Success stories

New entrepreneur:
Iuliia Cherniak (Ukraine)
Age: 27
Company name: Toreadores de Vasiukivka (Start-up)
Sector of activity: Music, theater, events and related cultural and entertainment services

Host entrepreneur:
Terry Craven (Spain)
Age: 39
Company name: Desperate Literature/ https://desperateliterature.com (7 years of experience)
Sector of activity: Music, theater, events and related cultural and entertainment services

Iuliia is a Ukrainian linguist who worked in marketing for many years, however her real passion remained literature. During her trips abroad she always saw the lack of Ukrainian-speaking literature in Europe and had an idea to create a Ukrainian bookstore outside of Ukraine - a safe cultural space for her compatriots. In 2022 the situation became crucial, as there were many Ukrainian refugees who needed to stay connected with their culture. Thus Iuliia decided it was high-time for her idea.

Terry Craven is an owner of a bookstore Desperate Literature that specializes in English and French literature. He knows a lot about doing business out of his country and promoting foreign literature in Spain. Iuliia could share with him all her knowledge in marketing and the literary processes and organizations in Ukraine. But the most important thing about this match was that they shared their values and ideas about the great impact of literature on modern society.

Participation in the programme was equally useful for both Iuliia and Terry. Before the programme Iuliia had a very vague idea about doing business outside of Ukraine. With the help of the EYE programme she better understood the legislative system of Spain, got the contact of a reliable gestor of Terry. Being in Spain also helped Iuliia to learn more about the competitors of the zone where she is planning to do business. She also broadened the contacts of diaspora and got acquainted with the possible suppliers. Helping Terry with daily chores in the bookstore was useful for Iuliia to see the inside of the job, as well as for Terry, as a small business always needs a hand with daily things and a new vision of marketing and promotion.

As a result, it was decided that Iuliia will create an association to do her business. However, at first she will join one of the existing Ukrainian associations as a volunteer to have an opportunity to see the vitability of the project. Iullia, made numerous diaspora contacts, gained and a deeper knowledge of the laws and financial management particularieties in Spain. She has also significantly improved her business plan and contacted numerous Ukrainian associations for cooperation. Iuliia also agreed on around a 40% discount for the books in one of Ukrainian publishing houses. In return, Terry got a new vision on the marketing and a range of contacts in Ukraine with a possibility to widen the assortment of the books with Ukrainian-speaking literature. 

For more information, please contact the local contact points involved in the exchange:

New entrepreneur's contact point:
Alfred Nobel University (Dnipro, Ukraine)

Host entrepreneur's contact point:
Innogate to Europe, SL (Madrid, Spain)

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