Dmytro Chornyi, 47 years

Today, I am an entrepreneur who has brought together several business areas and views them as a single ecosystem. It includes a fitness chain, online education in the fitness field, an investment agency, and film production. To me, these are not separate projects but interconnected parts of one system, reinforcing one another through shared management principles, resources, and vision.

My entrepreneurial journey began very early, with a simple but clear desire to earn money and organize processes. Back in school, I photocopied jokes and sold them to my classmates. Those were my first earnings and my first conscious realization that exchanging value for payment is a real, workable mechanism. That experience sparked my interest in entrepreneurship as a systematic activity.

An experience from my teenage years had a significant impact on the way I think. At 14, I underwent a complex spinal operation and spent a long time in hospital afterward. There was no internet then. My father brought me a subscription to the newspaper «Kommersant». I did not yet understand most of the terms, figures, or stock quotes, but I instinctively felt an interest in business and finance. That was when I began to develop the habit of looking at any undertaking through the lens of numbers, cause and effect, and long-term consequences.

From 40 branches to documentary films about the hryvnia and the Lavra

How did the business idea come about?

The fitness chain did not begin with a «brilliant concept» but with a practical situation: friends in the business were having problems with their landlord, and I tried to help. We opened another branch in a different city, and it went so well that we began to expand, eventually building a chain.

Before the lockdown and the war, we had grown to 40 branches in 9 cities and were the second-largest company in the market after Sport Life. The online school for fitness trainers grew out of the challenges of expansion: the chain was growing rapidly, and there was a shortage of trainers, so in 2008 we began training them ourselves, first through courses. Later, this became a full-fledged school with international certification and plans to obtain a license from the Ministry of Education and Science.

The investment agency grew out of our experience scaling our own business: we attracted investors and learned how to work with them, then turned that experience into a service for other companies and for investors who want to put money into «real businesses», rather than pyramid schemes. During the war, this area became especially practical: we helped Ukrainian miltech companies secure financing, including manufacturers of drones, buggies, and underwater drones.

The film company and production studio SmartMovie also started with an investment approach: we helped raise funds for ideas about how to make money from film in Ukraine without «government-budget schemes». When the war began, I moved into documentary filmmaking. Two films had already been released in theaters, and another seven were in production at various editing stages. I also tried my hand at directing films when the war began: two films had already been released in theaters and are now available on all streaming platforms, while another seven are in production.

Our most ambitious projects are about reclaiming our history. One is «UKRAINIAN VATICAN: The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra’s Non-Religious History»; another is «THE HRYVNIA: MORE THAN MONEY», a large-scale project supported by the National Bank of Ukraine, Ukrainian House, and the country's leading banks. Participants in the filming included Viktor Yushchenko (the «father of the modern hryvnia»), National Bank of Ukraine Governor Andriy Pyshnyy, and more than 10 leading Ukrainian artists, including Oleh Tistol, Tereza Barabash, and others. These films will be released in theaters this year.

Thinking like a customer, a partner, and an investor

What key skills helped you launch your business?

The first key skill is the ability to think like the other party: to understand how your customer thinks, and how your partner or investor thinks.

The second is financial competence: knowing how to calculate, keep accounts, and work with spreadsheets. In my own businesses and the projects I advise, I always take on the role of chief financial officer or «treasurer»: allocating and analyzing funds, and keeping track of the figures. I am convinced that without proper accounting, there will be no money tomorrow, even if the business is «flying» today.

The third is the ability to regroup and start from scratch after market shocks such as lockdowns, war, and currency devaluations. This is not about glorifying hardship; it is a practical skill for staying clear-headed and moving forward.

One Kharkiv — and the decision to keep moving forward, even when it is not «necessary»

What were the three most difficult challenges you faced in the early years?

The first challenge was expanding from one city — my home city of Kharkiv — to others. It meant managing a chain, building teams, training people, and maintaining oversight and motivation when I was physically in a different location.

The second was building an effective management structure — a back office, processes, and a team of directors — at a point when the business was already «up and running and making money», but was vulnerable and unable to scale without systems. The third was the psychological and financial pressure of the lockdown, followed by the need to launch new business areas practically from scratch.

Three times through currency crises — and each time with a safety margin

What crises has your business faced, and how did you overcome them?

I have gone through the currency crises and devaluations typical of Ukrainian businesses at least three times. They taught me not to be surprised by the «suddenness» of cycles and always to build in a safety margin. Separately, there was a large-scale attempt by hostile parties to interfere in the business — not classic corporate raiding, but close in nature. This taught me to defend my position, find people willing to help, and accept losses as part of growth. The lockdown and the war were different kinds of crises: they were not just about money, but also about lifestyles, risks, and restarting many processes. After the lockdown, I clearly felt that what comes «next» often begins «from scratch», and you have to be able to accept that without becoming paralyzed.

Systematic scaling and the ability to attract investment

Which decisions proved most effective in growing the company?

Two decisions contributed most to our growth. The first was systematically expanding into other cities, even when it was not «necessary». I had seen examples of large businesses that stayed in one city because it was comfortable, and later lost the ability to move when reality changed. The second was working with investors: knowing how to attract investment and build relationships. It is not the romanticized story you often see in films, where «an investor knocks on the door» (anyone who has seen the film «The Social Network» and knows the real story of Facebook will smile — several years of hard work were «left out»).

I bought a car instead of an apartment — and learned a lesson about choosing assets

Which of your mistakes do you now consider your most valuable experience?

I cannot point to any major business mistakes. When something happens, I tend to see it as «the way it was meant to be» or as a stage that led to a different outcome. A specific example: in the early 2000s, I bought a new car even though I could have bought an apartment. Over time, apartment prices multiplied, while car prices did not. It was more of a life lesson about choosing assets. The most valuable conclusion for me is not about «blame», but about interpretation: not everything that did not happen is your mistake. Sometimes you fight for something, but it «doesn't work out», and later you realize you did not need it. It is important to learn to accept that, rather than break yourself over it.

Medical products, fitness, and the transition from hands-on management to systems

2012–2013: recognizing the scale; 2014 - active expansion from Kharkiv