Building 3 businesses amidst the chaos of war in Ukraine

Vadim Hrytsenko is building products in Ukraine. During the worst parts of the war, he was working in the resistance by day and trying to make a few bucks at night. It has not been easy.

But even in the chaos, he still finds a way to invest in his own joy, and he credits this for his ability to remain productive.

Let's take a peek at his finances. 👇

Living in chaos

💰 "Imagine waking up at night with the sounds of explosions or air raid sirens. The first days of the war were the most terrible. I was afraid a rocket could kill me at any moment." —Vadim

Heavy words. For Vadim, the first six months were the worst. He doesn't even know how to describe the mental state he was in.

He managed to evacuate Kyiv and get to a safer village. From there, he worked in the resistance by day, and as a designer by night. His position in the resistance consisted of helping the villagers and checking cars at a nearby checkpoint — a blocked section of the highway.

This contribution was "nothing special" according to Vadim.

A month later, he went back to Kyiv, despite the fact that Russian troops were only a few miles away from the city. While that might seem like an odd choice, Vadim says the situation seemed to have stabilized a bit. Plus, he was still paying for his apartment and didn't want to waste the cash.

As you might imagine, indie hacking under these circumstances was difficult, to say the least. He had a very hard time focusing, and the situation was further complicated by spotty electricity and internet on account of the bombing.

Jobs decreased. Prices skyrocketed. Luckily, Vadim was employed by a foreign company and therefore kept his income.

💰 "Now I'm used to the war, it's a daily routine. All people get used to even the most terrible things." —Vadim

Building despite it all

Vadim is employed as a designer. He has a product called Answerly. He's growing a design agency called Sollas. And he was given 8% of a product called Comigo in exchange for his design skills.

Here's what he's bringing in:

• Sollas revenue: $3000/mo
• Founder pay: 50% of Sollas revenue
• Answerly revenue: $0/mo (on hold)
• Comigo revenue: $0/mo (pre-launch)
• Part-time design job: $2000-$2500/mo (10-20 hours per week)
• Bank account: $10,000

So his agency has solid revenue and he's well on his way to hitting his goal of $6k/mo by the new year. But it's not stable yet — he says it's still early days and he hasn't nailed down client acquisition yet.

Answerly is built, but it's pre-revenue and he put it on hold in order to focus on Sollas. He wants to automate all of the agency's processes, from client acquisition to design delivery, because it currently takes too much time. Once that's done, he'll get back to work on Answerly.

Here are his business expenses:

• Google Workspace: $30/mo
• Domain and host: $19/mo
• Upwork:$20/mo + ~$20/mo for connections.
• Apollo: $49/mo
• Lawyer: $50/mo

Fairly standard, except the lawyer. He says he doesn't want to deal with contracts, taxes, etc., and this $50/mo takes that off his plate.

Here are his personal expenses. According to Vadim, life in Kyiv is still relatively cheap:

• Food: $450/mo
• Rent: $400/mo
• Entertainment (games, events, etc.): $200/mo
• Misc (car expenses, health, charity, etc.): $250/mo

As far as the charity, he's supporting the Ukrainian army and volunteers. He sees this as a necessary expense and contributes 5% of his income.

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How to learn new skills

I mentioned Vadim hasn't nailed down client acquisition yet — and like most of us, he's learning through trial and error. Lately, that includes testing free audits and/or design concepts for potential clients.

But he's going a step further than that in his quest to learn. He's actively seeking mentorship. And since mentors are tough to come by these days, he barters his skills. People with sales chops show him the ropes, and he designs for them in return. Not bad.

💰 "If you know how to do something but don't know how to sell it, it's a problem. The ability to sell is the basis of everything. And that requires an understanding of people and their needs." —Vadim

Barter and delegate

Speaking of bartering, Vadim says his biggest money-saver is his network. He knows tons of developers and other professionals who are happy to help him out in exchange for his own skills.

His biggest time-saver, though, is spending money on freelancers.

💰 "Do what you love. Delegate work you don't. Take care of yourself." —Vadim

He currently delegates client acquisition and some design work to his assistant. Since he doesn't have stable revenue yet, he's paying 20% of what comes in.

Disinvesting crypto

Vadim sold all of his crypto assets last year. He didn't want to spend time analyzing cryptocurrencies, risks, etc. It just doesn't interest him. He came out with $2,000, which was $400 profit.

Other than that, he invests in two things: His design agency and cars.

He gives his design agency about 20% of his income, and he's currently using this budget for marketing, plus some development costs here and there.

As for cars...

Investing in cars

Vadim recently invested $22,000 into purchasing — and "tuning" — a 2018 Audi A4.

It's an investment, but not a monetary one. He says he'll definitely lose money on this when he eventually sells it. That's not why he does it. He's investing in his happiness. He loves how it makes him feel.

He's always been fond of cars. And this is the first car he's ever bought.

He loves to drive it. It's fun. It calms him. It helps him think. It helps him solve problems. And he gives him that adrenaline fix.

💰 "Night rides and long drives are like meditation." — Vadim

He paid for the Audi by setting aside a portion of his monthly income for 10 months. Since then, he has upgraded its exterior and improved its performance. Up next is an Audi S5. And then, hopefully one day, his dream car: a Porsche 911 GT3.

Investing in emotions

Vadim thinks of it as an investment in positive emotions.

He says emotions are everything. A solid emotional state will bring more creativity, productivity, efficiency, and fulfillment. And it'll reduce stress.

Of course, hard work has its place, but your emotional state should come first. Otherwise, he says you're at risk of burnout, stress, depression, etc.

According to Vadim, managing your emotions in this way is what makes hard work possible in the first place.

💰 "If you love something, buy it. Emotions are fuel for success. They give you the energy to achieve your goals." — Vadim

You can find Vadim on LinkedIn and X, or check out Sollas, Answerly, and Comigo.

Please note that the above are opinions. It is meant for information purposes only. It is not intended to be financial advice.

And if you'd like to be featured as a guest in a future interview for this series, let me know in the comments!