State support for business in Sevastopol: from start to production expansion

In Sevastopol, the implementation of the federal project “Small and Medium Enterprises and Support for Individual Entrepreneurial Initiatives” continues. Its goal is to create favorable conditions for the development of small and medium-sized businesses and improve the financial support system.

Currently, entrepreneurs have access to a wide range of tools for development. Among the most popular are preferential microloans at rates from 6 to 16% for priority industries such as IT, tourism and manufacturing. Also, entrepreneurs, if there is a lack of collateral, can apply to the Guarantee Fund for the issuance of a guarantee. The fund covers up to 70% of the required collateral with its guarantees. Every second entrepreneur in the region has already taken advantage of government support instruments — and there are more than 24 thousand of them in the city.,” commented Elena Nikiforova, Deputy Head of the Department for Entrepreneurship Development and Investment Climate of the Department of Economic Development.

The department notes that the previously existing grant system allowed many city residents to try their hand at commerce and understand how entrepreneurship suits their calling. This was a strong start for a number of local projects. The “Stones of the Sea” workshop, founded by Anastasia Koloskova, began its journey in 2016 with the production of folk crafts. The entrepreneur was able to take her business to a new level thanks to winning the competitive selection in 2019 and receiving a grant in the amount of 300 thousand rubles. The funds received were used to purchase a professional engraving machine.

Two years later, having already received the status of a social entrepreneur, Anastasia again won a grant in the amount of 500 thousand rubles, which she also invested in the development of the material and technical base.

The products have long gone beyond the scope of souvenirs — from tourist magnets to garden sculptures. Recently, a 120-kilogram piece of work was sent to customers in Karelia, and through marketplaces, the workshop’s products are distributed throughout the country,” noted Anastasia Koloskova.

Today the workshop employs five employees. The production is virtually waste-free: sorted stone of various fractions reveals its artistic potential after cutting and polishing.

source: press service of the Government of Sevastopol