Sandra, married for the second time for the second time: “After the tests, we started a business, the family is the one that inspires the most” | Lifetime

– Tell me whataip started your business history?

– The beginning of our business history is probably quite unconventional. We met my husband Rapolas, we got married, we had a daughter. While I was waiting, he went to work abroad and, it can be said, we became the typical migrant couple: a man earns money abroad, I am raising a daughter in Lithuania.

After all, those two separate lives and distance have changed our legs – we officially broke up a few years later.

However, as life later showed, it was only the beginning of a new story for us.

We decided to try again after the divorce. The man made good earnings abroad and returned to Lithuania. We got married for the second time and decided to start a family business, because if we want to live together in Lithuania, ensure a comfortable life for our family, we think we should start a business, just his.

We soon had a second child. So everything grew at the same time, both the family and the company.

– What business did you decide to start?

– As we both have a lot of experience in the hospitality sector, the man has been working in bars for 18 years, we began to provide bar exit service.

We started our activity in 2019. in the summer. We did everything on our own, as they say, from scratch. Over the years, the activity has grown a lot over time. Clients started asking if we had our own space for celebrations where they could come. Thus came the idea to expand their activities: open a vacation studio.

From the beginning we looked for a location in Klaipeda, because we are from Klaipeda, but for a long time we did not find anything suitable. One day I had a thought in my head: why not open a festive space in Kaunas? At that time, it seemed that there were more potential customers in Kaunas than in Klaipeda and at the same time, it was still not crammed with offer like, for example, Vilnius.

Everything happened in an instant, the man found a suitable place, and thus began the second stage of our activity, we opened a private studio for events and celebrations in the old town of Kaunas.

We rent this space to small groups of people who do not want to celebrate in bars or at home, but are looking for a unique place, beautifully equipped and without strange eyes. The space we create is not necessarily just for celebrations, it is perfect for business meetings, product presentations, photo shoots and any other occasion.

So far, in our opinion, a space for events and celebrations of this type “Hello Bar” It is the only one in Kaunas.

It was only when the studio opened for our holidays and events that we received a lot of feedback about the interior, the festive atmosphere we created, which made us very happy. We have really worked hard on each one, each with our own contribution to make our clients feel special with us.

– The first quarantine occurred only after starting a business, now, the second quarantine during the most festive period. How do you keep good humor and motivation?

– Although we cannot work, and many young companies can go bankrupt now, our main strength is that we are a family, it is a creation of our family, so we are very motivated to save our business.

Also, we believe in your idea. I know that everything always happens. And it will pass. I have a personal experience that has taught me that even what seems insurmountable can be fixed. We look for solutions, we talk and this is how one or another solution arises.

It is very important to abandon the illusion that “I can do everything”, that “everything depends on me” because it is not like that.

We are currently participating in other additional activities with my husband.

Education is close to me, so I returned to this activity. Now I am developing educational exercises for children, adolescents and adults. My husband was choosing an activity that had nothing to do with his profession. And when the quarantine is over, we’ll get back to the business we’re creating: the holiday and event studio.

– How to decide to start a business? It is precisely the risk in business that scares and deters the most. What advice would you give to those who are thinking of starting their own business?

– There is no reason to be afraid of losing money, and I also advise not to value other people’s opinions. If you don’t have that great financial fear, if you don’t ask “what if” questions, don’t focus on what your neighbors, friends, relatives will think, then you will have the courage to start.

It is also very important to abandon the illusion that “I can do everything”, that “everything depends on me” because it is not like that. Yes, we can often do more than we think, but there are certain circumstances that other people can always face in unexpected situations that can turn into opportunities. You may need to adjust your business plan, change future plans, and that’s normal.

Another thing I notice is that people who want to participate in their beloved activity often imagine that it should always be enjoyed, it is always good to keep going, but again this is not the case. No matter what dream activity we do, we will still have to do simple household chores that can be uninteresting, intrusive, and not really motivating.

We will also avoid mistakes to which not everyone knows how to react positively, so inspiration can also decrease. In addition, we will meet a wide range of customers, their opinions, so that even the most beloved activity will be everything from fatigue to the desire to leave everything.

Businesses are the most diverse and require different investments. I would first recommend looking back at your family, who can help in a number of ways, such as taking care of children. As you take your first steps in business, your first results emerge, which can be a stepping stone to new experiences.

The most important thing is to start, and then everything will roll, and you will move on. However, I would like to emphasize that this is not suitable for all companies; some of them require special investments, so without them there will be no new companies.

– What qualities do you think are needed in business?

– Like I said – don’t be afraid of losing money and don’t give in too much to other people’s opinions. I have met many entrepreneurs, people from different fields and backgrounds in my life, so I believe that certain character and character traits do not guarantee that a person will necessarily start a business and definitely be successful.

Often you work in a team, with a goal, so that different people learn to complement each other. It is very important to learn to tolerate insecurity, that is, there will be a lot of insecurity in business, you have to create everything yourself, no one will give you a job or a stable salary. Everything will depend on you.

Don’t be afraid of stress and change! The situation in the country is changing, you have to learn to adapt to the market and a growing business is inseparable from the changes it needs.

Even the most beloved activity will be everything from fatigue to the desire to quit.

– What did you discover in yourself when starting a business?

– During my life I have met many different, strange, different people, and our business forces us to communicate with clients, so today I can say that the world is really very varied. And those singles can be inspiring and surprising in a bad way. We create, we grow, the business undergoes changes, we have to adapt and that, without a doubt, is maturing.

I see that the further away, the more situations I can tolerate, endure, expect, overcome, and as a result my self-confidence grows. I understood and affirmed the saying that many times we can do more than we think, but we have to act, we have to experience lives and situations. Help overcome challenges, we get more wisdom, knowledge and skills.

– And how do you manage to reconcile family and business?

– I don’t think we should try to reconcile everything perfectly. I don’t believe in ideals or ideal parenting or ideal business. We work with my husband and we often hear the question if that doesn’t bother us. No, it doesn’t really bother us, maybe we even made up for the time the man worked abroad and lived alone.

My parents, relatives, when we work, they help the children to take care of me, and I think that is something positive. The more people there are in children’s lives, the happier and more secure they will be. That is just a bonus.

Learning to relax when starting a business is still very important and I wish you all. I myself, as I mentioned, had an educational business that I closed due to overwork and exhaustion. I did great, I received an award for the most innovative young educational company, but at that point I was already considering closing it. Not because he was unlucky, but because he was very tired.

Therefore, a company can fail not because it has no potential or because the wrong product is introduced on the market, but because the entrepreneur himself is tired. That’s why I wish everyone who is determined to start a business the rest, the ideas and the courage to take the first step.

I see that the further away, the more situations I can tolerate, endure, expect, overcome, and as a result my self-confidence grows.

– What are your future dreams in your business and in your life?

– Our wishes are very traditional: end the pandemic, raise businesses and children, create a more comfortable life, travel. Of course, we always want more, because no matter how hard we try, there is always room for improvement.