Monokromo was established in April last year. It is run by a young married couple: Ewa i Łukasz Kromscy. They develop websites: from design and layout through integration with the content management system, optimisation, domain purchase, hosting to positioning and Internet marketing. They also do traditional printing projects: leaflets, posters, banners, business cards, logos, advertising materials, etc.

“We offer a full range of services,” says Ewa Kromska. “As far as the Internet is concerned, we deal with the artistic side, i.e. graphics, as well as with coding and programming and after-sale services. It is similar with other orders. We don’t deal only with the design, but later prepare the material for printing. We don’t want to call ourselves an advertising or interactive agency, because it might sound funny for a two-person firm, but we are surely going in that direction”.

Ewa and Łukasz –a couple in life and business – have known each other since childhood. Growing up they infected each other with enthusiasm and encouraged themselves to cultivate their interests and to act.  Łukasz became interested in computer graphics already in the secondary school and designed first websites for internal use. Ewa did not need long to rise to the bait. But she was also interested in printing. She studied management and production engineering and majored in printing at the Szczecin University of Technology. A year later Łukasz joined in.

“Throughout our studies we furthered our education. This was mainly training because at the university all we got was theory,” says Łukasz Kromski. “I focused more on programming and coding, Ewa stayed with graphics. She also completed post-graduate studies in website design. After the university we went apart, but only professionally. We both worked at various advertising agencies, publishing houses and we gained experienced and never stopped to learn. Finally, we reached a point when we decided that we were ready to do something on our own”.

The establishment of a company and related paperwork turned out much less of a problem than we often hear. It was more difficult to get funds. The young entrepreneurs tried, but to no avail. Finally, they decided that they were not going to wait any more and invested their own savings. The money was necessary for one work station, i.e. hardware and software. Together with the money for office equipment it all cost PLN 10 thousand. Right at the beginning they also decided to let an office for their everyday work.

“I know that a number of people in our industry at the beginning works from home. The reason is money,” says the co-owner of Monokromo. “We drew form experience of others and decided against it. First of all, we have a child who can effectively distract us from work, just like many other things at home. Secondly, sometimes we have meetings with clients and at home it's not always possible. It is also important to “go out to work” – get ready and leave home and work for a certain number of hours. At home it might not be that easy. So personally, I recommend having an office. Especially in Szczecin where finding a good location for a good price is still possible”.

Monokromo escaped the difficult start-up period. “Before we set up the firm, we had many orders from advertising agencies from all over Poland and now, as a subcontractor, we continue the cooperation,” says Ewa Kromska. “This way we felt secure and the company brought profits from the very beginning. Of course we have worse months, e.g. July, when everyone goes on holidays and we have much less work. Though usually we are kept busy”.

The young couple continues cooperation with the agencies, but keeps trying to reach individual customers. At present these are mainly companies from Szczecin. “This is priority for us because this way we make a name for ourselves and Monokromo is more recognised,” says Łukasz. “This is why we invest a lot in advertising and web positioning, because this is how clients most often look for website companies”. “Probably the best advertisement is happy clients,” adds Ewa. “We have a number of clients who have been recommended our firm. This is why we care so much about quality. We know that even the best advertisement will not help one bungled order”.

The owners are very happy about the freedom they have. Though the business requires a lot of work. Sometimes they work at home till late hours. “Of course, we could work less, but if you set up your own business you want to develop it and make money,” says Łukasz Kromski. “On the other hand, our working hours are flexible and we can work longer one day and shorter the next”. The couple has specific plans how to make their business grow. “The key objective is to win new clients and earn a name for Monokromo,” they say. “We also think about the German market because the demand for such services is high. In future we would like to hire someone to help us. But first we must be able to afford it. We worked in various places and at various terms, not always fair. We want to be a fair employer, because we respect someone else's work. So we will wait until we can offer a job with all benefits”.

Does marriage help in business? “We don’t’ think about it. So far, all has been well so we could say that it is a very good arrangement,” they say. “We don’t have problems with separating our family and professional life, because we just like what we do. It’s our passions so we are happy to discuss things also at home. It’s not a burden. On the other hand, we haven't yet had any particularly stressful situations. That would be a real test”.
ŁP