CQ27_FINAL_SPREADS (1)

Without knowing what it all meant
and how much work it would
entail, I told Toni: kein Problem!”
Čestmír Kalaš
his own workshop and Kalaš
was quickly parted from his life
savings of 70,000 CZK (approximately
£3,200).
These basic second-hand
machines were great to get
things moving but would not be
enough to establish the business
on a firm footing for the
long-term. The business plan
drawn-up by Kalaš identified
that he would need to raise a
further CZK 400,000 (approximately
£13,300). He promptly
arranged a bank loan for the full
amount, neglecting to mention
to his wife the small matter that
their family home had been
used as security.
“I took out a loan for CZK
400,000 and had to guarantee
it with our family house. My
wife, of course, went crazy.
She told me that I had no
experience, that I would go
bankrupt and that we would
become homeless. It was a big
commitment and I had to give
my best.”
“Of course, I couldn’t be in so
many positions. I remember one
weekend we were at races in
the Netherlands. I was running
around the track all Sunday,
then we drove all night to
Czechoslovakia and were home
by 03:00. I slept for a few hours
and went straight to the production.
It was all too much, so I
gave up the position of national
coach.”
Soon, the orders again began
to exceed capacity and Kalaš
was forced to think creatively to
meet demand. In the next part
of the Kalas Story we will cover
the pivotal role of the other
founding partner in the company
– Mrs Filipova, the break
from Assos and the creation of
the Kalas brand, right up to the
modern era of Kalas Sportswear
and the kit we see today worn
by world class athletes at the
Olympic Games and Tour de
France.
With the significant cash injection,
business really took off.
But with a lot riding on the success
of the business Kalaš struggled
to combine the demanding
roles of managing an entrepreneurial
start-up custom cycle
wear business, national team
coach, and chairman and trainer
of the Tábor club. Something
had to give, and reluctantly
Kalaš resigned as national team
coach so he could devote more
attention to activities closer to
home.
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