This year, we will be conducting numerous interviews with Ukrainian leaders. The first of these is with Oleksii Koleroviy, a certified architect, lecturer at the European School of Design, and founder and director of Koleroviy Architecture & Design, who has managed to maintain and, what’s more, develop his business during the war. Asked by Erik Samel, edited English version by Anna Bondar.
How did your business start?
I really like to create. A couple of years ago, I built my own house. It was a big challenge for me, and I made mistakes, but it was also a very important experience because now I know firsthand what is useless and what is important in a house when I am dealing with clients.
What has changed in your business over the year?
It has been a difficult year, because so far we have been mainly active in Ukraine, with one small project in the US. We are now focusing more attention, energy, and time on other regions to spread the risks: European countries, the US, Canada, and others.
In 2023, we aim to have more than half of our customers from abroad. We have already started advertising, especially in Poland, where people have a very similar mindset to us. We have also signed a contract with a consultancy firm to help us find clients in the US and Canada. Up to now, we were used to dealing with clients face-to-face, and now we have to learn how to deal with them virtually. At the same time, we now have more clients in Ukraine, now also outside the Kyiv region, in other regions of Ukraine. That also means a lot of e-communication. We are developing and learning how to provide the same quality of service as face-to-face.
We have received inquiries from Stockholm and eastern Ukraine. In particular, we are looking for clients in the private sector, which is our main sector.
Did the company’s work also stop in the meantime?
We have been working almost all the time. Only at the beginning of the active phase of the war in February last year did we not work for nearly two weeks, when we moved all our operations from Kyiv to Lviv. In June, however, we came back to Kyiv, and since then we’ve been working from our main office here. In the last few months, the company has performed well, we have hired new architects and we are optimistic about the future of our country and our company.
The creativity and energy of our staff are at the same level as before February 2022. This is of course very important for me and for the company.
So you don’t have a problem motivating your employees…
No. Maybe six months ago there was, but now we have adapted to the challenges of the war and the work continues. We are also learning new skills all the time.
How much has mobilization affected your business?
On the first day of the war, I declared my desire to defend my country and spent about three months in the army, in a combat battalion. I was there during the day, and the rest of the time I was free to go about my business. During those three months, we completed four projects that we had started before 24 February. It was a very, very difficult time for me – I didn’t get a good night’s sleep for three months, because in the evenings and at night I had to talk to my team members about what they were going to do in the following days. I had to work on two fronts at the same time because my goal was to keep the team together. The team members had to be given a support point, they had to have a job and an income. Keeping the business going was very costly for me: I have calculated that I paid the company about $65 000 to keep it going.
Did you have to make anyone redundant?
I didn’t make anybody redundant, but two of our architects went to work for another company in 2023, one in Germany and one in Ireland. We are currently recruiting new architects and buying computers and tools, as well as learning English to be ready for new projects in other countries. We are now doing well: we have strong marketing and in December we turned a profit.
Do you also use a home office?
Seven out of the ten employees work in the office, three are hybrid.
What characterizes your team?
I’ve realized that my secret weapon is our team. If you have a good and creative team, you can work successfully in different markets. And the team supports me.
What is the company doing now?
We have been involved in two charity projects in the past year, one lasting four months and the other two months. The aim was to build houses for refugees… These are beautiful buildings, not just simple, plain boxes. We also use these houses in our portfolio to find new clients.
All this gave us the strength to continue our core business. Around half of the architectural firms in Ukraine have now completely ceased their activities, and only 30% of them are still active. I’m very proud that I managed to save the company and that we are looking forward to further success.
We try to be as active as possible in the market. All the Ukrainian people hope that everything will end well. Many Ukrainians cannot build a home now, but they have the hope that they will one day. We are ready if clients contact us, even in times of war. Some wealthy Ukrainians have gone abroad, but many have stayed and continue to do business here. They understand that by paying us for our services, they are ultimately supporting the Ukrainian economy and military and bringing victory closer.
I am in constant contact with the unit where I served for three months. I help them almost every day, either by buying or sending them something.
How to avoid depression in wartime?
There was a period in the summer when I was tired of the war. But then I found new energy and decided that everything was going to be fine. To avoid depression, you have to work hard and keep a creative spirit. If you work all day, you don’t have time to follow the news, including the bad news. I’ve also had help from a psychologist who helped me find the energy to move forward.
What is the most important thing you look for when recruiting new staff?
Above all, I select creative people who can follow our working style and our principles. Our mission is to make the architecture of the future, the products of the future.
What principles do you follow?
The first principle that distinguishes us from other companies is that our products do not show a price. We work like artists – if an artist makes a painting, he doesn’t know how much it will cost. Secondly, when we work with a client, we start by making free sketches, plans and proposals until we have reached an understanding – only then do we talk about money. If we’re not on the same page, there’s no point talking about it. Sometimes it takes a month or two before we get to a contract.
What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?
Saving your company and team and maintaining a creative atmosphere in the team. We have glass walls in the office, so I can see almost everyone on the team – they’re laughing, they’re interacting with each other, and they’re enjoying their work. It was very hard for me to get to this point and I’m very happy that I was able to do it.
Find out more about Koleroviy Architecture & Design on their page or website https://koleroviy.com/.