Oleksandr Danylenko - Be Aware of Who and Where You Are at Any Point in Time (Managing Director - Boodmo)

We do a lot of things in our life. And one gets clarity once he or she finds peace with the choice made. Fortunately, life is dynamic and we don’t control many aspects of it. What is left to us is to be continuously aware of who we are, what we want, and make a conscious choice.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

I was born in the USSR. When it collapsed, life for the country and all the citizens was not simple anymore. As a teenager, I grew up in a permanent state of uncertainty. I was supported by my parents before university, but later it was only up to me which way to choose and whom to partner to move along.

In university I decided not to waste time and get a second degree, also worked in different fields performing basic roles.

I always wanted to travel. But after I worked 4 years in airlines I realized that engineering work being respectful, well-paid with a lot of trips doesn’t bring me satisfaction anymore. I wanted to move away from rigid predetermined procedures and do something with more freedom of action. 

Thus I moved to a more dynamic industry of commodity commerce. This path leads to a variety of different roles - from product to finance manager, from Certified Accountant to owner of the small business.

When the opportunity to build a company in another country arose, I caught it without hindsight.

In the last 6 years, I co-founded and grew a very interesting and meaningful business from 0 to 200 employees. Here in an absolutely new culture, the untapped industry of a huge country, I learned a lot of lessons as an operational manager, finance director, and mentor.

When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?

We do a lot of things in our life. And one gets clarity once he or she finds peace with the choice made. Fortunately, life is dynamic and we don’t control many aspects of it. What is left to us is to be continuously aware of who we are, what we want, and make a conscious choice. 

If you don’t make it, you will follow others' choices. By the way, it may not be a bad option as long as you have peace inside.

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What does your typical workday look like?

My workday calendar is filled with meetings and slots for personal activities.
Even in the morning routine of conscious breathing, yoga, learning something has its own time allocated. It doesn’t mean that I strictly follow all predetermined tasks, but having a basic plan is much more beneficial for your performance than diving into unscheduled frenzy activities which always may keep you busy.

Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

In general, it is a good idea to have a diverse team. A formal education diploma shouldn’t be a limiting factor to include talent.

A person without formal education may be a perfect leader and market strategist with an out-of-the-box approach. But to support him or her without a team of highly-educated finance professionals is a huge gamble.

How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

There are different types of lies in CV. Almost everybody tries to represent himself from the best point of view by slightly or sometimes severely exaggerating their skills. The latter cases obviously failed the interview process or didn't go through the probation period anyway.

Other types of lies like forging the documents, twisting the facts of previous experiences are not acceptable. We build a transparent, responsible business and can’t tolerate people with the opposite mindset.
What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?

From the current project’s view, the biggest challenge is to grow a cohesive team along with the company. Initially, not every fresher was eager to join an unknown company. Currently, the main focus is shifted from hiring to evolving and supporting the culture of the company.

From personal experience, my typical challenge is the continuous development of skills. I’ve always felt a drive for self-improvement in all directions. But with bigger and more varied responsibilities it becomes more difficult to choose what to learn next and to allocate appropriate resources.

                             

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?

• Focus on what really matters to the goal you set. 
• Think twice about compromising your goal. 
• Famous life-balance skill is about keeping what is really important to you in different facets of life and don’t bother about things that don't fit your tight schedule. 
• Never become complacent with results. 
• Once again, be aware of who and where you are at any point in time.

Which is your favorite book and why?

There are a lot of good books. The one I mentioned the most in the last few years is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It is fundamental work about how we make decisions. A lot of popular books are based on it.

Books I’ve rated with 5 stars (link) I would suggest everybody read