- Of course, it was clear to me before that my sports career would end someday. But all the same, leaving the sport turned out to be tough: after August 2012, for six months I had no idea how my life would develop. Conclusion: any situation should be looked at soberly. Cultivate this valuable quality in yourself.
- If you, like me, are a leader by nature, then you can hardly be in a subordinate position. Strive for your own project, so you will keep the integrity of nature and nerves.
- When the moment comes to change the field of activity, you need to evaluate what you really can. To be successful, you need to be a professional in this field. There would be no success for PROyachting if I had not spent 20 years in yachting. In addition, I received a specialized education in the field of economics and management - and on this foundation I built my further career.
“We are pioneers in our field, the competition is not pressing yet”
- In business, the idea is important. We were the first to talk about the fact that yachting is not only a sport. This is a great way to spend your free time. The idea of leisure yachting is at the heart of my project. In addition, we not only showed people the beauty of the sail, but saved them from the difficulties of maintaining the yacht (all these troubles are on the side of my team).
- My goal is to grow the business until the wonderful moment when most people have a taste for yachting. In 2004, I was looking for sponsors for my first Olympics, and it took a long time to explain what it means to "sail on a sailing yacht." By the next Olympics, in 2008, many were already in the know. And four years later, they smiled at me: "Yes, we ourselves took a yacht on vacation." Hopefully the five years of PROyachting have contributed to this trend. According to agency statistics, 200,000 Russians are already taking yachts for charter abroad. I look forward to overcoming the million mark - this will become an indicator that yachting is finally developing in the country.
- Business multitasking - sports prepared me for it. It was unrealistically difficult to go to the Olympics: there you are a coach, a PR specialist, a sports doctor, you are looking for sponsors, and you make presentations and reports … There are also a lot of components in a business project and you have to be at your best, but we are pioneers in our field, competition is not so pressing yet.
"Sport teaches: no matter what happens, you need to get up and move on"
- The Olympics taught that if you are not in time now, it will be too late in an hour. And in business, in theory, you can continue tomorrow. The Olympics are a sprint, a business marathon. You need to tune in: this is a long history that requires a strategic vision. Nevertheless, I often leave the office after 9-10 pm.
- It is important to understand why you are doing all this. Decide and accept: this is exactly the price I am ready to pay, otherwise it is impossible. The resources are not endless. The Olympic experience helped here, too: while the load does not seem prohibitive.
- For me, sport has become a good school: one race turned out, and the other did not, they wanted first place in the world ranking, but took second. He teaches: no matter what happens, you need to get up and move on. I try not to waste energy where nothing depends on me - I just take a step back and do what I can change.
- Trust is important to me. If a person really wants to be in business, then he will make extra efforts. We have a small team, only a dozen people, and it is important that everyone not only closes their sector, but also brings ideas. On my energy, of course, you can go for a long time, but it is much better to combine efforts. PROyachting is a team of like-minded people. Everyone is motivated, everyone likes what they are doing, and everyone develops, grows.
And it's all about her
Ekaterina Skudina
Age: 37
City: Moscow
Education: studied economics and management at the Moscow State Technological University "Stankin"; defended her thesis in the field of Sociology of Management.
Sports career: Honored Master of Sports of Russia, participant of the Olympic Games in 2004, 2008 and 2012, world champion, two-time European champion
Business: in April 2013 founded the company PROyachting (pro-yachting.ru) on base of the yacht club Royal Yacht Club
Clothes: brand - Christian Dior; style - elegant classics
Beauty must have: Lancaster sunscreens
Favorite scent: Bvlgari Ambero
Hobby: playing golf
Book: Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand
Travel Destinations: French Riviera, Greece's West Coast
Photo: personal archive