Ukrainian entrepreneur divides his time between fighting and working, and diversifies his business so as not to disperse his human capital
A few weeks ago, we produced this interview with Oleg Pylypovych, co-founder and CEO of Kyiv-based Bumazhnyy Zmey. Unfortunately, we are publishing it just now for organizational and translation reasons.
A few weeks ago, we produced this interview with Oleg Pylypovych, co-founder and CEO of Kyiv-based Bumazhnyy Zmey. Unfortunately, we are publishing it just now for organizational and translation reasons.
Oleg is fighting to drive out the Russian invaders and had to limit his work activities. After all, the flow of orders had stopped, and the turnover (amounting to about 100 million UAH before the war) plummeted by 99 percent. The entrepreneur says that the few printing companies staying afloat are those serving the retail trade, the pharmaceutical industry, and medical institutions. His greatest hope is for victory and a return to normality.
For Oleg, the main concern is employees and their families, as it is for other Ukrainian print businesses also. One-third of his staff in Kyiv is ready to leave, but he keeps their jobs, paying minimum wage. The company does not have enough orders to keep all its employees but is doing its best to pay them, sometimes as little as 100 USD per month, about 10 percent of their wages.
“If we support them for the next month or two, they will stay in the industry,” he explains. “And that’s the first thing. We’re not going to lose the staff.”
Oleg aims to diversify their offerings to give his team hope, following a new (sad) trend, by creating printed products with patriotic content and high symbolic value. He has already made samples ready to be reproduced on a large scale.
“What I’ve noticed in the last two weeks, driving around Kyiv, is there are no patriotic stickers. There is nothing patriotic,” says Pylypovych. “What we want to do now is a new movement, to give out free patriotic stickers and symbols.”
In the first instance, the entrepreneur aims to take on all the costs and give away the memorabilia to people so that they can put them on cars, homes, and phones or have a drink from a patriotic mug. However, his resources are limited, and the materials are almost exhausted. Therefore, the company is looking for backers.
“We are trying to somehow attract some money to support this initiative. And to make sure we can distribute these symbols for free,” Pylypovych explains. “In Ukraine, many people don’t have money. They are standing in lines to get free food. Of course, they can’t buy a cup or a sticker.”
Pylypovych’s initiative is aimed at other members of the printing industry who want to financially support his company, his employees, and the Ukrainian nation.
To meet Oleg and support Bumazhnyy Zmey
