New Entrepreneur
Name and Surname: Ivana Jankovska
Country: North Macedonia
Age: 27
Status: employed
Sector:
Name of business/website:
Host Entrepreneur
Name and Surname: Marina Aubert
Country: Belgium
Age: 42
Experience: free lancer and company founder
Sector: social entrepreneurship
Name of business/website: FitMynest SCRL / http://fitmynest.com/
Details of exchange:
Date of exchange: 15.03-15.06.2019
Duration of exchange: 3 months
Brief introduction :
The NE was present at the Programme called “The Journey” from the Climate KIC. There is where she developed her business project which was very similar to the project of the HE. The NE was searching ways to increase her skills for developing her business plan further. The HE main idea was to give her business a fresh international perspective and higher visibility on international level. The two entrepreneurs connect through a third person who works in the field of consultancy whom the NE met on the Microsoft Innovation Centre hackaton. The matching period took around 3 months within which the both entrepreneurs received a direct support from the IOs (Business Confederation of Macedonia and the Hub Brussels).
The exchange period involved participation on international conferences, hackatons, congresses for housing, expositions and festivals. The NE could get integrated into the Belgian private businesses sphere and meet with multiple potential donors and partners for the HE business. The NE was writing grant making proposal for subsidy and also made a research useful not only for the HE but also for her own business. The NE was also creating online and printed material in English for the HE and also learnt to create posts using WordPress. The NE and HE had created a very tight bound based on trust, support and understanding which will continue even after the exchange period has ended.
The benefits for the NE and HE are numerous. The NE learnt how it is that SMEs and start ups function from legal, communication, marketing and financial point of view. She also learnt about the possibilities that start ups have for funding and for cooperation within cooperatives. She also got to know Brussels through participation in numerous public events and gatherings. The HE received a fresh perspective from a motivated young person. She could receive new ideas based on international approach and also get a grasp on the European funding schemes for SMEs. The host entrepreneur had a person she could rely on for contacts outside Belgium and for creating content in English language. Furthermore, both entrepreneurs receive a trustworthy partner for their business international expansion.
“I was very happy to be given the opportunity to work in the private sector for the first time. In my country there is a current need for the development of the social and circular economy. I will continue being an ambassador not only for the EYE programme but also for including cohousing and social entrepreneurship in North Macedonia.” – Ms. Ivana Jankovska(NE)
“I am thankful to European Young Entrepreneur to give us the opportunity to collaborate internationally. It has been a good opportunity for FitMyNest to seed its ambitions at the European scale. Moreover, it is always a good lesson to learn from people coming with a different background. It provides humility and enables us to act with a wider perspective. These are essential to help us build a stronger Europe.” – Ms. Marina Aubert(HE)