How to start a business in the region from scratch and accumulate a customer base from Briceni to Cahul?

Surely everyone at least once in his life thought about his own business. It sounds good: you become independent in making decisions and implementing ideas, there is an opportunity to earn a steady income, and maybe even become famous in the market! The final picture is perfect until you realize how many steps you have to go through: work out a detailed business plan, including funds for investment, purchase the high-performance and efficient equipment, create a decent team, and find reliable partners… And each step is followed by another. Moreover, statistics show that about 90% of startups fail. This is even more disappointing. However, the road to success is fraught with risk! At some point, you just need to decide to act.

Evgeny and Natalia Nerobelov, young entrepreneurs from Balti, created a perfect tandem both as a couple and as business partners. He is a third—generation specialist in furniture production; she – a young student of the Faculty of Interior Design. Out of a shared passion 20 years ago came an idea that they turned into a successful business. Despite the fact that the DBM factory is located in the north of Moldova, with its unique interior design and furniture projects, it manages to create comfort in family homes from Briceni to Cahul. Evgeny and Natalia prove every day that it is possible to run a successful business anywhere in our country. How did they succeed? Find out all the secrets from this interview.

Evgeny, Natalia, how did the success story of the DBM family business begin?

We have been engaged in interior design since 2002. I got into design as a teenager, and my husband’s family has been making furniture for generations. From our first meeting, we realized that together we would be a good team, both as a family and as business partners. That is exactly what happened. Our portfolio includes dozens of grand projects for clients from all over the country; we offer a wide range of services – from interior design to furniture and decor. In 20 years we have managed to evolve from a small company with a small office, where we took orders for furniture production, and then carried out sawing at specialized factories, to a large company with its own equipment, design and engineering experts, a spacious showroom, which we ourselves have designed and equipped.

Where does the creation of the design project and furniture begin?

Any project starts with an individual idea and a burning desire to create a unique atmosphere in every home. DBM is not just furniture, but a creative concept of comfort and functionality. A mandatory point is to organize the first meeting directly at the site for which we create an interior design or furniture project, to understand and feel all the details. After that, we make measurements, create a 3D project and, of course, coordinate it with the client. We do not start production until we are sure that the created project is exactly what our client imagines it to be.

Who are DBM’s customers and how do you differ from other furniture manufacturers?

Our customers are people who need practical and high-quality furniture, adapted to their needs and considering the specifics of each room. Both in Balti and throughout the country there are many furniture manufacturers, each is good in its own way. However, we have different approaches. We create not just interior items, but a clear concept of how they will be integrated into it. In addition, we pay great attention to quality. We only work with fittings and materials from the best manufacturers, because we want to give customers the confidence that they are buying the best product by choosing us. We create any furniture for the house: cabinet furniture of any complexity, for residential and technical premises, we can even make decorations for the interior. We understand everything we offer our customers; we are constantly improving and we do our job with pleasure.

What are the trends in interior design this season?

Minimalist design and practical furniture are trending this season. And comfort has become the most important “accessory”. Furniture pieces with lots of details and too exotic shades have given way to ergonomic designs with natural hues that are easy to integrate into any interior. Combinations of materials and textures of natural stone, wood, granite, metal, glass are welcomed. We are inspired by the ideas of our customers and, passing them through our experience and knowledge, we always offer the best product that meets their expectations, needs and, of course, their budget. We also help them at the final stage of interior decoration with design tips and accessories selection.

About cooperation with Microinvest. How important was the support provided for the development of your company?

At some point we realized that we could not provide the range and volume of services that we would like to, and that we needed to make a serious step in development. Large investments from your own funds are not always possible and require time to accumulate, while you need to invest at the right time. Microinvest provided us with timely financial support and we managed to establish a sustainable and productive partnership. They listened to us, explained all the conditions to the smallest detail, without hidden nuances and “pitfalls”. We took the first loan to buy equipment, the second to build a showroom, and we are still working together. We have been developing with small but confident steps and continue to strive to achieve big goals. It is very important for any entrepreneur to have access to transparent and reliable funding, we can safely say that in this regard Microinvest is the best.

*Microinvest is the only non–bank credit institution in Moldova with an international Client Protection Certificate. This certificate confirms a responsible and transparent lending process based on the principles of respectful customer service, fair and equitable treatment.

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1. Name and Contact Information of the Creditor
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3. Costs of the credit
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Annual Percentage Rate of Charge (APR) This is the total cost expressed as an annual percentage of the total amount of credit. The APR is there to help you compare different offers	%
In order to obtain the loan in accordance with the agreed terms and conditions, it is mandatory to conclude an insurance contract to guarantee the loan or a contract for another ancillary service.
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Any other costs deriving from the credit agreement	Fee for services rendered in relation to usage of credit, calculated and paid as follows: of the credit and paid by the Debtor on the date of granting the credit from own sources or is deducted by the Creditor from the amount of the credit The negotiation / prolongation of the credit can take place by mutual agreement of the parties, by signing an additional agreement, the Creditor being entitled to request an increase in the interest rate within the limits provided by the legislation in force. In case of negotiation / prolongation of the loan, the Borrower shall pay to the Creditor, at the date of the negotiation / prolongation a commission in the amount of 2% from the credit balance at the time of negotiation / prolongation.
Conditions under which the costs related to the credit agreement can be changed	The Sides can change the costs related to the credit by written agreement signed by both parties; For the non-constitution of the guarantees within the agreed term, the Creditor is entitled to calculate, and the Client will pay to the Creditor an Interest of delay in the amount of 5% annually, applied to of the daily balance for each day of delay, starting with the date following the term established for the constitution of the guarantee/ s and until the date of the proper execution of the respective obligation.
Obligation to pay for notarial fees / mortgage registration fees / fees for noting the prohibition of pledge in the Transport Register related to the pledge of means of transport (agricultural machinery)	Paid by the Client , except as otherwise provided in the pledge / mortgage agreement.
The cost for the valuation of real estate proposed in pledge	Paid by the Client directly to the Evaluator
Costs in the case of late payments Missing payments could have severe consequences for you (e.g. forced sale) and make obtaining credit more difficult
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In accordance with and arising from the provisions of art. 15, para. 7), lit. a) from Law no. 202/2013, any payments related to the granted credit (commissions, taxes, penalties, late interest and any other type of payment), except interest, will be applied and collected within the limit of the ceiling of 0.04% of the total value of the credit per credit day multiplied by the number of days of actual use of the credit (hereinafter 'Ceiling'). Therefore, the Lender will be entitled to apply and collect the costs, excluding interest, exactly in the fixed or percentage amount established in the contract if the said ceiling allows, and if the ceiling is lower than the value of at least one cost, excluding interest, then the Lender will be entitled to reduce the fixed/percentage amount and apply and collect any of the applicable costs only within the limit of the ceiling value. When calculating the ceiling, the costs already applied and collected will be taken into account, with the exception of interest, which reduces its value. (Representative example: if the amount of the penalty is 20 MDL per day, and the ceiling value at that time is 16 MDL, then a maximum of 16 MDL will be collected).

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Early repayment You have the right to repay the credit early at any time in full or partially	Yes
The creditor is entitled to compensation in the case of early repayment The Debtor may repay the loan in full or in part in advance, notifying the Creditor in writing 3 days in advance, and paying an early repayment fee of:	% from early repaid amount, if the period of time between the date of early repayment and convened maturity exceeds one year; % from early repaid amount.The early repayment can be made only if the Debtor has no outstanding debts on interest or other amounts to be paid in accordance with the Contract. % from early repaid amount, if the period of time between the date of early repayment and convened maturity does not exceed one year.
Database usage The creditor must inform you immediately and without charge of the result of a consultation of a database, if a credit application is rejected on the basis of such a consultation. This does not apply if the provision of such information is prohibited by law or is contrary to objectives of public policy or public security The parties may agree on additional terms and conditions, which will be included in the credit agreement.	Yes
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The period of time during which the creditor is bound by the pre-contractual obligations	This offer is valid for 15 calendar days after it is issued.
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