Tetiana Dmytruk

Today, I am an entrepreneur with a portfolio of businesses in logistics, international trade, e-commerce, and development, including in Ukraine and the United States, a hospitality business in Bali, and a development project in the Carpathians.

My core perspective is international economics and trade: I love ‘putting the pieces together’ across markets, logistics chains, and margins, finding where demand arises, and quickly building solutions to meet it. My journey began with jobs at logistics companies after university. Later, I joined Fialan, where I was entrusted with launching and developing the Kyiv office from scratch. At the outset, volumes were small—roughly one container a month—but over time we reached a period of active business growth. In recognition of my contribution to the company’s development, I was offered a partnership. I carry out most projects in partnership. It’s a conscious choice: my partner and I complement one another, divide responsibilities according to our strengths, and achieve better results in scaling the business as a result.

After 2022, my life, like that of most Ukrainians, changed dramatically. The war forced me to reconsider risks, responsibility, and priorities. During this period, my social engagement increased significantly. For me, philanthropy is systematic—both financially and through specific projects.

My team and I allocate charitable budgets in every business: we purchase equipment, support educational initiatives, and help children and social institutions. Targeted assistance is especially important to me—I want to know whom I am helping and how. In particular, through my historical reenactment community, I support military personnel: many of my acquaintances and friends are serving, and I help their units directly. We also support boarding schools, work with children from low-income families, and invest in educational opportunities for young people.

One area particularly close to my heart is preserving Ukraine’s historical heritage and developing its culture. I see positive changes in society and want to contribute to them even more actively in the future. In terms of my long-term vision, I understand that once I have met my financial goals and achieved a stable passive income, I plan to devote more time and resources to social projects—education, support for children, and cultural heritage. As for personal principles, my main advice, especially for women in business, is to follow your heart.

Entrepreneurship is a challenging path, and without an inner desire to create, make an impact, and take responsibility, you won’t last long. I am a leader by nature: in any environment, I take responsibility and initiative. And I believe that if someone has that inner drive, they will find a way to realize their potential, whatever the circumstances. At the same time, I clearly see the social context: women in business sometimes face greater challenges because of the cultural characteristics of their environment. But that’s no reason to stop—it’s simply another factor to recognize and take into account.

For me, happiness is freedom. The freedom to make decisions, choose how to live, where to go, and what to create. At the same time, I honestly acknowledge that absolute freedom does not exist, because there are family, children, and responsibilities. And it is in balancing these roles that I am now looking for my own way of being happy. Nevertheless, I get the greatest satisfaction from making an impact—seeing how my decisions change businesses and people, or help those in need. That is where I find meaning in what I do.

How did the business idea come about?

I have a degree in international economics. I have always had a good understanding of international trade processes and logistics. Today, I own logistics and trading companies involved in imports.

I saw the potential of this sector right away: Ukraine is heavily dependent on imports (for example, about 80% of fabrics are imported), so there are always opportunities to earn and develop international businesses. For me, it is also an intellectual process—like putting the pieces together. After university, I worked at logistics companies, and later joined the Odesa-based company Fialan. I was appointed head of the Kyiv office, which was just opening at the time. The company was small at the outset—we shipped one container a month. But after I moved to Kyiv, the business began to grow rapidly. Later, I was offered an equity stake in the business in recognition of my significant contribution.

Today, the company has three partners: I am in Ukraine, and the others are in the United States and Bali. I serve as managing partner and the face of the company in Ukraine. Other businesses followed logically, drawing on our experience and understanding of the market. Working in logistics, we constantly see where demand is. For example: -during the pandemic—masks and even factories to produce them; -during the war—salt, buckwheat, generators, radios, and equipment. We also worked extensively with international funds (including United Nations bodies and Mercy Corps), helping them operate in Ukraine by organizing imports, re-exports, and business processes. Our office in China enables us to find the best prices and respond quickly to market needs. The hotel in Bali is a strategy for diversifying risk and, at the same time, a ‘welcome escape.’

The logistics business is complex, while the hotel business is more stable and straightforward. We chose the United States market as a powerful sales channel for goods from China. The project in the Carpathians is an investment in Ukraine. I am a strong patriot and believe in the country’s potential after the war. We are building a resort complex near Mount Slavska, an area that is developing rapidly.

What key skills helped you launch your business?

My greatest strength is my deep understanding of the market and its trends. Every month, 150–200 clients pass through our logistics business, giving me a unique view of different sectors: manufacturing, retail, and imports. I can quickly assess whether it is profitable to work with a particular product or worth investing in. This is what is known as a Helicopter View in business.

My second key competency is sales and building a sales system. I headed sales departments for many years and understand well: -how to build a sales system; -how to hire people; -how to build effective teams. I am more of a salesperson than an operations person: I love the product, understand it, and know how to sell it. I believe that with a good product and the right sales strategy, a business will be profitable.

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

The three main challenges: -People (building a team); -The product; -The value proposition. The most important thing is to clearly articulate how you differ from competitors and why a customer should choose you in a competitive market. Building a team is also critical, although for me it has become a familiar task thanks to my experience.

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

The biggest crisis for any leader is not having a strong team that can work independently. The key task is to develop someone who can replace you and teach employees to take responsibility. Without that, a business starts losing ground, especially when the owner steps away from operations. That is why I focus on developing people and delegating—this is the foundation of business stability and company growth.

Which decisions proved most effective for growing the company?

One of the most effective decisions was to clearly divide the sales department into roles: hunters (those who bring in new clients) and account managers (those who look after clients). Previously, all our managers did everything: they sold and managed clients. But we realized that this was inefficient. People have different strengths: some are good at selling, while others are systematic in managing clients and handling documents and processes.

After we divided the roles, everyone became responsible for their own area—and this led to substantial business growth. The team became more effective, and the results more consistent. The second key decision was to focus on reputation. We consciously built the business to be as responsible as possible toward our clients and their money. Our impeccable reputation became one of the drivers of our growth.

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

The first was introducing business automation too late. If we had done it earlier, many processes would have been much more efficient. The second was underestimating marketing. For a long time, we invested almost nothing in it, relying instead on our reputation, experience, and sales. That was a strategic mistake. If I had started actively developing marketing back in 2015, the business would be much larger today.