Starting a business after forty: six great success stories. Starting a business after forty: six great success stories Closer to the body

Often people of pre-retirement age cannot get a job. Why should “those over 50” be at the top of the list of candidates? On the path of struggle with prejudices Kimberly Dart entered

I've been hearing a lot from the media lately and directly from clients that employers do not want to hire candidates over 50 years old. A very short-sighted and wrong approach. Now I will explain why.

In our culture, it is not customary to build a career in the same organization throughout your life. If you can get an employee who will work for you for 3 to 5 years, this already seems incredible. Millennials are even encouraged to change jobs every 3 years or so to build skills and improve competencies. Penelope Trunk (Penelope Trunk - author of numerous articles business topics, career consultant, blogger) once even said that staying in the same job for too long can result in “career suicide”! So why are employers afraid to hire older people if they have no guarantee that younger candidates will work longer?

Given that an employee's tenure at one job is about 3 years, why don't employers try hiring older applicants? If you know you can hire someone who is only looking for a job for the next 5 to 10 years, shouldn't they be at the top of the candidate list?

Some may argue that a young employee is worth less. In some cases this may be true. Aside from health insurance, a less experienced employee will undoubtedly be lower on the pay scale than a highly skilled employee. However, if you have decided in advance what the salary range will be, you pay within the market value and the candidate is interested, so what is the problem then?

There are 2 types of older workers: those who work because they enjoy it, and those who work because they have to. This doesn't mean they can't be both at the same time. There are those who have accumulated savings, have a pension plan, and who have decided to work until the age of 65 and that’s it. At the same time, there are others who, for many reasons, have no savings, do not receive monthly payments and are forced to work to survive. Both of these types can be great workers. Both can become very loyal employees.

Plus, think about the level of maturity and development that an older person might bring to your office. Yes, of course, you have a “young team”, and you are concerned that he will not “fit into it”. But maybe this is exactly what your company needs. There's nothing wrong with a little variety. Many managers work with 4 generations in their workplace.

Ideally, we all want to retire one day - at least I know I want to retire. Unfortunately, I think there will no longer be room for insurance programs like those offered by Freedom 55. So get rid of your preconceptions about older workers and give them a chance. Please, one day I will be one of them too!

More interesting tips and ideas in the new community -

1. Who said that at 56 the first thing is lumpy?

Ernestine Shepard is an 80-year-old woman from America, whose figure and fortitude will be the envy of young athletes. She is the oldest bodybuilder in the world, her name is included in the Guinness Book of Records. “An athlete since childhood,” many will say when they first look at her. But it was not there! Ernestina took up sports at the age of 56, attending an aerobics class. She says about her years: “Age is just a number.”

Ernestine Shepard

2. Learn ballet at 79? Easily!

“Ah, ballet... This dance captivates from the first movements! What a pity that my parents didn’t send me to the studio twenty years ago, because now it’s too late to start,” - this is what many ballet fans think, but not John Lowe, a resident of Great Britain. He always loved dancing and everything connected with it, but until the age of 79 he remained just a spectator. It was at this age that John decided to firmly pursue his dream: first he learned to tap dance, and only then he reached his main goal. And today John is a theater artist, and he does not perform in the background, but performs a solo part! “Dancing makes me keep my back straight and allows me to cheat time,” he says of his hobby.

John Lowe

3. 85 years is a reason to look down on the world

Grandmothers are very worried when their children and grandchildren go hiking or get involved in extreme sports. We have an exception to this rule: Doris Long was delighted with one of the unusual sports. The 85-year-old British woman's passion is abseiling - descending a steep slope or vertical wall using a rope. “I’ll do this at least until I’m one hundred,” she promised and kept her word. At 101 years old, she made the legendary 94-meter descent. Maybe it's really not as scary as it seems?

Doris Long

4. 49 years old - it's time to become a model

Cindy Joseph has been at the center of fashion all her life, working as a professional make-up artist and make-up artist. However, she never imagined herself as a model, observing them only from the side. Despite her rich professional experience, Cindy preferred the “naturalness at any age” strategy, which attracted the attention of a modeling agency. She began to master a new profession at the age of 49, however, having become a sought-after model, she did not abandon her destiny in the world of beauty. Cindy founded a cosmetics skin care brand for mature women. Her life credo: “Look good, feel great - and you will find the meaning of life.”

Cindy Joseph

5. Master of Yoga at 76-why not?

Yoga is a wonderful activity for the soul and body, which, it seems, if not everyone, then most certainly have tried it themselves. Sometimes it happens that people get very involved in this hobby, like, for example, Ida Herbert. She started going to yoga at the age of 50, but soon realized that her real calling was to teach. At 76 years old, Aida became a yoga instructor, the bulk of her students are women aged 50 to 90 years, for whom she is a living motivation. Today, Ida Herbert is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest yoga teacher.

“In my groups, I’m still the oldest,” notes Aida. - It’s important to understand: you can’t be too old to move. Everyone can move."

Ida Herbert

6. Centennial anniversary on the cover of glossy magazine

If deep down in your soul you really want something, it will certainly come true. Another example is Bo Gilbert, an ordinary former factory worker who, at the age of 100, ended up on the pages of fashion magazines. According to Mrs. Gilbert, she always loved fashion and tried to dress with taste. “I just wanted it myself. I definitely don’t dress up for guys,” the model says in her interview. And then one day she had the chance to get on a glossy cover.

Beau Gilbert

7. Get into character after 65 years

Who among us has not at least once felt like the heroine of a Hollywood film? Kay D'Arcy painted herself in this image all her life, but in reality she was an ordinary nurse, a mother of many children and a happy grandmother. It would seem that this in itself is the basis of the script for the film, but without the phrase “Lights, camera, motor” everything is not the same. The former nurse decided to realize her dream of becoming an actress only at the age of 67. The path was not easy: acting school, castings, master classes. And now the dream came true: at the age of 80, Kay received her first leading role in the TV series “Agent 88”. “The best time of my life has come. I studied enthusiastically and did what I loved, not paying attention to prejudices and social stereotypes. This in itself is a great happiness,” the actress notes with a smile.

Kay D'Arcy

Reading the stories of these people, you remind yourself that all life is in our hands, or rather, in our heads. Monday and the new month are not a panacea for laziness.

The process of starting a business is the same at any age, even if you start it at fifty years old. The rules for achieving success are also known: good idea, good customer service, good quality, good competitiveness.

However, there are nuances associated with starting a business late. As retirement age approaches, you will have free time, and a considerable amount has probably been set aside for a rainy day, which means you have time and money. However, it is much easier to recover from failures in business when you are 25 years old rather than 65.

You are over fifty and you are wondering whether to try your luck as a... independent business owner? Let me give you some recommendations.

1 . Don't consider your age a death sentence

It will be better if you look at starting a business as getting the college degree you've always dreamed of. If you are not planning to retire, then opening your own business is not such a difficult task. If you need some inspiration, here you go: Ray Kroc, 52, launched the McDonald's empire with Richard James "Dick" McDonald and Maurice James "Mac" McDonald. Garland Sanders, founder of the KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) chain began development franchise network when he turned 68. And Momofuku Ando, ​​at the age of 48, founded a highly successful company selling instant noodles “Ramen”.

2. Calculate carefully and repeatedly how much the new business will cost

Although this advice goes without saying, it still needs to be said: don't invest more than you are willing to lose.

“Look for opportunities to use other people's money,” advises Gene Zaino, website manager administrative services for consulting companies and small businesses MBO Partners. “You are at a stage in your life where you need to feel secure and protected from possible unforeseen circumstances, so avoid using your savings plan or pension payments, not to mention borrowing from credit.”

Running a new business - unpredictable dance The most beautiful and most terrible thought for anyone entrepreneur is that your idea is probably a good project. The great thing about this is that you may have a chance to invest and make a profit. The terrible thing about this is that you may succumb to the temptation to invest and lose all your savings and savings.

3. Remember: experience matters

Yes, young entrepreneurs these days have a greater chance of success, but we should not forget that the longer you have lived, the more life experience and strength you have on which you can rely. “You have real capital that you can manage - this is your experience,” says Zaino. “This is an advantage that you can quickly start making money on, since you won’t need to invest a lot of money and carry out in-depth marketing.”

On the other hand, the president of the international consulting firm for the search and selection of senior executives Caliper Corporations, Patrick Sweeney, notes that “having achieved fifty years old milestone, many people are well aware of their strengths and weaknesses. So be honest with yourself and play to your strengths.” If there are significant gaps in your knowledge about running a new business, do not try to fill them yourself,” advises Sviney. “Try to find people who have such knowledge and are willing to try their hand at the same business with you.”

4 . Consider purchasing an existing business

You don't need to start from scratch in order to become entrepreneur. The advantage of the fact that a round sum has already accumulated in your account (while 25-year-old businessmen do not yet have a penny) can be the acquisition of an existing business. All the advice about experimenting with retirement savings remains valid, but sometimes it is quite possible to consider the options of buying a franchise or purchasing an existing business. However, keep in mind the obvious truth: if you don't know anything about a particular industry, buying a business in that industry with the hope that everything will continue as usual without additional effort on your part can be a serious mistake. The beauty of franchising is that the franchise owner teaches the franchisees all the intricacies of doing business, that is, ideally the risks will be minimal - after all, their commercial success is already a fact. In practice, franchising will not always be the key to success; this must be remembered.

5 . Don't chase profit

When you are over fifty, you want to slow down and not work until midnight - and this is completely natural. But to develop any business, in any case, you will need to make efforts. As Swiney says, to run your own business it is essential to love the idea itself. Believe it or not, but, according to Pigs, the main goal of starting a new business is not making money. “If this is your main goal, then perhaps you should consider other means of getting rich quick, such as the lottery. One of the most important lessons that successful people learn is the need to love what you do. The opportunity to earn good money also matters. But if you want self-realization“You should do what you love.”

And he's right. If you want to make money, you should understand that money will not start flowing into your account instantly. Perhaps they will not start arriving at all. And what could be worse than being burdened unpromising work at 50-60 years old? Just study unpromising business at 50-60 years old. That is why, as Pigs note, it is extremely important for the “baby boom” generation to feel the “inexorability of time”, to understand the meaning of the fact that “there will remain a feeling dissatisfaction unless you open your own business. And every sunrise and every sunset should become part of this new worldview.” He says that you should start every day by thinking about what you love. And at the end of the day you wonder: “Am I really getting paid for this?”

According to statistics, the majority of aspiring entrepreneurs are young people between 20 and 40 years old. And this is quite understandable, since young people want everything at once, they are more prone to risks, more mobile and open to new things.

However, oddly enough, many people start their own business after 50 years of age. This is explained by the fact that retirement is approaching, the size of which does not allow one to hope for prosperity.

In addition, the children have already grown up, there is a lot of free time and, finally, you can do what you had no time to do in your youth.

Start a business at 50 years old.

Another reason that people start a business at 50 years old is because they have some capital that they want to invest before inflation eats it up.

Start a business at 50 years old.

All these reasons play their role in organizing their own business by mature people. But the main role, of course, is played by the desire for self-realization.

Start a business at 50 years old.

After all, with age, people already know how to set priorities and know exactly what they really want.

Start a business at 50 years old.

How successful are late starts?

Everything again depends on the set of knowledge and skills of the novice entrepreneur, on his experience accumulated earlier.

1) The most successful people are have gained experience working in commercial structures.

Start a business at 50 years old.

Those who come from commercial structures already know what risks arise when doing business; are able to calculate not only income, but also expenses; soberly weigh their options.

Start a business at 50 years old.

2) Another successful category of people, those starting a business at 50 years old are middle and senior managers power structures. Extensive connections acquired over the years of work allow us not only to see the development potential, but also to solve many issues with the help of acquaintances.

3) It is more difficult for those who have worked in the public sector all their lives in secondary positions. However, among them there are successful businessmen who achieved success due to high motivation and practical skills acquired during their work.

What needs to be done to start your own business at age 50 or later?

1) First of all, evaluate your potential, reconsider your skills and knowledge, understand what you really want to do in order to realize yourself fully. Only self-employment that brings satisfaction can lead to success. It is impossible to build your own successful business by doing something you are not passionate about.

2) In addition, you need to estimate the amount of capital that can be invested in the business. without bringing yourself to complete ruin. After all, your own business always carries risks, so you need to be prepared to part with some part of the money, considering it as tuition fees.

Start a business at 50 years old.

Start a business at 50 years old.

You just need to treat it as a non-repayable investment in your business.

3) And you also need to enlist the support of family members.. It is difficult to achieve success if, instead of support, you receive reproaches for wasting time and money.

Examples of other people's successful endeavors should keep us optimistic and confident in the success of our business. And then everything will definitely work out.

Start a business at 50 years old.

Start a business at 50 years old.

RANEPA experts whose developments are often used by the government
Russian Federation, several scenarios for raising the retirement age in the country. The most likely is to increase it to 63 years for men and 60 years for women. In the same time .

So what should those who are already over 40 but under 60 do? The solution could be to run your own business. In the West, people over 50 are one of the most active entrepreneurial audiences. People have gained experience, generated start-up capital and are ready to take risks. A good example is the UK, where about 20% of company owners are people over 55. And we are talking not only about those who have grown old in the CEO’s chair, but also about startups. For example, 43% of all UK residents who started their own business in 2015 are people over 50. And this despite the fact that such workers make up less than a third of UK company employees.

A similar trend is observed in the United States. If in 1997 people aged 55 to 64 years old made up only 15% of business owners, then in 2016 this figure was already 24%. A Gallup poll of more than 14 thousand people in the United States in 2015 (of which 2 thousand respondents were over 55 years old) found that older generations are more entrepreneurial than those born after the 1980s: 12% Baby boomers said they were ready to start their own business in the next 12 months versus 5% of millennials.

In Russia, we were unable to find studies of the entrepreneurial activity of people of retirement and pre-retirement age - there are few elderly startupers in the country. But we found not only those who have been in business for a long time but are still launching new projects, but also 70-year-old “newbies”.

Vladimir Khoroshevsky

Teacher for artificial intelligence

Vladimir Khoroshevsky, 71 years old, Semantic Hub search service for scientific works

Vladimir Khoroshevsky is a Russian scientist who has devoted most of his life to research and development in the field of artificial intelligence. He worked as an expert at the Ministry of Education and Science, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Russian Science Foundation, wrote hundreds of scientific articles and taught at leading universities around the world. And in 2015, the scientist became a startuper and now holds the position of technical director at Semantic Hub.

Khoroshevsky met the future CEO of the company, Irina Efimenko, 15 years ago, when she was still a graduate student at Moscow State University. They worked together on the creation of natural language processing systems in one of the Russian companies, and then in the Center for Information and Analytical Systems of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Three years ago, colleagues had the idea to set off on “autonomous voyages” and form their own team to transform the experience of developing high-tech technologies into business. At the same time, they met the third founder, Vitaly Nedelsky, who also dreamed of creating a company in the field of high technology. “We needed a fusion of young impudence and experience. We have it. The kids, the students, pulled themselves up,” says Khoroshevsky. The team of 20 people included like-minded colleagues and students passionate about artificial intelligence.

At first, the team took on all proposals related to the analysis of promising scientific and technological trends using big data. But after completing several custom projects, it became clear that we had to work in completely different subject areas. “We soon realized that a wide range of different subject areas with strict restrictions on the time of project implementation would lead to the fact that we would know nothing about everything,” says Khoroshevsky.

Therefore, at the end of 2016, the company’s founders decided to focus on pharmaceuticals. The services offered by Semantic Hub are based on artificial intelligence and natural language processing techniques to assess the potential of new drugs. The Semantic Hub intelligent system collects and analyzes hundreds of thousands of documents: scientific articles, descriptions of clinical trial results, patents, opinions of doctors and patients. Then, based on the results of the analysis of primary information, reports are generated that record the risk factors and competitive advantages of the drugs proposed for development. Research is ordered by medical and pharmaceutical companies. According to Khoroshevsky, such analysis reduces the risk of failure, because people can manually study in depth no more than 1% of documents on a topic.

The partners do not disclose financial indicators; the average bill for research is €100 thousand. In 2017, the startup was included in the top thirty of the international accelerator Grants4Apps in Berlin. And in August I raised 24 million rubles. from IIDF (according to SPARK, the IIDF share is 13.87%), private investors Valentin Doronichev and Vladimir Preobrazhensky. Khoroshevsky's share is not disclosed, but it is known that he owns a minority stake in the company.

“As a startuper, I feel completely normal and calm. I’ve been teaching for over 30 years and communicate with young people all the time,” says Khoroshevsky. According to the 71-year-old scientist, this is his first business startup; before that, he was involved only in scientific projects. He is attracted to a new business by two aspects: an interesting, knowledge-intensive task and the opportunity to bring the idea to implementation.

“I'm interested in all this. I spend most of my time on development and self-education. After all, if you don’t go forward, then you go back. I try to keep my brain in good shape,” explains Khoroshevsky.

Oleg Zagvozdkin

Closer to the body

Oleg Zagvozdkin, 55 years old, brand “Danila - Russian kosovorotki”

In his youth, Oleg Zagvozdkin traveled half the world as a sailor - he was in Europe, China, Japan, Singapore and other countries. Even then, he noticed that national clothing plays a big role in the lives of many peoples. “In Arab countries, Scotland, Germany, people wear national costumes at significant moments for them. But Russians, unfortunately, have almost lost this tradition,” he says. In the early 1990s, Zagvozdkin returned to land, started a family in Vladivostok and opened a furniture production business, and two years later he moved to his homeland, Yekaterinburg.

There Zagvozdkin took up socio-political work: he headed the Sverdlovsk branch of Sergei Kiriyenko’s “New Force” movement (part of the “Union of Right Forces” coalition), was the head of the party’s election headquarters, and organized elections in Yekaterinburg. Then he worked as a political strategist and GR specialist. “At some point, I looked around and realized that almost everyone I knew was involved in business, earning money, but what about me? - recalls Zagvozdkin. “I decided that it was time to find something I liked that would bring me a stable income.” It was then that the long-standing idea of ​​reviving the love for national Russian clothing surfaced.

He studied books that told about the life of Russian peasants, and found a detailed description of the traditional men's shirt - the kosovorotka. It turned out that several artisans in the Urals are already sewing them. “But I would never wear what they were selling,” says the entrepreneur. “I decided to make the blouse fashionable, modern—so that you wouldn’t be ashamed to go out in public wearing it.”

In 2008, Zagvozdkin found a sewing shop in Yekaterinburg that made men's shirts, and ordered the first batch of linen shirts - about 150 pieces. To attract attention to the new product, he himself began to walk around the city in a kosovorotka. “A lot of people stopped and asked what it was,” I said. They were surprised and praised,” recalls Zagvozdkin.

He gave half of the batch to souvenir shops, and decided to sell the other half himself. I ordered a metal structure from local craftsmen - a portable counter on which to display goods - and went with the shirts to the arms exhibition in Nizhny Tagil. “There are a lot of foreigners there, I look into their eyes, lure them in - they come up, look, but don’t buy. And then it dawned on me - why should they wear my national clothes if they have their own?” But compatriots bought shirts for trips to the bathhouse and stylized weddings.

The entrepreneur returned to Yekaterinburg and set up his stall on the main pedestrian street of the city. At the same time, he came up with the brand “Danila - Russian braids,” which he registered with Rospatent. Kosovorotki sold out well - 200-250 rubles were sold per month at prices ranging from 1 thousand to 2.5 thousand rubles. The businessman’s profit ranged from 100 thousand to 300 thousand rubles. per month.

For seven years, Zagvozdkin was engaged in kosovorotkas in parallel with social and political activities, and in 2017 he decided to devote himself entirely to business. He has written a business plan to develop the brand and is actively looking for investors. “I don’t have time to trade - every day I have meetings with potential partners, defending the project,” says the entrepreneur. “The national clothing market is promising and is still free, and with the help of investment support I plan to take a significant part of it.” He wants to raise funds for development through crowdfunding - a project called “Your Shirt Closer to Your Body” will appear on the Boomstarter platform in the next month.

The entrepreneur plans to sell the Danila franchise to the regions. The package will include a collapsible counter that can be transported in the trunk of a car and installed at fairs, a sign and a starter set of kosovorotki. “I want to attract young beginners and peers who will be able to promote my brand throughout the country and make money from it themselves,” explains Oleg Zagvozdkin.

Boris Smorodov

Waddle - don't roll

Boris Smorodov, 69 years old, handmade “Russian felt boots”

Boris Smorodov turned traditional, unsightly shoes into a fashion accessory. Now the felters at his factory “Russian Valenki” produce 6 thousand pairs of shoes a year. The annual revenue of the project, according to RBC estimates, is about 12 million rubles. per month.

In 1992, Smorodov bought a dry-cleaning and dyeing factory in his hometown of Vyshny Volochek (Tver Region). “In Soviet times, the factory flourished, but during perestroika there were no more orders, all clothing collection points gradually closed,” says Boris Smorodov. “The boiler room was taken away from us, we had to work in outerwear.” To pay bills and wages to workers, they sold whatever they needed - vegetables, manufactured goods, made soap, there was even a car wash. After two years of such work, Smorodov realized that it was time to change something. A local mechanic gave him the idea and suggested that he start producing felt boots.

In Vyshny Volochyok there was already a large factory for the machine production of felt boots. To compete with a major player, Smorodov decided to felt felt boots by hand. He gathered four locals and took them for training to the village of Firovo, where at that time there was a workshop for the production of hand-made felt boots. “Every day I drove them 60 km in my car - I dropped them off in the morning and picked them up in the evening. It took eight years to develop the fishery. Well, what normal person would study a craft for so long? Young people need everything at once,” says Boris Smorodov. All this time, his factory continued to trade and operate as a dry cleaner.

By 2002, he finally managed to start producing felt boots. One fuller made no more than three pairs of shoes per shift—this could not compare with factory volumes. They took it for quality. “Our felt boots last for many years and can withstand cold temperatures up to 60 degrees, they are not eaten by moths,” the entrepreneur boasts. The main buyers were residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg: the factory is located on the highway connecting the two capitals. According to Smorodov’s calculations, 40 thousand cars pass by every day.

Gradually they switched from standard plain felt boots to decorative ones. “It is clear that Muscovites will not wear felt boots with galoshes, as is customary here. They began to attach rubber soles to them, embroider patterns by hand, attach rhinestones and appliqués,” says Boris Smorodov. He recently mastered the technique of photo printing and now accepts corporate orders for felt boots with company logos.

Travel agencies have become interested in “Russian felt boots” - now buses with foreign and Russian tourists constantly come to Vyshny Volochek. Smorodov realized that it was time to expand, and in 2012 he built a second floor above the factory, where he set up a museum and a store. “I often go abroad and see how local manufacturers work there: first, a group of tourists are shown how glass figures are blown in Venice or carpets are woven in Tunisia, and then they are taken to a store where a person buys these handmade things. And I decided to do something similar,” says Boris Smorodov.

Now he has two stores: one at the factory and one in the center of Volochok - for local residents who buy felt boots for daily wear. Orders are also placed through the online store with an English version. “Nobody taught me how to use the Internet. Life forced me,” says Boris Smorodov. ​Soon “Russian felt boots” will also be available for purchase in Switzerland and the USA: Smorodov has already concluded agreements with two residents of these countries who plan to open stores of Tver felt boots abroad.

Vadim Shemarov

Vadim Shemarov, 55 years old, customer search service in social networks “Shikari”

When Vadim Shemarov studied at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at ChSU named after. Ulyanov (Cheboksary), programming was taught as an elective - one or two semesters during the entire period of study. But this was enough for the student to get involved - he was sure that programming would be in demand in the future. And I was right.

My career began with distribution work in a design bureau in my native Cheboksary. And in 1989, Shemarov and his partners registered the first cooperative. We supplied computers and developed software for them ourselves. There were also large clients, for example the local branch of Sberbank and republican hospitals, who ordered the automation of business processes and the development of electronic queuing systems. And the most unusual order came from the USA - a programmer was developing software for compiling crime reports for the New York prosecutor's office.

Meanwhile, new programming languages ​​appeared and technologies developed. Shemarov says that he had to learn by doing. Colleagues took out books, instructions for computers, and passed printouts in English from hand to hand. Recently, Shemarov is usually attracted as a manager or technical director for various IT projects.

At the same time, he tried himself as an investor. For example, in 2011, he bought out an accounting company from Ainur Abdulnasyrov, the founder of the language learning service LinguaLeo. He says that he spent only a few tens of thousands of rubles. At that time, the authorities took taxi drivers seriously and demanded that they register as individual entrepreneurs. Shemarov hoped that he would fill the niche of accounting support for newly-minted individual entrepreneurs. But a year later I realized that the calculation was not justified, and resold the company with a small markup.

In 2016, while working on their next order, Shemarov and his colleagues Dmitry Afutin and Vyacheslav Sateev had to extract a lot of information from social networks. Afutin noticed among everyday and social posts posts with calls for help: people asking for advice on a tutor, builder or lawyer. Shemarov notes that people used to look for thematic sites, study forums and freelance exchanges: “Now they are used to solving problems without leaving social networks. They throw out a call and wait for the performers to answer them or for one of their friends to advise them.” For many companies, such posts are valuable - in fact, they are potential clients who are ready to buy services here and now. Therefore, Afutin had the idea to monitor social networks and, using neural networks, divide requests into professional categories and sell information to companies by subscription, he suggested that Sateev found a new project, and Shemarov became the third partner.

The project was called "Shikari". Partners started without investment, investing their time and experience. Now the service analyzes 24 categories of requests by type of activity, processes more than 10 million messages per day. Over two years, 20 thousand customers used it, of which 500 became regular subscribers (the basic tariff is 900 rubles per month). The entrepreneur does not disclose revenue; he says that monthly growth is 10-25%. He emphasizes that the project has reached self-sufficiency and allows ten employees to be paid, but the partners spend all the profits on the development of the project.

Irina Shevich

See the prospects

Irina Shevich, 56 years old, consultations for ophthalmologists “Opti-class”

Irina Shevich, a history teacher by profession, found her life’s work thanks to family troubles. When her child was four years old, it turned out that the girl could only see the first line of the vision test table. On the way to get medicine, my husband came across the book “Improving vision without glasses.” During the three days that the examination took place, Shevich read the book and began training her daughter’s vision on her own in parallel with traditional treatment. After three weeks, the girl began to see a few more lines - this was a breakthrough. And after eight months, the severity was restored to one.

Irina Shevich’s husband is a military man, so the family traveled around the country, and Irina herself began to advise numerous parents she knew on vision training methods. It soon became clear that she needed to get a specialized education, so she left her husband and three children for a month to take an ophthalmic nursing course in Alma-Ata. In the end, the family moved to Moscow, and Shevich got a job as a nurse at the Research Institute of GB named after. Helmholtz, worked in optical stores and laser correction centers. The longer she studied, the more she came to the conclusion that visual gymnastics, of which she was an adept at the start, was not suitable for everyone, and that she still couldn’t do without glasses.

Since 2006, Shevich worked for a company that distributed medical frames, glasses and contact lenses. After five years, I got pretty tired of working in an office. “It got boring. There weren’t enough challenges and overcoming,” admits Shevich. At first, she tried to come to an agreement with the management: she offered to expand her responsibilities - they refused, she received an MBA in absentia - the knowledge was not useful in the office. Therefore, in 2011, when Shevich was 50 years old, she decided to open her own business.

First of all, Shevich applied to participate in the international exhibition of spectacle optics under her Opti-Class brand. I created a website, printed advertising brochures and began selling what I did best - webinars for optometrists and optometrists, seminars and master classes. Shevich trains future employees of optical stores to select glasses and lenses for patients, train vision, etc.; The company also offers advanced training courses for existing optometrists.

Irina Shevich registered an LLC and received a license to conduct educational activities. But after nine months, it turned out that the license did not give the right to issue medical specialist certificates to students - they had to register the Private Educational Institution of Further Education "Institute of Advanced Training and Professional Retraining."

I had to figure out all the bureaucratic intricacies on my own. Shevich admits that developing a business without investments was not easy - the company is growing more slowly than we would like. Only by 2018, the entrepreneur recruited a team of four people and began to attract famous Russian and foreign experts to give lectures on the distance learning portal. Revenue for last year amounted to 3 million rubles, profitability - 60%.

“My parents still don’t understand what I do and why I had to leave my hired job. And the children are proud and also try themselves in business,” says Irina Shevich.