Sumy under fire, a workshop fire, and 45 team members — business without illusions
My name is Vira Ivanova, and today I am an entrepreneur with two distinct areas of business experience. The first is export manufacturing in the wood-processing sector, where I am responsible for developing our oak lamella production line: from building processes and quality control to production economics. The second is my own women’s clothing brand, «Sedativo». I live and work in Sumy, a border city that shapes a no-illusions approach to management: discipline, responsibility, and a systematic approach are not choices here, but conditions for survival and growth.
My professional journey began with an early understanding of a simple principle: freedom is possible only through education and structure. I grew up in a small town without start-up capital or ready-made resources, and learned early to achieve results through consistent action. My experience in marketing and building my own advertising agency became the foundation for entering manufacturing, where we essentially built a business from scratch. At the same time, I fulfilled a childhood dream of working with clothing, transforming personal experience into a systematic brand. For me, entrepreneurship is not about intuition, but about structure, responsibility, and the long haul.
I sewed from childhood because there was no choice — and material theft made me take control of production
How did you come up with the business idea?
«Sedativo» is the realization of my childhood dream. I sewed from an early age because I wanted to look different, and in the 90s there was hardly any choice. Clothes were either all the same or unavailable, so I created what I myself was missing. The brand name makes sense to me, both logically and emotionally: «Sedativo» means a sedative. What could calm a woman more than a new dress created to match her own ideas and feelings?
The wood-processing line arose from the need to make the business transparent and manageable. Initially, my partner’s partner was supposed to handle this line, but I began noticing material being stolen. I counted, recorded data, and analyzed the numbers, although from the outside it looked as if I was «just walking around». That was when it became clear: to protect the business, we needed to build our own production operation and manage processes not by intuition, but on the basis of clear figures and oversight.
Fast decisions, learning in a closed-off industry, and a reliable partner as a safety net
What key skills helped you launch the business?
The foundation of my growth is speed and clear-headed decision-making. I can act quickly and take responsibility, but most importantly, I make decisions based on reality, not expectations or illusions.
The second important skill is adaptability and the ability to learn in closed-off industries. Wood processing is a field where information is not shared openly. Either you are «one of them», or you know how to search, ask questions, and are not afraid to say, «I don’t know—tell me». I made a lot of calls, searched for specialists, and learned systematically.
The third pillar is a reliable partner. It is much easier for me to make decisions involving large sums when I know that, even if I make a mistake, someone will have my back. This is not about romance, but about manageable risks and mutual responsibility.
Half a year working hands-on in production, a fire after a «Shahed» drone strike, and a business line shut down
What were the 3 most difficult challenges you faced in the early years?
Moving from office work into hands-on manufacturing. The hardest decision was to work alongside the production workers rather than manage from an office. For half a year, I worked as a shop-floor worker: carrying, stacking, and moving boards. It was necessary to understand the product deeply and realistically assess the capabilities of the equipment and the people.
The workshop fire after a «Shahed» drone flew over on 10 October 2024. The hardest part was not the recovery itself, but the moment of choice. The workshop was still burning, and we were already covering the windows with plastic sheeting and starting to clear up the aftermath, because we were responsible for 45 team members.
Closing the business making interior products from reclaimed wood after winning a grant. All the material we had accumulated burned in the fire, and I made the difficult decision to close this line a year after launching it, rather than drag myself into debt or cling to a project that was not viable.
A shortage of production workers and perseverance in the face of clothing-market competition
What crises has your business faced, and how have you overcome them?
In wood processing, the key crisis today is a shortage of workers. We retain the core team members who have been here since I joined the business: we secure their jobs, provide medical care, and treat them like family. At the same time, we actively bring in women and train them, because otherwise production simply will not survive.
The crisis in the clothing brand is different: intense competition and falling demand, when almost nobody is buying. I don’t romanticize this path: it is slow and expensive. But I stick to a strategy of perseverance—not stopping and continuing to push forward gradually while some competitors disappear from the market.
A technologist from Zakarpattia doubled output in 10 days — and we acted immediately after the fire
Which decisions proved most effective for the company’s growth?
The strongest lever for growth in wood processing is hiring the right technologist. We took a risk and invited him from Zakarpattia to Sumy. During his first visit, which lasted 10 days, he doubled production volumes thanks to seemingly simple changes: adjusting the flow logic and rearranging the machines.
The second effective decision was not to delay recovery after the fire. We started acting immediately, without waiting for a «better moment», because every day of downtime costs not only money, but also risks losing the team.
I would pay others less if I had taken fashion pattern-making and marketing courses myself
What mistake do you now consider your most valuable learning experience?
My most valuable mistake was not getting specialized education in clothing—pattern-making, design, and marketing specifically in the fashion industry. I now pay other people significant sums for knowledge I could have acquired myself, so my plans include taking relevant courses within a year.
