Three businesses, three partners, one principle: delivering quality solutions
Today I am — an entrepreneur who is simultaneously developing three businesses in different fields: finance, land/real estate, and digital. My model is simple: I don’t build companies «alone» — each business has partners, because this is faster, more systematic, and brings a different perspective to decision-making.
My journey has consisted of different stages. Some of my experience came from the family business started by my parents, which I gradually became involved in. Another part — came from working at a structured corporation: that is where I gained practical expertise and realized that I wanted to move into entrepreneurship. At one point, I made the risky decision — to leave a «great» structured company, where I had a good position, to build my own project.
Over the years, I have become increasingly convinced that, for me, entrepreneurship — is not about «coming up with something new», but about the ability to create companies, deliver value to people, and see processes through to results. This looks different in different fields, but the principle is the same: people come to us when they need a specific problem solved — and we need to be able to solve it well.
A family business, market expertise, and Telegram as a fully-fledged media business
How did the business idea come about?
In the financial business, the company «ONIKS» did not begin with a separate idea as such — it is a family business started by my parents, which I continued to develop together with my partners.
The company «ZEMPROEKT-GRUP» was a logical continuation of my professional experience. I worked for a structured company in this field, later met a partner, and together we started a business from scratch in Kyiv. It was not a «brilliant idea», but a conscious decision to go into business based on an understanding of the market and genuine expertise.
The digital agency DOVA came about after I observed Telegram’s development. I saw how the platform was transforming into a fully-fledged media resource, with clients, attention, and significant business activity. It was important to me to create an online business not tied to an office or location. We already had practical experience: my wife was developing websites as a freelancer, while I was systematically analyzing Telegram. Eventually, we formed a full-fledged agency: we created a brand and a website, defined our positioning, and began offering turnkey Telegram channel and website creation services for medium-sized and large businesses.
Determination, client value, and a strong partner as the foundation for launching
What key skills helped you launch the business?
My core quality — is determination: when I take something on, I see it through to the result.
The second important skill — is thinking in terms of value for the client. For me, business — is not just about generating profit, but first and foremost about solving people’s specific problems at the right time.
I also follow a principle when launching new areas: either I immerse myself deeply in the niche on my own, or I enter into a partnership with someone who has strong technical expertise. This is what creates the foundation for scaling.
The risk of leaving a corporation, team turnover, and a niche without expertise
What were the 3 most difficult challenges you dealt with in the early years?
I would not single out three specific challenges, since many processes at the start were operational. At the same time, there were key difficulties that kept recurring.
The first — was risk. For example, leaving a structured corporation to pursue entrepreneurship was a major step with no guarantee of success.
The second — was building a team. It is not enough to find people; you also need to retain them and establish a working system without constant turnover.
The third — was the need to rely on expertise. Without a deep understanding of the niche or a strong partner, building a stable business is practically impossible.
Automation, key performance indicators, and a principled refusal to cut costs on people
Which decisions proved most effective in growing the company?
Growth is driven not by one «magical» solution, but by systematic discipline in managing the business model.
First, it is the control of income and expenses. Clear expense management, including through automation, creates resources for development.
Second, process automation. We automate everything possible to reduce costs without sacrificing quality.
Third, investment in the team. I am firmly against cutting costs on employees: we raise salaries and introduce bonuses, indexation, a key performance indicator system, and commissions. A stable team has a direct impact on service quality and financial results.
I also consider developing the business through partnerships strategically important. This allows us to scale faster, gain an alternative perspective, and avoid limited thinking.
Every decision — is experience. Draw a conclusion, adapt, and move forward
Which of your mistakes do you now consider your most valuable experience?
I would not single out one mistake as decisive. For me, every decision — is experience. If it leads to a loss or reduced profit, it is a signal to adjust the approach.
In my view, learning from mistakes — is part of day-to-day operations: draw a conclusion, adapt, improve the process, and move forward.
