Tetiana Artemenko

My name is Tetiana Artemenko, and today I am the founder and CEO of an e-commerce business (Mommy Bag), my own business for mothers, which grew out of a very practical need to take responsibility for my family and achieve financial independence. I live in Kyiv, and my approach to entrepreneurship took shape when I was a teenager. From an early age, my father instilled in me a business mindset and a simple principle: don’t look for a job—create jobs. This approach became my guiding principle. I trained as a veterinary surgeon—a childhood dream of saving all the animals in the world—but after working in the field for 7 years, reality proved harsher than childhood dreams.

I launched my first business when my child was three months old. I quit my job as a veterinarian and started working for myself without any outside support. Several crises coincided during that period: my husband lost his job, and my parents couldn’t help because of problems with their own business. I lived on a strict budget, sold things through OLX, and learned to see every transaction as an opportunity to create value and grow a business.

My business has always grown alongside me: the birth of my first child marked the start of my first business, and the birth of my second child marked the start of my second. To me, this is no coincidence but a pattern: I know how to build systems under conditions of high responsibility and limited resources, which is the foundation for creating a business from scratch. February 22 was a separate turning point—an event after which I learned to rely solely on myself and make strategic decisions without illusions about outside support.

How did the business idea come about?

The business idea came from a simple observation amid limited resources. I bought diapers for my child at a discount: they cost 500 hryvnias on the shelf, but I got them for 450. Since I was already selling things on OLX, I thought: if I can sell different things, why not try selling diapers as part of a product-based business? I listed them at full price—500 hryvnias—and buyers called me right away.

This came as a surprise, because I didn’t believe anyone would buy diapers I had purchased «for myself». After that, things got tougher and more systematic. I had four thousand hryvnias—the exact amount needed for the apartment rent, which was due in ten days. 

I went all in and spent all my money on diapers. I sold them all in three days and earned an extra thousand hryvnias. That moment was a psychological turning point: I realized I could sell and earn money on my own, even when outside support disappeared. That was how the «golden era» began, eventually giving rise to the Mommy Bag brand (a Ukrainian bag brand).

What key skills helped you launch your business?

Two things formed the foundation of my growth. The first is discipline. I consistently stick to routines and practices that support my productivity, including morning rituals. The second is absolute belief in the result. In my personal «branch of reality», there isn’t even a one-percent chance of a scenario where «it won’t work out».

For me, this isn’t motivation, but a way of making decisions as I grow my business. I act as though failure isn’t an option, so I look only for steps that work. Over time, I added management skills: delegation, optimizing operational processes, and building automations, all of which are essential to scaling a business. But that was the next level—after first developing the ability to carry everything myself at the start.

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

At the beginning, three things were the most difficult for me. The first was delegation. At a certain point, I had to hand over to others things I was used to doing myself, and that was difficult internally.

The second was scaling. When demand starts to grow, manual processes stop working, and you need to build a system and scale the business. 

The third was optimizing operational tasks: finding a way to do things faster, without doing them myself, and preferably automatically. I have now addressed these challenges. I’m happy to delegate anything I can so I can focus on strategic matters and business growth.

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

The most painful crisis was a partnership that failed. It set me back by about two and a half years and cost me more than half a million hryvnias. It wasn’t just a miscalculation in the terms of the agreement, but a profound lesson: everyone thinks about their own interests first, and expecting otherwise is naive.

The second crisis was the start of the full-scale invasion, when I lost a significant part of my team as people left the country.

The third crisis was a drop in sales in 2024–2025 due to a large part of my target audience leaving the country and the overall demographic situation. In these circumstances, I clearly distinguish between factors I can’t influence and decisions that are up to me. I can’t influence the birth rate, but I can change the market’s geographical reach and enter new countries, as part of growing the business.

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

The most effective decision at this stage is entering the European market. Even though I haven’t made a single sale in the European Union yet, I can already see the scale: Ukraine is one market, while Europe is dozens of countries. With the right processes in place, this could multiply the size of the company and scale the business. The second important decision was learning to manage my own state of mind.

I see it as a formula: energy → state of mind → money. For me, this is a fully-fledged management tool: if I don’t maintain my inner balance, the business doesn’t grow to its full potential.

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

The most valuable mistake was a partnership that didn’t work out. It cost me dearly in both time and money, but it gave me a clear-eyed perspective. I realized that I can do everything myself, and that no one but me is responsible for protecting my interests. I won’t make that mistake again.