Hryhorii Ihnatov, 25 years

I’m Hryhorii Ihnatov, founder of Ovva Promo.

We grew from a freelance setup into a global performance marketing agency serving clients in North America, Europe, Australia, and Ukraine. We have 12 specialists, steady annual revenue of $250–300 thousand, and focus on SMBs with revenue of $1 million or more and teams of 10+ people.

Our results aren’t about beautiful banners; they’re about a system of decisions that scales sales. I came into marketing from scratch, without any “warm” family stories about entrepreneurship. I earned my first serious money at 18–19 years old—about $400 a month at an hourly rate of $10, working as a marketer at a logistics company that shipped goods from the US around the world. I did everything there, from copywriting and SEO to advertising and social media. The most valuable thing was the freedom to try different things and a manager who gave me room to take responsibility. Then came freelancing. I focused on targeted advertising, worked without days off, and slept little. At my peak, I managed about 40 projects at once and earned $4–5 thousand a month—at the cost of total burnout. That period taught me the most important lesson: you have to scale through people. I started hiring full-time specialists, reduced the number of projects per person to a reasonable 5–10 (depending on complexity), and stabilized both service quality and my life.

When I officially became an agency, we quickly reached $10 thousand in MRR, but didn’t know how to retain clients for more than 3–4 months.

After joining the YBC business club, we systematically improved our service, set expectations “up front,” and increased the length of client relationships to a year or more. Later, we hit a plateau at $12–13 thousand in MRR: new contracts came in, while some clients left. The breakthrough came when I acquired an SEO agency owned by a fellow club member—I integrated the service into Ovva Promo and added approximately $10 thousand to our monthly revenue. Today, we maintain a steady presence in the global market, with strong expertise in performance marketing (targeted advertising, paid search, SEO).

Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

1. Take more action and spend less time on theory. Test hypotheses in the market, not on slides.
2. Track your money from day one: start with at least a P&L, then add Cash Flow.
3. Trust your instincts when hiring. If you don’t “click,” they’re not the right candidate.
4. “Business is a team, not a family.” Evaluate people by their results, not how much you like them.
5. Sell. Operations without sales are an illusion of control. The client is the main driver of growth.

I also help animal shelters by donating food and supplies and walking dogs. If you visit a shelter even once, there’s no need to convince you: you’ll abandon the idea of “buying” a pet and give a home to an animal that desperately needs one. It’s hard for volunteers—large dogs can remain “stuck” in shelters for years, and caring for them is expensive. “A strong entrepreneur sees structure where others see chaos. I don’t care whether it’s a factory, a steamship, or a digital agency—the principles are the same: keep track, sell, hire autonomous people, align expectations, measure results. And always keep your eyes open to ideas from fields outside your own—the boldest decisions come from there.”

How did you come up with the business idea?

It grew out of my interest in internet advertising from the age of 18 and my education in Media Communications.

A balance of creativity and analytics

What key skills helped you launch your business?

A balance of creativity and analytical thinking Understanding of marketing and B2B sales Strategic thinking.

Letting people go, finances, and first clients

What were the 3 most difficult challenges you solved in the early years?

Poor hires, which meant letting people go and building a new team Not knowing how to manage finances, which led me to change my attitude toward profitability Finding clients at the start.

There were no systemic crises—I always stayed ahead of them

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

Cash flow gaps, which we addressed through management decisions and loans. There were no systemic crises—I always worked to stay ahead of them.

Make the client journey more demanding to set the right expectations

Which decisions proved most effective for growing the company?

Don’t skimp on people Make the client journey more demanding during the sales process to set the right expectations Clearly align on outcomes “up front.”

A toxic employee who cost $10 000+

Which mistake do you now consider your most valuable learning experience?

I waited too long to let a toxic employee go, which resulted in financial losses of $10 000+, broken processes, and a damaged atmosphere. I learned a key lesson: the business is the owner’s responsibility, and boundaries must be firmly protected.