1-Please briefly introduce yourself and your business (Why, Who, Where, When, What, To whom):
My name is Ina Bitca, I am the owner of a travel agency in Chisinau. First, I open this business as an agency, that sells only air tickets After a few years we’ve broaden the spectrum of travel services and now we sell also travel insurance, tour packages, cruises, city tour etc.
2-Do you remember the exact moment when you came up with this idea? Did it look silly in the beginning? How did you feel then?
After 4 years of experience as travel agent, I felt that I need something more and I decide to open my own company. Some people were skeptics and they tried to communicate to me that this idea is not so brilliant, because we have to many travel agency in our country and is not possible to overcome fierce competition, but at the same moment I have people who support me: as my family and friends and they were my first clients .
3- After you came up with business idea, first 5 things you needed to do in order to put idea into practice?
1. registration of the company
2. find the perfect office for a travel agency (location, rent price)
3. buy specific softs for air industry: Amadeus, Gabriel - softs that allow us to book and sell air tickets
4. registration of the contracts with some airlines (AIR Moldova and some other business partners
5. employ a good accountant
4-From where did you get the necessary funds to develop your start-up?
In 2008 (the year when I registered the company) I need 10 000 euros. it was a loan from my parents and my personal savings.
5-What was the biggest challenge you had to face in the beginning? What are the biggest challenges you are facing today?
The biggest challenge at the beginning is: to find clients
Now: to hire hardworking people, that will support the growth of the company
6- How often do you recognize your failures? Explain your failures, the way you overcome them, and some lessons learned?
It’ not easy to recognize that sometimes you can failure, but you get up and move on.
All my failures teaches me: never break the rules and play fair with your partners and clients. In time this fairness will bring you success. In business the most important is the reputation.
7- Do you remember how many times you decided to quit? What are your biggest fears?
Many times, I want to quit and every time I need to face a really difficult problem, the first thought I have in my head is this: I solve this problem and after I close the company.
I owner of a company has responsibilities towards customers and employees. You can not quit you have to solve the problems and move to another level
8- What is the most rewarding thing about having your business?
Having your business, it means that you will never be bored, all the time you will be in perpetuum DRIVE. Personally, for me, the most importing thing is that I have the power to decide and influence with my decisions the life of clients and employees.
9-What played the crucial role in your success? What do you consider most important factors of a successful business?
Success is guaranteed by all the factors that influence your business, but I'd like to notice that reputation and customer recommendations are essential in our company
10- How do you manage work-life balance?
I Travel: every 3 months I try to have at least a small vacation, this allows me to change the atmosphere.
Books & Sport help me to have a balanced life.
At least in the last 3 months, I Impose myself the following rule: 6 working days and 1 for family.
11- What are your expanding plans? What opportunities/ barriers do you see?
Our next move is to increase the team and change the office, we are planning to develop the department of Incoming (domestic tourism) in order to elaborate new tourists’ routes inside our country and promote them online.
12-Did you ever consider starting a new business? If so, what would you do differently this time? In which industry/sector would it be?
Yes, all the time I think about a new business. I'd like to own a hotel.
13- If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out/ your younger self, what would it be?
Believe in your business idea, all you do - do it with passion and for sure you will be successful.
