The Beginning

I was born in a small settlement with a population of 5000 people in the Far Eastern region of Russia known as Kamchatka. Untill the age of six I remember my father wearing a Police uniform. It was called ‘Militia’ back then. I remember his long absences from home as he started his entrepreneurial business activities. My father made it big by establishing a cost effective coal supply chain for the boilers that provided central heating to a few major settlements. He managed to reduce the cost of coal by triple and was welcomed as a supplier. Two years later, we moved to the biggest city in the region: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. 

I believe many people choose their future profession by observing their parents. In my case it was no different, but my father did not have a clearly defined one, he was running businesses. He was very good at 'breaking walls' reaching goals that he had set for himself and it worked for him very well. Counting pennies was not in his nature and he always kept his word. He was in charge of his life and provided for his family. I wanted the same life for myself.

The very first lesson my father taught me was at the age of 7. I had lost some change on the way back home from the store and was afraid to admit it, so I said a cashier gave me that much, my mum went to the store and found out that I did not tell the truth. The slap over the head that I received from my father was a hearty one. I was both ashamed and determined to never let anything like this to happen ever again. NOT BEING HONEST HURTS YOUR LOVED ONES AND HURTS IN GENERAL. It helped me numerous times in life, pushing through hard times when retaining the integrity and complete transparency led to a much stronger dedication from the team reaching goals we had. 

Even though our family always had everything we needed, my father would not let us raised spoiled. Another important lesson he taught me was: IF YOU DO SOMETHING, DO IT RIGHT. No matter what the task was, if it was given to me by my father it had to be carried out properly. If it wasn’t, I’d do it again and again and again until it is done right. It was in my interest to put in an effort in order to avoid shameful remarks and go through a redoing/improving process until the desired result was achieved. At an early age I could wash our car for hours, and I still remember the frustration. This lesson served me well many times when I was solely responsible for business processes. If I didn't apply my best effort, it would lead to serious consequences. 

At the age of 17, straight after finishing high school I was sent to study in beautiful Sydney. My father still doesn't understand how I ended up in Sydney. From an early age he was getting me ready to study at Moscow's top university embedding a thought in my mind that I am to inherit his business and must study in Russia. The first to come to Australia was my sister Karina, and with her stories of how beautiful the country is she sparked my interest, making me want to study abroad too. It was an exciting prospect so I thought of all the benefits I'd get coming over and stormed into my fathers office. After a 40 minute speech and 2 minutes of silence he answered with 'get the documents ready'. In 2 months my journey on the other side of the globe began.

To be continued..