Kingdom for a cleaner! The cry of Dalmatian property owners is a daily occurrence on the streets of our cities, where millions of tourists toss and turn in their beds for a good part of the year, some well-behaved and neat, others messy and careless, and invariably, all of them demanding. No matter what kind of tourists they are, they all have one thing in common – everything needs to be thoroughly cleaned. But finding a reliable, let alone an adequate cleaner, is impossible!
Perhaps this was on the mind of Blaženka Golub from Zemunik Donji when, in 2020, in the midst of the tourism boom, she recognized a business opportunity and knocked on the door of the Entrepreneurship Incubator in Novi Bokanjac, claiming that her "Blistavi dom" was not just another cleaning company. And she was right. Robots, their own lines of eco-cleaning products, business packages for clients, excellent business reviews, and, most importantly, the complete know-how of the company, which recently sold its first franchise, have propelled Blistavi dom into the leading cleaning service in the Zadar area. How did they manage to pull it off? If we are to believe the founder and director Blaženka Golub, it was a family effort and a lot of hard work:
"The initiative came from my daughter, Tonka Golub, who is the driving force behind the company and our whole family. As I enjoyed cleaning, my daughter suggested that I turn my hobby into a business. We started slowly, just the three of us, my husband, my daughter, and me. Today, we have 20 permanent employees, and during the summer, when the season is in full swing, we have up to 50 employees. We do absolutely everything, from cleaning offices, apartments, and luxury villas to complete property management. We are slowly and steadily building our name and brand. We are hardworking, reliable, and professional. I think the reviews speak for themselves."
On the coast, cleaning has become an excellent way to make a living. Everyone wants to get into it. However, you stand out from the sea of other agencies. How did you manage to stand out?
"Once again, I have to emphasize the role of my versatile daughter, Tonka, who holds a master's degree from the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Mining, Geology, and Petroleum Engineering. Her strength and energy are incredible. After finishing her degree, she pursued additional education at a private university because she wanted to understand every aspect of her future company. She wanted to handle her books herself, so she studied accounting. She also added modern online tools like web design, digital marketing, and interior design. Alongside all this, she became a certified EU project manager. She didn't want to leave anything to chance. Tonka spends half of the year here and the other half in the United States. I believe that the key moment was when she decided to apply the American way of doing business to the Croatian business. In fact, she runs everything, and my responsibility is solely to take care of the workers and logistics," says Golub.
What does it look like in practice? What do Americans do differently from us?
"First and foremost, it's the approach to work and employees. To be a good boss and appreciate someone's work, you have to go through all the steps of the job and, above all, be a humane person. I also clean myself, and I know how difficult and exhausting it is. That's why our workers are well-paid and, in addition to their salary, they are rewarded for their work. Our workers can advance, negotiate annual leave among themselves, receive Christmas bonuses, fees, and extra bonuses. We've introduced a team leader position. Each team leader can earn an extra bonus for leading their team well. Dedication to work is highly valued in America, and we've decided to implement that here as well. Not everyone is the same and shouldn't be treated the same. Money is the best way a boss can show appreciation to an employee, especially today when there is a shortage of workers. So, in addition to local girls, we also have six girls from Kosovo, two from Ukraine, two from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even one worker from the Philippines."
Who are your clients? Is it healthy to base a company solely on tourism?
"Not at all! We realized that a long time ago. That's why only 30% of our revenue comes from tourist properties. Today, we have more than 50 clients for whom we manage their entire property. This means we negotiate bookings, perform check-ins and check-outs, communicate with guests, and offer various repair services that every property needs from time to time. That's where my husband, Zvonko, comes in. He's a civil engineer by profession and, as they say, 'he has golden hands.' So, in our company, we also have a gardener and a handyman specialized in small repairs. And believe me, there's always something breaking down - boilers, expensive air conditioners, cameras - we've seen it all. Of course, we also need to earn a salary in winter. So, in addition to villas and apartments, we clean commercial spaces for at least 200 other companies that we can rely on throughout the year. I'll mention just a few: Zadar County, Inovacija, the Zadar Tourist Board, COIN Coworking, Printshop, Elektron, and many others."
To make it all "American," you've introduced modern equipment into your business, including robots for cleaning pools and windows. You've also developed an app to track reservations and on-site conditions.
"There's nothing like hard work and elbow grease, believe me, but yes, robots can be a big help, especially when you have large surfaces to clean," Golub laughs. As for the app, that was also my daughter's idea. Our "busy-busy" app shows the task schedule and locations at any given moment. Each of our workers has the app installed on their phones and is required to check in upon arrival at the location, so we always know who is cleaning where. We've also introduced recording of conversations with clients because it's not uncommon for clients to claim they ordered a service when they didn't. We leave nothing to chance!"
They say that when you sell a franchise, it means you've succeeded! You've recently sold your "know-how" to Split, where the "Blistavi dom" in Split opens on November 2nd. It was purchased by a businessman from Austria.
"Yes, a franchise is the crowning achievement of our work. Mr. Pero Mihajlović has been living in Austria for 20 years. Originally from Dubrovnik, he aspired to return to Croatia and find the right partner. I think we really 'clicked.' He was so determined to adopt our business concept that this summer he cleaned and scrubbed apartments, washed windows and bathrooms for a full five weeks, wanting to fully understand all the secrets of the business. He was interested in everything, and nothing was too difficult for him. Of course, we won't stop there; we aim to open new branches, and we are currently negotiating a franchise with another company from Dalmatia."
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs in Croatia, especially on the Dalmatian coast?
"Work, work, and just work. We've reached a point where we have to turn down jobs because we simply can't keep up. But I'd rather refuse a job than do it superficially. My greatest satisfaction is when a client recommends us to others! There are no 'tails' behind our workers. They all work the same way, go through the same training, spending a week educating them on trivial things that everyone knows or at least thinks they know and does in their own way. That doesn't happen with us. All the workers clean in the same way, and you know exactly what you're getting when you hire Blistavi dom."
It seems that Blistavi dom has a bright future ahead!
"We're giving it our all! We appreciate the opportunity to grow in the Entrepreneurship Incubator, even though we might not have been the 'typical material' for an incubator. But we've proven that we have an innovative business concept and a perfectly tailored business plan, both in our minds and on paper. You can definitely succeed in Croatia. With hard work and sacrifice, but believe me, it's all the sweeter then."
