Yakymiv Vitalii

Business field:: Food exports, entering international markets, negotiations, building long-term relationships, and adapting products, labeling, and packaging to the requirements of different markets.
Company:: Viola Trading Group LLC, LLC Viola Trading Group
Business size:: YBC
Marital status:: Married
Looking for in YBC:: I would like to meet people who have already systematized their businesses and built them into structured processes. I am especially interested in experience from an owner's perspective—not just that of a director or chief executive officer managing day-to-day operations, but of an owner who has built a system and can pass that experience on to another entrepreneur.

‘My expertise is a value in its own right’: How Vitalii Yakymiv grows an export business and diversifies partnerships

Section 1: About me. Dossier.

Company

Viola Trading Group LLC

Business size

YBC

Marital status

Married

Movies

Suits
The Lincoln Lawyer
Money Heist

Books

‘Good to Great’, Jim Collins
‘The Hard Thing About Hard Things’, Ben Horowitz
‘The Goal’, Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Hobbies

Travel, Tennis

City

Ivano-Frankivsk

3 events that changed my life

Starting work in exports.

Founding my own company.

Losing my main partner, which forced me to restructure the business and focus on diversifying income.

2 people who influenced my life

An external partner who said they wanted to work with me, not the company.

Zhenia Dranishchev, whose mentorship program had a significant impact on my personal development.

1 decision that changed my life

«Leaving my salaried job and starting my own business.»

Yakymiv Vitalii

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Section 2. About the business. Dossier.

Company name

LLC Viola Trading Group

Business field

Food exports, entering international markets, negotiations, building long-term relationships, and adapting products, labeling, and packaging to the requirements of different markets.

Years in business

8 years

Status

Regular YBC member

Team size

Around 10 people.

Has a partner

Countries of operation

Europe, the United States, Canada, Israel.

Section 3: Biography.

From working at an export company to building an international business of his own

I am Vitalii Yakymiv, founder of Viola Trading Group LLC. We help Ukrainian food and beverage producers enter international markets.

I made my way into business through working in export. I worked at an export company, where I gradually developed my expertise and began building relationships with international partners independently.

At one point, one of them told me: «I work with you, not with the company». That was an important signal for me. I realized that the value a partner receives is connected not only to the company I work for, but also to my personal knowledge, experience, and ability to run this business.

After that, I decided to try working independently. At first, I continued developing export as a separate professional activity, and later realized that I could build my own company on this expertise. That is how Viola Trading Group came into being in 2018.

At the start, the main task was to help Ukrainian producers find buyers abroad. Over time, our scope of work expanded: today, we support companies in taking their products to international markets, help with negotiations, product adaptation, labeling and packaging, and work to build long-term partnerships.

Confidence, export knowledge, and a focus on results

What key skills helped you launch your business?

Self-confidence, knowledge of export, a focus on the end result, and the desire to always create value for our partners.

For me, it is important not simply to do what we agreed on, but to try to give the client more than they expect.

Losing a partner and building a strong team

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

Losing a partner. We were heavily dependent on them, so after this happened, we had to restructure and diversify the business.
Building a strong team.

Expanding the client base and building long-term partnerships

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

Expanding the client base.
Working on our own image and reputation, both personal and that of the company.
Focusing on long-term partners. For me, it is important to build relationships that can withstand market fluctuations and provide a stable foundation for growth.

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

Entering international markets, adapting products, and building long-term partnerships

I can share practical experience entering international markets, organizing product exports, and building long-term partnerships with international clients. I also have experience adapting products to the requirements of specific markets, including labeling, packaging, and other regulatory and commercial requirements.

Reputation, expanding the customer base, and diversification — three avenues for growth

Your experience: how to grow 2x in a year?

I don’t have a specific step-by-step formula that guarantees 2x growth in a year.

But based on my own experience, I see several avenues that help develop a business: expanding the customer base, working more actively with existing clients, building a personal and corporate reputation, and diversification.

Section 5: Club value

What am I looking for in the club?

I would like to meet people who have already systematized their businesses and built them into structured processes. I am especially interested in experience from an owner's perspective—not just that of a director or chief executive officer managing day-to-day operations, but of an owner who has built a system and can pass that experience on to another entrepreneur.

What have I received from the club?

But perhaps what the club gives me most is the desire to grow. When you look at your fellow club members—especially those with businesses on a larger scale, stronger performance, or a different perspective on business—you feel inspired to develop yourself.

First and foremost, new connections. I cannot say that I have earned millions of dollars or formed any exceptionally large partnerships thanks to the club. But that is not the only value for me. Over the years in the community, I have found friendly support, received the help I needed, and had the opportunity to exchange experiences continuously.