About a woman in big business
When people get married, say, at 20 or 25, they are essentially in the same state. But over time, both men and women change. It is not a fact that the spouses, working in different areas, will develop and grow in sync. Therefore, the fact that we entered this business with my husband and work together leaves us in the same trench. Misha and I always have something to talk about. I think this is great … You can, of course, read books, go to the cinema together. But the main thing for me is to have a like-minded person next to me who thinks like you. Therefore, the common cause is kept in a single field. And even if you quarreled or quarreled, then there is always a reason to speak. Moreover, everyday grievances often seem petty in comparison with global business issues.
I can't imagine myself as a housewife. A woman who sits day after day within four walls gets hung up on problems that are, of course, major for her: the washing machine broke down, for example … And her husband has a burning business project in his head at that time. And it's hard for them to hear each other. It is clear that Mikhail Ernestovich and I have difficulties. But I don't see him so often in the office on weekdays. He summons me to meetings in the same way. We have a division: Misha is a strategist, a marketer, thinks about how to develop Bosco. I think about more mundane things: what and how much to buy, how to sell. But there are also conflicts, disagreements. For example, he likes some employees, but I don't. And we even drew a border: this is your team, this is my team, and we are working normally.
Sometimes it is extremely important for me to just talk, to consult with Misha. I'm not waiting for a ready-made solution, I need to hear his point of view. In such conversations, a view of things is developed. We can discuss business issues 24 hours a day. It happens that you come to rest and immediately disconnect from work. And sometimes, you sit, for example, on a ski lift at a ski resort, and in your thoughts selling Bosco Fresh. It is more constructive to discuss this right there with the husband sitting next to him than to save up before the meeting. Plus, it's easier to get your point across in a relaxed environment.
About working together with her husband
I don't think it's harder for a woman. Men think in larger categories - it's true. Therefore, their business can be more large-scale. But women are more scrupulous, pay more attention to human relationships. Therefore, for example, a service business may be more successful with the weaker sex. A woman is closer to a tit in her hand (read: she wants to be sure that she will earn for a comfortable life for herself and her children). Plus, girls are more diplomatic, attractive (this is important when there are only men at the negotiating table), they find a common language easier. So it's not more difficult for us in business, no. Another thing is that in Russia there is a strong stereotype that serious business is men in ties and expensive suits. Multiply this by the persistent stereotype of the perception of an entrepreneur in our country as a person who stole in the fat years of perestroika. So yeah,there are pitfalls.
About the 12-hour work marathon
The schedule has always been intense. But in a day, the number of hours that is. It's important not to get depressed. You have to put up with something, not be a perfectionist. I think I can do it. Kusnirovich's motto is pleasure in details. Misha, when he is doing something, will do everything himself to the smallest detail. He is a perfectionist, he is hurt by imperfections in different parts of the company. And I learned to make a choice, to be tolerant. I delegate a lot, and it still takes 12 hours a day to work. Especially when the youngest son is away with his grandparents - I come to our office in GUM at half past nine. Over the years, you don't sleep so much - which is good. And I work until eleven, half past eleven in the evening. Business trips for me are a change of scenery. But you get tired of a large number of meetings: you have to talk there, here you have to smile. Usually,partners pressure you, they want more budget so that you buy more, build four more stores … And all this in difficult times! And your task is to politely stand your ground. But this is the case for everyone, not only in Russia.
For comfort at work, I need to organize the time myself, I need to know in advance the plan for the day, week, month … I am generally very adapted to life: I book hotels myself through booking.com, I pay for parking through the iPhone application. By the way, I have a paper diary, it's nice to write by hand. I also need to switch between different types of work. In the morning, after two obligatory cups of coffee, I'll take care of the staff. There will be a sales meeting at 15:00. I'm tired of signs - I can go to stores, talk to managers, check sales analysis. It's important for me to have tiny coffee breaks. Our office in GUM is convenient because personnel issues, for example, can be solved over cappuccino in our Bosco Cafe. I see that the employee is stressed, the work is not progressing, so I call him for coffee. A few minutes of informal conversation makes it easier for a person. I myself occasionally "run" to the Dior Institute for a massage: I feel that I am slipping, I need to reboot, I lie down on the massage table, close my eyes, exhale, and in an hour I'm ready to move mountains.
About stress and ashtanga yoga
I began to feel that there is a need to guard against negativity. Although how can you protect yourself from stress? I try to switch, read something good at night. It is better, of course, to leave for a few days, but it is not always possible. Communication saves me from stress. Sometimes it happens: you listen to a story about someone's problems, and yours seem trifling. Too often we allow ourselves to whine and dismiss. More positive! After all, when something hurts you, you no longer want to wear a prettier skirt, you think about the hat. We have to work on creating a great mood.
I like to go to the theater. My husband and I often go to theaters. There is a whole story with planes. Misha doesn't like to come in advance. God forbid to be at the airport half an hour earlier: "What are we, like fools, wasting time!" And we try not to "lose" - we resort to the end of the flight, energetically load countless knapsacks. And already in the cabin you can relax. Nothing more depends on you - a wonderful rare feeling! - you fall into a sweet dream.
Unfortunately, I don’t go in for sports, but I would like to. I understand that this is necessary. I replace fitness by running up the office stairs to the third floor and back. You need to buy a trekker and measure how much runs up a day. As for the gym … the youngest son is still young. The alternative is to go to the gym in the evening or put Mark to bed. A friend of mine said the other day: "Katya, you need to do Ashtanga yoga." I answer: "It sounds threatening, is everything so bad?" I consulted with a colleague who has been practicing yoga for many years and travels to Tibet. He: "Well, this is such a power practice, you have to run and jump." I am at a loss: power yoga … You must definitely do something, give yourself some time, otherwise expect depression.
About heirs
The eldest, Ilya, is 22 years old. My husband and I have no differences in our views on upbringing, we believe that children should be brought up looking at their parents, their way of life charges more than any educational methods. I'm not a demanding mom. Maybe because I work a lot, the youngest is a nanny, my grandmother was with the eldest. Perhaps a feeling of guilt speaks in me that, for example, I did not do my homework with Ilya. But I couldn't, because I immediately start to get mad - well, it's not mine! My main “mother's” task is to love my boys. They say to me: at a certain age, you need to guide the child, push and even make a choice for him, at 8-10 years old it is impossible to sensibly assess what you need. And I think my mission is to give the child opportunities. He either uses them or he doesn't. Of course, the authority of the father puts pressure on the children, especially on Ilya,he has a time of independence. It's not easy for the eldest to get along with dad. Despite the fact that Misha, of course, loves his sons very much, and when Ilya demonstrates a desire to communicate, dad becomes blurred. Ilya is looking for his own path, diligently wants to take place in any other area, except for our business. As an adult, Ilya tried to distance himself.
But, I hope, the time will come, and Ilya, and then Mark will continue our family business. I physically feel that the company needs an injection of new blood. No matter what ultra-modern gadgets we hold in our hands, the young generation is still different. When our own people pour in, this is generally natural. I say to Ilya: "We need you, your gaze of a certified art critic, you feel subtly." Now, at 22, Ilya is thinking about gaining knowledge in fashion business, and I am incredibly happy about that. And our dad finds those moments that are interesting to Ilya, and slowly draws him into the business. For example, the Bosco Fresh Fest music festival, which four years ago became an integral part of the traditional Chereshnevy Lesa. Ilya is fully engaged in it. A drop wears away the stone.
How it all began
My husband is a chemist and I am a chemist. But Mikhail Ernestovich always had an entrepreneurial streak. We came into this business in those fertile years when everything had just begun. Misha first had a travel company, then an amusement park. I then, in 1991, was a postgraduate student at the University of Chemical Technology, was engaged in science.
Our Italian friends offered to open a showroom selling men's knitwear. We started this business with Arina Polyanskaya, an art critic, an intelligent woman who spoke fluent French and Italian. Potential buyers came, drank coffee, we showed wonderful knitwear. But there were no orders, business, to put it mildly, did not go. And we decided to start selling ourselves, the idea was born to open a store of Italian men's knitwear. We were given a seat in the "Petrovsky Passage" - the 39th section on the second floor. Arina Nikolaevna made art merchandising, beautifully hung the sweaters. Among products of unknown origin, our Made in Italy sweaters (which was true) stood out. We sold everything in two days. The wild success made my husband amazed and sent us for purchases in Italy. This was one of the first business trips. We must pay tribute to the Italians, they helped a lot. So we took small parties to Moscow, earned a reputation. This prompted development: they opened a small men's fashion store - then, after all, men mostly dressed, they do business, they need to look. A couple of years later, in 1993, we expanded to include both women's and children's clothing. Suppliers began to contact us with proposals for contracts. And we have already been able to place orders for new collections from our Italian partners. On this Made in Italy we earned the first money and customers and turned to high brands. We opened our first store in 1994 - the famous French House NinRicci. It was one of the first monobrand boutiques in Moscow after Versace and the first French boutique. It was then that we realized what advantages the brand provides and that such a format is in great demand. And slowly our entry into the world of fashion began.
According to the principle of Moiseeva
Why I work … Of course, not to buy a new car or an apartment. When you have a large farm, you can't work. It's like a blast furnace - it should be on fire. If you don't work, everything will fail. You are responsible for the business, for those people who work, should receive their salaries on time. Therefore, there is no thought of lying on the couch.
Whether you work or not, it is important to improve yourself. Not in terms of muscles, but to develop. Unfortunately, I see so many examples of how a housewife who is socially demanded only by her husband suddenly loses everything when her husband leaves the family! It is a tragedy: to live for this person and become unnecessary for him. There should be a range of interests, different from the family. I am in favor of working. First of all, above yourself. I am an excellent pioneer, constantly trying to learn, in particular languages. I have fluent Italian. I constantly train English with teachers. I dream of going to France to learn French specifically. Learning languages is a cure for sclerosis, nothing keeps the brain better.
I write a to-do list for the next six months and then check the boxes: done or not. Everything is there: educational issues, household, medical. Usually, the plan can be overcome by half. True, last year, in September, I drew a lot of great plans, then a crisis broke out, and I emerged from work only in July of this year. It's up to a new plan.
Experience is not always a positive thing. As you age, you know more, but you are also more afraid. Therefore, youth is the time to try. When we started in 1991, there was a tank in front of the Park of Culture and its muzzle looked out the windows of our office … So now there are opportunities to start and do business. Money, in fact, can always be found, as a rule, startups do not need a lot of money. We must look for like-minded people.
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