My name is Ihor Zamfir, and today I am an entrepreneur in the air-conditioning equipment sector. My journey in business began with an in-depth understanding of the market: since 2008, I have worked in this field, progressing through all the key stages—from sales manager to working with international partners and management areas.
I started in sales and gradually built my expertise in air conditioning, ventilation, and related solutions. Later, I moved into more systematic work—procurement, dealing with factories, and brand management.
In 2013, I joined Optim, which at the time was the largest company in Ukraine. After the events of 2014, the company went through a period of restructuring, and I moved from a regional role to become a brand manager. It was there that I realized my strength lay in international communications: negotiations, procurement, building supply-chain processes, and taking responsibility for the final result.
The war became a turning point. The company I worked for found itself in a difficult situation, and we needed to quickly find a way to secure the business and keep the team. I suggested expanding the portfolio and starting to import products not only from LG, but also from other brands.
We completed our first deal, but then a problem arose over how to divide the income. We had not documented our agreement at the outset, and this led to a conflict. That was when I decided to work independently: to take on all the risks and responsibility and build a business according to my own principles.
Today, I think strategically and look beyond a single area. I have a clear vision of financial independence: diversifying risks and investing in different sectors – energy, real estate, and other assets.
My goal is to create a portfolio that will cover my basic needs and provide a sense of stability. This means being able not to depend on short-term decisions and not to live under constant stress about «what will happen in a month or two».
At the same time, I have a separate ambition—to move from a «buy-and-sell» model to creating my own product. I have spent my whole life working in sales: tourism, technology, and services. But now I feel the desire to create something from scratch—a product with added value.
For now, I do not have a clear idea of what exactly this manufacturing business will be or which market the product will serve. But I know for certain that this next stage must come.
Growth in business matters to me, but so does quality of life. To me, happiness means freedom of movement and choice.
I want to be able to live and work wherever I feel comfortable, rather than wherever circumstances force me to be. I want to travel, stay in places that resonate with me, and always have somewhere to return to.
For me, home is not just a location, but a source of strength. It is a place where my loved ones and family are, somewhere I want to return to after any trip.
This balance—between growth, freedom, and inner stability—is my key guiding principle.
How did the business idea come about?
To understand where the idea came from, it is worth looking at my experience. Since 2008, I have worked in the air-conditioning sector: I started as a manager, and in 2013 I moved to Optim, which was one of the largest companies in Ukraine at the time.
At first, I worked as a regional manager. After the events of 2014, the company restructured, and I became a brand manager. That was when it became clear that I was good at procurement, communicating with factories, and working with international partners. I gained key experience there, which I later built on.
When the full-scale war began, I was working for a company that had been one of the market leaders but found itself in a difficult position. We urgently needed to find a way to secure the business and provide people with work. I suggested importing products not only from LG, but also from other brands.
We completed the first deal within the company. After that came both a positive experience and a serious failure—a telling lesson that I often recall. It was then that I decided to work independently: to take on the risks, make my own mistakes, and have full control of the process.
So, the war was the main catalyst for my move into independent business.
What key skills helped you launch your business?
Business is first and foremost about people. If you understand who needs your product, know how to meet your customer's needs, and can build strong communication, you are already halfway there.
In my case, the critical skills were:
-
communication skills with customers and suppliers;
-
experience working with international companies;
-
understanding procurement and logistics processes.
Then a simple formula applies: you may be afraid, but you do it anyway. Step by step, you solve problems you have never faced before.
What were the 3 most difficult challenges you dealt with in the first years?
The first year was not too difficult—the business grew quickly. The main challenges were operational.
For example, finding a reliable logistics partner. At the beginning, I significantly overpaid for freight—sometimes by 30–40%. It was a painful but valuable experience.
Overall, these were typical work-related difficulties that come with experience.
What crises has your business faced, and how did you overcome them?
The most difficult situations arose in our dealings with government agencies.
In the first year after setting up the new company, we generated almost 100 million hryvnias in turnover by purchasing equipment abroad. As a result, prosecutors came to us with suspicions that funds had been transferred out of the country.
At first, I thought it was a mistake, since all our transactions were transparent: for example, I paid 300 thousand dollars for goods and received the shipment four months later. But eventually it became clear that this was pressure. For a year, we worked with expensive lawyers and proved our case.
At the same time, issues arose with the tax authorities. Because of our high turnover, we were accused of making insufficient tax contributions. But my business is based on wholesale sales with a small margin (7–8%). Accordingly, the profit tax is also low.
We were offered the option of paying around 3% of turnover, which is economically impossible. So this process is an ongoing struggle to defend our position.
What decision has been most effective for your company's growth?
The key decision was to start working with new suppliers and factories.
At first, I worked only with trusted partners. But at a certain point, I decided to take a risk and expand my pool of suppliers.
This is a serious risk in this business: samples may be high-quality, while a large batch may be completely different. I have had experiences like that.
Despite this, the strategy paid off and gave us momentum for growth.
What mistake do you now consider your greatest learning experience?
The first was trying to enter the IT business in 2018. Together with partners, and without sufficient experience, we launched a project and spent a significant amount of money over the course of a year.
The biggest lesson was that I only understood what an MVP (minimum viable product) was a year after launch. If I had known that from the start, we would have saved tens, or perhaps even thousands, of dollars.
The second important mistake was failing to establish clear agreements at the outset. In the first deal I completed within the company, I expected one income-sharing model, while management expected another.
I believed I should be allowed to complete the project independently in order to receive appropriate compensation. The company, however, insisted that I had acted as its employee.
We had not agreed on the terms «beforehand», and this led to a conflict. Each of us had our own perspective.
After that, I concluded that any partnership must be formalized before work begins.
These mistakes shaped the key business principles I follow today.
