They say that every successful company should start with a vision. What it means exactly is a vivid image of what you want your business to be at some point in the future. Having precise goals and aspirations will give you a clear focus and will help your company to be successively heading in the right direction.
In the case of Paweł Brodzik, that vision meant one thing: making windows and doors from Poland top export products by selling them worldwide. But even more importantly, he wanted to gain the trust of international customers – so that they know that Fenbro is a company they can fully rely on in the process of selecting and purchasing Polish joinery. Judging from the reviews left at the company’s Facebook and Google profiles, he managed to succeed quite impressively.
In this special interview with the founder and CEO of Fenbro Paweł Brodzik, we discuss the company beginnings, plans and values but also ups and downs of entrepreneurial life.
How did the idea of founding Fenbro come about?
I was getting tired of working for full employment. I had a dream to do something great, something no one else did before. I wanted to start right away with things that were impossible for 99% of companies. But I knew I had to focus on the area and products I had access to. You can’t invent something from scratch nowadays, because it simply won’t work out. I knew my strengths and I wanted to take advantage of them. I know I am good at establishing good relationships with practically everyone – plus, my talkative nature and the sales skills I was born with made it easy to make a significant start. My dad has been selling windows locally for more than 20 years so he taught me everything about the product, and gave me my first contacts to the suppliers. I knew that FENBRO was not going to be an ordinary company selling windows. From the very beginning, I wanted to start selling joinery overseas, on a large scale.
What values distinguish the company from others in the industry?
Currently, we are the only foreign company operating overseas on such a scale. We are providing every customer not only with a product, but also with delivery, installation, warranty, and full after-sales service.
The trust and satisfaction of our customers are the result of very quick response from our side, individual approach and providing the highest quality product and service on the market. It is worth pointing out that all of this is done remotely, for customers abroad. So a customer from another country will not feel that he or she is buying from a company located in Poland. Rather than that, already after the first contact, they will get the impression as if they were talking to neighbours or good friends.
We make sure that we build the best possible relationship with our customers from the very beginning. We want to help them select the best products for their needs so that they feel they have made a conscious choice and know what the final price consists of. Communication, in the buying process, is the key.
We know that the company is growing very quickly, constantly expanding its range of products – what drives your ventures and decisions?
We want our customers to be able to buy all the joinery in one place, at a very affordable price. We have solutions for every customer group. We ensure that the client does not have to look for products from different suppliers. It is possible to realise even very unusual design solutions. Thanks to us, the entire order will be delivered to your address in one delivery, on the same date. For our customers in Ireland, we also provide the installation services carried out by the best professionals on the market. Our offer is aimed at B2C as well as B2B customers.
So what are the next steps?
We are strengthening our position in Ireland to become the first choice for B2C as well as B2B customers. As of September 2022, we are entering Sweden, initially with the product and delivery, and later on also with installation services. In addition, the Swedish version of our website will be launched in the next few months. Next, we will be targeting the UK countries. These are the plans for the current year as well as 2023.
And the final question that I am sure many young entrepreneurs will be curious about – what is the hardest thing about running a company and what is the most rewarding?
The hardest thing is the lack of time and a huge number of different responsibilities during the day. Doing the things you don’t like and which you have to start liking. Not every day is great, that’s for sure. If someone doesn’t see any purpose in what they do, they won’t make it. The truth is one has to consistently slowly move forward day by day, no matter what happens. Running a business also means sacrificing some very pleasant aspects of life, like e.g. frequent holidays 😉 . But you have to see a higher purpose in all of that. For me, every positive review, every satisfied customer, is the best reward. The fact that our customers recommend us to their friends and family, proves that we are going in the right direction.
