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Raimonda Radvilavičienė /Photo by J. Suslavičiūtė

LRT.lt

Raimonda Radvilavičienė's business journey did not begin with hiring employees or growing the business, but with stopping decades of production losses and laying off over sixty employees. As the director of "Alytaus keramika," she faced bankruptcy threats and managed an outdated brick production facility.

Raimonda has also told LRT.lt the incredible story of how she managed to save a company that was drowning in debt and still create her own brand. In this interview, the entrepreneur shares how she relied on intuition rather than business strategies and how she and her business are doing today.

- Raimonda, in your personal and business journey, you have made a lot of decisions based on intuition. Could you tell us a few?

- I remember a very difficult situation at the Alytus Ceramics factory, when brick production had to be stopped permanently and clay plaster was just an idea. We tried to keep the company afloat and avoid bankruptcy in every way possible. I remember there was a situation when it seemed that the company would have to close down.

Feeling very disappointed and very hesitant, I went out to the yard of the brickyard to take a walk, to think, and suddenly I saw fragments of our logo on the ground just below my feet. The product itself did not exist yet, but we had already created the logo. I took it as a sign that I had to stay and continue what I was doing. On the same day, I found solutions to repay my debts and continue with the clay plaster project.

I started a completely new business without much additional investment in other people's company, Alytus Ceramics, where the situation was very difficult and my thoughts were not about increasing profits but about reducing the daily losses. Nevertheless, if I hadn't been in that company that was collapsing, I would never have created the Mr. Clay brand. However, it was a very difficult start - with no experience, no finances, no staff and no customers, because there was virtually no demand for a product like clay plaster, no one knew what it was, and there were no artisans.

As much as I believed in the new product, for the first few years of the project, I felt that we were stagnating, it was a very difficult feeling. As scary as it was, I felt deep in my heart that I had to make a decision that would initiate a change - either a very good one or the opposite, showing that there was no place for clay plasters in the market and I was not yet ready to grow and run the business. But it will still be a change that I desperately needed at the time.

So, the breakthrough in the company happened when after many years of deliberation, I finally allowed myself to listen to myself and asked the shareholders of "Alytaus Ceramics" to sell me the business I had created, which I transferred to a completely different company and separated from "Alytaus Ceramics." I will always be grateful to them because it was truly one of the best decisions I made, freeing up some internal energy and allowing the business to double its growth the following year.

From the latest developments – currently, we have a new mixture of clay plaster in a very beautiful warm white color with a light sand filler, which adds extra charm to the final wall finish. I simply intuitively feel that this mixture will be very successful. My colleague asked about the strategy for this product. I don't have strategies; they just don't work for me. Intuitively, I felt that such a mixture was needed, tested it extensively, and everyone who has tried it only confirms my intuition.

- And these are just a few of the many stories you tell in a very interesting and engaging way at conferences, media, events - how is this unconventional way of doing business received by the environment, by others in the business world?

- I might not be able to act in a standard way, because the story of my business creation and its circumstances are really atypical. Or maybe I'm just that kind of person - if everything was the same, routine, I would get bored quickly.

Until we got better results, I didn't share these stories very openly, thinking that I had to succeed first. Inside, I always believed it would work. I trust my vision, so when I set my mind to it, I follow through. I don't know where I get my will, my determination - I lack a lot of competences, but I always find solutions and answers.

I have not encountered any negative attitudes from the environment, maybe it just has not reached me. Well, in recent years I have felt a lot of support, encouragement and kind words from outside. We also received the Business Gene Award.

- I have heard that people come to your company in a non-standard way.

- I don't recruit, I don't do any selection - they find me one way or another, they contact me, they say they would like to work together. And they all turn up in very good time. The very first worker came to us with a mixed-up address - she was going to interview for a job in a ceramics workshop across the street, but when she came to us she stayed here (smiles). What's amazing is that the significant changes typical of many modern companies – they aren't present here either. Here we have gathered clay enthusiasts, strong believers in our product, eager to see how it will grow and be part of this journey. We also have four former brick factory employees working with us who have decades of experience in the industry.

- The product itself - the clay plaster - is probably also an important part of your growth and success story. Today, more and more people are choosing products that are healthier for the environment and themselves. Do you think this trend has an impact? How would you describe clay as a material?

- Just recently, we were informed that an Irish company had carried out a study on the natural plasters market and had identified thirteen companies from all over the world: we were one of them. It is amazing that our still small, growing company has already left its mark on the global context, that we are being seen and discovered.

Of course, the demand for natural materials is only going to grow: people are becoming more and more conscious. There was a time when people chose clay because they had nothing else. Later on, we were overwhelmed by the huge supply and we tried a lot of synthetic materials. But today, as we value our health more and more, our home environment, we are turning again to what is natural.

We are happy that, along with naturalness, we have managed to achieve aesthetics. Indeed, there is great value in having a clay plaster in the home, because the walls occupy the largest surface area in the home and the product is free of any volatile organic compounds. Although the material is natural, it can remain aesthetically pleasing for a long time, the key is to listen to our recommendations on maintenance and cleaning. We have customers who renew their clay plaster after eight years, not because it has worn out, but because they wanted to change the colour. Of course, a lot depends on lifestyle too. Clay plaster is also widely used in commercial spaces and can be given an additional varnish where needed. So the product can meet a wide range of customer needs.

The big advantage is that working with clay plaster is not only easy but also safe, no special protection is needed and you can sleep the same night in a freshly plastered room. Many customers have also plastered their own homes. We spend a lot of time on training to make sure everyone succeeds.

- As the owner of a growing business, do you manage to take time off from work these days? How do you relax?

- Lately I have been particularly immersed in my business: we are finally a profitable business. It's just a pity that this has not brought the peace and ease I had hoped for, but more challenges. My own challenge now is to learn how to be in this growth phase of the business. I had an idea that we would get one result or another, that we would be able to take a break, but the deeper we go into the forest, the more trees there are. More clients, partners, commitments, ideas, etc.

So I am living what I am doing at the moment, and I believe in what I am doing immensely. I myself feel that when I start talking about clay plasters my eyes light up. However, I am definitely not a workaholic and I would like to be able to just do nothing, to spend more time relaxing. What I do for myself – I honestly exercise to feel good. During the warm summer months, I enjoy rollerblading. Otherwise, I have simple dreams; I would like to leisurely stroll through the streets of Kaunas, visit small shops to see what they sell, or go to the library – I love the smell of books there.

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