OREANDA-NEWS. Another salt room has opened in Novotroitsk, launched by Elena and Vitaly Makhov, graduates of the second edition of Metalloinvest’s School of Aspiring Entrepreneurs.

Elena Makhova commented: “The salt room is a unique healthcare facility for children and adults, the effectiveness of which has been proven. The opening of the salt room in our town is timely, given there is a real lack of them. We worked this out at the idea development stage of our project. After participating in Metalloinvest’s one-of-a-kind School of Aspiring Entrepreneurs programme in 2012, I left teaching and re-trained as an entrepreneur and launched the Mobile Planetarium, an interactive educational project for children. My husband and I took part in the second edition of the school and we are now opening a salt room. All of this is thanks to the expert assistance and interest-free loan from Metalloinvest, as well as a regional grant.”

Viktor Sobolev, the developer and owner of the patent for construction of unique halochambers in Russia, carried out the construction of the salt room. The walls were constructed using tiles made from compressed salt and manufactured using glueless technology. During the healthcare session, the halogenerator emits micro doses of salt into the air.

The entrepreneurs plan to break even on the project within 18 months. The project’s social dimension is demonstrated in its operational plan; it envisages a 20% discount for visitors who qualify for concessions and free treatment visits for children from the Nadezhda centre.

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The School of Aspiring Entrepreneurs is part of a comprehensive programme to develop entrepreneurship in Novotroitsk, implemented as part of Metalloinvest’s socio-economic partnership with the Government of the Orenburg region and the Novotroitsk administration.

The School of Aspiring Entrepreneurs took place for the first time in Novotroitsk in 2012. It aims to stimulate entrepreneurial activity among the town’s inhabitants and tackle sustainability issues. A total of 18 participants have commenced their projects, creating more than 50 jobs. As part of the second edition of Metalloinvest’s School of Aspiring Entrepreneurs in Novotroitsk, 14 people have registered their businesses.

The programme is based on the acceleration technique, which allows aspiring entrepreneurs to move from their project idea to the launch of a working business in short timeframes. The technique incorporates educational seminars and expert and mentor assistance for participants. Accelerated programmes for entrepreneurs are being actively incorporated into international practice; however, they have not yet been widely implemented in Russia. Novotroitsk became the first town in Russia to successfully trial the technique. As a result, entrepreneurial projects are now active, new jobs have been created, the businesses are paying taxes, and the town’s local environment is improving. Based on the programme’s success, Metalloinvest’s management team has taken the decision to build on the experience and continue to run the programme.