THE FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONFERENCE - SECOND EDITION / ANCA VLAD, CATENA GRUP: "You can't build a successful business without taking risks"

Anca Vlad, the CEO of Catena Grup, is an ardent supporter of entrepreneurial spirit and thinks that you can't have a successful business without taking risks.

She has encouraged entrepreneur women and insisted: "You have to take the risk of investing your own money or of out taking a loan. You also have to delegate to the employees and reinvest your profit if you want to grow. Female entrepreneurs are a lot more cautious when taking out loans and they grow their businesses slowly, durably. That is why many banks grant loans more easily to female entrepreneurs, who are attentive to details, are more cautious and have a lower risk appetite than men".

The CEO of Catena Grup says that the government should support entrepreneurship, as should experienced businesspeople. She said: "The loans offered should be better adapted to reality, and small companies have difficulties in growing into medium-sized companies due to the fear of borrowing, as well as due to the entrepreneurs' reluctance to delegate their competences to executives ".

Anca Vlad has encouraged young entrepreneurs to take calculated business risks and to work more with "the world of men".

She said: "In the beginning of the 90s I started off with a capital that amounted to three quarters of a Dacia car. Now, the Catena group has reached a turnover of over 300 million Euros. I am pleased with this evolution, but I am continuing to developing new ideas".

The chairwoman of Preşedintele Catena Grup said that she has set Nutrition Research SRL, a company that has obtained a patent for healthy, fiber-based and plant-derived Omega 3, which can be eaten by diabetics and people looking to lose weight. She mentioned that she has implemented the invention and she has begun its production with the help of European grants. The first products that were designed are Nucita and Sante, which have a low glycemic index.