Behind us, the first business breakfast in Hajnówka
We are from the same city, and we don’t know many people, the entrepreneurs said. The breakfast met with a great response – 36 representatives of companies from Hajnówka took part in it. They were entrepreneurs from many industries, ranging from food services to car mechanics.
Breakfast took place on Wednesday, September 21 at the “Wrota Lasu” inn. They were organized by the Podlasie Regional Development Foundation. The meeting was also attended by experts from the Association of Polish Cities. First of all, we wanted the entrepreneurs from Hajnówka to get to know each other.
This is the first step in establishing cooperation and possible association in the future. The invited experts spoke about the advantages of this solution, as well as the idea of business breakfasts and the possibilities of obtaining EU funding to support business.
This is the first business breakfast in the city, we implement it as part of the Norwegian project. I think we have gathered here because we all care about the well-being of Hajnówka and the entire region of the Białowieża Primeval Forest.
The numbers show how important the role entrepreneurs play in building this prosperity. They are the ones who largely shape the city’s budget. In 2020, the municipal credit union was supplemented by PLN 13.3 million as advance payments for business tax, which is over 26%. budget revenues. The largest source of income is advance payments for employment tax, they account for over 45.5%. These, however, also depend on entrepreneurs, because they, apart from the budgetary sphere, create jobs and employ.
What is this auspiciousness? It is primarily the quality of life, which includes, for example, housing conditions, access to public services, as well as income, i.e. an attractive workplace. Demography is a challenge for cities such as Hajnówka. The number of inhabitants is declining in the entire Podlaskie Voivodeship and currently amounts to 1.165 million. According to research carried out by the Podlasie Regional Development Foundation, five people leave the region on a permanent basis every day. However, it is especially visible in small towns.
The fewer inhabitants, the fewer customers and fewer employees. I recently looked at the results of the last census. According to them, 25 percent of the neighboring commune of Dubicze Cerkiewne was left. residents. Our goal is to make life in local communities better, because it guarantees that the commune will develop economically and we will all benefit from it.
It is a project that requires the involvement and work of not only officials, but also residents and entrepreneurs – she emphasized. – It should help spread the city’s wings, and not end up right after settling the expenses.
To projekt, który wymaga zaangażowania i pracy nie tylko urzędników, ale także mieszkańców i przedsiębiorców – podkreśliła. – Powinien pomóc rozwinąć miastu skrzydła, a nie skończyć się tuż po rozliczeniu wydatków.
On the one hand, the project is to stimulate entrepreneurship in the inhabitants, hence the activities promoting the establishment of your own business, e.g. competition for a business plan for young people, which will be announced soon. On the other hand, to support entrepreneurs who already operate in Hajnówka. This is to be achieved through such projects as the establishment of the Local Product Center in Hajnówka, the concept of which we are already working on and which is to support local producers. Business breakfasts are also to support and build a cooperation network. It is a platform of understanding not only between the city and entrepreneurs, but also between the companies themselves.
I see the need to organize such meetings and I am glad that they will be held in Hajnówka. Earlier, I participated in similar meetings in Białystok. I believe that this is the right initiative that allows us to get to know ourselves as entrepreneurs. Of course, I know some of the participants, but not most of them. The opportunity to get to know each other is an opportunity for future cooperation between local entrepreneurs.
Tomasz Kayser, an advisor from the Union of Polish Youth, emphasized the role of local government in strengthening local entrepreneurship. The city should initiate cooperation with many partners, create a climate conducive to entrepreneurship, facilitate contacts, be an intermediary between various environments, as well as a partner willing to learn about the needs of others and open to co-determination.
I perceive the initiative as a tribute to entrepreneurs. I hope that these meetings will help establish better cooperation with the city, which will be not only a regulator, but also a partner. It may turn out that what we buy externally, we can buy from local companies. I also hope that more entrepreneurs from Hajnówka will join us and we will create a strong base through which we will exchange goods or services, but also experiences.
The first of four meetings this year are behind us, we have planned ten of them in total. They will be held every month.