While we have passed 150 days of war in Ukraine, certain parts of the economy have never stopped turning. This is the case of Aleksandr Volodarsky, founder of Lemon.io, a Ukrainian entrepreneur who reveals his lessons in management and entrepreneurship in times of war.
Aleksandr Volodarsky founded the startup Lemon.io. This young shoot is, like Beager, specialized in connecting companies and freelancers specializing in software development. It must be said that this skill is highly sought after by companies.
While the young 36-year-old entrepreneur was fully enjoying his adventure, the war broke out in Ukraine, disrupting all his plans, but also his way of managing his business on a daily basis. “ The biggest problem is not having employees in the office. One of those fighting on the front lines is our Chief Marketing Officer “, explains Aleksandr Volodarsky to CNBC Make It.
Entrepreneurship in times of war: Facing uncertainty
The first lesson that Aleksandr Volodarsky learned from his entrepreneurial adventure is that we must face the uncertainty surrounding the situation in the country. One of the main decisions he implemented is the safeguarding of all employees, even if they have to leave the country or are called to fight. In addition, they continue to receive their remuneration.
One of the obstacles that the entrepreneur must face are the famous questions which do not necessarily have good answers: How to recruit employees in times of war? How can we ensure that the tasks of those at the front are always fulfilled? Should he recruit men knowing that they are more likely to leave to fight?
These questions are linked to the uncertainty in which the country is plunged. Aleksandr Volodarsky specifies: “ On the one hand, excluding someone is horrible. However, on the other hand, I have 60 employees under my responsibility and, if I make a decision that impacts the company and its profits, it is not possible! The decisions I make today aren’t the best, they’re just the ones that… are the least rotten. »
Anticipate to counter this uncertainty
One of the management and entrepreneurship lessons that Aleksandr Volodarsky has learned to deal with the crisis the country is experiencing and the related uncertainty is to anticipate. Thus, the founder of Lemon.io made the decision to pay his employees two months in advance, in cash. This allowed employees to cope with the crisis, but also to anticipate a possible problem at the banks, which could prevent them from accessing cash.
Celebrate victories
Trying to maintain positive morale during wartime is crucial. This helps motivate the teams, despite the crisis hitting the country. At the beginning, Aleksandr Volodarsky announced to his employees that the most important thing was their safety and that they should not worry about the startup’s goals. However, even if the safety and health of Lemon.io employees remain the entrepreneur’s priority, he announced that he had not given up on the objectives. He even explains that achieving goals provides a feeling of satisfaction that boosts employee morale.
The employees’ motivation also came from another decision by Aleksandr Volodarsky, since he decided to donate all his profits to the Ukrainian army. This choice is also explained by the excellent performances of its teams, despite the complicated period for the Ukrainians. “ Giving money to others is not complicated. We are able to do this because we have good results and we are profitable. This cannot impact the business, since you are only donating the profits. We are very happy, because we donated a lot of money and it is very gratifying to help the army get closer to victory. »
