In the anniversary year of Nurbank, which turned 30, its clients share their stories about the businesses they built with the bank and their relationships with it.
The main credo of the bank's policy is to provide personalized service that is convenient for the client. Perhaps that is why several generations of families often bank with Nurbank, trusting it with the financial issues of their family businesses. Nurbank has always been interested in creating long-term traditions of family entrepreneurship because, for it, the family is a reliable and stable partner with strong established values.
The Nurbank branch in Shymkent has been working with Sofia Kuliyeva, the founder of the furniture wholesale and retail company Kuliyeva and the Grand Belarusian Furniture Salon, for more than 12 years, and has been with her family for about 19 years. Sofia shared how she founded and developed her business, what results she achieved, and why her entire family chose Nurbank.
— Sofia, tell us about your business and how it all started for you?
— I started my business journey 12 years ago, and the chosen furniture business field was completely new for me. I graduated from an institute specializing in law and was, you could say, at a crossroads. The decision to engage in furniture didn't come immediately; I studied the market, audience tastes and preferences, and gained knowledge through practice.
Our company handles wholesale and retail furniture sales. We work with factories in Belarus and Russia. In 2010, we opened a furniture store in Shymkent, covering 1,300 square meters. That year, we visited a fair in Belarus, met new factories, and upon returning to Kazakhstan, signed contracts.
By that time, we were already cooperating with Nurbank, and it was like a home to me. The bank employees quickly opened accounts, allowing us to begin receiving our first shipments.
— Why did you choose Nurbank?
— I'll start by saying that Nurbank has the best conditions for currency transfers; it's very convenient and profitable to perform currency conversion operations here. The choice of the bank as a partner was not accidental; we have a long history of relationships that we mutually value greatly.
My entire Kuliyeva family began cooperating with Nurbank back in 2003. Several family companies in different business directions are serviced at the Shymkent branch.
My parents, elder brother, and I were initially served there; I often went there with them or on their behalf, getting acquainted with and observing the service process. Later, I opened my first deposit there and started being serviced as an individual entrepreneur in 2010.
I was impressed by the attentiveness, responsiveness, and quick, efficient resolution of any tasks. In other words, I liked the work of the bank employees. After all, the most important thing in any matter is people. It's because of specific people that our questions get resolved.
At the same time, I understand that coherence in work and an individual approach to clients are also the results of special work standards developed by the bank, which the employees follow.
— What results have you achieved in business?
— I am the official distributor of Belarusian furniture in Kazakhstan. In 2016, I opened a branch in the capital of Kazakhstan, so today we have 2 furniture trade houses: in Shymkent and Nur-Sultan. Since 2019, we have been selling furniture wholesale to many cities in Kazakhstan. Currently, we are building a new trade house with the support of Nurbank.
My main achievement, I believe, is that we managed to assemble a strong team of professionals, thanks to whom we have become known in both the corporate and retail sectors. Besides delivering furniture, we also offer warranty service and develop design projects for clients to supply furniture to suit any taste.
We have 3 large warehouses and practice wholesale sales from the warehouses to corporate clients. In the retail order segment, our clientele consists of the mid and premium market sectors.
— What challenges have you faced in your work, and how do you overcome them?
In work, there are always crisis moments. Success depends on the season, the activity of competitors, and currency fluctuations, so it's important to endure tough periods, stay afloat, and not give up. In such situations, I focus even more and search for quick solutions to overcome them with minimal losses. I learned not to fear competition; it conditions me and stimulates me to work more actively.
In any business, one must not despair. A little relaxation, starting to be nervous and worried, and this negativity pushes back by two steps. Therefore, I always try to remain calm and collected, listening to all advice, both optimistic and not so much, but usually making my own decisions.
— What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
— In the course of my work in wholesale furniture sales, I often observed our clients engaged in business and concluded that successful people have common qualities: they don't get bogged down in trifles and don't let them distract from achieving their goals, but persistently follow their aims.
Successful people see the goal, do not see obstacles, and make decisions more consciously than when someone is fixated on particular moments that hold back the process and hinder further movement. The main thing is to focus in work on what promotes one's business progress rather than getting scattered on trifles.
And of course, it's important to choose a reliable partner—a bank with which ideas can be boldly implemented and a solid business can be built. I chose Nurbank, which helps me move forward.
— What is your goal?
I have a principle: if I undertake something, I strive to do it very well. Therefore, I am very selective in choosing suppliers, partners, and employees. I plan to open my own quality furniture production. I study equipment, raw materials, auxiliary materials, and production facilities.
The furniture manufacturing market in Kazakhstan isn’t very large; I mean full-cycle furniture production. I plan to produce furniture that will withstand competition with imports, expanding the assortment and introducing new technologies.
I must be confident that the furniture will be truly high quality; I have high demands for its production. Therefore, my path to furniture production isn't as short as I would like it to be.
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SME—it's a major driver of economic development in Shymkent city and the Turkistan region as a whole. Small, especially micro-businesses, play an important role in social, economic, and political life. The bank actively participates in state business support programs, offering advantageous cooperation options upon each client request.
The Nurbank branch in Shymkent opened in August 2001 and continues to strengthen its presence in Shymkent city and the Turkistan region. The main SME-funded directions in 2022 by the Shymkent branch were: wholesale and retail trade — 41%, production — 17%, sports activities, leisure and entertainment organization — 9%, agriculture — 8%, and construction — 3%.
The bank aims to create the best conditions for its clients and employees, investing in the development of both its online services and physical service channels.
That's why the number of loans issued to businesses last year and this year has significantly grown. Positive dynamics are also observed in the retail business sector.
Source: otyrar.kz