On October 28th, I was invited by Big Money University to speak at their Forum 2 event.
Big Money University is a Ukrainian-founded training program for entrepreneurs looking to scale and improve their businesses.
During the program, entrepreneurs attend weekly networking activities to build relationships with fellow entrepreneurs, followed by ongoing support and accountability in a closed community space.
Big Money University is unique from other entrepreneurial programs in the way they focus on community building, bringing in top entrepreneurial voices for guest lectures and hosting incredible networking events like Forum 2.
Forum 2 brought together more than 500 Ukrainian entrepreneurs to network, share expertise, and learn how to grow our businesses.
The all-day event was hosted by Viktor Gevko and Anatoliy Anatolich. Viktor is a professional event host, actor, and screenwriter.
He is also the CEO of V.I.P Ternopil, a Ukrainian comedy group that has hugely supported the Armed Forces in Ukraine with donations of cars, drones, and more.
Anatoliy is a radio and program host, a showman, and the owner of “The Interviewer,” a YouTube channel with over 365,000 subscribers. He has been on shows like “Breakfast with 1+1” and “Good Evening,” and even won Ukraine’s version of “Last Comic Standing.”
Throughout the day, Forum 2 attendees heard from over 20 presenters and panelists – myself included! During my presentation, I shared powerful insights about email marketing, from the high-level benefits of email as a marketing tool to advanced features and email types. I also showcased real statistics and case studies from DIDO Agency, highlighting sample strategies and key client successes (like the 39% increase in revenue we generated for BeautifiedYou!).
As I was sitting in the audience listening to the other presentations, I couldn’t help but think how much talent was in one room. While all of the presenters were incredibly knowledgeable, 5 in particular stood out to me.
I enjoyed hearing from Nataliia Shmigelskaya, the Founder of multiple businesses including Ukrptahoservis, Foodmama, and Gotovo. I really resonated with Nataliia’s presentation because, much like me, she started from nothing and built her business up from the ground.
At only 24 years old she made her first million dollars and has continued to expand her work with massive brands across Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Her presentation opened my eyes to the importance of positive energy in running a business, and she also gave a ton of helpful tips on management and operations that I’ll definitely be applying to my own businesses.
Russell Levi – the Co-Founder and President of Kraus, USA – also had a great presentation with lots of insight about growth and development. Russell shared a high-level overview of Kraus, USA’s growth, from starting off with smaller wholesale operations to breaking ground in big box stores like Costco and Home Depot. He explained how innovation was one of the biggest keys to his success, too. For example, Kraus, USA was one of the first sink producers to sell online, which means they were actually set up for success during COVID instead of falling victim to in-store closures. His perspective on growth and thinking outside the box is inspiring!
I was impressed with Alex Bloom’s presentation too, and I learned a lot about flexibility and diversification of income. Alex is the Co-Founder of Credit Booster, a company that helps you build and improve your credit history… but that’s not the only thing he does. He also shared his experience working with trucking companies and business equipment, sharing incredible stats about his successes – he’s grown 173 transport companies from $0 to $10M+ in annual revenue, which is an incredible feat! Alex is good at what he does, but he’s passionate about all of it, too. His commitment to diversifying his income and exploring his different passions gave me lots to think about in my own entrepreneurial career.
Alex Dovgal, the co-founder of the W1SE community and ecosystem, also gave a memorable presentation. I’ve never met an entrepreneur quite like Alex; he is so full of positivity, collaboration, and a deep-rooted care for the environment. When he starts talking about all of his business endeavors – and the way he manages his companies – his passion becomes incredibly clear. Alex shared information about his company, DVL Express, and how it was ranked not only one of the best workplaces in Chicago but also one of the most environmentally friendly transport companies. The way he brings his personal passions and values to everything he does inspired me to look at my own businesses and company culture, continuing my efforts to create great environments to work in.
Last, but not least, it was amazing to hear from Yevgeny Chernyak. Yevgeny is the CEO of Global Spirits, a number-one business speaker, and a multi-billionaire with a long line of success under his belt. He joined Forum 2 at the end of the day for a Q&A session, sharing his insights with the crowd for almost 2 hours. His answers were in-depth, practical, and informed by years and years of experience and success, and I was grateful to be able to learn so much from him for my own businesses.
While Big Money University events are always amazing, Forum 2 was extra special. 100% of event proceeds were donated to UNITED24 – an organization that raises funds to protect, save, and rebuild Ukraine. As a Ukranian-born business owner myself, I was so grateful to participate in an initiative that supported my home country.
Thank you to Big Money University for inviting me to speak about DIDO Agency, the other presenters for sharing their wisdom, and the attendees for supporting and donating to the Ukrainian community.