Success stories

Crisis as a recipe for success: How two Ukrainians save customers up to 30% on fuel
Ukraine
 | 
15/10/2020
Every entrepreneur has a recipe for how to start and grow a successful business. For Ivan Semenyuk and Andriy Pavlikovsky from Vinnytsia, a city in central Ukraine, this recipe is somewhat unusual: invest money and effort during a major crisis. They started their business, GPS PRO , in 2014 in the midst of political and economic unrest. And in April 2020, during the Covid-19 quarantine, they...
EU grant helps put beekeeping family business on track
Moldova
 | 
13/10/2020
Coming from Sipka, a village on the left bank of Dniester River, Natalia Porhun came back from a trip to Italy impressed by the descendants of a family that has owned its own business for several generations. Returning home, she decided to change her life completely, giving up on her 14-year career in telecoms to become owner of a honey-making business. Her personal aspirations had never had much...
SuomiKids keeps Belarusian babies warm
Belarus
 | 
02/10/2020
The Women in Business Support Programme of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the EU4Business initiative helped one Belarusian entrepreneur increase sales by 80% and raise her brand’s profile. “Nobody believed in us” Irina Serezhonok came up with the idea of ​​selling children's clothing right after she had her firstborn. It turned out that there was almost no high-...
With EU support, an innovative business centre in Armenia helps SMEs to grow
Armenia
 | 
24/09/2020
The economic development of any country can be correlated to the equal development of its regions. Armenia is no exception. Once a gym and now a modern business centre, the Sevan Innovative Business Centre has already become a hub for new business ideas and initiatives in Sevan, a popular Armenian resort town located in the eastern province of Gegharkunik. Helping the SMEs, especially young...
EU project helps Belarusians who lost jobs due to pandemic become eco-farmers
22/09/2020
Coming out of nowhere, the coronavirus pandemic has swept away many jobs in the restaurant, tourism, construction, and international transport businesses. Yet, not everyone who found themselves unemployed was not afraid of change. A project called "Local support for economic development in Belarus" has provided these individuals with the opportunity to learn something new and find themselves a...
Never give up: How an Azeri woman built successful gourmet service from the ground up
17/09/2020
Building a prosperous business from scratch is not an easy task. It requires diligence, patience and hard work—lots of hard work. "You just need to follow your dream,” says Afet Akhmadova , founder of Zira Natural & Gourmet . Set up originally in 2013 as a marketing company, Zira is now a successful maker of premium segment food. Getting the company to this new level, adds Afet, was possible...
Weaving a future: The Agalarov family rides carpets to success
01/09/2020
The Agalarov family fled to the Shaki-Zaqatala region after the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh flared up. Their financial situation back then was fairly poor and the only skill they possessed was carpet weaving. “ When we first arrived here, we had nothing except our carpets and our books,’ says Zamina Agalarova . “We struggled to make a living. Even when you have proper skills, it’s difficult to...
How an EU project turned a Ukrainian town into a dream place for its citizens
Ukraine
 | 
27/08/2020
The numbers are relentless when it comes to the proportion of Ukrainians living in cities and rural areas in unified territorial communities (UTC): in the last 10 years countryside has lost 16% of its population. Young people go in search of a better life in big cities like Kyiv and Dnipro, or they go abroad as migrant workers. Their reasons are normal and predictable: low income potential in...
LisLis story: how the Ukrainian toy producer entered the European markets
Ukraine
 | 
12/08/2020
3D designer from Lviv Oleksandr Shestakovych had been doing object design for several years when he came up with an idea of a toy business. Back in 2018, little did he know that in only 2 years he would be a worldwide exporter of wooden toys thanks to a seria of trainings by the Business Information Support Center (BiSC) in Lviv, supported by EBRD together with the EU4Business Initiative of the...
Improved SME statistics for evidence-based SME support in the Eastern Partnership
11/08/2020
With support delivered by the OECD under the EU4Business initiative , Armenia and Ukraine have improved their statistical systems and started to produce internationally comparable indicators on the structure and performance of the SME sector. This will allow Armenian and Ukrainian governmentsto implement appropriate policy measures to support SME development and monitor their impact on the SME...