From Crypto Losses to Building Postavshikov.net
My name is Yevgeny Sokurenko. I’m an entrepreneur and the founder of Postavshikov.net, a platform designed to connect wholesale suppliers with reliable buyers.
Lessons From Crypto
For several years, I chased trading patterns in the cryptocurrency market, experimenting with both futures and spot instruments. Using Binance’s datasets, my workflow was simple but repetitive:
Form a hypothesis by watching the market;
Pull historical data;
Run it through an optimizer that recalculated scenarios with changing parameters;
Build a trading bot if something promising appeared;
Test with a small sum;
Scale up with borrowed money — and then watch the capital vanish.
The core issue? The crypto market evolves too fast. A strategy that works on old data collapses once new players enter. Consistency was impossible, and while making money proved elusive, losing it was effortless.
A New Direction
That painful experience pushed me toward a different idea: creating a platform for wholesale trade.
It started with a personal problem — I needed to find Chinese buyers for wholesale pajama orders to resell on marketplaces. There were plenty of agents, but trust was nonexistent: prices were unstable, and fraud risks were high.
I envisioned a space where buyers could earn ratings from real users, giving CIS suppliers confidence to source and import goods safely.
Over time, this concept grew into something bigger — a marketplace supporting both buyers and suppliers.
Studying the Market
I analyzed competitors: who the leaders were, how they monetized, the size of their audience, customer frustrations, and the advantages of their platforms. I identified four main rivals.
The conclusion was clear: competition meant the niche was alive, profitable, and worth entering. For me, that wasn’t discouraging — it was validation. The challenge wasn’t inventing something new but creating a product that solved problems more effectively.
From Prototype to Product
I started with a prototype, designing it myself in Figma despite lacking design experience. Hiring a designer wasn’t an option due to budget constraints, communication overhead, and the risk of poor results.
After three months of late nights and weekends, I had a working prototype — a rough framework, but enough to move forward.
Finding a developer was the next step. Agencies quoted exorbitant fees, and no-code solutions couldn’t handle scalability. Eventually, I partnered with Damir Sharifyanov, a developer known for live-streaming his product builds. His experience with SEO and product launches made him a perfect fit. We worked iteratively: he delivered milestones, I paid per stage.
After 10 months, we launched the first test version. Progress was slow, but the foundation was strong — and we began attracting real clients.
First Users and SEO
Early adopters immediately highlighted weak points: missing buttons, broken flows in company creation, and more. With Yandex.Metrica tracking, we iterated quickly.
For growth, I leaned on SEO. It’s affordable and sustainable, though it requires balance: too much focus on bots makes a site unusable, while focusing solely on users means no one will discover it.
We aimed for the middle ground: content that genuinely helps users while remaining search-friendly. This ongoing work is what fuels our growth today.
Where We Are Now
Two months after launch, Postavshikov.net shows promising traction:
~200 daily unique visitors;
25 new orders placed each day;
5 new companies added daily.
Next, we plan to overhaul key pages, optimizing content for both usability and search performance. The target is clear: by the end of 2025, reach 1,000 daily users and achieve profitability.
I’m proud of what’s been built — the platform is practical, valuable, and alive. I’ll continue sharing updates here and on my Telegram channel, hoping my journey resonates with other founders.
Final Thoughts
I know many readers have more experience than I do. That’s why I welcome constructive feedback and advice.
