Yana Matviichuk , 43 years

My name is Yana Matviichuk, and today I am a Ukrainian entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of the creative event company ARENA CS. I began my entrepreneurial journey in 2004, founding a company with starting capital of 300 dollars. Over time, it grew into a business with a multimillion-dollar turnover. I am also a co-owner of Young Business Club Ukraine and the creator of the YouTube channel «Business Arena», where I share practical experience and knowledge in entrepreneurship.

In 2013, I founded the educational project «Business Arena», whose goal was to motivate people to start their own businesses. Together with my team, we prepared hundreds of entrepreneurs to launch small and medium-sized businesses, a significant number of whom successfully brought their projects to life and received financial support. Another focus of my work has been youth education: the Generation+ project helps teenagers choose a career path and prepare for adult life. I also founded Great Event School — a school that trains event managers through a practical approach to learning.

In 2022, I joined a European Union scholarship program for civil society leaders, through which I implemented a project to develop standards for quality volunteer assistance to older people. That same year, I became a co-founder of charitable initiatives focused on responding swiftly to the challenges of war and rebuilding Ukraine. In particular, I founded the Women's Aid International foundation, which provides economic education to internally displaced people and helps them start their own businesses. As part of this work, the «Social Worker School» project provides a new profession and employment opportunities.

In 2023, the foundation received grant support from the U.S. Embassy to develop social education initiatives. At the same time, I take part in international events, including Ukrainian Week in Washington, where I work to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the United States and advocate for Ukrainian interests.

In 2024, together with partners, I founded a craft cider production business in Zakarpattia under the Monbar brand. In 2025, together with Valentyna Pavsiukova, we established the St. Sophia Research Institute — Ukraine's first conservative think tank, which studies economics, politics, and demographics and develops international partnerships, particularly with the United States.

I work actively as an expert in business, politics, and social development, and cover these topics in my own publications and talks. In my work, I consistently support the idea of developing a free economy in Ukraine as the foundation for rapid economic growth and improving citizens' well-being. I also initiated a petition to the President of Ukraine calling for reform of the firearms licensing system, advocating citizens' right to self-defense.

Charitable work is an important part of what I do. I am involved in creating and developing a number of initiatives focused on humanitarian aid, supporting volunteer communities, advancing women's leadership, and social entrepreneurship. I pay particular attention to environmental initiatives, including my annual participation in the «Greening the Planet» project.

How did you come up with the business idea?

The business idea did not appear all at once; it took shape through practice and experience.

I started working after my first year of university: first at the Hetmanate Museum, then at commercial companies. At the same time, I took on my first event-planning projects. It was the early 2000s, and the market was just taking shape; many processes were not yet systematic. This gave me a clear understanding of how things could be done better.

Over time, it became clear that I wanted to work for myself and build my own business, with a team, responsibility, and clear value for the client.

In 2004, I launched my first business with starting capital of about 300 dollars. The turning point was my first international project, which I delivered practically on my own, without a team, infrastructure, or even a bank account. After that, I received a long-term contract. It was a large-scale international event with participants from 135 countries and a budget of about 2 million dollars.

That was when I realized I needed to turn this experience into a systematic business and build a company. That is how ARENA CS came about.

What key skills helped you launch your business?

First and foremost, the ability to take responsibility and make decisions amid uncertainty.

Communication skills were also crucial: the ability to negotiate, build trust, and work with clients, including international ones.

Systematic thinking was another key skill: understanding how to organize a process, bring a team together, and deliver a project successfully.

And one more critical skill — the ability to act without ideal conditions. I started without resources, so speed, flexibility, and working things out as I went were essential.

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

First: building a team. I needed to find people who shared my commitment to quality and were ready to work with a high level of responsibility.

Second: the lack of an established market. In the early 2000s, the industry was just taking shape; there was a shortage of infrastructure, venues, contractors, and standards. Many processes had to be built from scratch.

Third: transitioning to a systematic business. I wanted to work with corporations, and in my observation, corporations work with corporations. So, after the first major contracts, it became clear that I needed to build a company with processes, structure, and a long-term strategy rather than remain focused on individual projects.

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

Over the years, the business has weathered several major crises: the Orange Revolution, the 2008 crisis, the events of 2013–2014, COVID, and the full-scale war.

In fact, the business started in 2004 amid political instability, which immediately shaped our approach: working through uncertainty and making decisions quickly.

During the crises of 2008 and 2013–2014, and during COVID, the key priority was to preserve the business and the team while adapting quickly to new conditions.

The greatest challenge was the full-scale war in 2022. In the first few weeks, the business effectively came to a standstill, but the team immediately got involved in volunteer work. This helped us retain our people and maintain our sense of unity.

At the same time, we resumed communication with clients and openly stated that we were continuing to work. This allowed us to gradually bring projects back and restore operations.

Systematic crisis preparedness plays an important role. The company has a reserve fund that allows us to retain the team during periods of uncertainty.

Crises cannot be avoided, but you can build a system that helps you get through them and preserve the business.

Which decisions proved most effective in growing the company?

The decision to work with international clients and take on complex projects from the outset. For example, one of our first contracts involved working with participants from more than 100 countries. This immediately set high standards for quality, communication, and process management.

Moving from working on individual projects to building a systematic company. Long-term contracts showed that an ad hoc approach could not scale. We needed to build a structure, standardize processes, and form a team capable of working on several projects simultaneously without compromising quality.

Investing in internal processes and company management. By 2022, we had four offices in different Ukrainian cities, and scaling without systematic processes would have been impossible. We introduced business process automation, including internal communication between managers and departments for each individual project. This helped synchronize team efforts, reduce information loss, and speed up decision-making.

Another strategic decision was to develop a strong corporate culture. For a year, we worked with a business psychologist to clearly define the company's values and establish team rules and approaches to working together. This enabled us not simply to build a team, but to deliberately select people based on shared values, significantly improving collaboration, accountability, and the business's resilience during crises.

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

One of my key mistakes was agreeing to projects or partnerships where responsibility and risks were distributed unevenly. Experience taught me that a stable business can only be built when all parties have "skin in the game" and take responsibility for the outcome.

This experience significantly changed how I choose partners and contracts. Today, I have long-term partnerships in various projects with 8 partners, and I am clear about this: a partner — is someone who may not manage the business's day-to-day operations, but with whom you make key decisions together and share responsibility for them.

How did you earn your first $100?

I earned my first money while I was still studying, when I started working after my first year at the Museum of the Hetmanate. It was my first experience earning money independently and taking responsibility for my own income.

How did you earn your first $1 000?

I earned my first $1 000 working for a company that organized training sessions. It happened quite unexpectedly: I accidentally sold a contract that belonged to another department and received a cash commission for it.

How did you earn your first $10 000?

I earned my first $10 000 shortly after launching my own business — thanks to a large order from my first corporate client.

How did you earn your first $100 000?

I received my first income of $100 000 after signing a contract to organize an event that was scheduled to take place four years later. I received the advance payment for this contract as soon as it was signed.

How did you earn your first $1 000 000?

I earned my first $1 000 000 by scaling the business between signing this contract and its actual fulfillment.

You should reach out to me if: — you want to move from a chaotic business to a systematic company with processes and a team; — you need to scale your business without losing quality; — you work with or plan to work with international clients; — you have complex projects that need structure and management; — you want to build a strong team and corporate culture; — it is important to you to understand how the principles of a free economy apply in real business, and how a free economy can save Ukraine from poverty and help us win the war; — you are looking for a partnership or access to international connections, particularly in the United States.

Your experience: How do you systematize a business?

If you have decided to change your business and systematize it, it is important not to try to do everything on your own. I recommend working with professional consulting companies and teams that have practical experience implementing change. This speeds up the process, reduces the number of mistakes, and delivers a better result. The cost of these services should be viewed not as an expense, but as an investment in the development and scaling of your business.

In general, systematizing a business starts not with tools, but with a mindset.

Process documentation. You need to clearly define how value is created: from the first contact with a client to the final result. This eliminates chaos and dependence on specific individuals.

Structure and accountability. Everyone needs a clearly defined area of responsibility, and key decisions cannot remain solely with the owner. A business starts to grow when decision-making is shared along with responsibility.

Prioritizing and breaking down tasks. Big goals need to be broken down into specific actions, strategic, operational, and smaller tasks need to be separated, and it needs to be clear what to delegate or outsource.

Quality standards and automation. When standards are in place and communication between departments is well established, results no longer depend on a specific person doing the work.

And most importantly — trust and control. If the owner does not stop micromanaging, it always comes down to these two factors. A systematic business begins where they are balanced.

You can do everything yourself, but the most effective way — is to bring in outside professionals.

Your experience: How do you grow 2x in a year?

Growing 2x in a year — is not about "working more"; it is about the right focus and making decisions quickly. Some things should be done better, and some should be stopped altogether.

Scale what is already working. The most common mistake — is looking for something new instead of strengthening your strong points.

Sell where the money is. A business does not fail because of its product or team, but because it has no customers. That is why the key is — the market, customers' ability to pay, and a steady flow of sales.

Team and delegation. At a certain stage, the owner becomes a bottleneck if they do not delegate responsibility.

Working in conditions of uncertainty. Today, it is impossible to plan far ahead. You need to test, make decisions quickly, and change tactics without changing the strategic goal.

And one more important point: a short goal horizon. For example, set tasks for 2 weeks and achieve a specific result. This creates speed and energy for growth.