Young Entrepreneur Tadas from Lukšiai on Starting a Business: There were a lot of people pointing at his incense

Like many young people, Tadas, in Šakiai district, Lukšiai, sought his vocation after graduating from school. The young man entered the exact sciences.

There are no miracles

The future entrepreneur studied technological mathematics at the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU). But exact sciences, theory without practice „so the young man went abroad in search of happiness.

The young man was tempted by the stories of the locals, that it is better to live abroad, to earn a living.

Unfortunately, the man who picked cherries and oranges in exile soon realized that there were no miracles in the world. It is the same everywhere, it all depends on us: we have to work both here and here in Lithuania. And much more willing to work and create in his own country.

Skeptically evaluated

If you want to have something good, do it yourself. Finally, the boy started planning a sneaker business idea.

The first sewing workshop was located in Tad’s house, his sister taught him to sew and his mother helped him.

„I can’t imagine working for others, I always knew that I would create something in my life ”, – he opened the shoe.

Getting started, as with many companies, was not very easy. Lithuanians, even their closest friends, are sometimes the most brutal judges and critics. They did not understand the impulse to produce, to create. Oh, and sewing, not so much a male trade. There were many people with their fingers in the incense.

People were discouraged, reassured that it was foolish, that they couldn’t make a living out of it. The curiosity is that after 3-4 years, all those pessimists radically changed their minds and said that I was just lucky, but there is no success without hard work. Now Tad rejoices that he did not give in to the pressure of those around him at the time, and stubbornly followed the set direction.

In the old school auditorium

After sewing slippers at home for many years, along with the help of his sister and mother, the man realized that as the order flow increased, new premises were needed.

It was not necessary to search for them for a long time, because the situation was dictated by the disappearing Lithuanian villages. Tad set up his own shoe making workshop in a unique facility. He managed to acquire the facilities of the assembly hall of the old school in the village of Plyniai. The expansion was incredible, with the 17-square-foot room replaced by a spacious 100-plus-square-foot room.

Of course, they were abandoned, they had to roll up their sleeves and undertake repairs. Take out the electricity, drywall, install all the sewing equipment, embroidery machines.

„The funniest thing is that you know that everything is put together with your own hands ”, says the teacher.

Well, and above all, her heart is happy that in her workshop a pair of sneakers with a unique design and tailored only for that person’s foot was born.

Tadas is proud to sew them even for Arvydas Sabonis himself, who needed a size 54. It has to be made from both camel wool and natural leather to individual order, and for swollen feet, so his work is very responsible. It is important that the shoe does not squeeze, the foot is like bedding.

Travel around the world

Now Tad no longer goes to the fairs, he has already founded a small community „Slippery ”. Much attention is paid to the development of the electronic store, the modernization of the production workshop.

Products made in Šakiai district travel all over Lithuania, people look for gifts, send Tadas notes created by them, which they would like to see on donated slippers to their relatives. The products had to be shipped to Australia, Sweden, Norway and the shoes also travel to Europe.

Creating and designing a unique note on a computer is not difficult. It is then embroidered on a no-sew slipper. Special equipment and skills are needed to transfer it to the skin.

We asked if a businessman does not plan to expand his range, sew something other than slippers? The entrepreneur plans development only in the field of shoe production.

The secret of success

When asked where the success of the business is, the Zanavykija sneaker laughs: “In my opinion, success is the consequence of failure.”

According to him, the most difficult thing in business is to take the first step, and then, when everything goes well, you just have to move down, there is no time to think about failures. In a situation, resolve it.

Summer is just a slightly freer period for the manufacturer, because seasonality brings its challenges, the range of slippers is full of linen, which refreshes the foot especially for summer, but you have to prepare for autumn and winter, so there is not much. work during the warm season, because new shoes already exist.

And since autumn you have to work long hours, even until December 31. The shoes are commissioned by companies for their teams, they are a coveted Christmas and birthday gift. People entertain their parents on the occasion of the anniversary by writing humorous notes, or young people place requests for themselves and their friends with popular images and phrases.

„In business, you never know what might happen the next day, so you always have to be prepared to make new decisions and challenges, no one says it’s easy, but it’s worth it ”, says the man who occupies a business niche unique.