and unique. For this reason, we bring you a series of interviews inspired by pioneers in their work, young people who have taken a step forward and created or launched something that has not existed in their environment before. They shared their experiences with us, described what the beginning looked like, what obstacles they encountered, but also what are the beautiful sides of launching unusual and bold ideas.
The first in a series of original businesses is Qlity.ba (KU-LI-TI from the English word cool and quality) founded by Amna Tuzović and Alem Hamzić in Sarajevo. These two young entrepreneurs started Qlity because they wanted to offer a new approach to everyday organization and functioning in business and private environments.
Based on research and analysis, they designed a set of services and products, such as event organization, various educational activities, development of business ideas or assistance in registering a company for individuals. For legal entities, the set of services is wider, so the Qlity team, among other things, offers trainings, seminars and training, planning and conducting scientific research, designing and creating websites, proofreading, writing and creating personalized greeting cards … Qlity’s vision is to become a company that will make life more productive, and below you can read how Amna and Alem imagined their dream job with the help of which they will make everyday life more organized and functional for others.
Nataša: How did you come up with this unusual business idea, what inspired you?
Amna and Alem: The desire to establish our company has existed for a long time. We aspired to have something of our own to build and develop, and it all started from our high school days during which we were actively involved in the NGO sector. It was our entrance into a completely new and different world that gave us faith that almost anything is possible when you want it and try to achieve it. Such vision, in addition to broadening our horizons, empowered us to think about the possibility of starting our own business. While we were studying, we wanted to gain additional experience and try in the business sphere, for which we were given the opportunity. We experienced what it was like to work every day and have normal working hours, but in such a system we could not find ourselves. We wanted more – the opportunity to work in a way that inspires us and takes us a step further. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to realize our wish and start a company. We put all our capacities on paper, did a market analysis and selected business activities based on that. This is how Qlity was created. 🙂
Nataša: What challenges were an obstacle for you at the beginning and how did you overcome them?
Amna and Alem: The first challenge “on the field” we faced was the company registration process, and this is probably not a surprising answer. Bureaucracy requires a lot of documentation, but a bigger obstacle is reflected in the lack of adequate and up-to-date information on what it takes to start your own business. Certain manuals and articles summarizing the steps can be found on the Internet, however some information is omitted or incorrect which can create confusion but also a problem when registering your business. That happened to us, but fortunately, thanks to the friendly staff at one of the institutions, we avoided the fine we almost received for inadequate information.
Nataša: Which phase in business development has been the most demanding so far?
Amna and Alem: The most demanding phase for us was the preparation and development of our business plan. We had ideas and a vision that we needed to concretize and place in the framework of the company. Designing the name, visual identity, content and layout of the website are also a significant part of this phase, as we were aware that these are key segments of our presentation. We also spent a lot of time thinking about our approach to work. On the one hand, we want to introduce innovation and have a creative and modern approach, and on the other hand, we want to be professional and instill confidence in our potential partners and clients. This is quite challenging for us to balance, so even today we face this dilemma and weigh around our presentation and work in general. From our experience, we advise all future entrepreneurs not to skip the preparation phase, because the time invested in designing and improving a business plan is investing in more successful business ventures.
Nataša: What is the most beautiful thing that this job has brought you?
Amna and Alem: Opportunity to be our own bosses brings many positive aspects. In the first place it is an opportunity to do the job we love, as we feel it is true happiness. In general, we spend a lot of time at work and it is a shame not to invest that time in business goals and obligations to which we have affinities. We see every day as a new challenge to move personal boundaries and get out of the comfort zone, because in this endeavor the only limit is ourselves. We also like the fact that we have complete freedom to lead Qlity in the direction we believe is the best, and to build a pleasant environment for our team, partners and users of our services. All this, of course, has its price, so other benefits that we have carry a huge number of obligations and responsibilities in terms of running the company, especially at the very beginning where we are at the moment. However, it is much easier for us to get out with them when we work for ourselves out of love!
Nataša: Is it an advantage or a disadvantage that your business is unique, that your competition is almost non-existent?
Amna and Alem: Both advantage and disadvantage at the same time. The advantage is reflected in the fact that we do not have to compete with other companies, but we compete with ourselves in in order to offer the best and highest quality services. The disadvantage, or rather the bigger challenge, when placing innovations is how the market – our potential customers, will react to something new and unique. We do not perceive competition negatively. We believe that it is desirable because we see it as an additional source of motivation to improve our work.
Nataša: Who is your product or service intended for, who is the target group?
Amna and Alem: Qlity offers services for legal entities and individuals, and we are currently preparing our products for the general public, which we will soon place on the market. In short, our target group is all those who, together with us, are ready for innovation.
Nataša: Who is your inspiration in entrepreneurship?
Amna and Alem: We find inspiration in successful companies that set standards in the labor market. Among them, we especially emphasize the IT sector, as it is one of the most developed that continuously introduces innovations in business. We are happy to follow their development and progress, especially the segment related to human resources. We are delighted with their approach to employees, which includes support and investment for their further progress, and the general aspiration to build a pleasant business community.
A concrete example in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the companies Softhouse Balkans and Symphony because we follow their innovations. We also strive to create such a working atmosphere in Qlity in which our (future) employees will be happy at work, successfully perform their duties and at the same time have enough space to make the most of their capacities. Subjective well-being is one of the most important aspects for us because we believe that happy employees do their job more efficiently, which leads to better work of the company and, of course, more satisfied customers.
Nataša: Do you have any questions about the lonac.pro community? Ask anything that can help you in the further development of the business, and we will do our best to get the answer of an expert from lonac.pro in that area.
Amna and Alem: Where and how can we get incentives for implementation of new ideas in our company?
Amna and Alem: Thank you for following and supporting small businesses. We’re glad you recognized Qlity and gave us a chance to introduce ourselves this way. We hope that there will be opportunities for our cooperation to the mutual satisfaction.
We thank Qlity for sharing their inspirational story with us, and in the coming period in the lonac.pro you can expect more original, creative, brave, and unique business ideas! Stay tuned!
If you found the story about Amna and Alem’s experience interesting, suggest us some unusual business ideas that we could write about!
