After returning from emigration, the woman from Alytsia started a business: she created something that many people lacked

After returning from emigration and realizing that Lithuania lacks a platform where people could not only buy, but also consult about nutritional supplements, the woman from Alytis founded an electronic store. The idea for the name “White flour” came when Tomas’ mother asked: “What kind of flour are you drinking here, daughter?” And the girl’s biggest wish is to encourage the people of Aly to promote a healthy lifestyle and gather a strong sports community.

– Tom, you entered this year with a bang. You have opened an electronic store of sports supplements “Balti miltai”. Did such a business idea arise because you are a sports enthusiast yourself?

– The idea came when, after returning from abroad, I chatted with a few of my sports acquaintances and realized that many people lacked a platform where a person could comfortably, without leaving home, not only buy supplements, but also consult, so that they would have time to consider. Since I not only know a lot about sports and nutrition myself, but I have also completed personal trainer and healthy lifestyle courses, I thought that I could create a friendly environment for people, where they could both buy the product and consult.

– The name of the store is quite controversial and has several meanings. Was it a marketing ploy to get people to pay attention?

– My mother always asked: “What kind of flour are you drinking here, daughter?” Actually, I am the one who does things not out of knowledge, but out of great passion. When I started the company, I knew I needed a bank account, business cards and a bookkeeper. That’s why I started creating everything from the other end. The accountant asked me what the name of the company was and I didn’t know what to say because I hadn’t even thought about it. I’ve been stuck at this point for two weeks. I kept thinking about what name to come up with, because it seemed that everything that sounded and associated with sports was already taken. Throughout the period, my mother’s question about flour was ringing in my mind, so I finally decided that I would not make the invention here, and named the company – “Balti Miltai”.

– Apart from coming up with the name of the company, what was the most difficult?

– Creating the logo cost a lot of sleepless nights. Some of their businesses want something unique, never seen before. I’m a perfectionist, I wanted something spectacular, and finally, sometime before I fell asleep, I came up with the idea of ​​simply writing the name on a black background. It looks minimalistic, but really not bad.

– Were there moments when you wanted to give up everything?

– Sometimes, when you look from the side, it seems that starting a business is simple, but when you face it yourself, you understand what a big responsibility it is, which costs a lot of time and effort. There were not just moments, but days, or even weeks, when it felt like you just wanted to drop everything, distance yourself, and just lie down and watch Netflix. But when I receive thanks for the advice and help in choosing the right supplements, when I see the benefits that my clients receive, I realize that those difficult moments and fatigue are temporary, and the results are long-lasting.

– Why did you choose to sell sports supplements and not, for example, sports clothes?

– Both me and my significant other have tried many different supplements abroad. He is for professional athletes, and I am for amateurs. We are able to distinguish which supplements are of high quality, we know their composition. Since we both do sports, we searched a lot and for a long time where we could buy such supplements that would meet the price-quality ratio. That’s how the idea of ​​selling sports supplements came about.

– What are your future plans? Are you planning to open a physical store?

– I want to expand, but I do not plan to open a physical store in the near future. In the next few years, we will try to expand the sports community, organize sports events and encourage the people of the city of Alytus to promote a healthier life.

– And what was the easiest part of this journey?

– Probably, the easiest way is to find suppliers and communicate with them. Goods are traveling from Lithuanian distributors, Germany, Latvia, Poland, and will soon arrive even from America.

– Toma, together with your boyfriend, you share videos, photos and tips for sportsmen on social networks. Do you think being a magazine cover couple contributes to successful sales?

– Thank you, it’s always nice to hear compliments. I think that the fact that we are both former emigrants, who have interacted with people of different cultures and different points of view, has a big influence, so our own worldview is also different. We welcome and see off every customer with a smile. And the gym is a way of life for both of us. We first test the products we sell ourselves, so we usually advise on quality issues from personal experience.

– You mentioned that you are a returned emigrant. Tell me why you chose to leave Lithuania and how did you manage to live abroad?

– As soon as I finished school, I went to live in England. Like many emigrants, I started with a menial job – in a factory. I’m not afraid of hard work, but I didn’t work there for long. I quickly found a job in nursing and worked in this field for nine years. I have the quality of wanting to get the most out of life, so I moved to work for a family where I cared for people with muscular dystrophy. Since I only worked for them after 8 p.m. per week, and at the same time I got a full-time job in an electronics company, where I took the position of project manager. Because I had to work a lot with people, I quickly learned to speak English fluently, and in order to be able to do the work with a full knowledge base, I completed my electronics engineering studies in two years. I also had the opportunity to travel a lot and get to know other cultures.

– You traveled a lot around the world, you lived in a big city. Isn’t Alytus too small a city?

– During the last years of living abroad, nostalgia visited more and more often. Love for Lithuania and especially for my native land – Alytus – caught up with me at every step, so I packed my bags and returned to live here, where I feel good.

– So what is the formula of a young and successful person?

– We need to say goodbye to our inner fears and start doing the things we keep putting off. Stepping out of our comfort zone grows us as individuals, so the formula for success lies behind our fears, and victory lies behind the things we put off.