An example that there are successful young people in BiH who managed to tear away from lethargy is 22-years-old Amar Museljic from Kakanj, who was the first one to start the production of LED bulbs in BiH.
How did your story with the LED bulb manufacturing start and why did you choose to produce lighting?
“This story started while I was still studying at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. I have loved electrical engineering, electronics, and components since my childhood. I decided to produce a LED bulb because I had financial problems and I could not go to university, so I had to do something, to find a job. It is difficult to find a job in BiH, especially a well-paid job. There are low salaries in Kakanj, around 420 BAM, which is the lowest salary in the FBiH, and they might be a bit higher in Sarajevo. That is why I had to start a business. The Municipality of Kakanj initiated an incentive program “Launch Your Job”. They refunded funds to new companies in the amount of 3.000 BAM for the purchase of raw material and fixed resources. The company was registered before the competition,” said Museljic.
Was there any resistance in your surrounding from your neighbors, family, and friends when you started with the idea of the production or you had a support?
“My mother supported me. She was my greatest support. She believed in me and she knew that something good will result from it. I am making personal decisions on my own from a really young age and most of them were the right decisions. Others were not even familiar with my business idea. When I told them that I am starting a business, they said: “Good luck to you.” They did not know what I am doing. I did not want to spread it all around so that no one steals the idea.”
“There is this example with raspberries. One person started the production of raspberries, then ten more people started it as well. They decreased the price and they all failed. I can say that I am not afraid of the competition at the moment. The production requires experience, knowledge, love, will, and desire. It is not just to buy a machine and start the production. You need to take care of quality, market, marketing, behavior, just everything. I am not afraid that someone will start the production again. We are the first domestic bulb manufacturer, especially of this kind of technology that is not common in the Balkans. When it comes to customers, we have already found a market and became recognizable,” said Amar.
What kind of bulbs do you offer?
“At the moment, we have bulbs of 7, 9, 12 and 15 watts, a volume of 6,000 Kelvin, and that is cold white light. We have already passed the test phase and we are planning to include bulbs with warm white light in the offer in a short time. The competition is such that the prices are low because the cheapest Chinese light bulbs are imported. What I have not mentioned to anyone before is that we will introduce light bulbs that can work without electricity soon. They also have the LED technology and can work around 6-7 hours without power. When the power is off, the battery is activated and the bulbs continue to operate.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)