Lulu Olena Oleksandrivna, 29 years

From hair colorist to director of an automotive business through a family decision

Today I run the company Crystalcar in the automotive business (car care products/auto chemicals and equipment), while also developing our own production with my team.

My journey — has been one of constantly managing crises: from internal conflicts and embezzlement at the outset to sanctions, war, and searches that effectively brought work to a halt for six months. Against this backdrop, I went through a personal transformation: after the birth of my second child (2023) and prolonged postpartum depression, I reconsidered my attitude toward «the race against deadlines» and began building a life and work without destroying myself.

I entered business not because of a dream to «start from scratch», but because of a family decision: my parents bought an established company and made me its director, although initially I had no connection to it and worked as a hair stylist and colorist, accustomed to working «3 days a week». For the first few months, I sat with the accountants and didn’t even understand what the company did, until I started digging into the details — and uncovered schemes through which employees were effectively «stripping» the company of its assets.

After the management team was dismissed, I remained in charge of actual operations and have continued to grow in this business for many years.

The company was not built from scratch — it was purchased in 2018

How did the business idea come about?

We did not build the company from scratch — it was purchased. In 2018, my parents acquired a branch of the company, made my younger brother and me co-owners, and appointed me director.

Why I first «freeze up», then take a pause and make a decision

What key skills helped you launch the business?

My foundation — is responsibility: if something is entrusted to me, I put in «a thousand percent» to at least keep it going and, at best, — grow it. Second — is responding quickly to change: I panic/«freeze up» at first, but I take an honest 10–30-minute pause to calm down and analyze the situation, and only then make a decision. Third — is the habit of solving problems rather than passing them on to others: it’s a consequence of a strict upbringing, but in business it pushes me to act when «there is no other choice».

When employees were «stripping» the company from within

What are the 3 toughest challenges you faced in the early years?

1. I was «thrown» into a new field without any explanation: I didn’t know what business was, let alone auto chemicals. I learned the ropes through the accountants and employees, and also read a lot about business.
2. At the outset, I discovered that the company was being stripped from within: managers issued documents with understated prices, sold the goods for more, and pocketed the difference; at the same time, executives were trying to open a «shady» company and transfer clients to it. I had to figure out the schemes, withstand pressure, being undermined and deception, and personally call clients back to win them over again.
3. After the dismissal of the «crooked» management team, the company was effectively left without a management team, and I had to take charge, even though I did not want to or ask to.

Sanctions that wiped out 85% of the single-brand range

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

2019–2020 — internal reform/reorganization of operations and the warehouse. 2020–2021 — COVID, which the company got through relatively calmly. 2021 — sanctions against goods of Russian origin: as a single-brand business, we lost about 85% of our range, leaving approximately 15% — and turnover began to fall rapidly. In April 2021, we received our last full shipment (10 trucks, a record; monthly turnover of $300 thousand), after which we had to restructure quickly.

Then came — a staffing crisis: after receiving their commissions on the «last shipment», the managers handed in their resignations and said the company was «going under»; at one point, only me, an accountant, and one manager (not B2B) remained. During the war (2022), we returned to work in April, but sales collapsed. The worst crisis came in 2022: searches, the seizure of the warehouse and goods, and work effectively grinding to a halt for more than six months.

In-house production and a Chinese brand discovered on Instagram as growth drivers

Which decisions proved most effective in growing the company?

The most «financially significant» growth driver — was launching our own car care products: we took «small steps», gradually buying equipment, bringing in technologists, and testing products with clients. To many people’s surprise, the product turned out to be so good that some items even outperformed imports — and this boosted turnover.

Another decision that significantly helped stabilize the situation after the setbacks — was agreeing to work with a Chinese brand that had contacted me on Instagram. I quickly looked through the range and agreed, and this brand became a top seller. At the same time, we moved from a single-brand to a multi-brand business, and in late 2021 we began working with an Italian brand.

«Trust without oversight» as the costliest lesson

Which of your mistakes do you now consider your most valuable experience?

My most valuable mistake — was trusting people unconditionally (employees and, to some extent, clients). Because of «trust without oversight», we lost time and money: from managers’ schemes at the outset to the systematic removal of goods from the warehouse during the war. My takeaway is simple: sometimes situations can be «let go», but in business you need to maintain oversight and stay alert.