My name is Oleh Polchyn. I am the founder of the construction company Marmelad Development and managing partner of YBC Cyprus. It has always mattered to me not just to complete a project, but to build a model that can be replicated: with numbers, oversight, and transparent rules.
I came to development not out of a romantic desire to «build houses», but from a deep sense that the industry was stuck in the 90s: many decisions depend on the experience of individuals, money is «in the owner's head», not in the system, and everything looks the same. I wanted to do things differently—more beautifully and professionally, but above all, in a controlled way.
A major turning point was moving abroad: I had to answer the question of how to maintain control and scale when you are not physically on site. The second turning point was YBC: it gave me a circle of peers, a broader way of thinking, and, in effect, a partnership that reshaped my management perspective.
I know well how often the construction industry gets stuck in approaches that are «the same as everyone else's»: decisions are made intuitively, finances are kept «in the owner's» head, and oversight remains manual. That model doesn't work for me, so I am systematically transforming the business toward structure, numbers, and control.
Moving abroad significantly changed my management perspective and raised the bar for the systems we needed. It became critical to maintain control even when you are not physically present at a site. This drove me to invest even more deeply in management tools and systematic processes.
At the same time, the YBC club became a powerful accelerator for me: it greatly shortened the path to finding a quality circle of peers and gave me a partnership that raised the level of business management to a new level.
How did the business idea come about?
The idea of starting a development business was not accidental—I had long wanted to enter construction and worked toward it step by step. The idea crystallized when I realized that development often runs on the inertia of the 1990s: outdated approaches, chaotic processes, hands-on management, and agreements made «verbally».
It was essential for me to enter this field not as a «builder», but as an entrepreneur who brings order to chaos: replacing intuition with financial models, verbal agreements with contracts and oversight, and hands-on management with structure and numbers. My goal is not just to build houses, but to transform the way development is approached as a business.
The greatest emotional satisfaction comes when I buy a plot of land where others see only overgrowth, while I already see the end result—and then watch that vision gradually take shape.
What key skills helped you launch your business?
My foundation is strategic thinking and the ability to see the end result before it becomes reality. In practice, that means relying on financial models, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to build management systems.
I would single out focus and discipline. From my own experience, I have learned that when you spread yourself across several businesses, growth slows down. When I focused on development and closed my other projects, the momentum changed significantly.
Another important skill is the ability to build systems quickly and shorten the path through technology, including artificial intelligence. What matters to me is not a «toy», but real tools that accelerate management and decision-making.
What are the 3 toughest challenges you faced in the early years?
The first was cash flow and financing. Development is a capital-intensive business: mistakes in cash flow are unforgiving. Either you establish financial discipline, or the business starts running you.
The second was the quality of management on construction sites. I was disappointed by the traditional role of site foremen and made the radical decision to abandon that model. Today, there are none on my sites—it was a fundamental management shift that significantly affected quality and process control.
The third was scaling without losing control, especially after moving abroad and switching to remote management. External factors made things more difficult: currency fluctuations, wartime risks, project stoppages, and a shortage of skilled workers.
What crises has your business faced, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest crisis was the start of the full-scale war. The business effectively came to a halt, and for a while, it was unclear what to do next. There were two tasks: resume operations and solve the financing problem.
The key decision was to create our own financial structure within the business. We effectively became an «in-house bank»: we sell real estate on an installment plan or through mortgages of up to 6 years and finance these deals ourselves. This ensured stable cash flow: even when there are no new sales, the stream of payments continues, allowing the business to stay afloat and recover.
The idea that led to this decision came from a business breakfast: the best investment is in your own business. This is how the «financial platform» took shape as a separate business line within the company.
Which decisions proved most effective for the company's growth?
The decisions that had the greatest impact were those that improved the business's control and resilience.
First, creating our own financial platform, which provides stable cash flow and serves as a crisis-management tool.
Second, choosing the right partner and clearly structuring the partnership. We complement each other's weaknesses. Kostiantyn Zemlianyi's systematic approach helps «ground» ambitious plans and turn them into controlled growth.
Third, moving to a new level of management by creating our own ERP system. I am developing it from scratch so I can run the business based on data, not gut feelings. We have also launched a private investors' club as a tool for financing and scaling.
Which of your mistakes do you now consider your most valuable lesson?
The most valuable lesson is not to trust without verifying. The absence of a control system and transparent rules creates hidden risks that accumulate over time and surface at the most critical moment.
