INTERNATIONAL TALKS – Srdjan Vasic
Arabic center for International Cooperation had opportunity to talk with Srdjan Vasic - owner and CEO at Satelit Premium Group, that has been operating since 2000 and has more than 100 employees, mainly in the Balkans and the United Arab Emirates. His group has won several awards for its business, and is involved in numerous humanitarian organizations and events. Our interlocutor has a master's degree in security and a law degre as well. Srdjan Vasic shares useful and interesting information about his company, business experiences and challenges and others. We are very thankful to Mr. Srdajn Vasic for finding the time for this interview and we hope that all our readers will enjoy it.
Basic information about you: full name, place of birth, place of residence, education and position.
I was born in Belgrade on April 24, 1976. I have a master's degree in security and a law degree. Have been working since age 17 and started my first company at the age of 19. I am the owner and CEO of the Satelit Group, which mainly operates in the Balkans and the United Arab Emirates. The main activities of the group are trade and hospitality, construction, marketing, consalting and recently the production of a completely natural product for instant removal of stains from fabrics and other materials - Flex Natural Cleaner .
Are you the winner of any business awards and if so which ones?
For more than two decades, the group has received many awards. A large number of awards concern the hotel industry, since we own a well-known tourist facility on mountain Zlatibor - the Klub Satelit. Lately, our favorite awards are for unique Flex Natural Cleaner. Company won the Business Partner Award 2019 for the best innovative product, as well as the Organic & Natural Brand Leader Award 2021 for organic and natural products.
What is your definition of success?
In addition to all those standard stories about happiness and health, my definition of success is when you clearly set business goals and then achieve them through all the planned segments. Sometimes you exceed your own expectations. After that, you raise the ladder and set yourself new goals, the achievement of which primarily makes you happy, and then helps the company, all business associates, employees, as well as the entire community.
What is your definition of a really good business team?
A good business team above all means good selection and systematization. It is extremely important that each individual has the workplace where they can contribute the most to collective success. As in sports, someone may be a bad striker, but he is a great goalkeeper. A good manager must recognize the qualities of his people and direct them in the right direction. Of course, every individual must feel satisfaction in that job. They must be motivated to fulfill their obligations, to be aware of company expectations, to see the future in the team and to feel accepted by other parts of the team.
You are very successful in business, you entered in the business world at a very young age. What pushed you forward: challenge or motivation?
When I started my first business at the age of 19, no one was behind that company. The time was difficult, there were no loans, no investors, nothing that would help the business in the beginning, except my own motivation and desire to succeed. That desire, with self-preservation and competition with oneself, proved to be the right path. For more than two decades, we had constant growth, with a constant readiness to change, to expand, to transfer to new markets, to start new activities. The desire to compete with ourselves leads us to the ability to change and adapt, which ultimately leads to success.
What are your business experiences and what are the business challenges that you are facing?
When you have been in business for more than two decades, then the experiences are big enough that there are usually not many surprises. The main challenge is that success is not given much importance, but success is extremely important to remain normal, to be stable in private life, both within family, friends and within your business team. It is also important that business threats and setbacks are not seen as a tragedy, but as an opportunity through which a later advantage can also be made. Sometimes it is necessary to go back one step, so that we can jump three steps in the next moment.
What is the secret of your success, how did your business achieve such results?
There is generally no strict recipe for how to achieve any kind of success. In addition to dedication and hard work, a few happy circumstances are needed. I would say that the quality of the team is most deserving of success. One must be aware that he is not the smartest, because that is the only way you can gather people who are better and of better quality than you in some segments of the business. In this way, we all complement each other in the common interest. It is also important that my team follows a common vision of success and that people at work do not feel like they are in forced labor, but that they feel the company as their own, because only such motivation will bring them personal success.
Are there any customer relationship tricks in your business and are you willing to share some of them with us?
I don't believe in business that involves tricks. A realistic and honest relationship with clients is the best way. Honesty is felt in every relationship. When you work with all your heart and an open mind, all you have to do is fight to the end, so mostly the dice are put together properly at that end. Sometimes it is not even about the quality of the fight, but also about the type of battle, more precisely about the type of business that a businessman enters. When you fight real battles, then everything else goes in your favor.
Your business is valued on an international level. What do you think, who appreciate your work and your achievements more, people in Serbia or people abroad?
I have been living on the Dubai-Belgrade route since 2017, so I think that I can more easily assess some things from a distance. I would say that there is no big difference in terms of my work, between doing business in the Emirates and Serbia. On both sides, I have a lot of business associates and friends with whom I can share my successes without envy. When a person achieves some success in his own country, then it is easier to be accepted abroad. There is always a question somewhere - why didn't you do it in your country. When you change your geographical location with such a rich biography, then you have a background to which people generally react positively. Both compatriots and foreigners.
With which international companies have you managed to establish cooperation?
We have cooperated with various international companies, whether they are hotel chains, distribution companies, companies from the travel industry, multinational companies, some of them have grown from small to very large companies. There are dozens of different companies in question, so I would not single out any of them. First of all, how could we not forget someone, because our attitude towards all business partners is the same. Whether it is foreign, domestic, small or large companies.
Since you are doing business successfully in Emirates, what do you think, Serbian products are accepted well on the Emirates market?
Serbian products are well received in the Emirates, especially when it comes from natural, innovative and food products. I advise all business people from Serbia not to be afraid of expanding their business to the Emirates market. Serbia has top products and top businessmen, not only for the United Arab Emirates, but also for all countries in the Middle East, as well as for many other regions of the world. We are a much better known country than we sometimes think.
We can often hear that some Serbian businessmen want to start a business in the Emirates, but they don't realize that idea. As a founder of Dubai Legal consulting company (whose main activity is company establishment), what do you think: what are the most common reasons that affect that? Is it because of finances, unexplored market, high standards in Emirates, too high expectations of our businessmen?
Since I am a proactive person who tries to use the opportunity immediately, I decided to put my experiences in the service of other Serbian businessmen who want to do business in the Emirates. Our company Dubai Legal deals with the opening of business entities in the Emirates, with the full logistical support of the legal and bookkeeping team in Dubai. Since I did not have such help when I registered my company in the Emirates, we know exactly how to best help others. In addition to legal and bookkeeping services, we are able to recommend to everyone what type of company is necessary for him and his business. We know exactly what each individual needs. We can provide everyone with serious consulting based on real life lessons. We have been cooperating with various serious companies for four years, so in addition to founding a company, we can help connect people, we can facilitate entry into the market through contact, advice or in any other human way. By the way, we know that sometimes expectations are high, so some individuals think that it is only necessary to open a company in Dubai and that this is already a guaranteed success. Dubai is like any other country, if you work well and have a good product, you will be successful, but nothing happens by itself. If you work more than you set out to do, you will have multiple profitability, because this is a market that has more money and investment. Dubai is great advice for people who want to place their products on the global market, because after Dubai it is much easier to place the product on another market.
How hard was it for you to transfer your business there? What are the criteria for doing business in the Emirates and how high are the standards for starting and surviving business there?
There was nothing difficult about moving to Dubai. When I was a tourist in Dubai for the first time in 2005, I started to think about living there in the future. When I moved to Dubai in 2017, I mostly ran several locations in the Balkans. So it was completely irrelevant whether I controlled the business in Belgrade from Skopje (for example) or I did it all from Dubai. Modern technology has enabled us to run businesses very easily in different geographical locations. Also, the entire business in the Balkans, this expansion in Dubai has given only additional credibility.
Why did you decide that Dubai is your second home? Was that decision influenced by some factors such as: good business opportunities, way of life in Dubai, or simply the climate conditions? Did the job influence the decision where the second home will be, or did the decision to start life in Dubai influence the start of the business?
I think that all of the above contributed a bit to the decision to make Dubai my second home. Lifestyle, climate and environment are something that suits me privately, but at the same time, business opportunities are great. So it all came together in one choice. Dubai has started many business goals in my company, and the family is happy that we live in such a beautiful place.
Can you single out one special project in your business, one that you will always remember or one that has brought you great success.
During more than two decades of Satelit Group business, there have been many different projects, tourism, hospitality, construction, marketing, consulting, trade, but each of them has given some success at some point. I definitely think Flex Natural Cleaner is something I would single out. Not only because this is a current project, but also because Flex is an extremely unique product, without competition, with great potential for placement on the worldwide market. So I’m sure Flex Natural Cleaner will mark the future business successes.
One of your most attractive products is Flex Natural Cleaner. This product is increasingly conquering the world. Where did the presentation of this product go better, in Serbia or abroad, and who are the creators of the idea for this fantastic product?
I have to admit that Flex Natural Cleaner is my personal idea, but one that has gone its way from idea to realization through the serious work of chemists and technologists. It is a completely natural product for instant removal of stains from fabric and other materials, without additional washing. Flex Natural Cleaner is more of a lifestyle product than regular cleaners. The beautiful design of the packaging allows you to carry it in your pocket or purse, so that you can react at any time to a new stain that can ruin people's business meeting, going out, wedding or any other life situation. Flex Natural Cleaner contains 97% water and 3% substances used in the food industry. So it is completely safe for people and the environment. That is why it is more than ordinary products from a similar category. More information about the product itself, along with examples of stain removal can be found on our websites (www.flex-cleaner.rs or www.flex-cleaner.ae) or on social networks.
Did you plan to introduce Flex to other countries in the Middle East?
The end consumer in every country is thrilled with the product. Flex Natural Cleaner has that wow effect that leaves people in disbelief when you instantly remove the stain from coffee, makeup, fruit, wine, etc. from their shirts. People are the same. There is a small difference in the perception of business people in the Emirates compared to some other markets. In Dubai, business people are maximally open to innovative products and products that contribute to the preservation of the environment. That is why Flex Natural Cleaner is interesting to many companies in the Middle East. We recently started selling in the United Arab Emirates market, but I believe that we will quickly expand to other markets in the Middle East.
In the Arab world, business secrets are kept within the family and they are passed from parent to child. Do you have practice passing business knowledge to friends or would you rather keep it in the family circle?
I highly appreciate and respect that fact from the Arab world: business is done and inherited from the family. My family is involved in my business, but most of my associates have been employed by the company for more than ten years, and individuals for more than twenty years. So I consider a large part of my business associates to be part of my family. There are no big secrets between us, except for the Flex Natural Cleaner recipe, which is unique. We are here to support each other, regardless of whether we are related by blood or many years of business cooperation. We are always open to new people who will share successes with us in the future. Maybe these new and young people will bring us some ideas that we still don't know exist.
At the end of this interview, we would like to ask you what is your advice for our readers, how to start a business and to be successful in it and of course do you follow the work of our center, and what do you think of our new magazine sector International talks?
The advice for anyone who has decided to start their own business is to start it immediately, instead of waiting for some better times, better financial situation, change of seasons, change of government, etc. Each time brings threats and chances for different jobs. Every attempt can be successful or unsuccessful. And the biggest chance will fail if you don't try an idea. Give your time, give your energy, work on yourself and the business will surely succeed. Remember that proverb that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Every business starts with a simple step - registration of a company. Of course, an idea is also needed, but don't forget that many good ideas remain just ideas, because no one has ever realized them. So listen to yourself and other people who have tried. I am sure that a lot of Serbian businessmen are where you can get a lot of advice for working in the Middle East market from the Arab Center. First of all, with the experiences of other people, in your International talks section. You can even learn a lot from someone else's failure. Don’t just listen to people who have never even tried anything.
- Editor – Jana Aleksić
- Lector – Kristina Manić
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