Alexander Kulitsik is a young entrepreneur as well as a businessman. He chairs Smart IT, a company that offers Software as a Service.
Smart IT specializes in building quality web applications and stand-alone software for small and medium business companies. They recently expanded their business to work with large enterprises across the world.
Alexander Kulitsik was still a teenager when he started coding. His first project was an online ticket sales service that could operate within his country only. He was a key player in implementing the service with his friends. After a short while, the project started gaining popularity. It became profitable within 6 months of launching. There was less competition because there is no other competitor who has made a product close to it. Until now, the famous online ticket sales are being used by some customers.
The young founder spends most of his time on the job. At times, he will visit San Francisco and Minsk. Alexander Kulitsik always investigates the client’s idea to ensure his company produces quality products as demanded. Despite running Smart IT, he also has some shares in a certain medical industry in the US.
Alexander Kulitsik has never stopped coding. He will build his team around competitive programmers. He talked of employing people who can think deeper to solve a problem.
When I was still schooling, I joined IT clubs to participate in competitive programming tests. Immediately after celebrating my 15th birthday, my mind grew wider. I realized I could transform my code into a commercial product. Within a few days, I started working as a freelancer to gain more experience.
On the first freelancing platform, I lied a lot. Imagine a young student pretending to have about 10 years of experience as a software and web developer with different firms. In addition, I included simple technologies that I could not work with. The first six months were tough, with no job or an offer. I secured none. One year later, I got my first programming job, which earned me $60. The client was very helpful, and he became my partner, where we worked for another 3 years on a variety of projects.
As a freshman in college, I had a stable income and a good resume. The jobs were too overwhelming, and the platform ranked me as the third-best web developer. At that moment, I was writing my web content on my blog. Daily, I could get 1.5k visitors. So, all these things could earn me almost four job offers per day. The pressure was high, and I got into imposter syndrome.
From being a child, I had dreamed of owning a business. Living in a school hostel gave me the right audience. I made up my mind to involve some of my colleagues in this job. The plan didn’t work as expected, one of my friends did not turn up for the job early.
So over time, I built up a trusted team with whom we worked well. I was saving a lot with the little income I got. My close friend suggested an office, and we went ahead to rent a cheap space for three computers. That’s when Smart IT came into existence.
My typical day is simple. From clients to my employees and my family, I have to balance all these three. I always get enough rest to ensure the next day I have the energy to tackle a lot of issues. In the morning, I will meditate and have a peaceful walk. This has helped me stay focused and productive on my job.
After the home preparation, I always arrive at the office around 9:00 AM. The first meeting takes place at 11:00 am. Everyone disburses on his computer. I then pass through reports, emails, employees performance, and my client’s desires. Without forgetting books, I will take one hour to read articles and blogs to get new ideas. The pressure comes when I want to launch a new product in the market, I go on working for almost 15 hours a day.
Bringing ideas to life has been the best part of the company. It begins by knowing a certain domain. Then I will do some research on the competitor’s company to know what they are doing. Listening to their interviews and watching press releases is also helpful.
I will go ahead and put those ideas on the table for discussion with my entrepreneurship department team. In addition, we also engage the final user to get feedback. We then experiment with the idea practically by implementing it.
The tech industry is growing fast. New tools are coming up, especially if you are a web developer. Automation is something we should be proud of. Technology such as AI will change the way people do things. I would rather employ a robot than a person due to various reasons like efficiency.
For my younger aspiring entrepreneurs, walk by these three pieces of advice:
- Spending more time working does mean you are very effective. When you work under an organized group, you become more productive than being single. Stop working by yourself.
- If you are following something, never hesitate to do it with passion. Doing things halfway is never productive. Don’t ever spend your time on things that you won’t complete.
- Make a tough decision as fast as possible. If you see an underperforming employee, don’t scare away from telling him/her the truth.
Daily, I am a mentor to my younger team and entrepreneurs. It helps one grow and become a motivation to others. You gain a sense of importance.
As a young startup, don’t take all the jobs offered by clients. Some are long-term, and the payment will come after a period of 6 months. It is essential to balance between short and long contracts. At some point, we worked on a project, and it had a lot of bugs. This delayed the client’s product and we were penalized for the same.
For anyone willing to join the entrepreneurship world, I would suggest they read ‘Good to Great’. It helps one look at the business from different angles. It has a variety of business ideas both for low-income and passive income individuals. The book highlights the best way to set a strong foundation for your organization. I didn’t mean you read only one book, there are thousands of the best business writers out there. Look for the best-selling entrepreneurial books and try to figure out what the writer is communicating.
AS far as I appreciate other people’s phone applications, no carpenter will like another person’s furniture. At some point, I hate the apps on Android, that is why I opted to work with iOS. I have a daily reminder on my iPhone that helps in keeping track of my activities. I have to complete all the planned things unless there is an emergency.
Furthermore, I cannot tell what will happen tomorrow. But according to the situation right now, many people will work from home. Jobs like marketing, sales, and support have become remote in many companies. It’s the right time to hire the upcoming talents because they ought to be the best team player while learning.
There are more opportunities for almost everyone in the world. When we go away, our next generation must find a good place to live. Technology, medicine, and other industries are working towards solving SGDs. We must provide a comfortable life for our children. People don’t believe in the automation of computers. But as a technologist, we are working on a variety of projects to ensure we solve problems using the knowledge we have.
My habit, I don’t think I have specific things I do daily. I like vacations, sports, meditation, and yoga challenges. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I would spend a single month working in an office. Next month, I will travel to a different location to work remotely. But this doesn’t distract any of my daily schedules. We have set rules that guide each member of our company.
As many rich people have done, I don’t like showing off inexpensive material things. Recently, I used almost $100 to mend my raincoat. This is much cheaper than purchasing a new one. Live below your means.
Daily, I remind myself of the popular quote “If there’s anyone responsible for solving your problems, it’s you”. Of course, you won’t keep on reading or writing success stories for other people. This quote drives me to work towards a higher level to achieve great things. I cannot wait for this world to change me. Some things won’t happen unless you wake up and follow them.
Remember these three important key aspects:
- Having too much work at hand is a red flag of something not being right. This means you are not balancing your time or work well. If you feel overwhelmed, give yourself a break.
- Sometimes we tend to do a lot by ourselves. But you can’t be like an island, involve others in your difficulties.
- Lastly, be honest and diligent in whatever you do. It’s good to finish the journey you started.
Yes, there are more opportunities, but you have to chase them. There are many gaps in the market that young entrepreneurs must fill. I have a variety of ideas, but I can work on them because I have limited time and resources. But in the future, I can expand or start another company.
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