Sukhovieiev Ivan Serhiiovych, 35 years

My name is Ivan Sukhovieiev, and today I am a real estate entrepreneur in Kyiv and co-founder of the «For Your Own» agency. I came to this role through practical experience — of more than 10 years in the profession, after moving to Kyiv as a real estate expert.

Starting out was difficult as an out-of-town realtor — I didn't know my way around the city, got districts mixed up, arrived late to meetings, and lost clients. That's when I clearly understood the value of the basics — punctuality, organization, and honoring commitments. Later, I moved into private practice and began working on more complex deals: commercial real estate, investors, and large pro’jects. This experience laid the foundation for starting my own business in the real estate market.

I don't romanticize entrepreneurship. Most often, the main challenges — are money and liquidity. The recent period has been a serious test for us: cash-flow gaps and operating in an unstable market. At the same time, situations like these force you to mature quickly as an entrepreneur. My internal anchor — is reputation. To me, it's not an abstraction but a set of concrete principles: honesty, openness, integrity, and punctuality. I build both my relationships with clients and my business as a whole in realtor services on these principles. These values took shape in childhood: I grew up with my grandfather, who was a manager and showed through his own example what discipline and responsibility mean. I adapted some of his approaches to modern realities.

When it comes to starting a business, my position is simple: you shouldn't enter a niche without practical experience. First, you need to work your way up as a specialist and understand how everything works from the inside. At the same time, it's important not to get stuck in the role of an executor. I caught myself continuing to think like a realtor rather than an entrepreneur. That was a mistake.

Over the next fi’ve years, we plan to fully systematize our current office and open at least three more — in central Kyiv, the Holosiivskyi district, and on the left bank, while developing our Kyiv real estate agency. At the same time, we're working toward personal goals — growing our family ’ and launching new joint projects. Personally, my idea of happiness is quite down-to-earth. It's not a constant state, but brief moments — after a difficult day, with loved ones, or even while fishing. These simple things are what give me a sense of balance, regardless of financial results.

How did the business idea come about?

We follow an approach that's unusual for the Ukrainian real estate market. We look to the South American experience, where real estate is sold like an ordinary product — according to clear real estate market principles. In our market, those principles are often ignored. For example, clients pay a commission to a realtor they didn't hire themselves. This is a systemic problem I realized existed when I began delving deeper into the profession: studying, taking courses, and developing my own approach as a real estate expert.

This model worked well in private practice, but was rarely used at the agency level. That's why we set ourselves the goal of creating an agency that would prove the effectiveness of this approach as a business. A local opportunity also played a part: when I lived in Kriukivshchyna, I saw an active market without enough agencies. That prompted us to get started. I returned to the idea and finally decided to put it into practice after the full-scale invasion began — that was when my partner and I opened the agency.

What key skills helped you launch the business?

First and foremost — professional expertise. By the time we launched, I had seven years of experience in the real estate market, from entry-level work to handling large pro’jects and working with investors.

The second important element — was marketing. I gradually developed these skills, and now I'm responsible for this area in the company. Even at the idea stage, we created a basic concept, brand book, and visual identity. Partnership was also important: we com’bined different areas of expertise, including training and building business processes.

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

The main challenge was running a business during wartime: shelling, power outages, and constant risks to life. In the first 2-3 weeks after opening, we faced a complete lack of electricity, heating, internet, and other essentials.

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

The main difficulty — has been financial instability and cash-flow gaps. The beginning of this year was especially difficult — expenses rose sharply while profits declined. The situation is gradually stabilizing now: demand is growing, and we're reaching operating equilibrium, although we're still paying off accumulated debts.

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

The key factors were changes to the organizational structure and moving to a new office. This opened up new opportunities and allowed us to roughly double our revenue in real estate sales over the past year.

Which mistake do you now consider your most valuable learning experience?

I don't single out one particular mistake. To me, every mistake — is part of growth. All my experience, including my failures, has contributed to my professional and personal growth as a real estate expert.