From bank employee to real estate investor in eight countries
Today, I am an international real estate entrepreneur. I am growing the international real estate agency Hayat Estate and the Hayat Development division. But my journey began in a very different environment — the corporate world. I worked in television, then in banking, and that was where I gained my first practical experience working with real estate as an investment tool: buying, selling, renovating, and handling paperwork.
At a certain point, I realized I no longer wanted to remain in the corporate sector. I wanted more freedom, scale, and the opportunity to create something of my own. That was when I began to delve deeper into international real estate. I was captivated by the idea itself: it turned out that for the price of an ordinary apartment in Kyiv, you could buy quality property by the sea, with infrastructure, services, and a completely different quality of life. For me, this became the point where two interests came together — investment and business.
From the very beginning, I tried to build the business differently from the way things are usually done in our field. I constantly test new markets, explore new hypotheses, and personally invest in the projects we offer our clients. I have real estate investments in eight countries, and in almost every country where we operate, I am also an investor. This is a matter of principle for me. I want to experience the client journey myself, understand all the processes from the inside, and keep my finger on the pulse of the market.
We have never built our work around one-off deals alone. Our approach is based on long-term relationships with clients. We help people develop investment strategies through real estate: choosing the right asset, understanding its potential, planning rental or resale income, and forming a long-term vision for managing their capital.
Over the years, I have also developed clear personal principles. I will never go against them, even for a guaranteed financial return. There was a case in my life when I could have made around a million euros very quickly. But to do that, I would have had to sell a property I was not confident in as an investor. I understood that the buyer could lose money or, at the very least, fail to achieve the expected result. I did not even consider the opportunity. For me, it is important not just to make money, but to remain honest with myself and my clients.
Over the years, I have also learned to value my peace of mind and comfort at work. I can turn down even a very lucrative partnership or a major client if I see that the relationship will be toxic or destructive. I remember a situation when, on the day a deal for a development project was to be signed, a potential partner made the process so difficult that I simply decided to end the collaboration and buy out his share myself. At that moment, I clearly understood: money is an important resource, but far from the only one. I am not willing to sacrifice my principles, peace of mind, or inner balance just for greater profit.
If I compare myself in 2012 with who I am now, it seems to me that almost everything has changed: my approach to people, the team, partnerships, hiring, clients, risk, and business growth. During this time, I have gained a tremendous amount of experience and learned much more about how business and investment markets work.
One of the most important realizations is that the owner should not be the smartest person in the room. The ideal situation for me is when the team comes together to solve a complex issue and everyone present is stronger than I am in their area of expertise. At one point, I realized that I had become the bottleneck in the business. And then I understood that scaling is not simply a matter of multiplying the number of managers or processes several times over. Every new stage requires different approaches, a different management model, and a different way of thinking.
Business has certainly given me a lot, but it has also taken something away. First and foremost, time. Many people start their own business thinking they will have more freedom and be able to manage their lives themselves. But in reality, in the early stages or during periods of rapid growth, business takes up practically all your time. You work on weekends, in the evenings, at night, and vacation becomes more of a dream than a reality. The level of responsibility increases many times over.
There have also been situations where business changed or ended certain relationships with people. Sometimes friendship and work turned out to be incompatible. But at the same time, I cannot say that I truly regret anything — all of it has become part of my journey and experience.
When it comes to advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, the first question to ask yourself is: do you really want to be an entrepreneur? Entrepreneurship is often romanticized and put on a pedestal today. But in reality, there are many talented chief executives, experts, and specialists who live much more comfortably and earn more than the average entrepreneur. So it is very important to be honest with yourself about whether this is truly for you.
If the answer is “yes,” then you need to find something you have a genuine knack for and a real interest in. It should be something you are ready to work on every day, even when results and money do not come right away. And one more thing — you need to be patient. There are no guaranteed outcomes in business: something may take off quickly, while something else may not work at all.
I was only able to build my own business when, figuratively speaking, I “burned my boats.” When there were no backup options left and no possibility of retreat. It is often in such moments that a person becomes maximally focused and effective. And perhaps focus is one of the most important qualities in business.
Fatherhood is a particularly important subject for me. I have a son, and I will never impose on him who he should be. If he wants to go into business, I can help with advice and experience. If he chooses another path, I will support him too. I do not believe in stories where parents should determine a child’s destiny. Everyone should follow their own path and figure out for themselves what they want from life.
An apartment on the Mediterranean for the price of a Khrushchev-era apartment in Borshchahivka
How did you come up with the business idea?
My first experience with real estate came while I was still working at a bank, around 2007. In Ukraine, I bought and sold property, renovated it, and dealt with paperwork. At first, it was more of an investment interest — I was looking for somewhere to put my spare money and make a return.
In 2012, I began a broad search for a new direction. I no longer wanted to work at a bank and was thinking about what to do next. An international real estate exhibition made a strong impression on me. The properties there were on a completely different level and of a different quality. For the price of an ordinary Khrushchev-era apartment in Borshchahivka, you could buy an apartment on the Mediterranean coast — with a swimming pool, gym, bowling alley, and renovations.
That was what inspired me. I became interested both as an investor and as an entrepreneur. When I started looking for the best way to put my skills to use, I realized that this field was the closest fit for me. I immersed myself in the subject, studied the market, traveled to Turkey several times, saw everything for myself, and began working in the field.
At the time, I had two key questions: where to invest and what kind of business to pursue. This field became the answer to both questions at once.
Enthusiasm makes up for a lack of experience
What key skills helped you launch your business?
First and foremost — persistence. At the start, I put in an enormous amount of time and energy. Many friends and acquaintances later admitted they did not believe I would succeed.
Second — being ready to improvise, adapt, and test different hypotheses. Being open to change, setbacks, and failures is part of the journey.
Third — resilience under stress. Business involves a lot of stress, and often you simply have to endure it. So the key qualities for me became persistence, resilience, and a willingness to keep testing new approaches.
Nothing was working, but enthusiasm made up for incompetence
What were the 3 most difficult challenges you overcame in the early years?
At the beginning, nothing worked at all. I had no idea how to find clients, build processes, or make everything run.
I learned to negotiate with developers fairly quickly, but the main challenge was my own lack of competence. I had no experience whatsoever or clear understanding of how to build this business. I did everything intuitively.
If I were starting now, I would do many things differently. But there is no guarantee the result would be better. Back then, enthusiasm completely made up for my lack of experience and information.
I believe enthusiasm is one of the most important qualities an entrepreneur can have. It can make up for a lack of experience, knowledge, and understanding. Determination, self-confidence, and enthusiasm are the foundation of entrepreneurship.
A partner took the money, the Turkish market fell: two crises that changed the model
What crises has your business faced, and how did you overcome them?
My biggest crisis was connected to a partnership during the construction of our first development project. One of the partners effectively appropriated a significant portion of the money. As a result, completing construction became very difficult.
The second major crisis was the fall of the Turkish real estate market in 2023, which had been our primary market. We had to quickly shift our focus to other markets and change our business model, approach, and concept.
Returning to development after a disappointing experience brought the greatest financial return
What decisions proved most effective in growing the company?
The most effective decision was moving into development — or, more precisely, returning to it. We built our first project in 2016–2018, and afterward I was deeply disappointed. Because of problems with partners and financial losses, I did not want to return to this field.
But in 2021, I decided to try again — this time with a different model and new partners. I was deciding whether to take part in one project or another. In the end, I joined both and got both right. After that, I began scaling this line of business.
It was the full-scale move into development that gave me the most tangible financial return.
Excessive trust without checking the facts — the costliest mistake
Which of your mistakes do you now consider the most valuable learning experience?
Sometimes I trusted people without any grounds to do so. This applies to many situations in my life.
There were times when I worked with people for years and trusted them completely, but over time they changed. Several times, I failed to notice those changes and suffered serious losses as a result — both in partnerships and in my relationships with employees.
So one of the biggest mistakes in my life has been excessive trust without checking the facts and figures. This was especially evident in my early construction projects, where many processes were built on trust.
