Turning professional self-belief into IT solutions worth millions

As with many successful duos, Mišo and Anka had very different personalities. These have complemented each other well enough to help them overcome all the initial doubts and fears of starting a business. “My husband was always more daring and the one up for a challenge. I, on the other hand, was the one always thinking about the 'what ifs...' When he and a co-worker started out we weren’t sure if we would be commissioned for a project or not. All we had was our own capital, knowledge, our personal credibility and a great deal of persistence,” is how Anka, who joined the company in 2007 after the birth of their second son, remembers the beginning.

The company has enjoyed constant growth, so their success was quickly noticeable. The year Anka joined the company they were commissioned to carry out their first international project. “We had to develop a customized solution. The customer wanted to improve his competitive edge with the help of IT. The aim was to increase the sales of their products. When designing the product we coupled the customer’s domain know-how to our knowledge in development and user experience. The result of this venture was a solution which is now being used by over 100,000 users worldwide,” explains Anka, remembering one of the company’s pivotal business deals.

With the company’s growth came greater responsibilities. From acquiring new employees, marketing, applying for various open-call tenders, to human resource development and employee performance management. “When you work in your own company you initially don’t have separate divisions for each area of work. And as the company grows, you simply have to do many different things at once,” Anka remembers and explains how she and Mišo had to split tasks between them. Because of the diversification of solutions throughout various domain areas, the economic crisis of 2008 did not affect the company badly, although it did momentarily slow the rate of its growth.

Even today, customized solution development presents the largest part of Agitavit Solutions’ business operations. For over 10 years they are helping companies develop their employees’ potential through a human resource product called eHRM. In their portfolio you can find internal communication and cooperation solutions as well as support for project management and project portfolios. In recent years they are also working on The Internet of Things.

Anka and Mišo have always been guided by the desire to incorporate their personal values into their business. That is why Agitavit always puts quality and customers first. They are responsive, flexible and always stand by their word. Since every service or solution is a product of teamwork they believe in both knowledge and cooperation. Anka briefly explains the company’s values: “Knowledge is gained through day-to-day learning and from searching for better solutions. We never stop wondering how something that we went about doing in a certain way could be improved in the future. What is important is that we are constantly willing to change and improve.” In Agitavit knowledge is shared throughout the employees and team members always aim to help one another. Anka believes that cooperating with customers is equally important and adds: “We want to establish long-term partnerships with our customers. Our experiences show that open communication and high ethical standards pay off in the end. We share common values with most of our clients, so it’s no coincidence that we have been in business with some of them for over 10 years.”

The importance of values also comes across in Agitavit’s culture. Genuine, quality and friendly relationships between co-workers represent the heart of the company. This provides an atmosphere in which people go about their work with joy and overcome obstacles together.

Because demand for skilled workers outstrips supply so significantly in today’s IT field, acquiring new employees presents a special challenge. Anka is certain that due to both the interesting nature of their work and project diversity, talents will be motivated to join their team. What is also of importance is a good balance between personal life and work. “When our co-workers have personal obligations earlier in the day, they are always given the option to adjust their working hours or they can simply work from home. Those who have children in the first grade of elementary school are given an extra day off so that they are able to take their children to school. And then in December all of the families gather to welcome Father Christmas,” explains Anka of the company’s policies.

After a day at the office Anka returns to her two sons, who are now 13 and 15. All they care about right now is soccer. Since they often talk about it at home, Anka says they are both familiar with what goes on in the company. She stresses that she doesn’t want them to be burdened by having to work in the family business in the future and adds: “If their path takes them into the IT sector, and if they prove themselves in the field, they will be given an opportunity here. From a user’s point of view they are both already connected to IT but are currently at a point in their lives when they don’t quite know what they want to do in the future.”

She is certain that her sons do not feel that the company takes too much of their mother’s time. They understand that success is not easily won and that being an entrepreneur means hard work and commitment. They all discuss it regularly. “I don’t want to force them to continue on this path only because my generation created something. I know of families where the next generation was absolutely miserable because they were forced to continue the business. Each of them must find something that interests him and which they are good at. I don’t want to put someone in a leadership position who doesn’t want to be there.”

Being the best is the Agitavit Solutions vision. Their many rewards and accolades prove that they are well on their way to its realization. Among these they are most proud of the Microsoft Partner Of The Year Award, for custom development, and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce award for outstanding business and entrepreneurial achievements. Their trusted customers also represent a professional reward in themselves. They are the ones who appreciate their agility, reliability and their focus towards a common goal. “We make sure not to take our customers for granted and so we always strive to give a little extra so that they are happy with our work,” is how Anka puts it. “At the same time we are very much aware that the customers will be excited about something only when our employees are happy and that is why we take special care of employee development and try to ensure they feel content working with us.”