Starting your own business in Poland still requires a lot of paperwork and being up to date with changing regulations. This holds novice entrepreneurs down and disrupts the successful running of their own business.
Municipality of Krakow is committed to supporting every business venture by creating favourable conditions for the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. On the one hand, they offer professional information and advice, while on the other they promote entrepreneurship while learning about the needs of self-employed individuals.
The Entrepreneur Service Point offers a full range of complementary services for the novice entrepreneurs.
For nearly twenty years now, the entrepreneurs of Krakow have been able to make use of specialised services offered by the Krakow City Office Entrepreneur Service Point (POP). This is the first place in Poland with such a broad spectrum of free assistance for entrepreneurs.
The POP operates in the Innovation and Economic Cluster at Zablocie 22 St. Here, in a comfortable environment, the entrepreneurs of Krakow can carry out record-keeping activities related to company registration, but moreover, they can obtain a full range of information about legal and tax issues related to starting and running a business, and about an entrepreneur’s obligations towards the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) and the funding available for starting a business.
They can also come for advice to business helpdesks at the POP, run by the Malopolska Office of the National Chamber of Tax Advisors, the District Bar Council, and the Polish Chamber of Patent Attorneys. The POP also has an arrangement with institutions involved in the process of registering a business, so that at the information and service desks of the Social Insurance Institution and Statistics Poland (GUS) further steps related to starting a business can be performed on site.
In addition, at the POP, people interested in starting their own business can make use of help and support from a business support officer. This is a position specially created to help people who are concerned about bureaucracy and unfamiliarity with procedures and regulations, and who need individual support when deciding to start a business. The business support officer provides comprehensive and professional assistance in all matters related to starting your own business. They will help fill out all the necessary forms for starting a business, advise on the choice of Polish business activity classification codes, determine what kinds of funds are currently available, and advise on the best solutions. They will also contact other departments of the office and institutions to obtain information on procedures of interest to the prospective entrepreneur. An important benefit is the opportunity for the entrepreneur to remain in direct contact with their business support officer at a later stage of running their own business.
The POP’s services are used by Polish citizens and entrepreneurs from other countries alike. As of 2022, a special advisory desk for foreign nationals has been opened, where a business consultant provides information and answers any questions in Polish, English or Ukrainian. Entrepreneurs can learn all about the obligations that come with starting or running a business in Poland, the types of funding available, and other administrative procedures in place at the Krakow City Office. Nearly 3,000 foreign nationals, including 2,700 citizens of Ukraine, have so far used the consultant’s services at the Krakow POP.
The Entrepreneur Service Point is a modern form of contact
The POP can also be contacted in other ways by Krakow residents and entrepreneurs. Their questions will be answered 24/7 by a “Virtual Assistant,” available in Polish, English, and Ukrainian. This application, using artificial intelligence, can be used to conduct intuitive searches for information on the services available for entrepreneurs (including setting up one’s own business) and the procedures in place at Krakow City Hall relating to entrepreneurs. To use the application, go to the Entrepreneur Service Point website (www.dlabiznesu.krakow.pl/pop) or download the City of Krakow Virtual Assistant mobile application available free of charge for iOS and Android phones.
The Entrepreneur Service Point is dedicated to promoting and stimulating entrepreneurship among the residents of Krakow.
The Entrepreneur Service Point provides support not only in terms of procedures and regulations. POP employees are involved in projects that promote entrepreneurship in Krakow, for example, Taskforcome, Entrepreneurial Women of Krakow, My First Business, or Młody Kraków 2.0. They also participate in numerous events aimed at entrepreneurs, such as career and entrepreneurship fairs, business conferences, and hackathons, and conduct promotional and informational campaigns for Krakow school children and students on the options for starting their own business in Krakow. These activities have resulted in nearly 1,000 presentations, and have been attended by more than 23,000 people! With such campaigns, Krakow not only popularises knowledge about entrepreneurship, but also activates, encourages and supports young people in the implementation of their business ideas. Creativity of our residents and entrepreneurs, cooperation, and dialogue are key factors in developing the economy in our city.
The Entrepreneur Service Point is a high-quality service
Krakow entrepreneurs consistently express high satisfaction with the services provided at the Entrepreneur Service Point. This is confirmed by the numerous positive reviews from people – nearly 98% of customers are satisfied with the level of information they receive at the POP and the ability to use the entire package of services in one place. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to explore the services available at the Entrepreneur Service Point by visiting: https://dlabiznesu.krakow.pl/pop