Article and photo's by Jeppe Schilder

The name Montenegro, or Crna Gora, means ‘black mountain’ While Crna Gora is the Slavic name, the name Montenegro most likely comes from Dalmatia where a language related to Italian was used until it became extinct in the 19th century

As the only country in its region, Montenegro was able to resist a Turkish domination that started in the fourteenth century and lasted for four centuries. From 1487 onwards, Montenegro was ruled by vladike (“prince-bishops”) from Cetinje. After defeating the Turks in 1878 Montenegro’s independence became official, an event acknowledged by the Congress of Berlin. In 1910, Nikola Petrović assumed the title of King but was subsequently expelled by the Austrians six years later. After the First World War Montenegro became part of Serbia.

During the Second World War, the Montenegrins fought along with Tito’s partisans against Nazi Germany. Their efforts were rewarded after the war when they received the status of ‘republic’ within Yugoslavia. While the republic was generally known to be loyal to Yugoslavia, Montenegro nevertheless declared its independence from Serbia after a referendum in the summer of 2006. In that year, both countries entered the 2006 Football World Cup in Germany as one country, Serbia-Montenegro, but left the tournament as two separate countries. The past two years in Montenegro have become known as the years of the Russians. Hotels and apartments along the shore are rapidly being bought up, and it is not always clear where the purchase money is coming from.

Its 600.000 inhabitants and 13.812 km2 make Montenegro the smallest country of the former Yugoslavia and a popular vacation destination. The scenery ranges from gorgeous mountains to breathtaking shores along the Adriatic Sea. Montenegrin culture is an interesting mix to which Montenegrins, Serbians, Albanians and Croats all contribute in a harmonious fashion. Orthodox and Catholic churches and Mosques can be found side by side.

A two hour drive from the capital at the Montenegrin shore, one finds the town of Bar. For many tourists this is their first stop in Montenegro, since the ferry between Italy and Montenegro lands here. In July 2007, Business Start-up Centre (BSC) Bar became active in this beach town and since September 2007 it has been operational. Ivana Timasovic is the director and she has hired Sabre Dragovoja and Radovan Orlandic as her two project managers. Ivana lived, studied and worked in the United States for five years. When she noticed a job announcement from SPARK in a local newspaper, she decided to apply. “I immediately imagined SPARK as a small, dynamic organization helping the everyday person to stand on his/her own.”

Ivana is ambitious and has high expectations. In the United States she worked for a fast growing company. “This is why I might be more demanding than other BSC employees. In the business world one has to be efficient in order to survive. It is an American frame of mind that has blown over to the Netherlands, and it should take hold here in the Balkans as well. Before long Montenegro will become a member of the European Union, but we do need to implement several changes for this to happen…”
According to Ivana, the current staffing is far from  adequate. “We have far too much work to do right now. Developing the business incubation centre is extremely time consuming and we do not have enough people at the moment to do the job. In addition we are spreading ourselves too thin in too many locations. People have heard on television of BSC and the Business Plan Competition (BPC) and gotten the impression that we are a large organization, while the opposite is the case. If I could hire two additional employees, we would be able to develop and execute all our projects.” This staffing shortage appears to be the result of the fact that BSC Bar is active in virtually the entire Montenegro. People from all over the country have shown an interest. For example, trainings are taking place in Podgorica which is a two-and-a-half hour drive from Bar.

Nevertheless Ivana does not support having an office in Podgorica. “Podgorica is a good location for attending university, but it is an extremely competitive business environment and the local municipality is not terribly cooperative. Here in Bar, we have an excellent relationship with the mayor and as a result we can do what we want to do!”

Logistically there is also a great need for improvement, according to Ivana. “Registrations for our courses take place on line. Yet, we have to input all the data that people provide by hand.”

The School of Economics of the privately owned University UDG in Podgorica has donated space for training sessions. Professors from this university work as consultants with the BPC winners and provide workshops in business plan writing. In this, it reflects the general approach of other BSCs. As in other locations, BSC Bar offers ten award winners a micro-credit and five office spaces. Moreover, all participants are given the opportunity to consult with experts from the field. “Without our help, most contestants might be able to start up their own company as well, but our aid sure simplifies the process. Everyone’s background is different and everyone comes from a different field. One has to communicate effectively with everyone. That’s what makes this job so challenging!” says Ivana.

35 year old Drago Zecevic just fits within BPC’s target audience. Montenegro is undergoing a transition during which the need for an internet revolution and globalization is gradually becoming apparent. Drago recognized this need and is responding timely to this emerging trend with his company in ICT logistics. His company ePort Bar has a broad mandate and offers numerous services in the area of e-commerce, internet use enterprise resource planning, data management systems and human resources. “We work from an office where we advise our customers on how best to design an infrastructure. We might then approach another company who can set up the system for them. I came up with this idea because most companies only sell computer systems. They sell computers but do not sell the expertise of how to use their product in the most effective way. This is where we come in: how to maximize the profit while minimizing the costs. A modern way of doing business. It deals with helping a company become as competitive as possible,” Drago explains. “There have been other companies that have offered comparable services, but they did not provide the entire package,” he adds.

Drago studied IT and was invited by the government of the United States to study the impact of information technology on the economy. He has gained additional experience from his work for local government offices where he recognized the need for his business concept. All his experiences are thus connected.

Drago requested a micro credit of € 10.000,-. His expected gross income after four years is € 10.000,- but he does not expect to make a profit in the first year and will have to find a way to support himself meanwhile. He therefore plans to run the business by himself during the first year but hopes to hire four employees later on. He also has experience in the area of business incubation centers: “In more developed countries such as the United States, it is also important to support new companies. As a result of globalization, companies are more quickly subjected to competition from foreign companies as before.”