Artur
When I was eight years old, I became a millionaire ... in Ukrainian currency. I was helping my father with our family business during the tumultuous nineties in Ukraine and the first money that I earned myself was one million Karbovanets. It was equivalent to three United States dollars. I was very proud.
As the borders opened in the nineties, we imported various goods from Poland and other “western” neighboring countries to Ukraine. During one of the work trips abroad, unbeknownst to me then, I experienced the nature of the global economy for the first time. During the 25 years that followed, I lived across three continents and gained a wide range of skills spanning multiple industries. I went from being an immigrant who barely spoke any English to being a Naval Aviator who led sailors through complex exercises.
Many consider the US military as an overly structured and hierarchical organization, yet I enjoyed driving change in my squadron whether that was designing new maintenance processes, exercises with other entities, or training initiatives. After having served our country and getting a business degree I decided to adjust my career path. I have come a long way from my first million and now aspire to follow in my father’s footsteps as an entrepreneur, and I am lucky to have my wife Natalia be my partner in this journey.
Natalia
As in the marshmallow test, in which a four-year-old is challenged to wait 15 minutes to get two marshmallows instead of eating one right away, I saved all my candy and chocolate for the entire year, so I could bring it to summer camp and have enough to share with my friends. This ability to delay gratification helped me build a successful career and gain financial stability, and I checked off all but one of the items on my first bucket list before I turned 35.
Growing up in Volgograd, Russia, I was confronted with the contradiction that the oil residue burning near my house, dumped by the nearby refinery, was also the lifeline of the region. I applied to Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas and majored in refinery engineering with the hope to find stable employment after graduation, with an opportunity to change the industry. Later, I discovered that many Russian institutions are corrupt and reluctant to change.
I chose to immigrate to the United States with my advanced English and a degree that was not flashy but still in demand. Years before moving, I was already methodically acquiring the skills that I considered to be critical. Yet, when I exited the JFK airport all by myself with only $500 in my pocket and a diploma, it was terrifying. Everything that followed was comparatively easy: stepping onto an offshore drilling rig for the first time as the only woman, accepting an assignment in a small town on Borneo Island surrounded by jungle, or pivoting away from a very successful career with the promise of a pension.
Now, I have the opportunity to complete my bucket list by becoming a business owner in the industry that I chose at seventeen. The cherry on top: I am planning to do it with the love of my life.
A few items from my bucket list:
Never to live from paycheck to paycheck
To get a full scholarship to study in Moscow
To learn to speak English
To volunteer abroad
To work internationally
To travel to many different places
To pick-up extreme sports
To go skydiving
