Hrovat Carpentry in Ceh magazine

Mizarstvo Hrovat is a family business from Domžale. In recent years, they have become a leader in Slovenia in the field of wooden outdoor equipment for the garden and the area around the house, and slowly but surely they are also making inroads into foreign markets. Those of you who attended the last business breakfast could listen to their story about the challenges of doing business in Austria. Jaka Hrovat spoke about the company, his father Marko, and himself as a future entrepreneur.

It began 54 years ago, when grandfather Franc Hrovat founded his carpentry business. Jaka Hrovat gratefully presents his grandfather’s entrepreneurial journey, and says that he still gladly visits the workshop: “For many years, grandfather Franc was engaged in producing semi-finished products for various manufacturing and construction companies, while he was also known for garden furniture sets, formwork slats, and various wooden elements needed for construction. The workshop became too small several times, so he moved it first to Gradišče, then to Jarše and Rodica, and since 1977 it has been located on Masljeva Street in Domžale, where we still operate today.” Time has brought many changes, but as his grandson Jaka says, two things have remained the same from the very beginning: they still process exclusively solid wood and place emphasis on the highest quality of their products.

20 years ago, the company was taken over by father Marko Hrovat, while his sister Tatjana took charge of accounting. As Jaka Hrovat explains, the last decade has not been easy for them. Along with the economic crisis that decimated many construction companies, including in the woodworking industry, digitalization also arrived. Many companies were unable to keep up with it, and at Mizarstvo Hrovat too, it was a time for radical changes. They work hard and with dedication, because they want to prove to themselves and others that they can move forward. Today, they can boast a Bisnode Certificate of Credit Excellence with an A rating and the Silver Mark of Excellence in Construction, awarded by the OZS.

The offer of Mizarstvo Hrovat includes refined Cubie garden houses, wooden facades, garden and balcony railings, pergolas, log cabins, terraces, raised beds, trash enclosures, brise-soleils, garden furniture, hot tubs, sales stalls, garden lights, storage shelves, woodsheds, and many other products. They are also present in the market for equipment for glamping destinations. At the moment, they devote the most attention to Cubie garden houses, which are their "flagship" when entering foreign markets. Jaka Hrovat says: "Mostly, it is the customers who have the best ideas, so it is very important for our business that we know how to listen to them. We take on many projects so that we can develop a new product and explore possibilities beyond our own limits, from which we learn a lot."

To stay "up to date," they read books, observe companies that set trends, attend seminars, and ask those who are better than them. They also attach great importance to digitalization, which just five years ago represented an opportunity for growth, but today is a condition for survival. Product quality is still in first place, while a good marketing strategy helps people notice them. They have several websites: www.hrovat.net, www. brunarice-lv.si, www.glampingsolutions. com and www.cubiegardenhouse.com, and they connect their stories through social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest), digital advertising, and other tools with the help of which, in the age of turbo-capitalism, they reach their customers. They also carry out this activity for other companies.

Jaka Hrovat lists a whole range of projects that they abandoned or "put on pause," as they prioritize them. Some projects were overtaken by time, for others they are still looking for the right technical solution, and for yet others it turned out that market conditions were not suitable. "I am convinced that every unsuccessful project brings new knowledge and experience. That is why it is important to constantly improve yourself as an entrepreneur." It still holds true that we learn the most from mistakes, our own as well as those of others. All of this can be a winning combination for success.

Continuous education and striving for up-to-date information are also important, which they also obtain from the Domžale Chamber of Craft and Small Business: "I can only praise the work of the Domžale Chamber of Craft and Small Business. They are fast, up to date, and ready to help. Today that is a rarity, which is why we appreciate it all the more. They provide members with quality information on interesting and educational topics that every entrepreneur should know. At the same time, they make sure that entrepreneurs operating in the local environment get to know each other. I can say that they truly do their job."

The head of the carpentry business Mizarstvo Hrovat, Marko Hrovat, has always raised his sons Jaka and Miha in an entrepreneurial spirit and had an ear for their ideas. Today, his son Jaka helps him develop the carpentry business, while Miha has developed his own brewery, Mister, which was one of the winning ideas of Štartaj Domžale and with which he has been present on the market for a second year.

He describes both himself and his father as workaholics. Each in their own field, which is why they complement each other well. “Father always starts from practical experience, and that is what he does best. He is the one who makes prototypes of new products in the evenings and on Saturdays. He is reliable, and very careful and honest when it comes to finances.” Jaka Hrovat says that he certainly learned this from him. He has all the necessary technical knowledge at his fingertips, and more than once he is the one who turns seemingly unsolvable situations into a competitive advantage. He represents the main link between production and sales and has answers to the toughest questions.

The young entrepreneur certainly knows a lot about wood, but in the company he focuses more on sales and product development itself. “I think a lot about the broader global story of the company and implement the set goals. In doing so, I combine knowledge of marketing, web solutions, modern entrepreneurship, personal growth, management of development projects, optimization of ongoing processes in the company, recruitment …” In the company, Jaka Hrovat is the one who creates something out of nothing. The knowledge he acquired in his online store Skuterist.si (and later Skuterist.hr), which he ran from the age of 16 onward and later sold, he now transfers to his father's company. In the process, he learned a lot of good things and became stronger, he emphasizes.

The best training is hard work, combined with continuous education of oneself and the team. He is convinced that this is the recipe for success. In his opinion, for a start, money or the right connections are not that important; rather, what is crucial is know-how, which every company shapes itself solely on the basis of its own experience. »It is better to start and get burned than to wait for the perfect opportunity. Personally, I know many Slovenian entrepreneurs who started practically without funds, and today they are eyeing markets all over the world. Without subsidies, without inheritance, without loans, and without connections. To me, these are the real fighters. It is a pity that for most Slovenians this sport is equated with crime.

The entire Mizarstvo Hrovat team consists of around 18 people; some have been with them for 20 years, and there are also many young people. As a team, they operate in a very organized way, and everyone deserves credit for that. They need to have broad knowledge, and because of the dynamic nature of the work, they are never bored. »There is a lot of creating, improvising, and constructing, which is often the reason we awaken the child within us. Of course, stressful situations also arise; that is simply part of the business.« They do not pay attention to the competition. They follow their own set path, trends, and digitalization. For now, this path is the right one.

We often hear that wood is not sufficiently utilized in the Slovenian economy. Jaka Hrovat's view on this is different: "Today, it is not important whether you are a woodworker, carpenter, metalworker, locksmith, glazier ... These are traditional industries that, without innovation, will only sink further. With the right products, which are the result of one's own knowledge and solve a specific problem for the customer, it is possible to succeed." It seems that most woodworking companies are not aware that today the biggest challenge is to sell the product, not to produce it. "Unfortunately, Slovenians only see as far as the neighbor's doorstep, instead of being interested in the world!" It would be right for innovative technology companies, which have created a revolutionary global story out of nothing, to serve as our example.

They think ambitiously. In the Slovenian market, they want to further expand the story with innovative wooden products and solutions. Their focus is directed toward customers who want quality execution, a professional approach, and reliability. They think globally, as they are aware that such customers exist all over the world. "Although entering foreign markets is often not easy, it is worth persevering and finding a way. We ourselves faced these challenges last year when entering the Austrian market, where the bureaucracy for posting workers is very demanding. After one year, we can boast satisfied customers who recommend our products to others." They are convinced that in Europe they have great potential with certain products from their program and that it is up to them to make the most of it.