Empowering Communities and Small Businesses Through Connection and Action

By Kekeletso Nkele, small.news Assistant

Q: Can you just talk about the choice to stay, the choice to contribute, what that’s meant for you?

A: Slovakia is maybe half the size of some of the cities where you are living. So, the total population is 5.5 million.

Unfortunately, as in many European countries, we are experiencing a severe drain of young people. In many small cities in Slovakia, this is where young people return after studying or living abroad. So, if they are coming back and would like to experience that kind of cosmopolitan, multicultural feeling, being inclusive, and all that.

It’s a strong hub for small business collaboration. Large spaces and buildings become ateliers and studios.

I’m happy about my country and believe we all miss our shared connections, jokes, and experiences when away. Being home with family and friends brings a unique sense of belonging.

Q: What are the things you’re considering as you live in this increasingly complex place and the role that you choose to take in the midst of that?

A: To give context to the current environment, the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine was marked. I’ve stood with Ukraine throughout. What I’m witnessing in Slovakia’s political leadership is shameful. I’m truly ashamed of our prime minister’s actions.

Imagine that he decided to cut off Ukraine’s electricity supply one day before the fourth anniversary. So like, it’s really… the shame is cruel. One of the side effects is that the state is now exerting heavy control over NGOs’ accounting, and they are finding mistakes.

They are showing it as an example, like, you are saying that you are the good ones, but you are actually not the good ones. So, we have this big dilemma about what is good and what is bad.

Q: Is there anything you’ve done recently that you thought has been really either helpful or hopeful when it comes to figuring out what to do about the mess we’re in?

A: To answer this, I can use two examples.

One of the things we are working on now is that children in Slovakia read less than their peers in the rest of Europe, especially boys aged 12 to 18. It’s a total drop in reading.

We created a project where we taught students to fundraise and crowdfund from parents to buy books for the city library at a local small business. With this money, the library staff can purchase books and visit each classroom monthly, bringing 10 books to introduce to the kids. This addresses a gap we identified.

The other example is that we started working on a project at the local level of the local municipality, where we are collecting the data, where we are asking people, what would improve your life on a personal level? What do you need from other people? What do you need from small communities? It doesn’t matter whether it’s NGOs, small businesses, companies, whatever. What do you need from the local municipality?

And what do you need from the state to change? And then, after collecting this data, we will follow up on it, which we call the scouting event, where small businesses can come and say, ‘This was the demand.’ And we have this solution. We are trying to build a finance system that will actually present these things to local potential investors and all that.

Q: What are you most worried about for the small business owners in Slovakia?

A: We are in the consolidation period, we get tax raises and an additional three percent transactional tax on every transaction. So it’s unbelievable how much is happening. I’m afraid that many small businesses in a very unstable position will literally break down under it.

Q: You have a Magic Silver Wand, Lucia. Of course, it’s silver, and you can use it to do one thing for every single small business owner in Slovakia right now. What would you do?

A: I want people to recognize and appreciate their own value, which helps them build the self-confidence needed to pursue what they sometimes hesitate to do. I aim to give them the perspective of being seen through the eyes of their appreciative customers or favorite clients, to help them regain their energy and feel the confidence that comes from being in their full power.

Q: How do we support you?

A: I am content with my life, but I would appreciate hearing if our discussion today inspired you to take action toward a new community or initiative you have been considering. Knowing it encouraged you would mean a lot to me.

---

Do you want to shop small? Check out our new buy.small Marketplace!