Valerii Tkachenko, 48 years

I am Valerii Tkachenko, owner of «My Dentist», an entrepreneur for whom quality is non-negotiable, decisions are never delayed, and people always come first. I build clinics as ecosystems where technology delivers results in 7 days, the team grows faster than the market, and the service restores self-confidence to those who arrive without a smile.

My strength lies in visualizing the future, making intuitive yet considered decisions, and having determined persistence: I see the finish line before the start, break the journey into steps, take responsibility, and see things through. My path in medicine began under the influence of films about people who save others in the most difficult circumstances. That impulse came together with my family’s «medical DNA» and crystallized into the choice to become a doctor.

One sentence from a friend led me into entrepreneurship: spend today in a way that multiplies your opportunities tomorrow. I bought my first dental chair instead of a car, rented an apartment for a practice, and legally registered an X-ray machine when I was the youngest entrepreneur in the city at the time. I took out loans to work with cutting-edge technology and paid them off faster than planned, because I knew that investing in equipment and expertise is the most profitable X2 strategy.

I shaped myself as an entrepreneur through determination, a systematic approach, and keen observation. Visualization is my practical tool: I can clearly «see» spaces, processes, people’s reactions, and future figures, so it is easy for me to bring medicine and business together. I did not chase popularity—I built a reputation: offering free tomography for a year gave the team a sharp professional boost; bold implant advertising made us leaders before the market and competitors acknowledged it; the most complex cases came to us because we chose what was right, not what was easy. I built the team on trust: if a doctor wants to achieve more, they get the green light, and the clinic gets new technology tomorrow, not «someday».

Crises did not break me; they recalibrated me. Global downturns, lockdowns, and then the war took away everything I had built over decades—and I started again from scratch. On the first day of the war, I paid off what I owed the team, preserving their dignity and keeping people in focus; later, I once again set out to build a large clinic based on the principles of my most successful project.

The YBC community, examples set by decisive people, and simple discipline pulled me through: do not judge events «in the moment»; act according to a plan that strengthens your position every day. I know the cost of loss, but I choose to build—because building restores meaning and rhythm. My life philosophy is simple and uncompromising at the same time: “Don’t turn a dream into an end in itself: dream for real—with deadlines, metrics, and accountability”. The most important human qualities are keen observation and the ability to draw conclusions; the most dangerous betrayal of yourself is indecision. If you don’t know how, do what you know how to do, and check the result. There should always be a plan B and room to maneuver when you hit a wall. Look not only at the successes of your role models, but also at the cost of their mistakes—and make decisions that strengthen you for tomorrow

What advice would I give a budding entrepreneur? 

1. Visualize the result in detail and check whether you really need it.
2. Invest in your craft and processes—they always deliver the best returns.
3. Assign someone to be responsible for every process, define the expected result and deadlines—systematic work always beats chaos.
4. Be bold in marketing, but never compromise on quality.
5. Remember that money loves speed, while trust requires consistency.

For me, happiness is a project with potential: being able to earn enough to make my family’s life interesting, while also treating people so that they leave us with a smile that changes their tomorrow. That is the frame of reference I live by and continue to grow within.

How did the business idea come about?

The idea of starting my own business was born at the intersection of two important experiences.

The first impetus was a simple but very apt piece of advice from my friend Andrii Serhieiev: don’t spend money in a way that simply makes it disappear; invest it so that tomorrow it opens up new opportunities. After that conversation, instead of buying an old car, I decided to purchase a refurbished dental chair from Sweden. This decision radically changed not only my family’s financial prospects but also my way of thinking about investments and the future. 

The second factor was my own experience working in a municipal dental clinic. I saw the system from the inside and clearly understood that its priorities were not the quality of treatment or patient outcomes, but meeting formal targets, rigid subordination, toxic internal politics, and a lack of room for development, creativity, and the adoption of modern technology. I wanted to work differently: to do my job well, use the latest technology, take pleasure in my craft, and see a real benefit for people. That is how my first small clinic opened in 2005.

What key skills helped you launch your business?

For me, persistence and keen observation have been the foundation of everything. I truly believe the words of my high school physics teacher, who said that a person’s most important quality is the ability to observe and draw conclusions. This helped me learn through practice and avoid making the same mistakes over and over.

My second great skill is visualization. I only realized and named it later, although I had always used it. I imagine in detail what a space, an outcome, the working atmosphere, and the level of service should be like. A clear action plan then gradually takes shape from that vision. To me, a dream only makes sense when it is transformed into concrete, achievable steps. That is why I always say: a dream should not become an end in itself.

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

The first and most difficult in practical terms was connecting to DTEK and resolving the issues involved at the outset. It took a lot of time, nerves, and energy.

The second challenge was fully legalizing and properly registering the technology. I was the youngest owner of a private dental practice in the city and, at the same time, the youngest owner of an X-ray machine registered in compliance with all the requirements. Later, I had two such machines.

The third difficult choice was deciding between investing in knowledge and investing in equipment. With about 500 dollars, I passed on an expensive training course costing 650 dollars and instead bought a lamp and materials for a new technology. I mastered all the details on my own by studying professional journals and practicing.

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

The first serious crisis was a lack of funds and the fact that loans were practically unavailable without an official income. For someone with no credit history, it seemed like being asked to do the impossible. But I took out one loan, repaid it, and then took out another. For the first few years, my wife and I were effectively working in a constant cycle of borrowing, investing almost everything in equipment and quality. It paid off: even experienced owners of other practices began coming to see how we worked.

The second crisis was 2008, with its widespread fear and uncertainty. I even turned down a car loan because I was worried about my family’s basic security. Within a few months, it became clear that people still needed dental treatment, and the business gradually stabilized. The hardest crisis was the war and the loss of my footing. Everything I had built in Kramatorsk over twenty years was left there. A few months before the war began, we decided to return to the city and scale up our most successful location: we bought the adjacent premises, brought in the team, and prepared the project. And that was when the war began. On the first day, I paid everyone’s salaries; I had already settled all my debts earlier. Then came a difficult period of depression, and what helped me through it was the Young Business Club business community, where I saw people adapting and taking responsibility for the future.

Now I am once again starting construction on a large clinic based on the principles of our most successful format. I intuitively feel that a well-designed, high-quality environment attracts both clients and a strong team.

Which decisions proved most effective in growing the company?

The greatest growth came from decisions that combined investment in technology, freedom for the team, and clear market positioning. First of all, I created the right conditions for doctors: I did not limit their ability to work, but instead opened up room for growth. If someone wanted to master a new technology, we bought the equipment and gave them the opportunity to use it. As a result, within a few years we had built a team of the city’s best doctors, and complex clinical cases began to be referred to us.

The second effective step was making intuitive product decisions. For example, after buying a tomography scanner, I introduced free tomography. At first, the team was not on board with the idea, but within a year it delivered powerful results: patients were more willing to undergo diagnostics, and doctors mastered the method much faster and saw things they had not encountered in their training. This significantly raised the clinic’s standards and accelerated the team’s professional growth.

The third important decision was to position ourselves as leaders early on. When I began working in implantology, I immediately presented us as leaders in the field, even if some initially thought that was an exaggeration. Within a year, this worked as social proof: if people had been talking about implant treatment for a long time, then we must know how to do it. Even unconventional radio advertising became a way for people to recognize us and generated steady demand.

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

I consider my own indecision at certain moments my most valuable mistake. Looking back, I can see situations where I could have acted more boldly and quickly and achieved more much sooner. In general, I do not like calling things mistakes, but indecision became an experience I now pay close attention to and try not to repeat.

A Million in the Business's 14th Year