First aid in e-business

An online store is one of the easiest ways to own a business. However, many budding e-entrepreneurs have concerns: "Will my idea work out?" "Will I find customers?" The cooperation of the ready-to-use online store platform Shoper and Academic Business Incubators helps allay these fears - anyone willing to set up their e-store "on a trial basis" and see if it will pay off for them.

Incubators are special projects aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs taking their first steps in the business world. An incubator allows you to set up a company "on a trial basis" and run a business without actually registering it. Academic Business Incubators offer assistance in the implementation of ideas, organize training, workshops and specialized lectures that effectively introduce young entrepreneurs to their new role.

- Young entrepreneurs are increasingly turning to the e-commerce market. There are already more than 10,000 online stores in Poland operating on the Shoper platform, says Tomasz Tybon, director of marketing and sales at DreamcCommerce SA, the platform provider. - Thanks to our cooperation with Academic Business Incubators, we can provide them with the support they need in the initial stages of their business.

That's how the founders of the puroldesign.pl store offering accessories and gadgets started their e-commerce adventure. - We started while we were still students, initially in cooperation with the Academic Business Incubator," recalls Marcin Purol, one of the founders of the store. - Because of the almost zero start-up costs and the ease with which it could be done, we chose the only possible channel for selling our products at the time, the Internet. Their footsteps were followed by other e-stores offering a variety of products, such as chillbox.pl (gift boxes), ohdeer.pl (interiors and accessories) and bedrehome.com (furniture).

The agreement with Academic Business Incubators exempts the entrepreneur from certain costs, such as Social Security contributions - the participation in the program itself is paid. There is also no need to worry about income tax. Legal and formal issues are the responsibility of the Incubators, which are listed in the regulations of the e-shop as the responsible entity (owner). The e-shop provides AIP data as the company's registration data, because for the duration of the program the Incubators lend the venture legal personality. The agreement also guarantees accounting and legal care, service of the company's sub-account and even office space, if necessary.

At the same time, it is possible to run the business online without any obstacles, build the brand and expand the customer base - the management of the e-business, assortment, logistics and customer service are on the side of the originator. - Once the e-store begins to record satisfactory turnover and can sustain itself in the market independently, the originator can resign from participation in the program and start issuing invoices with his own stamp," explains Tomasz Tybon of DreamcCommerce SA.

Academic Business Incubators have helped 12,000 companies enter the market since 2004, with annual revenues of more than 60 million and net profits of more than 25 million.