35 Years Together: Interview with Milan & Rudolf

Behind RIM’s success is not only a business idea, but above all a long-standing partnership built on friendship, trust, courage and complementary strengths. In the following interview, our owners Ruda and Milan look back on the beginnings in a rented garage, key decisions, the most difficult periods and the moments of pride that have shaped the company over 35 years of its history.

Every beginning has its first step. How do you remember yours?
Milan: It was mainly about the desire to start our own business and to find an idea that would make sense.
Rudolf: I remember it as if it were today. First came the choice of the product we wanted to manufacture, then a trip abroad to research similar products, and finally the first pieces we made ourselves in a rented garage.

Which of you was the braver one?
Rudolf: Definitely Milan. He handed in his notice at our mutual employer a few months before I did. I already had a family at the time, so I was a little afraid to step into uncertainty.

How would you describe each other?
Rudolf: After 35 years, it is no longer just business. It is a relationship. He is not only a business partner, but someone with whom I have shared a major part of my life. We have experienced much more together than business decisions – and that is what keeps us together.
Milan: Ruda is a joker. He can lighten even difficult situations, but at the same time he always has your back.

Can you share a funny story you experienced together?
Rudolf: We laugh about it today, but at the time it was not funny at all. When, alongside chair production, we were also setting up a shop with office supplies and health food, we assembled new shelves and carefully filled them with products. The next morning, we came in for the grand opening… and all the shelves had collapsed. :-)

In what ways do you complement each other?
Rudolf: We are each different. I am the calmer type, while Milan is the driving force. And that is exactly why it has worked between us for 35 years.
Milan: Front office and back office. Each of us has our role, and that is what makes us complement each other well.

Which of you has the better memory?
Rudolf: It depends on what, but probably Milan.
Milan: Neither of us is particularly good at that… :-))

When and about what did you last disagree?
Rudolf: I don’t remember.
Milan: Me neither. :-)

What has stayed the same over the past 35 years, and what has changed the most – in the company and in your friendship?
Rudolf: Trust, openness and the awareness that we can rely on each other have remained throughout. The desire to do things properly has also stayed the same, even though the world around us keeps changing. The company is, of course, much bigger, more complex and more professional today. In the past, we dealt with absolutely everything ourselves. Today, we think more strategically and have a team of people around us without whom it would no longer be possible.
Milan: We are still in business together, and we still enjoy it. That is probably the most important thing. Only our age and health no longer allow us to play sports together, go for a beer afterwards and discuss work with the same ease as we used to. :-)

Which decision proved to be key from today’s perspective?
Milan: The idea of manufacturing chairs without capital, hiring skilled people, investing in our own design and development, starting to export. Also managing the crisis in 2009, investing in FLEXi and soft seating, transforming the company into a joint-stock company, bringing in an executive director… All of these decisions were important. Each of them moved us forward, and without them we would not be where we are today.

Which year or period was the most difficult for the company?
Rudolf: The beginnings themselves were challenging – finding customers, uncertain finances and the fact that we had to do everything ourselves. The global financial crisis in 2008 was a major test, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic was another difficult period.

And when were you most proud of the company?
Rudolf: There have been many such moments. Whether it was awards such as Company of the Year in the Zlín Region or Salt of the Czech Economy, TV reports, praise from people we know, or simply the moments when we see our products in companies, banks and other spaces.
Milan: We are proud all the time. :-)

What do you think is the biggest misconception about entrepreneurship?
Milan: That it is easy and that people do business only for money.
Rudolf: Many people have good ideas, but only a few can turn them into reality over the long term. The difference between success and failure often lies in discipline, perseverance and the ability to finish what you start.

What would your younger selves from the year the company was founded praise you for today? And what advice would you give yourselves 35 years ago?
Rudolf: They would praise us for not giving up, even when nothing was certain. My younger self was often afraid to take a step without any guarantee. At the same time, we managed to build personal relationships with customers, which was extremely important. If I could give myself advice in retrospect, I would take even better care of the people around me and look for ways to collaborate with architects and designers earlier, even though there was no money for it at the beginning.
Milan: They would praise us for educating ourselves and learning how to lead and develop a company. I would advise myself to delegate more.

What is a bigger challenge today than ever before?
Milan: Establishing ourselves in non-European markets and attracting as well as motivating new, high-quality employees.
Rudolf: Thanks to the internet, we have access to almost everything, but at the same time it is harder than ever to recognise what is true. Being able to navigate information is essential today. On top of that, there is artificial intelligence, automation and new technologies, which are changing both work and everyday life. Keeping pace with all of this is more demanding than ever.

What would you wish the company for its 35th birthday?
Rudolf: Many more years ahead, many beautiful, useful and high-quality products, and satisfied people working here.
Milan: A world without war, economic prosperity and many skilled and high-quality colleagues.