From: mk_thisisit
Rafał Brzoska, the founder of InPost, shares his insights on the culture of work ethic and entrepreneurship in Poland, addressing both its strengths and significant challenges. He emphasizes the importance of hard work, national identity, and a supportive environment for business development.
The “Disgusting Work Ethic”
Brzoska asserts that over the last decade, Poland has developed a “disgusting work ethic” culture [00:00:02], [00:02:31]. He attributes this to an “extreme activist, left-wing” mindset that cultivates overwork and mocks those who dedicate themselves to hard work [00:00:08], [00:02:37]. This environment, he argues, “kills the gene of entrepreneurship, hard work, and work ethic” [00:00:17], [00:02:54]. His parents instilled in him the belief that “only through hard work can I achieve something in life” [00:03:01]. While he sees a slow turnaround, he believes the past decade saw a “total decline in the culture of hard work” [00:03:10].
The Polish Entrepreneurial Gene
Despite the challenges, Brzoska firmly believes in the “Polish entrepreneurial gene” [00:01:33]. He cites metrics such as the high number of companies created and recreated, and the fact that over 70% of Poland’s GDP is generated by Polish private businesses [00:01:43], [00:01:52]. However, only 18% of society is aware of this fact, with most believing state-owned companies and the public sector are the main contributors [00:01:57], [00:02:08].
Challenges to Entrepreneurship in Poland
Poland, despite its size and entrepreneurial spirit, struggles to produce global technology brands compared to smaller European countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, and Finland [00:03:21], [00:03:36]. Brzoska explains this phenomenon:
- Large Domestic Market Trap: Poland’s large internal market allows businesses to grow to significant sizes without needing to expand internationally [00:04:04], [00:04:08]. Smaller countries, with limited domestic markets, are forced to export and “go abroad” from the outset, which “changes the mindset of entrepreneurs, institutions and government” [00:04:29], [00:04:37].
- Bureaucracy and Regulation: Brzoska argues that bureaucracy is “killing the gene of entrepreneurship” [00:06:59]. He advocates for deregulation, especially regarding the principle of a citizen’s innocence in administrative disputes with the state [00:18:21], and the enforcement of instructional deadlines for state offices [00:20:43]. He also calls for a “speedy trial” system to unblock courts [00:21:57].
- Taxation Inequality: Companies like InPost pay higher taxes to the state budget each year, while foreign competitors with similar revenues often pay lower or no taxes, operating on the Polish market [00:00:23], [00:24:54].
Polish entrepreneurship and global market strategies are changing, with companies like InPost, Mr. Toni (Robert Dobrzycki), and OSHI (Dark Genzeski) expanding internationally [00:05:03], [00:05:13]. Brzoska believes Poland will “catch up very quickly” in creating global brands if the conditions for business development are optimized [00:05:31], [00:24:41].
InPost: A Case Study in Entrepreneurial Evolution
InPost’s journey exemplifies entrepreneurship and innovation.
- InPost 1.0: The idea for InPost originated in 2005 when Brzoska recognized the limited future in leaflet distribution [00:11:18], [00:11:22]. Inspired by the much larger postal market (PLN 6 billion compared to his PLN 120 million leaflet market), he sought to enter it [00:11:40], [00:11:45].
- InPost 2.0 (Parcel Lockers): By 2009, realizing the traditional letter market was shrinking globally, Brzoska pivoted to the parcel market [00:12:16], [00:12:18]. Faced with foreign giants offering cheap and efficient home delivery, he decided to create an even cheaper, technology-based service that would change Polish social habits [00:12:29], [00:12:43], [00:12:56]. This led to the birth of parcel lockers [00:13:02].
- Competition as a Catalyst: Brzoska states that without the initial competition with Poczta Polska (Polish Post), the parcel locker concept would not have emerged, and InPost might not exist [00:00:55], [00:01:09]. He doesn’t regret any past decisions, viewing mistakes as part of a natural evolution in business and personal development [00:13:09], [00:13:25].
Rafał Brzoska’s deepest aspiration for InPost is for it to become the “largest logistics operator in Europe and dethrone DHL” [00:01:06], [00:17:11].
Driving Force: Patriotism and Philanthropy
Brzoska describes himself as a “Polish patriot” guided by economic patriotism and a desire to contribute to his country [00:06:06], [00:06:12]. He spends more on philanthropy than he earns [00:00:38], [00:07:32], believing that those who succeed “must support those who failed, because that is the basis of humanity” [00:06:39]. He dedicates significant time to deregulation efforts, building educational staff, and fostering a sense of help among citizens [00:06:21], [00:16:49].
Nurturing Talent and Overcoming Hate
Brzoska supports young people through scholarships, acknowledging the risk that some may leave Poland [00:25:31]. However, he is convinced that 85% of his scholarship holders, educated within the Polish education system, will return and proudly identify as Poles, bringing their achievements back to the country [00:26:10], [00:26:32].
His “master” was his father, who instilled key maxims for life and business [00:00:49], [00:27:30]. This mentorship taught him to consider, “What would he or she do in my place?” [00:28:07].
Brzoska advises young people to embrace ambition, work hard, and be proud of their Polish identity [00:31:45], [00:32:00]. He also stresses the importance of not dwelling on past failures but learning from them [00:33:00]. He views hate speech as a dissipated energy but notes that “the measure of your success is the number of your enemies” [00:33:34], [00:34:03]. He combats online hate by tracking down malicious users, asserting that anonymity is diminishing [00:35:19].