Interview with Igor Rusnac, Microinvest client, founder of R. I. M Forward, international cargo transportation business.
In winter or summer, during a pandemic or on normal days, truck drivers carry out cargo transportation around the world, traveling long distances and overcoming all sorts of situations behind the wheel, to the final point and back. Igor Rusnac knows what it means to be a heavy truck driver.
In 2018, he founded his own trucking company for international transportation to the following destinations – Georgia, Turkey, Russia, and others. With the financial support of Microinvest, he managed to expand his business by purchasing new trucks. It all started with his first truck, which he drove for almost two years. That truck made the basis of R.I.M. Forward, which today has eight trucks and a whole team of drivers.
Tell us about your first experience as a truck driver.
Being a truck driver is interesting and difficult at the same time. To lay the foundations for successful international transportation business, you must first work as a simple driver, learn all the details of this work. My story as a truck driver began when I was 21 years old and I decided to get a category D and E license. A friend of my father was looking for a driver for a route to Russia and offered me a job. I had never driven such distances with a truck before, but the first trip was successful, I believed in my strength and got a pretty good paycheck. That’s how I became a truck driver and worked for almost two years.
How did you come up with the idea of opening a business in transportation?
My father came up with the idea. After working as a driver for a while, I decided to buy this truck on credit from Microinvest. To be honest, it was a very responsible decision, I knew that I would have to calculate everything as much detail as possible, especially the risks. And I became a driver of my own truck.
When we finished paying off the loan, my wife and I decided to start our own international trucking company. Maria is in charge of finances and accounting, and I am in charge of truck routes. We mainly transport colored glass to Georgia; we have an export contract with them. There are also import contracts with Moldovan companies. During the pandemic, we drove to different countries, such as Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Poland, Romania, etc. We carried furniture, mattresses, farm equipment, auto parts, and other goods.
What are the advantages of loans for business?
It is difficult to develop a successful business without loans. I think, 80-90% of all entrepreneurs work on credit. We took out a lot of loans and all of them were profitable because we knew how to invest the money properly. A loan is profitable, especially if you take it responsibly. For example, I know from the very beginning how much money a truck bought on credit will bring me, what my solvency is , what capital I can invest. There are and will be risks in any activity, especially in business. You just need to calculate them correctly and choose a reliable lender.
Why did you choose Microinvest?
Under advice. Today I also recommend this company to my acquaintances, because I have a great experience with it. Microinvest informed me very quickly of the decision on the first loan. I liked the approach to entrepreneurs, even the smallest ones, who are at the beginning of their path, as we were then. Since 2014, we have not had a single unclear situation or penalties. We have always been guided by the idea that the loan must be paid on time, and to do so every time. At first, we took out one loan, and until we paid it off, we did not apply for another. Now, when things are going better, we can afford to take out several loans at the same time.
* Microinvest is the only NCO in Moldova with the SMART international quality certificate. This certificate confirms a responsible and transparent lending process based on international customer service principles.
What are your plans?
We want to expand, buy new trucks and hire new drivers to our team. We are also open to new cooperation agreements with other countries. The pandemic adjusted our plans a little bit, but we still worked through the whole period and didn’t idle. Now everything has returned to normal, we are moving forward and we are constantly developing. We will also apply to Microinvest for financial support, where else? It is easy to cooperate with a partner like Microinvest, because everything already works on trust.