Kolomiiets Valentyna

I imagined I was 18 again — and built a business in Dubai from scratch

Today, I work as a broker and advisor in the UAE investment property sector, building a business (Pazzl Real Estate) in an international environment and working with high-value deals and global investors. My professional approach has always been based on combining several strengths: analytics, systems thinking, an understanding of architecture and space, and, most importantly, the ability to work with people.

My journey began with an engineering degree in surveying. From childhood, I was fascinated by planning, drafting, spatial logic, and architecture. I loved working with shapes, structures, and numbers, but I soon realized that simply sitting at a computer doing technical work was not enough for me. I needed dynamism, people, negotiations, complex challenges, and an environment without a repetitive routine.

That is why, in 2008, immediately after university, I entered the real estate industry. And from almost day one, I was drawn not to the residential sector, but to commercial real estate and business-to-business logic.

I was interested not in apartments, but in more complex systems: offices, retail spaces, commercial property concepts, development, negotiations with major chains, the legal structures of deals, and the mathematics of investment decisions.

The first few years were a serious school in building a reputation. I was just over 20, entering a fairly conservative market without significant start-up capital, a well-known surname, or a strong network of contacts. My main task was to prove my value to the market.

I built trust through results: speed, the quality of negotiations, deal effectiveness, and the ability to solve complex cases. At the time, the commercial brokerage market was still taking shape, so many clients simply did not understand what they were paying a broker for. This shaped my tough negotiating style, business logic, and ability to position my expertise quickly.

Commercial real estate is one of the sectors most sensitive to political, economic, and geopolitical changes. That is why my key entrepreneurial skill is rapid adaptation.

I learned to see a crisis not as a point of loss, but as a point where opportunities are redistributed.

2022 was the biggest personal and professional turning point for me. The full-scale war forced me to start completely over: leave Ukraine, move to Dubai, and build a life and business from scratch in an international environment.

To get through that period psychologically, I consciously changed my perspective: I imagined I was 18 again. It allowed me to see the situation not as a catastrophe, but as a rare opportunity for a complete restart—with the experience, connections, and inner resilience I had already gained.

This ability to adapt and build a new environment around myself became my greatest asset.

In Dubai, I made a strategic decision almost immediately to work internationally rather than locally. I started conducting business in English, working with global investors, and expanding my client portfolio through international positioning.

This allowed me to move quickly into a different deal segment and achieve a much higher average deal value.

I have always spoken honestly about women in entrepreneurship. In my opinion, business is not harder for women—the rules of the game are simply a little different. The main problem I see among many women is a habitual tendency to undervalue themselves. Women often doubt their own value before they even enter the negotiation room. Men are much better at projecting confidence, even when they do not have all the necessary competencies. That is why I am convinced that in high-end service businesses, we sell ourselves first and the service second. Clients buy more than expertise—they buy confidence, energy, a way of thinking, and the ability to lead them to results.

I always say: you need to learn how to sell yourself effectively. It starts with language, voice, posture, personal presentation, the intellectual framework of the conversation, and the ability to make the right first impression. In negotiations, I always shift the focus to intellectual value. My goal is for the other person to think not about gender, but about the strength of my expertise and the level of my thinking.

That is why I dislike the attitude of “it’s difficult for me because I’m a woman.” I believe that in business, it is important not to look for excuses, but to find your own formula for strength. Everyone has their own tools. You should not copy someone else’s model; you need to understand what works for you.

In recent years, I have also seen the real estate market undergo a major transformation driven by technology. Artificial intelligence is having a particularly significant impact. AI is already changing business processes, automation, and systematization in substantial ways, speeding up analysis and strengthening leading players. In my opinion, in the coming years it will significantly clear the market of unprofessional operators.

Today, success for me is not only the scale of my business or high-value deals. Above all, it is inner resilience. I live where I like. I work with people who interest me. I do work that gives me intellectual satisfaction. I have goals, freedom of choice, and the knowledge that I can adapt to practically any circumstances. For me, happiness is fulfillment: fulfillment as a person, a professional, and a woman. It is living in sync with what you truly enjoy and having the inner strength to get through any crisis.

That is what I consider my greatest achievement today.

I dreamed of becoming an architect — I became a commercial real estate broker from day one

How did the business idea come about?

My interest in real estate began in childhood. I dreamed of becoming an architect and loved planning, drafting, and urban concepts. From an early age, I was fascinated by city plans and spatial thinking.

I earned an engineering degree in surveying, and while still studying, I began doing drafting work on commission. That was when I earned my first money.

I really enjoyed the process, but over time I realized I could not sit at a computer all my life. Communication, movement, and constantly changing tasks and environments are essential to me.

I love people, complex negotiations, and changing contexts.

That was when I saw a real estate agent vacancy and decided to go for an interview. It was not a forced move—I already had a good job. I simply felt that real estate was the perfect combination of everything that interested me: architecture, people, analytics, numbers, negotiations, legal processes, and business.

I started at a real estate agency in Zhytomyr. Commercial real estate entered my life almost immediately: I quickly leased my first office, after which companies began contacting me.

That was the start of my 14-year career in commercial real estate in Ukraine.

I worked with offices, retail spaces, major chains, commercial property concepts, land plots, and development projects.

I liked that this field offered complete multitasking:

• client negotiations;
• financial analysis and calculations;
• working with lawyers;
• conceptual property planning;
• architectural thinking.

For me, it is the perfect combination of everything I love.

That is how I realized I wanted a business that:

• is not tied to one place;
• offers freedom of movement;
• has no income ceiling;
• constantly changes the types of tasks involved.

That is exactly what I found in real estate.

Communication, systems thinking, and an architectural perspective that sees a property as a system

What key skills helped you launch your business?

My foundation is a combination of three strong competencies that rarely come together in one profile.

1. Communication and negotiation. I am genuinely interested in people, even difficult ones. I know how to negotiate, maintain the intellectual framework of a conversation, and build trust.
   
   

2. Systems thinking and analytics. I love numbers, analysis, risk assessment, market comparisons, and drawing conclusions. This was largely shaped by my father: a love of mathematics, systems, and structured thinking.
   
   

3. An architectural way of thinking. I know how to see a property as a system: its layout, concepts, usage scenarios, and spatial logic. This is especially valuable in commercial real estate, where there are many technical details and strategic considerations.

I am also aware of another distinctive trait: I need complex challenges. I literally get energy from solving problems.

That is why I still find this profession engaging—it brings a new scenario, a new challenge, and a new combination of variables every time.

Building a reputation without a network and explaining to the market why it should pay a broker

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

Building a reputation and trust in the market

The biggest challenge at the start was building a reputation at a relatively young age. I was just over 20, I did not yet have a large network of contacts, and I was already negotiating between two parties and having to explain why they should pay me.

The commercial real estate market was only just taking shape at the time, especially in the regions. Many companies did not understand the value of a broker: why bring in an intermediary if you can negotiate directly?

So my key task was to prove my expertise through results: speed, the quality of negotiations, deal effectiveness, and professional reputation.

Signing contracts and securing final payment for services in the business-to-business segment were especially challenging. This became my training ground for negotiation, positioning, and building trust.

From the 2008 crisis to Dubai in 2022: business through constant crises

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

My business effectively grew up amid constant crises.

The first serious crisis came in 2008—the real estate market collapse. Then came the events of 2013–2014: the Maidan protests, the start of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, currency instability, and the shutdown of many commercial activities.

At the time, I was already working in Kyiv, including in commercial real estate on Khreshchatyk, where tenants were leaving en masse and the market had practically ground to a halt.

Then there were:

• currency fluctuations;
• local economic crises;
• COVID-19;
• the full-scale war;
• the current geopolitical turbulence in the Middle East.

Commercial real estate is highly sensitive to any changes—it reacts to news almost instantly.

So my main strategy in a crisis is not to focus on the problem, but to adapt quickly and look for new opportunities. With every new crisis, I strengthened this skill even further.

Partnering with well-connected people in Ukraine and going international in Dubai

Which decisions proved most effective in growing the company?

In Ukraine

One of the most effective decisions was partnering with someone who had strong connections among major chains and corporate clients.

This gave me faster access to large-scale deals and major companies that would have been harder to work with on my own at the start.

In Dubai

After moving to Dubai, I immediately made the strategic decision to work internationally rather than locally.

I started conducting sales in English and working with international investors. This allowed me to quickly expand my client portfolio and move to a different level in terms of average deal value and deal scale.

A suitcase without a handle: I stayed too long in a partnership without an equal contribution

What mistake do you now consider your most valuable experience?

One of my most important lessons came from a negative partnership experience in Ukraine.

I had a partner who did not contribute equally to the business, but I held on to the partnership for too long because of emotions, habit, and the relationship we had already built.

It was a classic case of “a suitcase without a handle”: hard to carry, but hard to let go of.

That experience taught me the most important lesson: a partnership should strengthen you, not weaken you.

Today, I understand clearly: if a partner does not contribute equally, strengthen the business, and create added value, the partnership should be ended quickly.

I am also convinced that everything in a partnership should be put in writing.

The foundation should not be emotions, friendship, or a good relationship, but clear agreements, roles, responsibilities, and ground rules.

When those are missing, emotions, conflicts, and unclear expectations emerge.

From Drafting Plans for Classmates to $100 000 in a Single Deal in Dubai

How did you earn your first $100?

I earned my first $100 in my first year of university, drawing plans for my classmates. That was when my natural talent for precision, spatial thinking, and planning became apparent. 

How did you earn your first $1 000?

I earned my first $1 000 in my final year of university.

I worked on drawings in AutoCAD, and my pay depended not on an hourly rate but on my output. I remember my financial progress well: $300 → $500 → $1 000.

I earned my first thousand dollars in December 2007.

How did you earn your first $10 000?

I earned $10 000 in real estate in Kyiv, when I was working independently: after working at an agency from 2008–2010, I became fully independent in 2010; I officially registered as a sole proprietor in 2012 and registered my company in 2015.

How did you earn your first $100 000?

I earned my first $100 000 in a single deal in Dubai in 2023.

I had no deals of that scale in Ukraine: the market and transaction structure were much smaller.

How did you earn your first $1 000 000?

I have not yet recorded a million dollars in a single deal.

The closest result is around $500 000 in a single deal.

There have already been million-dollar results several times in total, but for me, this milestone will only be reached when it becomes a clear, intentional milestone.

Networking and investment thinking in real estate — my practical field

1.Networking and social capital

My strongest practical asset is professional networking.

I understand how to build strong connections offline and online; how to make the most of club opportunities; and how to turn my network into clients, partners, contractors, and friends.

I don't believe in the attitude that “people should come to me.” Networking only works when you actively create connections and opportunities yourself.

2. Investment thinking in real estate

I can share approaches to market analysis; risk assessment; comparing investment scenarios; and making decisions based on numbers.

I enjoy analyzing markets even when I don't plan to enter them — it's an intellectual pleasure in its own right.

Flexible systematization tailored to a personal expert-led business model — not a factory-style approach

Your experience: how do you systematize a business?

I am constantly working to systematize my business, but I honestly admit that in my service business model, with a small team and a strong reliance on my expertise, “factory-style” systematization doesn't work.

A CRM is the foundation, but it's not enough. In these models, systematization needs to be flexible and adapted to the business's personal expert-led model.

Grow not by increasing the number of deals, but by moving into a higher client category

Your experience: how do you grow x2 in a year?

My main principle for growing x2 or x4 is not to sell more small transactions, but to increase the average transaction value.

Growth comes from moving to a different scale: from 1 million to 10 million; from 10 million to 100 million.

In other words, the key question is not “how do we do more?” but “how do we move into a different category of clients and deals?”

To work with higher-value deals, you need to increase the number of contacts and access to the right circle of people.