Even 15 years ago in the Kolodischansky village Soviet there was a labor migration of a large number of people to the capital. But now the situation has radically changed: Minsk residents come to work in Kolodischi – a rapidly growing and growing agro-town by population. This was due to the successful work of enterprising businessmen who built an enterprise “MAP ZAO”, an incubator of small business of an innovative type, 25 years ago in an unspoiled wasteland. Supporting start-up entrepreneurs, over the years, MAP ZAO has raised the prestige and well-being of the settlement itself, has carried out and continues to implement projects aimed at creating comfortable living and working conditions for the residents of the Kolodishchansky village soviet. On how business contributes to the development of the metropolitan region, we talked with the CEO of ZAO MAP ZAO Sergei Mikhailovich NAIDOVICH.
– Construction of a small business incubator was initially carried out with the expectation that in this building it will receive a residence permit and a socially significant object for the village council.
– We started our activities in 1989 – they helped young scientists to commercialize their ideas. Since 1992, registered as an enterprise of the Republic of Belarus and received a land plot for the construction of a support center for start-up entrepreneurs in Kolodishchy. Originally in this building they wanted to place the administration of the Kolodishchansky village executive committee, but later it was necessary to adjust the construction plan, after all the decision of the Minsk district executive committee was taken that the polyclinic should be registered here. The local authority took part in the construction of the medical institution, on our shoulders lay the responsibility for laying the engineering networks (built a transformer substation, an autonomous gas boiler house) and infrastructure development.
The newspaper “Prystalichcha” from 14. 03. 2014
– Your business incubator provides office premises for beginners in rent. In addition to democratic rental prices, what other attractive conditions do you have?
– We have various rental premises, among which very small in area, only 5-8 m2 – they are enough to accommodate one workplace. This is very important for a beginner entrepreneur, who is constantly on the road, at the objects or can not initially afford the high costs of renting an office. We also offer accounting services, rent a roomy conference room, conduct business consultations on a regular basis. At the beginning of the year, we invite specialists from the Tax Inspectorate for the Minsk region, who tell our businessmen and accountants about the changes in the tax legislation at a free seminar, answer the exciting questions.
– The business center is constantly expanding, projects are implemented taking into account the wishes of the villagers. What social facilities do you have and which ones do you plan to build?
– There is a bank in our business center, there is also a cafe where the villagers often order banquets. Some time ago the Kolodiscans badly needed a good food supermarket, because small shops and stalls needed constantly growing population did not satisfy. So, a year ago on the territory of the enterprise there was a universal shop “Belmarket”, due to which people had no need to constantly go to the capital for food purchases. Moreover, in the store for pensioners a 3 percent discount is provided.
It is worth noting that thanks to a private initiative, it was also possible to solve the problem of the absence of an ultrasound machine in a local polyclinic. We provided an opportunity for the entrepreneur to create a medical center for women’s health, where, in addition to services in the field of gynecology, ultrasound examinations of any organs are carried out. This greatly simplified the lives of patients who used to go to the doctors at the Borovlyansk Central District Polyclinic or to Minsk before for such services.
Residents are asking us to also help to ensure that there are enterprises in the agro-town providing household services, and that they are located compactly, and not “scattered” around the village. We have already completed the necessary design work and in the near future we are going to start the construction of a commercial range consisting of small pavilions, which will provide household services for the population, as well as shops and a mini market (the wish of our pensioners). Pedestrian paths, safe crossings will be organized.
– It is already known that this project will realize your long-standing idea of the development of alternative power supplies. How do you plan to implement this?
– On the roof of the commercial building will be placed modern solar panels, which will be installed by the Belarusian company. The solar energy coming from the batteries will allow us to start the operation of a power plant with the capacity of 73 kW, which will ensure our business complex, as well as some part of the settlement with electricity, will allow the networks to operate without jumps and failures.
On the territory of our company, we also plan the construction of an apart-hotel-rental housing, where employees of companies renting office space can reside. The new house will be provided with alternative power by the solar panels on the roof.
We create favorable conditions for people to get jobs, housing and the opportunity to use all kinds of social services in Kolodischi.
– Business development promotes the creation of jobs, thus, the issue of employment of the population is being solved. How many business incubator enterprises provide people with work?
– At present, our complex, built for small businesses, accommodates more than 130 enterprises, employing about five hundred people, and the number of employees employed in production facilities is two and a half thousand. Even in MAP CJSC, more than 50% of the employees are local residents. Strengthening strong business in Kolodishchy, we solve the problem of employment, which for today in the village council practically does not exist.
– Thanks to your sponsorship, a children’s playground has appeared on the territory of Kolodischanskaya school, where children can play after classes. How else is financial support for social institutions pristolichya?
– We closely cooperate with the local authorities, and within the framework of the Sustainable Development Fund “Innovations for the Regions” we carry out various social projects aimed at charity. In the field of our attention there are also social shelters, and territorial centers for disabled children, and nursing care hospitals … Over the past four years, such state institutions received assistance worth half a billion rubles, these funds went to buy household appliances, furniture, medical equipment. We want to attract businessmen of our business incubator with this example, so that they also, as far as possible, provide sponsorship where they need it.
– The project initiated by the specialists of your enterprise “Basics of Entrepreneurship for Youth”, aroused great interest and support from the leadership of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee. Tell us how this project is being implemented?
– In 2006, we developed a textbook “Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship for Youth”, where in an accessible and understandable form, information is provided on where and how to start a business. In addition, the book tells what kind of organizational and legal forms of business there are, how to make a business plan, also focuses on the professional orientation of schoolchildren, so that graduates can decide for themselves the choice of future professional activity, which will be not only interesting, but also promising. The pilot project was held in the Kolodischanskaya school, where the students listened to the trial elective course. After this, the team of authors developed methodological manuals for teachers of schools – teachers of this course. Since 2006, we are implementing this project throughout the Minsk region. With the financial support of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, in 2011 we reissued the manual “Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship for Youth” in a large number of copies. Books were sent to almost all schools in the metropolitan area. And for the second year more than 70 school business companies work here.
– How do schoolchildren who passed an elective course realize their business ideas?
– For example, high school students from Rakov created their own mini-travel agency and conduct excursions around their native land. Students from other schools are engaged in making postcards, souvenirs, sewing bed linens (if the material and technical base of the school allows) … That is, they try to conduct entrepreneurial activity, of course, under the guidance of teachers. School companies are structural subdivisions of educational institutions, children from 14 years old can participate in them. They work under a contract agreement, which is signed by one of the parents of the child.
– Do school business companies deal with the tax inspection?
– We brought to the republican level the question of giving these companies the status of “activities that are not equated to entrepreneurial”, in order to avoid real taxation. Students can play taxes in the form of games, but it is important for us that they do not have the responsibility, such as that of real entrepreneurs in case of non-payment or incorrect payment of taxes.
Children receive at least a small, but reward for their work, for their initiative. All of them get the understanding that the holy duty of every citizen of our republic is to pay taxes. The more they enter the treasury from entrepreneurs, the faster the state develops, the more comfortable it is for people to live in it.
Business incubator is an effective tool to promote the development of the region’s economy. Its task is to support the business initiatives of young scientists and entrepreneurs by providing them with office, training and industrial premises for rent, conducting seminars on the basics of entrepreneurial activity, business training on enterprise management, providing advice on topical business issues.
The article was published in the newspaper “Pristaliccia” of 14.03.2014