Some people’s optimism and energy are contaminating. Serhii Shulyk, founder of the convenience stores chain in Poltava and a graduate of MIM-Kyiv pre-MBA “M&L” and “Business” programs is one of those people. No wonder his team members are taking MIM-Kyiv’s programs as well.

- I am interested in psychology that’s why I took the “Management and leadership” program. After I finished pre-MBA “Business” I urged my team members to take programs there. When people ask me if I am afraid of teaching people who can leave me, I always answer that I am afraid that they do not learn and stay. I want my people to be smarter than me, Serhii Shulyk explains. He believes that when team members are smarter or better skilled than their leaders business grows and develops.

- CEOs are lonely animals. At a certain point, you understand that you are socializing less because you are short of time. At MIM-Kyiv you make new friends with shared interests. I did not exactly strike gold after MIM-Kyiv’s programs, but I expanded my network.

He said that he had learned about the school by chance when searching for ways to develop his business. A friend told Serhii Shulyk about MIM-Kyiv when learning from books was not enough anymore. 

- I act on impulse a lot. I looked for knowledge but found such a concentration of smart people that exceeded my expectations. I always compare studies at MIM-Kyiv with construction. You need bricks, parts, materials, etc. to construct a building. MIM-Kyiv provides those elements and parts. The approach is very comprehensive. My project at the program helped me to establish and finetune business processes. I am not sure that I could run the growing business without what I had mastered at MIM-Kyiv. It helped to manage fast growth.

The war made us shrink at first, but we are growing now

After February 24, Serhii Shulyk had to reduce everything to keep jobs and resources. 

- At first, we suffered from chaos and fear. Now we are recovering. Keeping jobs has been the top priority for us followed by business development. Profit at this point is not a top task. People are more important. I can’t afford to lose people who I have worked with for 20 years. 

New challenges shape our solutions. Instead of supermarkets, we are opening smaller convenience stores. Thus, we can create more jobs and accelerate inventory turnover. 

Unlike recommendations, Serhii Shulyk often follows his wishes with unexpected success. 

- We reinvest our profits and avoid outsourcing. We are slowly recovering and opening new stores. Our auditors often tell me that we are spending too much on development. One such example is the in-house development of the iOS app because it is state-of-the-art. Although most of the customers use Android, the iOS app was developed. So far, the share of purchases through this app is around 20% – 25%. We enhanced our iOS customers' loyalty, Serhii explains his intuitive rather than rational decisions. 

The personal network helped him overcome difficulties with suppliers that tried experienced difficult times as well. 

- In spring the suppliers who we had always treated with respect and understanding kept us on their priority lists. Many suppliers suffered serious setbacks but ours are recovering. Trust drives businesses. A good reputation helps to make money. We survived because of our reputation. It helps to revive our business now, Serhii Shulyk shares his experience.

We have more customers because of the war

Marketing says that you cannot be everybody’s darling. But this business is different. 

- We are convenience stores. We will never have a wide range of anything. But if you need to buy presents, or school supplies, or things for fishing with your kid, you can buy them in our stores, Serhii tells us. 

Before the war, convenience was the name of the game. Now, people are very price sensitive. The idea of selling affordable food and home staples has been at the heart of the business from the very first small kiosk that later developed into the chain. Friends and family were the first buyers’ advisors. 

- I did not have the background, and that’s why my business grew slowly. I started it in 2000 when I spent a thousand hryvnias that my father gave me as a present to purchase goods for my kiosk. I even included the image of two large, checkered bags that I used then in my final presentation. Now it is a chain of 26 stores, Serhii Shulyk recollects.

He believes in living in movement although many psychologists say that it is yet another way to escape the complexities of real life. But due to being on the move, the team helps those who need it. Before the war, the company supported sports competitions, now it is a charity. 

Serhii knows his business in and out. He visits warehouses and sometimes even helps with loading. 

- I used to like unloading the truck. I know how the checkout or security works. I believe that management has to spend time in the warehouses and stores. They better understand how frontline people work. Every time my managers spend time working there, they improve the processes and conditions. Spending time on the shopfloor helps management to understand how much depends on each and every employee. I know it because of my 20 years in business. We spend more time with our co-workers than with our families. Let’s make our working lives better. It is not my chain. It is ours.