First Days in Poznan

ARRIVAL IN POZNAN

It has been a whirlwind of activity since my arrival in Poznan last week Wednesday.  There is so much to report, but let me summarize quickly.  The 8-hour flight from Charlotte to Frankfurt was smooth and uneventful.  The 5-hour layover in Frankfurt was marred when I was struck by the flu, which lingered for about two days.  That made the 2-hour flight from Frankfurt to Poznan an uncomfortable one.   However, the reception committee at the Poznan airport, Dr. Jacek Trębecki and graduate student Martyna Dziubek, made my arrival pleasant and easy.  They sympathized with my discomfort due to the flu and got me settled quickly in my temporary flat.  The following afternoon (Thursday), I was well enough to view a number of potential permanent apartments with rental agent Błażej Dąbrowski.  It’s Błażej I wish to focus on in this post.

Błażej (pronounced “Bwah’-zhay) is worth a dedicated blog post because, in my view, he represents the entrepreneurial spirit of contemporary Poland.  A college graduate, he notes that his college business education prepared him for functional management positions in corporations, nonprofits or government agencies, but it did not imbue him with skills needed for innovative, idea-based initiatives that create or tap new and emerging markets.  Nevertheless, as a member of a new generation of Poles unrestricted by embedded habits of former times, Błażej was and is determined to immerse himself in the promises – and risks – of a market economy. 

His first foray into a venture enterprise, together with his brother, involved establishing a small shoe manufacturing and sales operation.  Their products were simple – sandals mostly.  They ran a small shop where they sold the shoes they made.  At first, Błażej reports, he was conflicted about charging customers a price for shoes that was more than the cost of manufacturing them.  He soon came to realize two things, however.  The first was that the customer was paying not only for the cost of the raw materials and the labor to make the final product, but also for the idea behind the product, the design, the management and administration of the operation, overhead costs, and even the marketing of the product.  The second realization came as Błażej observed the genuine pleasure the customers took in each purchase – they were pleased with the product and happy to pay a reasonable price for it.  This, he recognized, represented fair trade – in exchange for the cost of the shoes, customers received not only a quality product but also the comfort and satisfaction that came with the purchase.  This was a good model.  Regrettably, inexpensive imports, largely from Asian nations, soon marred Błażej’s early business success, and he needed to explore other opportunities.

Now, Błażej serves as a rental agent for clients seeking apartments in Poznan.  I found him several months ago through a Google search.  I was initially impressed by the quality of his website, especially the fact that I could view much of its content in English.  The site included extensive photo displays of available apartments along with detailed explanations of rental costs, including administrative fees, utilities and media (TV & Internet).  It also included a contact option, which I employed.  I had found several promising rental agents through my on-line search and sent inquiries to each, explaining my reason for coming to Poznan, the duration of my stay, and my basic requirements.  Though I received several responses during the following days, Błażej’s was the most positive and encouraging.  We soon established an ongoing virtual dialog that gave me a high level of confidence in his ability to quickly find suitable accommodations for my wife and me.  I was not disappointed. 

Błażej picked me up at my temporary flat on Thursday afternoon in his Seat sedan, and we began a well-planned agenda, visiting seven or eight apartments in roughly four hours, sometimes with the owner present, sometimes not.  He explained advantages and shortcomings of each in terms of location, features, etc.  He knows the city extremely well, so he could even describe the availability of nearby tram and bus lines.  All the while, he was making and receiving calls on his mobile phone, coordinating our apartment visits or fielding inquiries from other clients, both apartment owners and potential renters.   Still, Błażej’s focus was always on me, the customer.  As we visited and discussed the first several prospective apartments, he was able to narrow his understanding of my needs and wishes, which enabled him, as an astute businessman, to eliminate a few apartments he had originally considered.  All the while, he was both personable and business-like – qualities that augur well for his future success. 

In the early evening, he wisely suggested we conclude our formal apartment viewing and enjoy dinner.  We drove to the Stary Browar (“Old Brewery”) mall, a magnificent shopping and entertainment  center fashioned, as the name implies, from an old brewery (for my Milwaukee readers, think Pabst Brewery downtown); I will need to dedicate a future post to describing this wonderful feature of Poznan.  We had a modest but delicious (and excellent value) meal as Błażej told me about his professional path to his current occupation.  He quizzed me intently about how I had come to contact him and to choose him above other rental agents.  What words did I use for the Google search?  What was it specifically about his e-mail responses that engendered confidence and trust?  What made the website appealing?  He explained that there are roughly 400 rental agents in Poznan, and it was clear he was determined to be the best.  Moreover, though he is, of course, driven by the desire to earn a living, I would not describe his central motive as that of profit.  Rather, his motivation is the provision of a quality product or service that meets a genuine market need.  His principle is to adjust that product or service to suit the developing market need rather than to manipulate the client or customer into thinking there is a need where there is not one.  From this approach, Błażej recognizes, will come profit.  His business is growing slowly but steadily.  He recently added a second assistant to aid with the increased traffic his effective marketing is generating.  In that vein, he told me he is now recognizing the complexities of hiring the right staff and of training, retaining and motivating them. 

And Błażej is not resting on his current success.  He excitedly told me of his plans to expand his business to include temporary accommodations for tourists in Poznan.  He is especially focusing on the upcoming European Cup football (soccer) matches scheduled in Poznan.  He sees the potential for the thousands of fans who will come here, particularly those from Ireland, to enjoy their experience and generate a lively tourism trade in the months and years ahead.  If there are many more entrepreneurial Poles like Błażej, Poland will continue its successful transition, now well underway after more than 20 years, to a vibrant and solidly structured market economy. 

Błażej works with apartment owners Darek and Ola Krupa on my rental contract.

Oh, yes – Błażej found us a wonderful contemporary apartment, walking distance from the Stary Rynek (Old Market Square), conveniently on a bus line, and it even includes a well-appointed fitness center.  More on that in a subsequent post.  To learn more about Błażej and his rental agency, here’s his website: http://cityrentals.gratka.pl/ofirmie/.