The annual “Entrepreneurship Days” took place in the Murmansk region in nine time. A great number of actions, pointed at the small-scale and medium business, were included in the program. At the period from April, 16 till May, 26 the meetings with the Chiefs of the Municipal Formations, grand actions devoted to the first professional festival of the entrepreneurs – “The day of the Russian Entrepreneurship”, round-table discussions, competitions, seminars, conferences were organized.

The bestowal of the winners in the regional competition “The Entrepreneur of The Year” became the grand conclusion of the “Entrepreneurship Days”.

“You are a great safety-valve for the country. In particular, thanks to the entrepreneurship the jobless rate is decreasing, the family sufficiency has appeared “– with these words the Governor of the Murmansk region Mr. Y.A. Evdokimov addressed to the entrepreneurs, gathered together in the Convention hall of the Regional Government.

Yuri Alekseevich noticed that the state are trying to do their best, to develop the entrepreneurial activity in the region, to give a chance to the entrepreneurs to feel themselves comfortably. Nowadays the problem of the decreasing number of inspections is very urgent, the regional authority is responsible for the accommodation’s assignation to the entrepreneurs, and the new clean-up complex program is developing also.

Before the bestowal ceremony the Governor required the invited entrepreneurs from the whole region to share their problems which prevent the development of business. The discussion lasted about an hour. Different business aspects (such as social, financial and organizational) were touched upon. Businesswomen were interested in the question how to provide legal privileges for their families which applies to all people on the Far North.

- “I have been taken up business since 2000.In my practice I came across the problem which can not be solved at the local level and single-handed” – said Olga Gitkina . The children of the businessmen, worked at the special levy system, are not socially supported. The Government as the Social Fund of Insurance denies giving permits for our children, but they live in the conditions of the Far North and they need the rest beyond the region. This problem is very urgent for single-parent families where mothers are businesswomen and they bring up young children. In accordance with the law of the single tax (chapter 26, article 2, Russian Tax Code), we are not the single taxpayers. Though we are free from paying this tax, but at the same time we become the most unprotected group which is infringed by contrast to the taxpayers who work with the system of public taxation. The question of social insurance and hospital payments has partially been solved. But “the children’s” question is special and it has not been solved yet.

Many entrepreneurs concentrated attention on the opportunity to obtain credit. It is clear because at the beginning of your business you don’t practically have you own capital. And practically every entrepreneur faces with the difficulties of the credit arrangement as a start capital for the business development.

“This year we start two special program devoted to the support of new businessmen”- Mr. Sergey Semenov, the First Deputy of the Head of the Regional Department of Economic Development, informed all the those present.- In Accordance with the first program whose who will attend educational courses and will uphold a business plan, they will get money from regional budget with the low refunding rate. As on the second program the Regional Guarantee Fund will take part in it, the Regional Government will stand financial surety – 10 million rubbles. 5 million rubbles are the finances of the Regional Budget; 5 million rubbles are from the Federal Budget. Regional Fund of Support of Small Business (ФОРМАП) controls this program. If it works, the amount of finance, appropriate to the businessmen, will be doubled with the help of the finance from the Regional Budget. Moreover the credit rate wouldn’t be higher than 14%.

It is necessary to notice that this news caused approval and gladness.

-Wonderful! - noticed Nechai I.A., an individual entrepreneur of the agency “Prazdnik” from Severomorsk. This news is very important for her because Irina Anatolevna started her business in 2006 and nowadays it is a period when the support from the Government is essential.

“Incidence of taxation” is a way how the entrepreneurs called the responsibility to pay current taxes. When the business starts, the absence of the current assets is much felt and to pay all the taxes is very difficult for the businessmen. Today the problems of credit activities for the small scale business from the direction of bank structures are solved quickly and very often in favor of the taxpayers. Very often many entrepreneurs face with unpredictable and difficult problems which are not force majeure but these problems worsen financial situation. Because of this situation there is a suggestion to create a special “insurance” for the entrepreneurs, for example, tax-payment in installments or delay of payments. All these factors create appropriate conditions for the legal business. It is the future for business. All the businessmen are sure in it.

-“We start to develop a new program for the enterprise support for 2009-2011: new criterions, new requirements for the authority and entrepreneurs – the Governor finished off the discussion with these words. Your participation in the social and economic life of the region gives the reasons for cooperation. If you take part in this program, it will be necessary to create a working group, to invite honored people from this sphere. Let they work with us, do their best to reach the results. The document should be effective and productive.

After such a fruitful interchange of views and discussion of problem the Governor fell on the most pleasant moment of the holiday. It is a bestowal.

By the right of the solution of the competitive commission the winners of the annual regional competition “The Entrepreneur of The Year” have become:

- the nomination “ Start” – “Orion” Ltd. ( Snegnogorsk)

- the nomination “ Businesswoman- The Entrepreneur of The Year” - an individual entrepreneur Pasikova L. V. (Olenegorsk)

- The nomination “ Effectiveness and Development” in the group “other kinds of activities’ – “Ingenerno-tehnicheskay firm” Ltd. (Murmansk)

- The nomination “Social Responsibility and Charity” in the group “other kinds of activities” – “Urzu” Ltd. (Severomorsk).

- The nomination “The Best Family Business in Murmansk Region” Teleshev’s family business ( Telesheva T. V., Teveshev V.A., Teleshev A.V.) ( Monchegorsk).

I have been in business since 1996, - says the winner in the nomination “Businesswoman”, - my company produces and distributes bakery goods. We provide service for vulnerable social layers. We offer reduced prices for veterans and disabled people. We supply social centers, old people’s homes, boarding-schools, children's homes, municipal trade companies with goods.

Ludmila Vladimirovna has created bake-house “Kolos” on the basis of a wasteful production. She bought the plant and shop equipment from the previous owner. She developed the plant. The production is three times more than it was and the turnover makes up 850-900 thousand rubbles a month. The sales volume of the bake-house made up 9 millions 429 thousand rubles during 2007. A property complex (1000 square metres) for building a new manufacture was bought. Also a state contract for the first decade of 2008 as signed. According to this contract the bakery-shop is to deliver the bread for needs of the Northern Fleet. The number of personnel has increased in 1, 5 times – 34 people.

- Of course, the one of the most serious problems is a very frequent tax checks-up. Our factory is very big and the tax inspection supports that they should check up us more frequently because we use the simplified system of taxation. Today there are three checks-up. It takes a lot of time to draw up all the report, to meet revenue and audit services. It is a very urgent question for me. I am sure that it is necessary to regulate the checks – up, to make an order in this activity. For example, it is a good idea to check an organization one time in two years.

- Pasekov’s individual enterprise is going to increase a monthly turnover till 1100-1300 thousand rubbles, to create new working places because of the introduction into service a new bakery plant, the diversification, the introduction of new technology and equipment, the attraction of different new organizations.

- The baker’s work is not just a common work. When you bake bread you put your heart and soul into doing it. It is known that bread is a very important product. We can’t live without it, - told Ludmila Vladimirovna about the cause of the win in the competition “ The Entrepreneur of The Year”

- There are a lot of problems in business. It is difficult to count them in one second, - answered Markov O. E., the director of the “Ingerenrno-tehnicheskay firm”, the winner in the nomination “Effectiveness and Development”. First of all, a great documents circulation hinders our work, and often this documents circulation is very useless.Our form of the accountability is the same as “Gasprom” has. But it is ridiculously, - Oleg Evgenevich rebels, - 30% of my inputs are a book-keeping and finance. Finally, these factors decrease labor capacity and retard the production. For example, in order to buy a pencil, the accounts department and I need to sign about 8 documents.

Also there are problems to obtain a credit, to rent places, different bureaucratic difficulties and so on.

“Ingerenrno-tehnicheskay firm” (“ITF” Ltd.) – was organized in May1995. 13 years ago we started from selling the elemental cash registers till selling complex systems of automation. In 2007 eight working places were created. The salary of the staff is constantly rising.

“We have a very good collective. This is the main idea of the success. We bring up our personnel and do it very attentively” - Oleg Evgen’evich told about the secret of the successful business .We train the expert carefully, for a long time and put up huge sums of money in the process. The result is equal the costs. Because of this fact we are the best in the city and in the region.

All the participants of the ceremony noticed that the competition “The Entrepreneur of The Year” is a necessary competition. It gives a chance to the businessmen to get acquainted with each other, to share experience, opinions, and problems and also to present the company. Although there are a lot of difficulties and problems, but this competition helps to work successfully and to develop the ability to risk and to win, and to have a desire to work.

“If you want – you would reach the goals!” – is the motto of the present-day businessman.

Natalia Sholomova

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