Myroslava Novosilska, 41 years

From aspiring surgeon to clinics in Lviv, Uzhhorod, and Hollywood

My dream of becoming a surgeon could have been crushed by the realities of Ukrainian medicine: I was told outright that a woman’s place was in the kitchen, and I was asked for a bribe equal to the cost of 10 apartments for a residency position. I refused to accept that and went to Israel. There, in a hospital 17 km from Gaza, during a heavy bombardment, I assisted the chief surgeon all night. In the morning, he said: «You should go into plastic surgery». That was the start of my new life. To pay for my studies, I lived between two countries for 10 years and worked as a paramedic at Lviv Airport. Once, I even delivered a baby on a plane.

My most frightening memory is landing an aircraft with a 181 child on board, on one engine. But there were bright moments, too: I personally cleared the crews of presidents and prime ministers for flights. Today, I have clinics in Lviv, Uzhhorod, and Hollywood. My patients in the United States include Bill Clinton, Heidi Klum, and television stars. I’m developing a startup to treat hair loss, valued at $14 million, and I have my own cosmetics production facility.

Risk as a character trait, communication, and a drive to innovate

What key skills helped you grow your business?

Risk tolerance is no longer a skill—it’s a character trait. Communication isn’t just about talking; it’s about knowing whom to approach, how to ask, and when. A desire to innovate—we never stand still; we constantly attend trade shows and are the first to introduce new techniques.

Hostile takeover of the clinic and COVID lockdown

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

A hostile takeover of the clinic in Uzhhorod. They came and said the clinic was no longer ours. COVID. We shut down for three months, and the clinic became a product warehouse. Our supplier contracts didn’t disappear—we had to pay regardless of revenue. That was when I started using social media, even though I hadn’t believed in it at all before. Four years of managing remotely since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Two hours of electricity a day and staff costing more than in America

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

Energy. In Uzhhorod, we had electricity for just two hours a day. I bought powerful backup generators for the whole building at my own expense. I did the math—it amounted to philanthropy. But without them, the clinic simply couldn’t see patients. Staffing. Administrators in Ukraine now earn more than administrators at my American clinic. In America, they use 7 languages a day; the mentality is different, there’s no interpreter—and yet we still pay less. In America, the crisis puts pressure on people, and they take lower-paying jobs. Here, the crisis puts pressure on entrepreneurs. I can only address it by raising pay—there’s no other option.

Focusing on international patients from day one

Which decisions proved most effective for the company’s growth?

International internships and trade shows. When the team sees how the best clinics in the world operate, they immediately understand what to aim for. We buy equipment and sign contracts right at the trade shows instead of waiting for something to come along on its own. Focusing on international patients from day one. We’ve never depended on the local market. Even during COVID, patients flew to us. If a local patient doesn’t come, someone else will fly in. That kept us going through the most difficult times.

I opened a business in America two years too early

Which mistake do you now consider your most valuable experience?

I opened a business in America too early. If I’d waited another two years, I would have saved a lot of money. I had no one familiar around me; the market was different, and all the rules were different. I learned through my own mistakes. Now I know exactly what I’d tell someone not to do when starting out.