Dear BEM Readers,

This week I would like you to meet a successful businessman from Krakow – Marcin Dutkiewicz. Marcin has created and runs the Cupcake Corner Bakery in the center of Krakow. I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing him, while munching on an out of this world cupcake (peanut butter) and a nice cup of latte. First of all what is a cupcake? Well it does not take an Einstein to figure out that it’s a cake in a paper cup.

Marcin opened his shop in June 2010, bringing the already hugely popular idea of cupcakes from the US, while working in the financial industry in Philadelphia.

Let’s see what he had to say about entrepreneurship, branding and the use of new social technologies in his business.

Chris:  Marcin, how did you come up with the idea of running a cupcake bakery & coffee shop here in Poland?

Marcin: At first, I had no such plans. The idea emerged, when I was working in a financial corporation in Philadelphia. Having had the experience in the food industry, opening up a bakery that serves only cupcakes and quality coffee in Poland seemed like a good idea, at least that is what my friends told me

C: What were the beginnings like?

M: Tough. We had a team of a few of my friends from the US, South Africa and Poland, all crazy about cupcakes and making the bakery a reality. It was hard work and a lot of intuition that we will succeed that pushed us forward to where we are today.

C: How did the Polish customers (very weary of their taste sense) react to your cupcakes?

M: At first there was a lot of confusion as to what cupcakes are. They were sweeter than any other cakes in Poland, so we had to tweak the recipe to make sure it fits the local taste. Through countless hours of perfectioning both our business and food systems we were able to devise the perfect solution.

C: I have seen that you use Internet (Facebook, Website) to promote your business. Has it helped you in getting customers?

M: Definitely. Especially when we were starting out the local media coverage was important in establishing our brand identity. Now, we are getting requests for new tastes of cupcakes and recommendations from happy customers. At Cupcake Corner Bakery we believe that word of mouth of satisfied customers is the best advertising. We are happy that our products and services are considered high quality. That is what we strive for and will not compromise on.

C: What are your plans for the future?

M: It would be great to have Cupcakes all over Poland (laugh). We are already getting inquiries from vendors in various cities across the country asking as when are we coming to them? It makes me extremely happy that our passion for baking delicious cupcakes, made from the highest quality ingredients and a world class customer service (still limping in Poland) is getting an approval from our customers.

The Cupcaker Corner Bakery’s slogan goes like this: „We bake happy-ness”

Next time you are in Krakow, make sure to step by for your piece of the happy cupcake heaven.

Krzysztof „Chris” Dargiewicz

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Dear BEM Blog Readers!

In the latest issue of the Business English Magazine you can read about the upcoming FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2022 inRussia and Qatar, as well as the London Olympics in 2012. But what about the event closest to the hearts of Poles crazy for football – the  EURO 2012 semifinals in Poland?

Well, it seems that the groundwork for the infrastracture has been all laid out and progresses more or less to the UEFA plan and following the set standards.

Yet there is a big issue just around the corner: how to get in to the event in the first place? It will be no easy feat for the football fans hungry for fun and cheering for their favorite team. Even tough, the Polish UEFA Board claims to release more than a million tickets for all the matches, there is a limited pool of those which will hit the stands. The official sale has kicked off from 1st March and will last till the end of the month.

What is the problem anyway?, You just go online and order your set, right? Not quite. First of all, there is only one place you can get them at – the official UEFA website, so lookout for scalpers and any other venues claiming to have them on sale as its illegal! Since the sale started a few days ago, there have already been some rip offs reported by fans. So before frantically hitting the „Pay” button online make sure to double check if this is the official UEFA website (beware of clones, that may look identical to it!) Read more here.

It seems as tough the interest will substantially exceed the available pool of seats. Great news for the organisers, all of the back service providers (hotels, restaurants, National Rail, etc.) and sponsors, but not quite making the day for the fans.

Ok, now you are aware of the threats, but in a wider perspective what does the EURO 2012 bring into the picture of the Polish economy on the map of the new, modern EU? A lot. The large pump-priming has taken place to ensure that Poland has all of the required infrastructure in place for the big event. Moreover, Poland will be in the spotlight in terms of the Tourism destinations. It will be competing against London, but in the long run a lot of new visitors will be attracted to visit the heart of Central Europe,still considered mysterious and exotic for most of the residents of the older Western Countries such as Germany, France, Spain, UK etc. This is a great chance for the Polish citizens to abolish some stereotypes about their culture and identity. And let’s not forget about all of the brands and marketers, who already have their sights on the upcoming surge of foreign visitors.

All in all, EURO 2012 will mark an official accession into the minds of other Europeans that Poland is not some far away land and will raise the awareness for putting it on the travel destination lists. At least, let’s wait to see it.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and see you next week!

Krzysztof „Chris” Dargiewicz

USEFUL VOCABULARY:

1.  upcoming – nadchodzący

2.  to be closest to the hear – najbliższy sercu

3.  to be crazy for – szaleć za czymś; mieć bzika na punkcie

4.  semifinals– półfinały

5.  groundwork –  prace przygotowawcze

6.  to lay out – wyłożyć; rozłożyć; zaplanować

7.  to progress – postępować; rozwijać się

8.  more or less– mniej więcej

9.  to the plan– zgodnie z planem

10.  to follow a standard – realizować wymagania/standardy

11.  just around the corner – tuż za rogiem; niepostrzeżenie

12.  no easy feat– wcale nie takie proste

13.  to be hungry for – domagać się; żądny

14.  to cheer for– kibicować komuś

15. even tough– pomimo

16.  limited pool – ograniczona ilość/liczba

17.  to hit the stands – wejść do sprzedaży

18.  to kick off – rozpocząć

19.  to last till- trwać do

20.  anyway – tak czy owak

21.  scalper – „konik” – prywatny sprzedawca biletów

22. venue – miejce; obiekt (np. sportowy)

23. to claim – orzekać; twierdzić

24. on sale – w sprzedaży

25. to beware – strzec się

26. as tough – tak jakby; jakgdyby

27. substantially – znacznie; znacząco

28. to exceed – przekraczać

29. service provider – dostawca usługi

30. to make the day – rozweselić

31. to bring into the picture – wprowadzić do czegoś

32. pump priming – zastrzyk gotówki

33. to take place – mieć miejsce

34. to be in place – być przygotowanym; na miejscu

35. to abolish – znieść/obalić np. tezę

36. in the long run – na dłuższą metę

37. identity – tożsamość

38. to have a sight on – „ostrzyć sobie zęby” na coś

39. surge -nagły przypływ

40. faraway land – daleka kraina

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Dear BEM Readers,

After exploring motivation, leadership, marketing and innovation it’s time to kick back a little. But don’t get that excited yet Have you ever tried to stop, rest and rethink the way you work? Probably not, as you are lacking the time to do it, right? Don’t worry you are not the first, nor last business person having this issue. As our  modern World gets more and more interconnected, global, innovative, motivated and full of leaders, it impacts our work schedules. That „to-do” list of tasks just gets longer and more unrealistic, doesn’t it?

So what can we do to finally stir a breath of fresh air into our careers? We need to take stress seriously. What do you mean? I thought stress was serious? Well, it may seem so, but we don’t think of stress as being serious and omittable. So as you are reading now take a deep breath and concentrate on these words: YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF HOW YOU FEEL. PERIOD.

Firstly, let’s properly define stress:

„Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” (MindTools)

There are 3 types of stress symptoms:

• Physiological (headache, high blood pressure, hear disease)
• Psychological (anxiety, depression, decrease in job satisfaction)
• Behavioral (productivity, absenteeism, turnover)

Through various studies and an array of research there are several stress management approaches:

Individual:

• Time Management
• Physical exercise
• Relaxation (yoga. meditation etc.)
• Social suport (family, circle of friends, work colleagues)

Organizational:

• Selection and placement
• Goal setting
• Job redesign
• Participative decision making
• Organizational communication
• Wellness programs

(Explore HR.org; Stephen Robbins, Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall)

There a lot of coaches, schools, organisations that offer stress management help. Here is one of them from the UK – JustBeWell.com

JustBeWell: „Stress Management the Easy Way”

The common denominator of success is to define what causes stress in your life and how do you respond to emotional stimuli (unhappy boss/client, layoffs, missed report deadline etc.) and see what works for you to change your reaction in a stressful situation. It is hard, but not unachievable.

What you can do when you are at work:

• Work environment: look around your office desk/room to see if you can make some room and ensure you have enough of space. Get rid of that pile of old email print outs etc.
• To-do List: prioritize what are the really important tasks for today
• Delegate: Once you have an idea of what needs to be done, distribute the tasks among team members
• Activity Log: keep a separate diary and make notes on went wrong (what stressed you out and why) and think how it can be avoided next time
• Team Diagnostics: who is creating the push back? Can you assign a leader who ensures things get done more effectively? This way some tasks will be taken off your shoulders.

The above techniques are just a sample of what you can do to reduce your stress levels. However, it is up to you to define what bothers you most and how to overcome it.There is no magic formula for that.

Take the first step of identifying the key problem areas,change old habits, measure results and kick back as the workflow improves.

Have a possibly stress free week!

Krzysztof „Chris” Dargiewicz

USEFUL VOCABULARY:

1.  to kick back – zrelaksować się

2.  to lack – brakować

3.  to impact – mieć wpływ na

4.  to stir a breath of fresh air – powiew nowości/świeżego powietrza

5.  to omitt –  ominąć

6.  to perceive – postrzegać

7.  to exceed – przekraczać

8.  the key denominator – wspólny mianownik

9.  to define – zdefiniować; określić

10.  to respond – reagować

11.  stimuli – bodziec

12.  to lay off – zwolnić kogoś z pracy

13.  unachievable – nieosiągalny

14.  to make some room – zrobić miejsce

15. to get rid of – pozbyć się

16.  to distribute – oddzielić; rozmieścić

17.  push back – opóźnienie

18.  to take sthg off somebody’s shoulders – przejąć czyjeś obowiązki; zdjąć ciężar z barków

19.  to bother – drażnić kogoś

20.  to overcome – przezwyciężyć

21.  magic formula – magiczna sztuczka, formuła

22. key problem area – źródło problemu

23. habit – przyzwyczajenie, nawyk

24. workflow – plan/tok pracy

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Welcome back to the Business English Magazine Blog!

Last week we touched upon the subject of teamwork and making great things happen. The latter refers to a big picture area- innovation.

Now what does innovation mean exactly? In broad terms it stands for „Invention: a creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation.” (Princeton University WordNet).

As a leader of a team (just like Steve Jobs at the team that invented the iPod) you have to see through to the „other side”, in other words enthusiastically rehearsing the „We need to be innovative! Yay! Let’s go make it happen!” line, will not be innovative.

Why do we need innovation at all? Well for a starter if innovation was not necessary we would be still sitting in our caves as the primitive man thinking of what to hunt for dinner. So by inventing the wheel, paper, pencil, phone, car, Internet and so on, it brought us to where we are today as a society and World citizens.

Today innovation is on top a priority „to-do” lists of large and small companies. CEOs and team leaders relentlessly look for an answer to the question of: „How do we become an innovative leader in what we do?” It is that much harder to have the right answer for it, as the question changes everyday depending on what our competitor, the global trend, or consumers themselves choose it to be. Sadly we don’t possess any control over it. We have to take a cautious notice of what’s going on around us, as nothing is constant in the global business world, interconnected in a huge network called the Internet. There is an upside to it tough, imagine being a shoes vendor 50 years ago and trying to figure out what your competitor is doing a few dozen kilometers away. Today the answer is a few clicks and a cup of coffee later.

Ok, so we have the tools, technology and it all seems rosy, right? Not quite, this is only the first stage of innovation- research. Then comes the scary execution stage – once we have the answers as to what our competitor is up to how do we occupy a space that he has not yet thought of?

To get some ideas visit Fast Company, which has just published a list of the „The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies”

Also, as part of their „30 Seond MBA” video interview series there are two interesting videos:

„How do you know innovation when you see it?”

and

„How do you generate innovation?”

I will leave you with the reflections for your company/team.

If you have doubts whether your innovative ideas will be successful with your customers, remember what Henry Ford said: „If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

I wish you a very innovative week!

Krzysztof „Chris” Dargiewicz

USEFUL VOCABULARY:

1.  to touch upon – poruszyć dany temat

2.  the latter – ten ostatni; końcowy

3.  the big picture – spojrzenie na dany temat z szerszej perspektywy

4.  innovation – innowacja

5.  in broad terms –  w ogólnym tego słowa znaczeniu

6.  to stand for – znaczyć, oznaczać

7.  to invent – wynaleźć

8.  once upon a time – pewnego razu

9.  to see through – widzieć na wskroś

10.  to rehearse – ćwiczyć; odbywać próby

11.  for a starter – na początek

12.  primitive – prymitywny

13.  society – społeczeństwo

14.  citizens – obywatele

15. relentlessly – nieustępliwie

16.  to depend on – zależeć od

17.  to possess – posiąść

18.  to take notice – zwrócić uwagę

19.  cautious – uważny; ostrożny

20.  constant – niezmienny; stały

21.  an upside to something – lepsza strona medalu

22.  vendor – sprzedawca

23.  to figure out – wymyślić; wpaść na pomysł

24. dozen – tuzin

25.  rosy – różowo

26.  research – badanie rynku; praca badawcza/naukowa

27.  execution – wykonanie

28.  to come up with – wymyślić;  stworzyć

29. to be up to something– planować zrobienie czegoś; knuć

30.  to occupy a space– zająć miejsce, przestrzeń

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Welcome again on the Business English Magazine Blog!

Last week we explored how various companies like Zappos win because of great customer service and „living” the values of an organisation. However, at the core of both these concepts lies something else: teamwork. Now we also said having a leader to miss is vital too, but a great leader won’t be „leading” if there are no people following him. Ok, so what is the big deal about teamwork? Not many companies/managers/CEOs acknowledge the importance of their teams and without them there would be no company to lead in the first place.

To best illustrate how teamwork should be properly adopted, there is a story about an unpopular computer company that (once upon a time) had rising debts, falling revenue and was basically on the verge of dissapearing from the market. Can you guess who?… Apple. What?! You might think it’s a joke, but actually in 1997 Apple was not that hot at all. In fact it was struggling to survive. What saved it was the iPod. A revolutionary device that did not exist in that form in a category that was not there yet (portable digital music players). What does it have to do with teamwork? A lot. The ipod was oficially released in 2001, however it was in the design/planning stage since 1997. Because of true teamspirit (mind that Apple was not a company to show off your employee badge to your friends), perseverence and vision, they managed to pull this off. The rest is history…

Read more about the iPod team at: http://www.fastcompany.com/article/how-a-team-at-apple-made-the-ipod-dream-a-reality

Another inspiring team is Google. The company itself needs no introduction as a technology giant and a world dominator in the online search and web applications. When they were launching the Google Apps suite, Google posted on their blog about the importance of teamwork (also check how Google suggests to use their Apps- http://www.fastcompany.com/1614933/five-ways-the-new-google-docs-speeds-up-teamwork).

It is one of the main attributes required at the Silicon Valley Tech giant. If you can’t work in a team, you can’t work at Google. Period. But this rule does not only concern Google. I am sure you value your team as much.

But lets take a step back and look at why teamwork makes such a difference:

1. „More brainpower” – „Two brains are better than one”; solving a problem or coming up with a contingency plan/strategy happens much faster and more effectively in a team.
2. „We are in the same boat” – If you feel pumped to go to work on a given day (let’s hope its everyday!), other co-workers pick up that vibe from you and the energy spreads.
3. „I got your back” – if you have issues, I am here for you. Strong relationships are key in effective teamwork.

Some of the above ideas have been adopted from the article on: „Teamwork at its best” http://www.fastcompany.com/1648449/teamwork-at-its-best

Make sure you foster teamwork at every step of the game, it matters as it lies at the core of all the other things: marketing/sales/accounting/reasearch& development/customer service etc.

Go take one for the team, just like that iPod crew and success will come!

Chris Dargiewicz

USEFUL VOCABULARY:

to take one for the team – „jeden za wszystkich, wszyscy za jednego”; poświęcenie zespołowe

1.  at the core – u podstaw, źródła

2. vital – kluczowy

3.  a big deal – wielka (mi) rzecz

4.  to acknowledge – przyznawać/uznawać

5.  in the first place – od początku

6.  properly – odpowiednio

7.  to adopt – zastosować

8.  once upon a time – pewnego razu

9.  extraordinary – ponadprzeciętne; nadzwyczajne

10.  Silicon Valley – Dolina Krzemowa (region w zachodnich USA słynny z firm technologicznych)

11.  in the first place – w ogóle

12.  debt – dług

13.  to make an extra buck – zarobić dodatkowo; dorobić się na

14.  to encourage – zachęcać

15. revenue – przychód

16.  to be on the verge of – być na granicy…

17.  to struggle – zmagać się; borykać się

18.  market category – kategoria/sektor rynkowy

19.  teamspirit – „duch”, energia zespołowa

20.  an employee badge – plakietka/identyfikator pracowniczy

21.  perseverence – wytrwałość

22.  vision – wizja

23.  to pull sthg off – coś udaje się zrobić

24.  an attribiute – atrybut; cecha

25.  period. – koniec, kropka

26.  to value sthg/somebody – cenić coś lub kogoś

27.  to come up with – wymyślić;  stworzyć

28.  contingency plan/strategy – kryzysowy plan/strategia

29. to be pumped to do sthg – być pełnym entuzjazmu, energii do czegoś

30.  to pick up a vibe – odczuwać atmosferę/energię

31.  to spread – rozsiewać; rozprzestrzeniać

32.  to foster – popierać, sprzyjać

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