Cabins never seen before in Serbia

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Cabins never seen before in Serbia

Serbia
Project Stage:
Growth
Budget: 
$10,000 - $50,000
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

We are about to expand our business by building 3 small wooden cabins in Scandinavian/Colorado style offering new kind of service on Serbian ski resort Kopaonik.

About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Groups of skiers (4-5) would finally have an option to chose nice mountain style/skiers friendly chalets among the hundreds of newly built impersonal apartments and villas. It would improve image of Kopaonik, Serbia and possibly become a point of gathering of sophisticated winter lovers from all around the world.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Because of inner nature of people who have money and build apartments today in Serbia and widespread corruption Kopaonik is turning into an ugly ski resort. We want to keep true mountain spirit and implement our knowledge and experience from Rocky Mountains, CO and try to make Kopaonik a little bit prettier place to spend winter in. We want to build chalets not worse from ones on Alps, Rockies and other developed resorts and keep the real spirit for the ones who need it.
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

If you like winter sports and mountains and you are coming to Kopaonik not to show how rich you are, but to enjoy and you are coming with group of friends you will be happy to book great designed wooden cabin with a view, with fireplace, sat TV and wi fi.
Sustainability

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

We are the only hostel on Kopaonik. We are the only ones who care about keeping real mountain sprit. We are young and highly motivated. We have experience of working in Colorado ski resorts. We are best rated on Kopaonik. We love our job!
Team

Team

Aleksandar Scepanovic: co founder, experienced in tourism, marketing and communication. Ninoslav Scepanovic: co founder, graduated in tourism, chef. Milica Stankovic: graduated set designer, takes care all the visual details online and in real life.
About the Lead Co-Creation Partners
Organization:
Montana
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LEAD SOCIAL-MISSION ORGANIZATION
Type of organization (e.g. NGO, association, not-for-profit, foundation, social enterprise)

enterprise

Total Number of Full-Time Employees

3

Lead Contact First Name

Aleksandar

Lead Contact Last Name

Šćepanović

Title

owner/manager

Country

Serbia

Twitter URL

http://www.twitter.com/hostelmontana

Facebook URL

http://www.facebook.com/MontanaKopaonik

Website

www.montana.rs

LEAD CORPORATE PARTNER
Organization Name

Montana

Total Number of Full-Time Employees

3

Lead Contact First Name

Aleksandar

Lead Contact Last Name

Scepanovic

Title

owner/manager

Country

Serbia

Twitter URL

http://www.twitter.com/hostelmontana

Facebook URL

http://www.facebook.com/MontanaKopaonik

Organization Website

www.montana.rs

Basic Info
Project Starting Year

2014

Primary European Country where this Project is creating social impact
Additional European countries where this Project is creating social impact
Select the category that best fits the type of your project:

New products & services: Entries in this category develop and offer essentials product and services that address needs currently unmet.

What awards or honors has the project received?
Project Summary
Co-Creation Model: Tell us about your main strategic partners and how the partnership truly create value. For each Partner please include its type (business/social/public), its name, a short description, its key motivation to participate in the co-creation project, and the key contributions it is making in the co-creation project. Please follow the format displayed below:

-Partner 1
-Type of partner [business/social/public]
-Short description sentence [Max 25 words/partner]
-Key motivation to participate in the co-creation project [Max 35 words/partner]
-Key contributions in the co-creation project [Max 35 words/partner]

-Partner 2
-Type of partners [business/social/public]
-Short description sentence [Max 25 words/partner]
-Key motivation to participate in the co-creation project [Max 35 words/partner]
-Key contributions in the co-creation project [Max 35 words/partner]

etc.

Impact
Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact. Please specify using qualitative and quantitative data (e.g. # of indirect and direct beneficiaries); help us understand how this solution truly makes a difference.

Montana hostel and apartment is a small entrepreneurial company founded by two brothers 5 years ago. We were hosts to people from 19 countries so far. We are top rated Kopaonik accomodation on Tripadvisor. We are recommended by Lonely Planet. We have reviews higher than 90% on all the booking engines. We had presentations all over Serbia trying to motivate young Serbian people to start their own business.
No, we are ready to expand. To provide better accommodation to guests, and to show better example to young people thinking of becoming entrepreneurs.

Sustainability
Funding: How is your project financial supported? [select all that apply]

Individuals, Loans.

Sustainability Plan: Has your project already reached financial sustainability? If not, what is this solutio’s plan to ensure financial sustainability? Do the main partners have enough stake to sustain the solution? If this project requires limited budget, how will other resources be secured to maintain or grow this work?

We are repaying 5 year loan this April, so we will apply for another one among our savings and support from friends who believe in us. We are about to buy land next to ours and start building in summer time. Construction company that builds cabins (they built our hostel 5 yrs ago) are willing to offer us deferred payment in installments when we begin to create profit just like 5 years ago.

Team
Founding Story: Share a story about the "Aha!" moment that led the Partners to get started and/or to see the potential for this to succeed.

We are Alex and Nino, brothers and your hosts in Montana.
Both of us had travelled a lot abroad and stayed in a number of different European and American hostels, while at the same time grabbed great experience working in Belgrade hostels. All the time we were talking about having a similar and nice cottage-like place to stay on the mountain Kopaonik, but for a long period it didn’t occur to us that we would actually run our own hostel.
It was in 2009 when Ninoslav came back from Colorado where he had been working in resort Estes Park and brought with himself not only valuable experience, but great ideas and the American “Yes We Can” attitude. Yes We Can start our own business. Yes We Can make use of our small piece of inherited land on Kopaonik. Yes We Can have our own hostel.
Business plan, red tape, loan, hard work, money problems, help from friends.
Montana was built!

About the Co-Creation
Barriers: What main barriers may you have encountered to co-create during the creation and implementation of the project and how did you try to overcome them?

The only barriers were due to bad snow conditions, but having loyal customers helped us make it through every time.

Governance: What is the type of the relationship between the partners? (e.g. joint venture, contractual relationship, joint project...)

Contractual relationship

Interaction model: How is the project a transformative partnership? How is the interaction transforming the partnering organizations and their employees/ leadership in terms of creating a new vision, new management practices, new skills and new organizational structures? Please provide for concrete examples

Milica Stankovic and her family who run chicken farm are willing to invest and we are about to transform company by offering here 20% of campany.

How did you find out about this competition?

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