As part of a series of workshops on starting their own business for the participants of the IDP retraining and social adaptation programme ‘TURBO: Educational Programme for Small and Medium Business Development’, organised in partnership with the NGO Chernihiv European, a meeting was held with Maryna Smoliak, founder of the Marinel beauty salon.

Maryna shared her journey from the first steps in entrepreneurship to creating a recognisable brand in the beauty services industry. She spoke about her experience in organising service, building a client base, managing a team and adapting to market challenges. Particular attention was paid to the development of a personal brand, building trust, compliance with quality standards, as well as motivation and growth strategies.

The meeting aroused great interest: participants asked questions about social media promotion, recruitment, financial planning and service expansion. Maryna emphasised that even in crisis conditions, it is possible to maintain business stability through a systematic approach, flexibility and focus on customer needs.

This story is an example of women’s entrepreneurship that combines professionalism, customer care and the desire to develop. Such meetings create an environment of support, motivation and experience exchange for future entrepreneurs.

The project ‘The Universities’ Reaction to Big Obstructions: Building resilient higher education to respond and manage societal crises’ (101129315 – TURBO) aims to increase the resilience, preparedness and responsiveness of Ukrainian higher education institutions through capacity building, competence development and experience exchange. This project has received funding from the European Union under the ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CBHE programme. This material reflects the views only of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union.