During this week I had some things to take care of at the (National Office of) Register of Commerce. Basically I just needed a copy of the docs I submitted when I first registered Krogos. Just like myself, you may imagine that it wouldn't be so much hassle just to have the copies of two pieces of paper issued. Oh well, apparently I was soo wrong - guess how much time I needed for solving the whole issue? 2 days with 1.5 hours each. So 3 hours in total, not to mention the time to get there and back.
First day I had to stand in line 7 times at 5 offices and the second day 5 times at 3 offices (it was more crowded so it took about the same as it did on the other day). And besides wasting precious time I felt as if I were a ping pong ball. I tend to be very patient when dealing with people working for the State as I know that the system they're enrolled in simply sucks. And so I was this time as well - some of the clerks were young and seemed open minded and when I asked why I have to waste so much time for having two pieces of papers issued they simply shrugged and said: "that is the procedure".
Well, the procedure is simply wrong as it burdens both the clerks (lots of papers to process - hence ineffectiveness/innefficiency) and the citizens this institution has to serve. My guess is that this system wasnot developed overnight and it just may have been inherited from older generations - but it is the role of the leaders to get into it and make it efficient. And that is why the system needs young and fresh blood with the courage to change and challenge legacies. Unfortunately this obviously is not happening at the Register of Commerce.
Now, this got me thinking: what does an entrepreneur do when he/she has to face these kind of situations? My guess is that some, especially foreigners, would simply get frustrated and give up dealing with it. And leave. And this sounds understandable. Doing business in Romania is not easy, and instead of focusing on the daily operations and strategy you just waste your time dealing with a stupid system and (if extremely unlucky) with idiots serving this system. My solution is simple: outsource it. And even though as an entrepreneur you (may) run a very tight budget this money seems to be well spent.
I was wondering if you could share your experience in this respect - hence the new poll on the right.
It is an illusion that other countries don�t have bureaucracy. Usually at some point a country realizes it is a waste of money to deal with small companies and they move their sights on bigger fish. At that stage they streamline the paperwork for small entities (self-employed) and adopt a gazillion rules for anything bigger (see EU). The bureaucracy is here to stay. The solution, adopted everywhere is to outsource those tasks that are not core to your activity. For instance Law firms take care of your dealings with the law, Accountants handle your books, etc. When your company is big enough, you will have an entire department of lawyers and accountants to do your paperwork.