The entrepreneurial adventure begins
I’m Calzavara Laura, daughter of Calzavara Giancarlo, founder of Punto Ciemme, a company in the construction of exhibition spaces business.
The business adventure of Punto Ciemme has begun with the founder, who is my father, more than 30 years ago. My father, let’s say, was the classic carpenter with the laboratory at home, and over time he managed to build a consolidated company that operates in a complex sector like the one of exhibitions and fairs spaces and with a very varied staff of people, because we manage everything from the design phase to the engineering one, and then we have an internal carpentry and assembly teams. We have, therefore, a very, very strong and diversified in skills structure. This was, let’s say, the basis my father built, which he has then transferred to us. We are entrepreneurs, I speak in the plural because I am here, but we are between sisters, we are second generation entrepreneurs and we have traveled different roads before accepting, or better, deciding, aware of our choice, to take the witness that my father left us.
Unfortunately, let’s say, this passage was not simple, because it corresponded to a moment of poor health for my father and so it was a sudden passage, but the next phases have, however, allowed us to make a more conscious choice and to decide to continue with this adventure but raising a bit, in a more modern, managerial view, the management of this company.
The money to start
As for, let’s say, the finding of economic-financial resources to continue with the family’s company, clearly, being family business there was no need for me or for my sisters to have available an amount of money for the acquisition of the company shares. On the other side, we were living a period of crisis in the company, so it was a company that had to be restructured and the basics had to be redefined, the foundations to be able to manage the economic-financial part with more awareness and with more rationality, according to modern criteria.
What helped us? Certainly the use of funds and financing, that we really used in large scale, to be able to do an activity coaching, with a consultant. So, this activity was really basic to allow us to take control of the situation. Surely, we also reviewed the management of some benefits and of some burdensome situations for the company.
So, the inevitable cuts and reluctantly, let’s say, using social safety nets, which, in a family business that has always lived a business dynamic strictly tied to the relationship with its collaborators, talking about “cassa integrazione” (unemployment insurance) was a very difficult transition. At the time, my father was still present in the company and it was a choice he shared, but I have to say, trying to look forward towards a different future, and putting this decision in terms of a new beginning, the people showed great awareness and great willingness to accept a moment, even if temporary, that could be difficult.
So, from my point of view, at least for the experience we had, let’s say, the economic motivation has always been relative, in the sense that the resources can be found, they are around us and they are in the people with which we relate, which can contribute to a cause in the moment in which are held accountable and are involved in the cause.
A negative and a positive event
If I have to think about a negative event, I think of when I entered the company, because at that time there was a coexistence with my father, who, even if a reference point for the whole company and also for us sisters, still had modalities, visions different from ours. At that time, we started a consulting and coaching activity with a consultant and it was very difficult to positively involve people and to structure, let’s say, also activities that until recently hadn’t been carried on. For me, it was very difficult to accept, for example, that in some cases my father was the first who did not support these activities and even created a bit of havoc.
There were moments, sometimes, a little intense even among us and this was definitely a negative aspect , but at the same time it was also positive: it was positive because it allowed me to think of some alternative ways to be able to develop what we believed in and, a little at a time, with patience, looking for the relationship, trying not to give up, we managed to overcome even this obstacle and to carry on those that were the activities, even with a certain satisfaction.
Doing business in Italy
There is no denying that doing business in Italy is actually quite difficult. The context does not always help and, let’s say, that from my point of view, companies and families are the key points, perhaps even the only solid points of a real social welfare. The company, therefore, often needs to take charge of situations that are not strictly business related, but are still functional to the continuation of the business, the continuation of the activity. And it is not always put in a condition of actually being able to provide for these needs, not closely related to the operational activity, because the social and political contexts are not always favorable.
That said, I find that the motivation to continue to create companies in Italy is, for this reason, even higher, because understanding the intrinsic value of doing a company, in a context that evidently may be unfavorable compared to others, to others, let’s say, European contexts. Satisfaction, therefore, lies in the fact of saying ok, if I’m doing it, it means that we are really tough and this can be a satisfaction.
The key traits of an entrepreneur
Sometimes the entrepreneur is defined as a furious madman, and in some ways it is true, in the sense that he has to get up in the morning and find or otherwise have inside him a strong enthusiasm and a strong involvement in order to overcome the difficulties of the day. In reality this is true of any person who takes what he is doing seriously .
In my opinion, today’s entrepreneur must absolutely, first of all, find pleasure in what he does and must surely have a degree of communication skills towards his collaborators, because there are a lot of instruments, at an operational level, that can be learned to better manage a company, but certainly the relational part, the part, let’s say, more human is what can make the difference and must be a component that is managed with a good degree of transparency and with real sharing between people. So, on one hand, you still need to know how to manage teams and, on the other hand, involve people and give them growth goals and ask them to get involved as much as you are personally involved.
Definitely another aspect that, in my opinion, distinguishes being an entrepreneur is the fact of distinguishing himself from a businessman. The entrepreneur runs his company to have an economic return, but, in doing so, he tackles or must, let’s say, include in his activity a whole series of levels, which are not strictly connected only to the economic result. The cultural aspect, the formative aspect, the social aspect; there are many aspects to consider and the entrepreneur must be aware of the fact that all of his actions and choices have some fallouts on several levels.
Clearly, the final goal is the economic return, which is a result that must be reinvested and, therefore, it must in turn create some value, not only in itself, but also in a broader sense.
The future for the new generations
When I think of the future for young people, I cannot think of my son who is three years old, because he has a long way to go. Many, many times I question myself on how will be his future and I must say that sometimes I am a little worried, because the complexity of the context is under everyone’s eyes.
On the other hand, I think every generation has adequate resources to face the challenges of the moment it lives in, therefore, I believe that like all the other generations before mine and before, let’s say, the future ones, even today’s young people, and the one of tomorrow will be able to grasp the best of the society they will live in and will be able to innovate.
Surely, something that can make a difference, as it did in the past, is resourcefulness and perseverance, the fact to progress, to always look for an improvement, something that puts us in a position to do something different and better compared to what had been done previously and also a good degree of positivity, of happiness in doing what you are doing and of conviction.
IP Crew
