When people ask me what I do, my answer is that I develop business networking organization that helps reliable businesses grow. Often, this sounds unusual and raises many questions. However, this path was not easy and did not start with some sudden enlightenment, but rather with a long and winding journey of personal growth.

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Innate Entrepreneurship

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I noticed my entrepreneurial streak as a child—I would earn money by selling a handwritten family newspaper. Later, in school, being one of the first to own a computer with a printer, I took on various text typing and graphic design tasks. Another "business" was selling music recordings to students from Denmark, as they were cheaper in Lithuania.

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"Entrepreneurial Fever"

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During my studies at Vilnius University, I gained education in international relations and political science. I was preparing to become a political scientist, diplomat, or bureaucrat. Over time, I realized that the predictable and lengthy diplomatic career, aimed at achieving the highest rank of ambassador, was not what I wanted. The unpredictability of the business world intrigued me, and it was there that I wanted to test my strengths, pursuing youthful dreams.

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I applied my analytical skills by working in a consulting company. I worked there for about three years, writing analyses, feasibility studies, and investment projects. The work was going well, but seeing no significant career prospects, I began to feel the progression of what Michael Gerber in his bestseller "The E-Myth" calls "entrepreneurial fever." Its main symptom is a huge, almost uncontrollable desire to start your own business, diving headfirst in the hope that it will lead to freedom and the fulfillment of dreams.

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The First Attempt

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This intense desire to start my own business led to my first serious venture—a tanning studio in a midsize town in Lithuania. We wrote a youthful and optimistic business plan, opened the company, found and equipped the premises, leased the equipment, hired staff, crossed our fingers, and launched. And needless to say—it wasn’t easy. I remember getting an unexpected call during work in Vilnius that a sewage pipe had burst in the tanning studio's toilet. I had to urgently ask for leave, jump in the car, roll up my sleeves, and drive 70 kilometers to solve the problem. This, along with many other equally tragicomic episodes (such as distributing flyers near a local shopping center and inviting passersby to prepare for bikini season), taught me one of the most important business lessons—starting a business, while not easy, is perhaps the simplest task in an entrepreneur's journey. What follows are countless hours of work, constant stress, and endless problem-solving.

 

oreover, after putting in enormous effort and all your capital, almost all the hard-earned money is paid in taxes, loans, salaries, and to suppliers. Eventually, exhausted and disillusioned, if you haven't fallen out with your partners, the business either goes bankrupt or is sold for a pittance, which is what we eventually did.

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The Path to Success

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Although the first business did not end in financial success, it was the best non-university business management program, through which I gained practical knowledge and skills in marketing, finance, human resources, and business organization. I left my full time job and made my former employer an offer he couldn't refuse—to establish a joint company on equal terms. Thus, in 2007, the company ES PRO, which provides EU funding consultations, was launched and has been growing successfully for over 16 years.

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The 2008 crisis forced me to grab onto "cold calls" like a drowning man, and constantly push myself to press the "call" button to unknown numbers. Friedrich Nietzsche's phrase "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger" inspired me to read one sales book after another, learn, improve, step out of my comfort zone, and that was enough not only for stable business growth but also encouraged me to start a training business.

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Later, by chance, I attended a business franchise exhibition and purchased a RE/MAX franchise, even though I had no experience in real estate. This was yet another tough challenge, but it led me to a fateful meeting with BNI.

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One Business Franchise Led to Another

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The pivotal moment came when, out of respect for a friend, I agreed to attend a presentation of a networking organization he found online. At the meeting, not only did I get to know other entrepreneurs, but I also learned about BNI and its principles for the first time. I realized that business could be developed differently than I had done before.

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At first, the idea of BNI seemed strange to me—building a business through networking and referrals, rather than through traditional sales methods, was new and unusual. However, it was this system, that eventually became my greatest business achievement.

 

At the beginning, it was difficult—even my best friends doubted whether this "American" system would take root in Lithuania. It required a lot of patience, persuasion, and hard work, but in 2014, we finally opened the first BNI Chapter—BNI Amber.

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Although the beginning was challenging, our efforts quickly bore fruit. In a few years, BNI Lithuania grew into an organization that unites more than 1,100 members who generate millions in sales through referrals. This success led us to expand into Latvia, where we are also successfully growing ever since 2005.

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BNI Lithuania's story began with many trials and errors, but it was these experiences that taught me the importance of perseverance. Failures are not the end—they are just lessons on how to do better. Today, I can confidently say that every step along the way was necessary for BNI Lithuania and BNI Latvia to become what it is today—a successful and growing business community, helping reliable businesses grow and fostering collaboration in Lithuania and Latvia.