The expansion of our Unique business to Split has reached its first milestone. Get a better picture of our Unique Croatian branch that celebrates its anniversary this December.
The origins of Unique People Croatia
Our Unique People family was founded 10 years ago in Košice, Slovakia and the idea of opening an office in Split emerged almost 4 years ago. However, because of the Covid pandemic we had to wait to make it real. The dream came true in 2021 and the branch office was established on December 8. We started with small steps and we successfully grew to have 18 Croatian colleagues in a year. We are so delighted about the progress we've made! In the following lines, you will be able to find some insights, thoughts of the company’s leadership, particular data relating to our progress, as well as visions for the future – so stay with us and get inspired!
How to make your mark? Stand out of the crowd!
When starting a new company branch, it can be difficult to make your mark among the local competition. For many entrepreneurs, starting a new business is the most exciting time in their lives. But before they can open its doors, they first need to overcome a number of challenges. In today's competitive business landscape, it is more important than ever to stand out of the crowd. For new businesses, it can be a daunting task. But with a bit of creativity and hard work, it is possible to make your mark and build a successful company. Also, having someone who is well-known in a local community with a good network makes life easier, doesn't it?
What does Denis, the Director of the Croatian branch say?
“It has been a time of excitement and change for me,” he claims. Since the beginning, he was convinced that it would be a great opportunity for him personally and he was excited to become a part of something unique to help the company grow.
“It's been an amazing year and I'm proud of what we've accomplished. We've made great progress. Being part of something that is being built from the ground up is always an incredible feeling, but doing so in a city as historical and beautiful as Split was truly special,” he adds.
The results are clear: with hard work, the branch became a reality.
So, what exactly have we achieved in Croatia?
First of all, let’s have a look at the previous year in chronological order. In January, the first 5 Java developers were employed, and we started working on a project in healthcare. March was a significant month because we became a member of Split Tech City. In May, we participated in DUMP Days IT conference. We continued hiring senior experts and students as well. The first international company teambuilding for both branches was held in Košice in June. We moved to our new permanent office in Split in September. Recently, we’ve welcomed our client from Germany. We've seen an increase in business from both existing customers and new ones in 2022. That is, in part, due to new experts that the Unique People branch in Split hired.
“The opportunity to move to another country enabled us to expand our service to other technologies to offer more than ever before, especially from the technological point of view. Moreover, we are constantly looking for ways to improve,” state the leaders of the company.
And even though having a prosperous branch office and blossoming business is splendid, we still consider “People” to be the best thing the last year brought to our team. Our extraordinary colleagues, partners and clients we met and made lifelong friendships with are the best reward for all the hard work.
Is it difficult to find the right people?
“The most important thing is to make sure that the candidate is qualified and will be a good fit for your company. There are a few things that you can do to help make the process easier,” says Blanka, HR/Office manager in Croatia. She would definitely agree that sometimes hiring is truly challenging.
However, she was able to manage to onboard and take care of almost 20 people already with the technical help of the current employees. Regarding technologies, the Unique People team was mostly focused on Java and Angular. However, by opening a branch, Unique People managed to expand even more of our tech stack to .NET and Low Code.
Even though all this required hard work, we at Unique People cherish work-life balance. Taking time off without feeling guilty or being able to disconnect from work when you're not at the office should be a norm. The huge advantage of the Croatian branch is that the employees are able to find time to enjoy beach after or during work. And not only them.
When it comes to cooperation, it has been a fruitful year
Regarding cooperation, let this be a reminder that together we are stronger. Therefore, both of our branches, the Slovak and the Croatian one, have worked together closely from the very beginning. The Slovak branch provides support in terms of general guidelines on how to do things. On the other hand, colleagues from Croatia have enough freedom to make their branch unique.
At the same time, we create partnerships with other institutions as well. „Our company has started to cooperate with many local communities and faculties. This development lets us have a positive impact on the lives of people in the area in Croatia,” claims Denis, who works closely with several universities to help them with their research initiatives.
“Each of these partnerships is important to us and we are proud of the progress we have made in this community,” he adds. He shares the company’s belief that by working together, we can make a difference in the lives of everyone in the community and in the region.
What shall we expect next?
We cannot wait to see what the future brings to our company. Denis has a clear vision: „As the Director and CTO of Unique People Croatia, together with the rest of the team, I have big plans, ideas and visions for the future. I would like to see the branch grow and thrive, expand our technology stack and offerings. I always look for ways to improve the branch and make it more successful. I also wish to see us increase our customer base and reach new markets. I believe that with hard work and dedication, we can achieve these goals. I am looking forward to seeing what the future of IT holds for us!
Thank you for standing by us!
To sum it up, it's been an eventful year for Unique People. We've seen a lot of growth and we're enthusiastic to see what the following years will bring. There are decades of success and expansion in front of us. But now, we would like to thank you all for your support along the way. Dear colleagues, associates and clients, we are grateful for the past 12 months. New challenges and new year, get ready for us, because our team is ready to triumph.
