«Rich Dad» in my teens and a legal clinic at 20 — an entrepreneur from the very first line
My name is Anna Ardens, and today I am an entrepreneur and the founder of ARDENS Communication, a communications agency that works across countries to build brand stories and create media projects. We produce video series for businesses and institutions in different countries, helping brands reveal themselves through content and meaning.
My entrepreneurial journey began very early. As a teenager, the book «Rich Dad Poor Dad» became a turning point for me—a clear «before and after». That was when I developed the mindset that shaped my choices from then on. At the same time, my father’s example of building his own business in the 90s reinforced my understanding that responsibility, risk, and resilience are an integral part of my character.
I trained as a lawyer, but by 20 I was doing more than practicing law—I was building systems: from working as in-house counsel to securing a grant to establish a legal clinic. That was when I realized that my strength was not in a narrow specialization, but in organizing processes, working with people, and creating and scaling projects.
In more than 15 years in business, I have been through several serious crises. The lockdown was an emotionally difficult period for me and effectively drained my resources. The full-scale war brought new challenges: projects coming to a halt, advance payments being refunded, working under shelling, evacuating the team, equipment, and materials, as well as a prolonged period of financial instability. The business grew in waves, and this experience taught me flexibility and resilience.
Losing my father was another major turning point. It profoundly changed my attitude toward life and business. I rethought the balance between the material and spiritual, and realized that true strength comes from within. Today, what matters to me is not only effectiveness, but also the inner state from which a business is built and decisions are made.
One important personal milestone was rethinking the role of women in entrepreneurship. At the start of my career, I deliberately cultivated «hard», conventionally masculine qualities to fit into my environment and claim my place. Over time, this led to an inner imbalance that I only recognized after going through personal transformations.
Today, I am taking a different path, bringing strength and femininity together. I am learning myself and creating a space for other women: I organize programs, retreats, and camps where we learn to build businesses without losing ourselves. I believe we can achieve results not through struggle, but through awareness, partnership, and embracing our own nature.
Alongside this, I am developing as a mentor and coach for women entrepreneurs. My vision is to become a role model who shows that it is possible to combine business, family, personal growth, and inner harmony without destroying yourself.
Social work holds a special place in my life. I support the «Dim» project in Bila Tserkva, an initiative for orphaned children who lost their parents during the war. For me, this is a way to put into practice not only my civic values, but also a deep inner need to care for and support others. I help by organizing fundraisers and offering consultations in exchange for donations, so this space can become a true home for the children.
The unity of women in entrepreneurship is also important to me. I see how often women feel lonely on this path, and I believe in the power of support, sisterhood, and genuine connections. This kind of community provides strength, support, and a sense of living life to the fullest.
My path brings together business, growth, and inner transformation. And today I know for certain: success is not only about results, but also about who you become along the way.
Maidan 2014, the Kachorovska brand, and the first video story for entrepreneurs
How did you come up with the business idea?
The idea came in 2014, after the events in Crimea. An acquaintance came to film an interview, and during the process I realized that Ukrainian entrepreneurs needed a platform where they could share their stories. We immediately agreed to work together, and just a few days later we went to film our first story—for the Kachorovska brand. Today, it is a well-known brand represented in various countries and working with top stars. I am also proud to have been part of its major launch.
Persistence and people skills—the foundation for building a business in an emerging niche
What key skills helped you launch your business?
One of the most important is my persistence. On the one hand, it can be a difficult trait, but it is what keeps me going. If I see a goal, I pursue it to the end, even when things get hard.
Another important skill is being communicative. I connect easily with different people, quickly read the context, and know how to carry a conversation. That helps a lot in business.
Convincing the market of the value of video when video production was not yet the norm
What were the 3 most challenging issues you resolved in the early years?
When we launched, video production for small and medium-sized businesses was not yet widespread. Social media was only just gaining momentum, and for many entrepreneurs it was something new and unfamiliar.
The main challenge was convincing clients of the value of this format. There was a lot of caution and distrust. But over time, we built a portfolio of work that proves its effectiveness: some of our early projects are still being used by companies because a story remains relevant regardless of time.
Five months of recovery after lockdown and working under shelling in 2022
What crises has your business faced, and how did you overcome them?
The most difficult period was the lockdown. Many projects were put on hold or canceled, and it was a major emotional blow for me. I went through a difficult time, and it took about five months to recover, return to work, and find inspiration again.
The next major challenge was the full-scale war. Projects stopped, we had to refund some advance payments, work under shelling, evacuate the team, and safeguard materials. For a while, we were effectively working without profit, then with minimal income, periodically operating at a loss.
This period lasted quite a long time: power outages, instability, constant risks—all of it continues to affect the business. But we held on thanks to our flexibility, resilience, and team.
A one-hour video project in 24 hours: «fast food» production as a competitive advantage
Which decisions proved most effective in growing the company?
One of our most effective and unconventional decisions was to create an in-house production workflow that allows us to produce complete one-hour video projects in 24 hours. It is a kind of «fast food» approach to video production that we developed ourselves.
The impetus was a request from a demanding client who needed a project delivered in one day. At the time, it seemed impossible: producing this kind of project—with multiple cameras, sound, color grading, and graphics—used to take about 7 days, or 5 at best.
As a result, we restructured our processes: we formed teams in which each person is responsible for their part of the work, and everything is brought together into a single product at the final stage. This allowed us to speed up production considerably and become more flexible.
We also began working with series formats as templates: like in cooking, where you have a base and add the necessary «lingredients»—graphics, design, and finishing touches. This allowed us to quickly adapt content to specific requests.
This approach opened the door to more complex, high-profile projects, including filming for government institutions and major international companies. The most active period for implementing these solutions was in 2019.
Verbal agreements instead of contracts—and a lesson that changed my approach to partnerships
What mistake do you now consider your most valuable learning experience?
One of my key mistakes was trusting partners too much at the beginning. We did not always put our agreements in writing: sometimes they were verbal or not formalized enough.
At the time, that was rather naive, and it later led to difficult situations. But this experience shaped the way we work today: we discuss all agreements «up front», sign partnership contracts, and clearly set out what will happen in different scenarios, including during crises.
