Journalist Pavel Zingan, in an interview with Svetlana Ciceli, CEO and founder of Winkraft Business Group.
I wish I had conducted this interview a month earlier to congratulate the Winkraft Business Group (WBG) team on celebrating their tenth anniversary. However, I want to emphasize a few things BEFORE the interview so you read this as a transcript of a conversation with Svetlana and as a reason for reflection.
Winkraft Business Group (WBG) is not just an accounting services provider. WBG offers far more than standard accounting assistance.
Today, WBG is on the verge of creating a unique business space, as the collective interaction in such a space consistently exceeds the potential of each participant.
Considering that WBG already brings together over 254 companies (and I believe this number has increased even since we were preparing for the interview), as well as having an “external circle” of partners (which I will explain in the interview), it could be beneficial for your company to join the WBG business space. The WBG philosophy is inspiring and clearly demonstrates how professional support can elevate a business to the next level.
Svetlana, hello. Before meeting you, I was told that WBG is not just a company that offers accounting services. How do you differentiate yourselves?
If I were to present WBG today. I would emphasize that we are a consultancy with many areas of activity. Yes, of course, one of the main fields is accounting for our clients, although at WBG, we prefer to say “partners” rather than “clients”, and this is not just a change in wording. The term “partner” holds a much broader meaning than “client”.
Okay, you offer accounting services – that’s clear. What other services do you provide for your partners?
We are ready to assist entrepreneurs from the beginning of their business journey. Besides accounting, we offer services for launching a business in Moldova. If you only have an idea, we help turn it into a business by doing calculations, analyzing risks, and preparing all the necessary documents for company registration. We also assist our partners in opening bank accounts, selecting the best business packages, and guiding at every stage. Understanding the importance of the initial phase, we strive to create only positive experiences.
Svetlana, aren’t you exaggerating? I’m talking about emotions.
Emotions play a significant role in business, especially at the beginning. When fear and doubt dominate, we try to create a sense of balance and show that doing business can also be easy.
In addition, we offer new companies free accounting support for the first two months. This is our welcome offer for startups so they can confidently start their business without worrying about accounting costs. This creates a trustful atmosphere, and our partners know they can rely on us from the beginning.
Indeed, support at the early stages is invaluable. Let’s continue talking about your services.
Apart from accounting, Winkraft Business Group offers a wide range of services that provide comprehensive business support. We understand that our clients often need more than just accounting, so we also offer corporate legal services: assistance with transactions, contract analysis and preparation, and representation of interests before state authorities. Additionally, each client is assigned a team of 3-4 specialists, including an accountant, an HR manager, a client manager, and, if necessary, a lawyer and IT support. We also collaborate with external partners – auditors, lawyers, brokers, logistics experts, and programmers – providing our clients with the conditions to resolve any issue in one place. This combined approach offers our clients stability, trust, and security with every business decision.
I have been involved in business initiation and even accounting services for a long time, but I was far from WBG in this segment. One of the reasons for the “slowness” of our accounting services was that we lacked the knowledge and experience, and it is unrealistic to run such a business without expertise. That’s why I’d like to ask you about your professional background. Do you have a degree in accounting?
You might be surprised, but I never aspired to become an accountant or even considered such a profession.
And how did you start your professional career?
Advertising and marketing.
Did you work in advertising?
Instead, I was an important client. I was responsible for approving and placing ads and managing the company’s image in the media. Meetings, socializing with people, and having the freedom to act always attracted me.
And they say that creative people can’t succeed in a profession like accounting. The transition proved to be quite natural. The company was restructured, and as a 1-year-old in my new position as CEO, I had to manage finances and operations in addition to marketing. I had a team of 27 people, most older than me, so I learned how to work with figures and management skills. It wasn’t easy, but transitioning from the creative to the financial world changed my life. I transferred to accounting at university, and after graduation, I took specialized courses. And, unexpectedly, during the courses, I was offered a position as a professor at the Association of Accountants and Auditors (ACAP RM).
So, did you eventually start teaching accounting?
Yes, exactly. Over time, I was invited to give courses for various government organizations. I trained staff from tax inspectorates on the 1C software, which helped them navigate the system for audits. I also organized training sessions for the Ministry of Finance and the National Office of Social Insurance of the Republic of Moldova.
Now it seems more evident how you decided to create WBG.
In 2014, I founded the company. I continued teaching for a while, but eventually, I decided to focus on developing my business and the interests of our partners.
Ten years. How many employees and partners do you have now?
The Winkraft Business Group team consists of 25 people, and today we cooperate with 254 partners.
That’s a large volume of work and responsibility. 25 people serving over 250 companies.
Many are surprised when they compare the number of partners to the team size. However, we are prepared to expand our partner base. Most of our internal processes are automated. Of course, this has required us to make significant changes to our platform and supplement it with many custom modules. But the result is clear. This allows our team to handle many tasks, and the free time will enable employees to engage in self-development, which is also our priority.
Have I missed anything in your services?
We offer various services, from comprehensive accounting, accounting recovery, and financial planning to company liquidation, establishment, mergers, and support for multiple transactions.
I would highlight our work with companies based in IT Park. We have developed a complete set of documentation in three languages for this segment, including all contracts, invoices, documents, and instructions tailored to their needs. 95% of transactions are done remotely, and our internal courier service ensures document delivery.
I understand that you have implemented all your business processes, which means more time for you. I don’t believe you’re not planning the next steps for your business.
I do plan. But before I tell you about our plans, I’d like to discuss our external partners.
Could you provide more details on that?
Let me give you an example of our collaboration with maib. As I mentioned earlier, we help entrepreneurs register new companies. One aspect of this process is opening a bank account. No matter how optimized the process was, there was still a need for a visit to the bank, along with all the time invested. We wanted to offer our partners the highest level of service, so we were grateful when maib addressed the situation. A bank manager would come to our office at a set time so entrepreneurs could open an account without losing time visiting the bank.
Convenient.
In addition, even work technologies don’t stand still. Starting this year, opening an account at maib has been further simplified.
You’re referring to maib’s initiative to open online accounts for legal entities?
Yes. Now you don’t even have to adjust the time you spend at your office meeting the bank manager. We prepare all the necessary documents with the bank, and the bank employee calls the entrepreneur via video. After a brief conversation, the client receives the details via email. So, without exaggeration, an account can now be opened in minutes without interrupting any other business or rest activities.
From what I understand, when you speak about the external circle of partners, you refer to maib as an example. I believe that by opening accounts, the work with the bank doesn’t end but begins, and it’s convenient when WBG essentially transfers its experience and trust in working with the bank to all its partners.
Exactly. And it’s not just about the bank. Customs brokers, auditors, notaries, translators, and CRM system integrators. WBG can select the best, and each of our partners has access to a wide range of experts.
It’s a good model, a practical one.
You asked about plans, and they are focused in this direction. My vision for the development of WBG is to create a business environment. In this business space, our partners can exchange experience, information, and services so that there isn’t a specialized task in our hub that we can’t solve.
As an entrepreneur, you can now become a maib business customer online- using your phone or laptop, without visiting a branch. Immediately after registering, you can access online banking, open current accounts, apply for loans, launch salary projects and use many other financial solutions.
Join our online community of business customers and discover all the advantages of working with maib!
