Nadiya Albishchenko is a person who started her own company called INAS EXIM LLC. She’s also a public speaker, author, artist, and someone who trades goods internationally, especially products that we use every day (like food, soap, etc.). She’s also really concerned about taking care of the environment.
She wasn’t always a successful businesswoman. When she was a kid, she was just like anyone else, growing up in a regular family. But she had a strong determination to succeed, and that’s what pushed her to become an entrepreneur.
Nadiya is writing a book about her journey, thoughts, and what motivated her to go from a normal child in a regular family to a successful businessperson. This book is called “Synergy: A synopsis into an elite business partnership.” It should be available to buy around February 2022.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Nadiya Albishchenko:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
What we do in our lives, we do for our family. They are the most important asset, valued with the highest regard by any person.
I firmly believe in the significance of managing work-life balance, and I am genuinely committed to maintaining it by effectively dividing my personal and professional life. Occasionally, work-related stress may spill over into my home life, but I make a conscious effort to address it and find solutions. In the workplace, I am highly determined in all my endeavors, driven by results, and always striving to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Beyond work, I am a devoted mother with two kids. Their well-being and happiness are my primary focus, and I dedicate a substantial amount of time to engaging with them. I am deeply involved with their education and constantly seek to explore various aspects of life with them, preparing them for the challenges they may face in the real world.
Currently, I am working on my second business book, which focuses on the challenges of the Russo-Ukrainian war and how it has impacted my personal and work life, providing tips on overcoming adversities with positive results. My son, Adam Fouad, who is just 10 years old, is also co-authoring it, sharing his emotional and educational experiences and how he has positively overcome all challenges, gaining new skills to shape his own future.
Describe your background, and what did you do before you started/joined the company?
Originally, I am from Ukraine, and throughout my career, I worked for some of the largest food corporate companies, primarily focusing on brand building and distribution setup. With my extensive experience, I gained valuable expertise in building brands from scratch. This includes handling various aspects, such as product performance evaluation, market research, and devising effective market distribution strategies for the Middle East and Africa regions.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
Business was always in my soul; I was keen to learn and experience new things. Right from childhood, I used to sell Turbo cards and collect recyclable cans and bottles to make extra income. Inas was an opportunity that transpired when I was trying to support a client in sourcing a reliable supplier from Ukraine and they were not confident enough to deal with them directly due to trust and language issues. My credibility with them was immense, so they asked if I could assist them with the deal thus, the plan of having my own company for trading purposes was born. Taking this opportunity, I started trading in a small manner until I finally decided to quit my job and be totally into business, establishing INAS ExIm in 2018.
It all began when one of my friends was in search of a sunflower oil supplier for the Middle East Market and approached me to see if I could help source, it for him. Knowing that Ukraine is famous for its lucrative agriculture and being a world leader in sunflower oil production, I thought, “Yes, sure, why not?” In 2015, I facilitated the first shipment by partnering with a third-party firm. As time went on, my passion for this line of work grew, and in 2018, I took the step to establish my own company, INAS EXIM LLC (International Network for Achievable Solutions, Export-Import).
What has made you successful? What do you value?
Success is not derived from a single word; it is a blend of many aspects; for me, it was a strong sense of determination, trust, resilience and many such. You can read all about it in my book, which I recently published. Book titled “Synergy: A Synopsis of an Elite Business Partnership.” I co-authored this book with my business partner, Vinay Gandhi, who also owns Golden Star International LLC, one of the leading food distribution companies in the UAE. In the book, we share real-life experiences of how we partnered with different individuals, along with key learnings and outcomes that have contributed to our success.
My values are again a reciprocation of my beliefs that brought me success. It is also important to know how to treat people. It is as simple as how you want to be treated by them. Hence, giving value to their time and efforts, adding extra efforts to support them during business challenges, and also bridging the gaps between customers and suppliers. Hence, we value all our allies as part of the company anddoe our best toensuree it stays that way.
Which are the major services of the company and how do the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
Inas Exim was founded based on a lot of experience, the market needed a company that would work hand in glove with its customers and not just someone who would merely sell goods for profits.
We work closely with distributors, conduct thorough research on the market’s needs, develop customized and tailor-made products, create brands, and do all that at affordable prices for consumers.
At Inas, we promote doing business in an easy, profitable, and Sustainable manner, and that makes us stand apart from the usual. Our consolidation services not only allow our buyers the flexibility of a minimum volume purchase, helping them to manage storage costs, but also give them the edge in cycling the goods more efficiently and promptly. This service also helps them have a larger portfolio of items at affordable prices.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in, and how do you build this culture?
As mentioned above, I do value work-life balance. From the very beginning, the idea of creating INAS was that every employee would have their own space to spend time with their family, manage their commitments, and, at the same time, feel motivated while working at INAS. They have their own choices and priorities. In the end, the success of INAS depends on the success of each individual. The growth of the company is directly correlated to the income my employees are getting. We have a purely performance-driven culture rather than a 9 a.m.–5 p.m. job-sitting style commitment.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
We approach each project individually, working on market research, recipes, logistics, costs, distribution, and brand strategy. All of these require a lot of innovation and adaptation to meet the specific needs of each market.
Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes?
It depends on how you look at things, but each cannot survive without the other. Individuals with heroic qualities might have great skills in business development, but without the help of a team, they cannot accomplish projects. Therefore, any company requires both aspects: individual excellence and effective teamwork.
What are your responsibilities as the Founder/CEO/ Managing Director of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
The company’s vision and clear goals are the major tasks of any business owner. Having clarity in these aspects helps the team understand their tasks and keeps them motivated. Day-to-day planning and strategies aligned with company goals form a significant part of my daily routine.
All days are not the same, but the happiest part is the achievement or achievements. Sometimes the routine can be hectic and monotonous, but working on a project, be it product development or building a client, the true satisfaction comes from achieving it. Be it in the form of a happy chef who approved and liked a product tailor-made to his specifications or a trader who confirms their order with us, this gives me a sense of achievement and makes me really happy!
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Listen more than talk. Listening is one of the major skills people lack. It helps to understand the working environment and utilize the team’s skills by knowing what is happening around them.
