From April 16 to April 25, 2024, the author’s course “Thread and Accessories Economy” by Valeriy Rybas, consisting of four public lectures, was held. The program included a detailed review of a range and characteristics of threads and accessories for the needs of the light industry, as well as economic and entrepreneurial aspects of doing business. The course was attended by about 140 people, including higher education students majoring in 182 "Light Industry Technologies" and 076 "Entrepreneurship and Trade" and the academic staff of the University’s departments of Fashion and Style, Fashion Technology, Entrepreneurship and Business. The participants had a unique opportunity to communicate with the director of TK-Furniture LLC, the founder of the only thread factory in Ukraine, Barva. On April 25, 2024, the last fourth public lecture was held as part of the author’s course, the material of which was also easily perceived, it was informative, consistent and motivating, like all the previous ones.
Today, TK-Furniture LLC is well known and one of the most successful enterprises in Ukraine. The company adequately overcomes the challenges of today, adapts to new conditions, and meets the growing market demand for products. The company is improving, growing, moving forward, studying and introducing innovations, modern technologies and developments, raising the bar of quality and responsibility.
Speaking to the students and teachers, Valeriy Rybas shared his experience and provided recommendations on how to organize and run a business from the perspective of effective management of real modern production. During the lecture, the speaker told the students about the dynamics of his own company’s development, the peculiarities of doing business and scaling it up in Ukraine, the problems and negative factors affecting its growth.
The lecturer revealed facts from his own life to the audience, speaking in an interesting and frank manner about the stages of business formation and development. “My first thirty years of life were spent learning and gaining experience. It is best to do business in times when empires are destroyed or created, when opportunities change. And such an opportunity fell into my lap, but to move on in life, you need to have something. Don’t think you’ll succeed right away when you don’t have capital, a proven track record, a team, real rules of the game, etc.”, says Valeriy Rybas.
The students were particularly interested in the speaker’s story about finding partners and treating them with dignity, ways to evaluate staff performance, and the level of responsibility. “When realizing a goal, you have to understand whether you can do it yourself or whether it is possible to involve a partner. A partner is someone who shares your idea, beliefs, or is willing to invest, who will believe you and become a reliable shoulder for business development. You should share a common opinion and vision with your partner”, Mr. Rybas emphasized.
Giving examples of how he started a business, Valeriy Viacheslavovych told the students and University professors how he found an investor and capital in 2016, personally developed a business plan, and made engineering calculations to launch production at the initial stage. In December 2017, the production of the first Ukrainian sewing threads "Barva" was launched, and in January 2018, their production was put on stream. A wide range of issues was also discussed, including the search for quality raw materials, reliable suppliers, development and improvement of technological processes, training and education of personnel, etc.
The lecturer noted that the constant development of the enterprise is due to the owner’s well-considered strategy, visionary approach, making amendments when crises occurred in the country and, as a result, in the light industry, starting from 1991 to the present, and how they influenced the creation and expansion of their own business. During the lecture, Valeriy Viacheslavovych noted that overcoming the crisis in the development of the economy as a whole and its structural units is the result of management decisions. He also discussed the causes of crises and mechanisms for overcoming them, preventing crises or minimizing risks and their negative consequences at the enterprise. The lecturer emphasized that the following factors helped to withstand and respond quickly in difficult crisis periods: the reputation of the manager, the authority and connections gained, far-reaching strategic decisions to expand the range of products and suppliers, well-coordinated teamwork, even remote.
The lecturer also focused on the negative aspects, overcoming difficulties in the company’s work in times of crisis and war. Thus, the company has overcome a difficult path over the past four years, including two "Covid" and two military years. During the quarantine restrictions, the company operated in strict compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards, without being closed for lockdown. Since the first days of the war, production has never actually stopped, despite the danger, broken logistics chains, suppliers' suspension of operations, power outages, and many other factors.
The speaker paid special attention to the postulates of starting and running a business: “First, you need to have an idea or goal, find your niche, clearly understand the final product, given the oversaturation of clothing and the insane number of manufacturers in China, Turkey, etc. Having an idea, try to scale up, gain experience in time management, and then delegate your responsibilities to someone”, said Valeriy Rybas. The lecturer also shared his observations and practical experience in raising capital for enterprises, spoke about the search for investors, creditors, sponsors and their requirements.
The speaker’s success story highlighted an important aspect of scaling up business in other cities. TK-Furniture has created and is developing a wholesale and retail network of branches throughout Ukraine, separately considering the income of each retail outlet. The work of each representative office - warehouse or store - is coordinated with the company’s overall strategy. Reasonable prices, a high level of service, and a guarantee of the quality of goods and services are the same for all the regions, for the entire wholesale and retail network. Deliveries cover the whole of Ukraine, with branches in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, and Khmelnytskyi.
During the lecture, Valeriy Viacheslavovych also revealed the peculiarities of teamwork, talked about the distribution of forces and powers in various unforeseen situations, and built simple rules for relations with staff. Overcoming various obstacles, Valeriy Rybas outlined the cohesion, courage and resilience, professionalism and dedication of the company’s team members.
The audience listened to Valeriy Viacheslavovych with interest from the beginning to the end of the lecture. The speaker drew the students' attention to the top skills that employers ask about when hiring employees, and urged them not to be discouraged by employers' requirements or lack of work experience. He urged the younger generation to express themselves, demonstrate their knowledge, show interest in working in the chosen position and a desire to develop. “You should never be afraid of something new, because only after overcoming difficulties do you really taste the satisfaction of the result of your work. This is the secret of a successful business”, said Valeriy Rybas.
At the end of the meeting, the students and teachers present asked questions to the speaker - a highly professional, interesting personality, creative person with a critical view and research skills. Everyone received comprehensive answers, showing great interest in the lecture material, and expressed their gratitude.
The lecturer also announced the issuance of CERTIFICATES of attendance at the author's course of lectures "Thread and Accessories Economy", which can be obtained HERE.
Valeriy Rybas’ powerful and incredibly inspiring lectures not only allowed the students to deepen their knowledge of technological and economic issues of light industry production. As a motivating source of useful information, they inspired students to further their professional growth through learning, became the basis for reflection on the professional path of formation and growth, and encouraged analysis and critical thinking.
The student and teaching community of KNUTD is sincerely grateful to Valeriy Rybas for his cooperation and looks forward to new meetings!
20.06.2024
