Closed Media Systems and Company Visit

One of the things I found most interesting about the mirning lecture was the professor's discussion of the changes in propaganda during the Soviet Era.  One aspect of media that I was surprised to learn about is that it was also a way for citizens to express themselves and their complaints to the government.  This was not, however in the traditional way we would expect actions to be taken after a scandalous investigative journalism piece.  It became another way for the leadership to closely follow public sentiment and a chance to take action on fixing "mistakes".

In the afternoon, we visited the company Berrylife and spoke to their founder and CEO about his company history and future plans.  The company spent it's early years at Kraków Technology Park, an office suite dedicated to fledgling start ups.  Some of the benefits of this office same were reduced office rent and the opportunity to network with other start ups.  He mentioned that this is how they have met some of their free lancers.  In talking to him about the future, he says the biggest concern is growing from a small firm to a larger one if they choose to work with venture capitalists.  They have worked really hard to create an open and relaxed company culture, something which may not be as feasible on a large scale.  He is currently aware of all on-going projects, if not actively involved, something he said he will not be able to do if the company expands rapidly.

One of the most discussed topics on the trip has been the number of Polish college graduates leaving the country in search of higher wages.  I asked him if his connections abroad had been useful for generating new business leads, he said yes, but this was still only a small portion of his customer base.  He also mentioned that his business would be able to develop more rapidly if he moved operations to Germany or Ireland, but that is not something that he is willing to do because he loves Poland.

It's so interesting to see the similarities of startups in the US and Poland, facing so many of the same challenges.  I would say what makes the company different is the leadership style, the willingness to learn from mistakes and the caution of expanding too rapidly, particularly given the aftermath of the financial crisis in Europe.