Like all CEOs, Aleksandr Volodarsky bears heavy responsibility for the success or failure of his company.
But the 36-year-old has to make tough decisions that most CEOs don’t need to make – he’s running a startup in war-torn Ukraine.
“The biggest problem is that there are no people on site. One of the [employees] who is fighting on the front lines is our marketing director, “the founder of Lemon.ioan online freelance marketplace for software developers.
The decisions I make right now are not decisions to make [the situation] better. It’s just… to suck less.
Alexander Volodarsky
CEO, Lemon.io
When Russia Invades Ukraine In February, Volodarsky told his 60 powerful employees that their jobs would be kept and they would continue to receive pay – even if they were deployed or volunteered to fight.
“A lot of people have lost their jobs and lost their jobs… this helps a lot because if you have to go through this experience and also worry about your income, it’s like human anxiety,” says Volodarsky. pair”.
“If you lose your job, it’s going to be much harder to get through this.”
What lessons did this CEO learn from running a startup in wartime? CNBC Make It find out.
1. The ‘no good answer’ question
As the war dragged on, Volodarsky was now facing uncertainties for the future.
“One of the hardest questions right now is, how do we hire someone else – or not hire someone else – and keep [first] People?”
He added: “I want to take this job [chief marketing officer] but actually the work sucks… it doesn’t work, it’s not good for the company in the long run. But we need someone to do the job. ”
It’s not the only dilemma where he “doesn’t have a good answer”. For example, should he hire men now, provided he can “mobilize all” at any time?
On the one hand, excluding someone is just an ugly thing. But on the other hand, I have 60 people for whom I am responsible…
Alexander Volodarsky
CEO, Lemon.io
“On the one hand, excluding someone is just an ugly thing. But on the other hand, I have 60 people for whom I am responsible and if I do something that could harm the company and its future earnings. them, I can’t do that,” said Volodarsky.
He added that he was still “debating” about what to do, but one thing was certain – he wanted to keep his promise to all his employees.
“The decisions I make right now are not the decisions I have to make [the situation] better. It’s just… to suck less. ”
2. Think ahead
Volodarsky also decided to pay his employees in advance – and in cash.
“The closer to the war, the more nervous people got and we said, let’s try to make some plans to make people feel confident,” he said.
“We decided to pay people two months’ salary upfront so they have cash. No matter what, people always need cash… the banking system can go down, anything can be happen.”
That’s right, the central bank of Ukraine Electronic money transfers suspended on the same day that Russia invaded the country.
As the invasion unfolded, ATMs across the country began to run out of cash, and some people stood in line for hours just to face the $33 limit per transaction.
“It’s been a challenge. The last five months have been a bit of a mess… but people trust that if we’re working, they’ll [a sense of] Guard.”
3. Celebrate victory
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine forced 3 million people to flee their homes and reach neighboring countries in less than three weeks. So a lot of people can’t work, Volodarsky said.
“They have to move, make their own plans, and help support their families. At first we said, ‘Let’s accomplish all the goals. [for the company]We just want to make sure everyone can settle down. ‘”
But Volodarsky realized that wasn’t helping employee morale.
“When everything is messy and uncertain… having a sense of accomplishment really helps [them] to live a normal life. At least you can see that there is some progress in what you do, instead of sitting and waiting for the fight to end. “
He added that he began directing his team to advance the pre-war goal of becoming a “primary source of income” for software engineers.
“We also have smaller goals to improve the platform and user experience… People [in the company] glad they can actually provide jobs [for] Volodarsky said.
The startup says it will provide jobs for 1,000 engineers by the end of 2022.
“You feel like what you do means a little bit more. I see people getting so excited after every little win that we have.”
4. Giving ‘is not difficult’
Volodarsky decided to give “all profits” to the Ukrainians The military has also given his company a good source of momentum.
“Not everyone can do something [for the war]but they know that if they can continue to contribute to the company and the company is growing… then they are really influential. “
However, Volodarsky emphasizes that giving up profits is less “heroic” than it sounds.
“What’s the profit, really? You generate revenue and whatever you need to spend it on – wages, advertising… and then whatever is left of it you give to the military,” he said. speak.
