Young Business Club English
Сенді Тарасенко

Sandy Tarasenko, 43 years

Business field:
Licensed educational services and educational family camps
Company:
Sandik LLC, Sendi School LLC, LLC Sandik, LLC Sendiskul
Business size:
YBC Wise
Marital status:
Married
Looking for in YBC:
A community of like-minded people where businesses are created not for money, but in response to real societal needs Connections with people who think long term, rather than in terms of “quick profits” Partnerships and connections that can help: - find a landlord / investor for an educational project; - scale educational and character-building methods across Ukraine after the war; Exchange of management experience in: - scaling a business without compromising its values; - building teams based on trust; - management through philosophy, not control; A platform for sharing an educational and cultural mission (linguistic, behavioral, and values-based culture for the next generation)

Section 1: About me. Dossier.

Company
Sandik LLC, Sendi School LLC
Business size
YBC Wise
Marital status
Married
Movies
"Legends of the Fall"
"Forrest Gump"
Books
"Emotional Intelligence" - Daniel Goleman
"The Richest Man in Babylon" - George Clason
Songs
"Perfect" - Ed Sheeran
"Snowman" Sia
Hobbies
Ballroom dancing, Solo backpacking trips
City
Kyiv

3 events that changed my life

Working at a Korean modeling agency on live broadcasts and at the Parliament of Ukraine. Both organizations instilled discipline, a commitment to self-education, and organizational skills;
Moving to Canada and working as a teacher
Deciding to become a mother of many children and launching a new project with the birth of each child

2 people who influenced my life

My husband, who took out a loan for my first and second projects and created the conditions for my personal growth
The company’s current director, who became my right hand and made it possible to balance professional growth with motherhood by stepping in for me in any role

1 decision that changed my life

«Leaving a stable life in Chernivtsi and moving to Kyiv with a budget of $100»

Sandy Tarasenko

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Section 2. About the business. Dossier.

Company name
LLC Sandik, LLC Sendiskul
Business field
Licensed educational services and educational family camps
Years in business
11
Status
Wise
Team size
More than 50 employees
Has a partner
No
Countries of operation
Ukraine

Section 3: Biography.

A bullying-free network of preschools with Canadian protocols

My name is Sandy Tarasenko. I am the founder of a network of English-language preschools and the «SANDIK» school, and the creator of a bullying-free operating model with Canadian behavioral protocols. I am an expert in the rapid launch and scaling of mid-market education projects.

My strengths lie in building a strong culture of interaction among “teacher–child–parents,” creating resilient teams by hiring “good” people and preventing burnout, product research and development (integrating languages, STEM, and the arts into early childhood education), crisis management (COVID, war, relocation), and a reinvestment strategy with managing partners. “I came into education by chance.

In 2014, with two young children and a break from public service and academia, I opened small English classes «for friends and family»—simply so my daughter would start listening to me. Within a year, 4 students had grown to 63, and we had our first premises and our own preschool. That was the beginning of the story of a network of preschools and a school that today includes four early childhood education centers and an elementary school, operates according to Canadian-Ukrainian principles of being bullying-free, and continues to scale despite COVID, war, the loss of international staff, and staffing crises.”

A business that grew organically, without a business plan

How did the business idea come about?

  • It began with English classes for my own children
  • each subsequent stage
  • a response to parents' requests
  • the business grew organically, without a business plan

Leadership without authoritarianism

What key skills helped you launch the business?

  • educational expertise
  • psychology
  • communication with parents
  • systems thinking
  • the ability to establish rules and maintain boundaries
  • leadership without authoritarianism

There was simply no market for English-language preschool education in 2014

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

  • No market for English-language preschool education (2014)
  • No outside investment and continuous reinvestment
  • Recruiting and developing a team from scratch

I refunded all parents' payments—and rebuilt the centers after returning from Canada

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

  • COVID-19—classes closed; only the preschools remained open
  • Full-scale war: complete closure, refunding all parents' payments, paying teachers' salaries, moving to Canada, returning, and rebuilding all the centers

Rather than raising prices, open new centers

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

  • not raising prices, but opening new centers
  • reinvesting 100% of profits
  • creating managing partnerships
  • strict rules on culture and respect
  • focusing on the teacher as a key figure

«A good person without experience is better»

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

I tried working with toxic staff or “experienced but tough” employees, and realized I needed to adopt the principle: “a good person without experience is better”

Mobile phones during my student years and LG live broadcasts in Seoul

How did you earn your first $100?

I earned my first money selling mobile phones during my student years.

How did you earn your first $1 000?

By working as a model in LG live broadcasts in Seoul, Korea.

Family camps in the Carpathians that became my first $10 000

How did you earn your first $10 000?

Through the Sandik Kid’s Camp family camp project in the Carpathians.

How did you earn your first $100 000?

After opening САнДІК.

A million held in assets

How did you earn your first $1 000 000?

With all three projects (plus the school). But it is held in assets.

Section 4: How can I be useful? Experience I can share.

Scaling education without losing its values

  • Scaling education without losing its values
  • Building institutions free from bullying
  • Working with parents through rules and mutual respect
  • Recruiting and training, and providing ongoing support to the team, offering them comfortable working conditions without having to deal with clients’ problems
  • Partial reinvestment instead of “quick profits”
  • Socially responsible business

Action protocols and standards that must be followed

Your experience: how do you systematize a business?

  • Implementing action protocols for different situations;
  • Implementing standards that must be followed;
  • Standardizing programs and activities across all institutions;
  • Organizing document management;
  • Clear oversight of all areas of work;
  • Setting clear goals and monitoring their achievement.

Not being afraid to lose money by bringing in managing partners

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

From my own experience, I can say that it’s important to learn to delegate, trust, and not be afraid to lose money by bringing in managing partners. It’s also important to learn how to set up a system, appoint a manager, and keep moving forward.

Section 5: Club value

What am I looking for in the club?

A community of like-minded people where businesses are created not for money, but in response to real societal needs Connections with people who think long term, rather than in terms of “quick profits” Partnerships and connections that can help: - find a landlord / investor for an educational project; - scale educational and character-building methods across Ukraine after the war; Exchange of management experience in: - scaling a business without compromising its values; - building teams based on trust; - management through philosophy, not control; A platform for sharing an educational and cultural mission (linguistic, behavioral, and values-based culture for the next generation)

What have I received from the club?

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