Yurii Yuriiovych Khursa

My name is Yurii Khursa, and today I am an entrepreneur in Ukrainian e-commerce. I sell clothing and underwear through marketplaces and am deliberately building a highly mobile business model that allows me to work regardless of location—effectively, with a laptop in my hands.

My professional career began in manufacturing. For more than 14 years, I worked in the confectionery industry, progressing from entry-level positions to executive director. In that role, I was responsible for a wide range of management decisions and essentially thought like an owner: I took responsibility, assessed the consequences of decisions, and viewed the business as an integrated system. This management experience became the foundation for my later transition to entrepreneurship. Despite my love of manufacturing, I have consciously chosen not to return to the field as an entrepreneur. I understand its high complexity, resource intensity, and level of competition.

Today, my priority is a flexible business with controlled risks. At this point, what matters to me is not only the result in terms of business growth, but also quality of life. After the events of 2022, I especially value a balance between work and personal time, and the opportunity to live consciously rather than simply pursue financial goals. I plan development over shorter time horizons—mostly a year at a time—taking current realities into account while maintaining a strategic direction.

I have learned important lessons about partnerships and working with people: business and personal relationships are better kept separate, because combining roles can create additional risks and tension. I also believe that modern business has no gender restrictions: today I see many strong women entrepreneurs who often demonstrate an even higher level of resilience, discipline, and leadership. Overall, my journey combines management experience, entrepreneurial experiments, and an ongoing reassessment of my approaches to work and life.

How did you come up with the business idea?

The business idea came from looking for a practical solution. When my wife left her job, we considered various options—from franchises to other formats—and looked for a direction that would allow her to work more independently and offer the potential for passive income. At one point, I saw an OLX listing for an online underwear store, which, as it turned out, sold men's underwear.

It was a business owned by several partners who were struggling to implement decisions, and we bought it for 5000 dollars. My wife began handling operations, and I gradually got involved—I helped out while learning a new field. It was an entirely different scale compared with my previous experience in manufacturing: a large «Delicia» factory, with up to 500 employees, and a small online store.

At first, I didn't even fully understand the scale—so to speak, «one thousand, but where are the three zeros?». But that was exactly what interested me. I saw potential in this field: the market was growing, and, above all, there was an opportunity for greater personal freedom—in terms of time, decision-making, and lifestyle. In the corporate environment, I effectively had no time to myself—working almost every day, with calls at night or on weekends, was the norm. It was a very interesting and valuable experience, though, one that changed my thinking and my life, and for which I am very grateful.

I began to explore the field more deeply: after work, I would stay up at night learning how e-commerce worked and how other players in the market operated. I found it genuinely interesting. And after about six months, we made a decision: I left my salaried job, and we began developing our own business together.

What key skills helped you launch the business?

First and foremost, management experience. I was an employee working as executive director, and my responsibilities were very broad. The company's owners were abroad for a while, so a significant share of responsibility for managing the business fell to me. I made decisions essentially from an owner's perspective, understanding that each one could have serious financial consequences. This taught me to think strategically and approach every step responsibly. This experience served as a kind of «training ground» before starting my own business.

But the reality turned out to be different: after working in a large organization with hundreds of employees, we found ourselves in a small business—with a few managers, a courier, and sales specialists. At first, it seemed like it would be easy. In reality, managing ten people proved harder than managing five hundred. In a large company, you delegate; in a small business, you often do everything yourself, from logistics to sales. There were times when I delivered orders myself or filled in as a manager or a loader.

At the same time, this did not scare me—I had started my career in entry-level positions and worked my way through every stage. So I saw it as a natural process. Most importantly, I had always treated my work as if it were my own business, even as an employee. That mindset made the transition to entrepreneurship much easier.

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

The first challenge was people. Working with a team has always been, and remains, a difficult part of business. The second was the gap between expectations and reality. We expected faster growth, but found that we lacked experience specifically in running an e-commerce business. Managing confectionery production and entrepreneurship in e-commerce are two different things. The third and most painful challenge was the lack of stable profit.

There were periods when we had to do more than simply go without earning—we had to invest our own money: cover expenses, pay salaries, and pay rent. The hardest part was the psychological aspect: continuing to work without positive reinforcement. When you're used to a stable salary, but now you're working and still «in the red». Despite this, we did not stop. After about six months, we reached a basic level of stability—the business began covering our essential needs. It wasn't a lot of money, but it was enough to live on.

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

The first crisis was the small scale of the business at the start, which limited our growth opportunities. We gradually increased our turnover and multiplied it by 10 over three years.

The second crisis was COVID-19. We had no idea what to do. We sent the team on leave for two months and worked on our own. At the same time, the online side even benefited somewhat: with offline stores closed, demand for online sales increased. 

The third and most difficult crisis was the full-scale war in 2022. At the time, our warehouse was in Bucha, and some of our goods were at a marketplace warehouse in Brovary. These were extremely high-risk locations. The first few months brought almost no sales and complete uncertainty about what to do next. But gradually, the situation began to stabilize; sales recovered toward the end of the summer, and in the end, the year proved to be a productive one. The key is not to stop, even in the midst of complete uncertainty.

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

Among the key decisions were expanding the product range and switching to a fulfillment model: outsourcing the storage, processing, and delivery of orders to an external operator. Fulfillment was what allowed the business to survive in 2022. Even without a team and physical access to the warehouse, I could work remotely—effectively, with a laptop from anywhere. The business continued operating. Other decisions were more a matter of a series of small but systematic steps.

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

I don't think in terms of mistakes—for me, it's all experience. There were ineffective marketing expenses, staffing decisions that should have been made earlier, and losses of goods. Some situations were entirely beyond my control—for example, the destruction of goods during the fighting in 2022. I don't regret specific things: everything that happened taught me a lesson and allowed me to move forward.