Thinking about expanding your business in Poland? Or partnering up with a Polish company?

Here’s what you need to know for doing business in Poland.

Polish economic facts

Poland proudly holds the sixth largest economy in the E.U., with a population of over 38.5 million. 71.3% of that is between the ages of 15-65 years old, meaning a whopping 27.4 million workers! Poland is actually one of the few countries that didn’t join the European currency as they remained sovereign and kept the Zloty (PLN) (which actually translates to gold). As you can see, Poland definitely has a market worth breaking into. So that’s why we’d like to go through some tips on doing business in Poland.

Poland was one of the first of the ex-communist countries to adapt to privatization and economic freedom. They were so successful because the government was able to privatize most of the small and medium sized companies, and at the time they were also able to secure a large amount of direct foreign investment.

Germany, The UK, Czech Republic, France, Italy, the Netherlands and even Russia are the main exporters of Polish goods and services. Poland mainly specialises in machinery, transportation equipment, and general food stuffs, as well as exporting machinery parts, intermediate manufactured goods, livestock and miscellaneous manufactured goods. Funnily though, manufacturing only makes up 33% of the economy, with services making up a huge 63%, leaving agriculture with 3.6% of the economy.

Business in Poland

On a personal level, Polish people are very open and friendly. Saying that, during a meeting Poles are very straightforward and focus on professionalism. The aim of this is to keep the meeting a clear divide between work and pleasure. Once outside of the formal setting, you can expect to see a completely different side to your business partners.

Don’t be late! Here’s what is acceptable;

• Be on time, though 5mins late is ok
• Any later than 10mins = call ahead
• Any later than 20mins = reschedule

Business etiquette Do’s and Don’ts of Poland

• Do be polite and courteous.
• Don’t shake hands in the doorway (sign of bad luck).
• Do shake hands with everyone after the meeting.
• Don’t listen to the tips they give you on the internet ? Many suggest kissing a woman’s hand – this should never be done at a business meeting!
• Men should always hold the door open for a woman
• To break the ice why not bring a little local present with you – something small and typical from where you come from will go down a treat.

If you’re thinking about expanding into Poland, talk to Aploq and find out how we can help you grow!

Should you want to know more about the facts and figures of Poland, you can find plenty here thanks to the Poland.Gov