3 stories of people who managed to build a successful business away from the city
Miscellaneous / / July 07, 2022
Ostrich farm, art estate and peasant farm.
The wording "own business" gives rise to associations with men in suits, glass skyscrapers and cases full of money. However, you can open your own business and manage a company in the village.
We spoke with three entrepreneurs from different industries and asked them to talk about the main challenges, PR strategies and benefits of working away from major cities.
“There are always people who want to try an ostrich burger”
Natalia Demchenko
Owner of the Tyumen Ostrich farm. The village of Chikcha, about 20 km from Tyumen.
At first, my husband and I had a network of plumbing stores. But then the crisis began, and we decided to change the sphere - to choose one in which there would not be much competition. We both agreed that we both love animals.
Before my eyes was the experience of acquaintances from Perm, who opened an ostrich farm. We went to them, looked at how everything is arranged, and realized that we wanted to organize such an enterprise.
We drew up a business plan and sent it to the administration of the Tyumen region in the hope that they would allocate land to us. In parallel, another 53 applications were considered, of which only three were approved. Including ours.
We chose a site and for the first year we were engaged in landscaping: we built enclosures, planted plants. And then they brought ostriches.
Initially, we planned to raise birds for meat. It is very useful, dietary. But we realized that we do not have the time and financial cushion that will help put production on stream.
It was easier to open a contact farm. There are always those who want to try an ostrich burger or an ostrich egg omelette, look at exotic animals and buy a product made from feathers.
Now my husband and I have registered the land as property and received a residence permit in the village. We live right here on the property.
— What difficulties did you encounter?
— The main problem is the lack of support for agriculture. The government is now paying more attention private household plotPersonal farm.. For example, to allocate subsidies. But all this is not enough.
In addition, there was a lot of paperwork. There is no ostrich breeding as an activity in Russia. Accordingly, there are no GOSTs or technical specifications. Therefore, the veterinary services and Rosselkhoznadzor were not ready to develop such a business in the Tyumen region.
We also encountered difficulties in laying the gas pipeline and electrification. The first one took 3 years, the second one 8 years. Maybe it's easier now.
Another problem is the lack of workers. Residents of the village are not eager to work in the field of agriculture. Yes, and many have problems with alcohol. Like handy, but before the first paycheck. We hire migrants - they work well, but they know little. For example, they will not be able to lead excursions.
And in general it is unprofitable to maintain a farm now. For comparison: when we opened the business in 2009, fodder oats cost 1 ruble 20 kopecks per kilogram. Now - 20 rubles. At the same time, the prices for farm services remained practically unchanged.
— How to talk about a business located far from a major city?
- There are no difficulties with PR. We have our own website social network. And visitors often talk about us on their personal pages. In addition, the administration of the Tyumen region helps us with advertising - for example, it organized the filming of our farm for local television.
— Considering that this is a seasonal business, is there a strong drawdown in winter?
- Yes. To maintain balance, we organize various holidays during the off-season: we hold New Year's quests, Maslenitsa festivities, and horseback riding. We also have contracts with travel companies that bring visitors to us.
— What are the advantages of doing business outside the big city?
- In terms of doing business, I do not see any special advantages. What is in the village, what is in the city has its own specifics. The main thing is the desire to work!
But it is probably more pleasant to live in the countryside. I did not regret that we opened a farm and moved. Here, although work from morning to evening, but a constant positive - communication with animals, life in nature... This is also a vacation.
— How do you plan to develop the business?
— We plan to work on the agro-tourism direction. Now we have built a hotel, launched a cafe, organized master classes: tourists can milk a cow, cook cheese, go to the river with a fishing rod or go to the forest for mushrooms. Now we are planning to build a large children's playground.
We want people to be fully occupied when they come to us. Could stop not for one, but for several days. Still, many are tired of life in the city. We must cling to this and create good conditions for tourism in the villages.
“There is no feeling that it is completely cut off from civilization”
Nikita Astapov
General director of the art-estate "Veretyevo". Veretyevo village, about 100 km from Moscow.
I have been in tourism all my life. Initially active, but then gradually moved to managerial positions. I was sent to the art estate to work on a short-term project. But in the end I stayed here for a long time.
Art-estate is a hotel complex located in nature, near the village of Veretyevo. There is a unique park, a deer farm, a series of author's rooms designed by artists, and eco-paths for walking.
— What difficulties did you encounter?
— Initially, it was a non-commercial project. And it cost a lot of effort and time to translate it into a commercial one. But the non-standard nature of this task attracted me.
Another problem was related to the search for personnel. It turned out that to find the right specialiststhat would help develop the project is difficult. This, probably, is not even connected with the fact that we are far from Moscow. Distance just makes it harder.
Still, there are three small towns near Veretyevo, and many employees flock from them. Someone lives here on a rotational basis, and someone lives on a permanent basis.
I moved here after getting a job. For me it wasn't a problem. I'm used to constantly moving from project to project.
— How to talk about a business located far from a major city?
— If the project is special and unique, then it is much easier to promote it. We are out of competition. If Veretyevo were like other projects, we would have to act by standard methods - offer discounts, arrange promotions. Here we go according to our own scenario - we show an original non-standard product that attracts an audience.
"Veretyevo" was originally a popular place for the creative intelligentsia: here rested and created famous writers, actors, musicians.
Now we continue the historically established tradition and invite creative people to collaborate. So, the number of rooms was created by our friends - artists and architects Andrey Bilzho, Olga Soldatova, Evgeny Ass and others.
Another powerful magnet for visitors is Veretyevo Park, designed by architect Alexander Brodsky. On its territory there are art objects, thematic libraries, eco-trails inscribed in the natural landscape.
We also have the closest deer farm to Moscow. Here you can touch and feed these animals. And also mouflons and fallow deer. Deer were found here before, but after the reconstruction, apparently, they felt even better and began to bear offspring.
— Considering that this is a seasonal business, is there a strong drawdown in winter?
- Yes, in winter, as in all suburban complexes, the flow is reduced by 30-40%. You need to be ready for this.
— What are the advantages of doing business outside the big city?
- Here is nature: a river, green grass, animals... And in metropolis this is not. Everyone lives in stone boxes. Plus, 100 km from Moscow is not the farthest distance. I don't feel like I'm completely out of touch with civilization.
It is clear that for a person who has lived all his life in a metropolis, this may seem like a long distance. But for me, no - I myself am from Karelia.
That's when they give me a project on AltaiI'll say, "Yes, it's far away." And 100 km is nothing.
— How do you plan to develop the business?
— We have a whole pool of projects that we want to launch. This includes the expansion of the contact park with animals, the development of the number of rooms, and the creation of interesting locations and art objects.
“It is easier to live and make your way in the countryside”
Naila Akhmadieva
Head of the peasant farm. Deushevo village, about 130 km from Kazan.
We have been in business since 2011 and have been living in the countryside since 2020. Before that, from April to October, we went there on a rotational basis. When the field season ended, they returned to the city. But then they built a house and a greenhouse where you can work all year round, and moved.
In summer, we grow greens, potatoes, and borscht on the open ground. In winter, we go to the greenhouse, where we “kick out” green onions. We sell everything to wholesalers.
— How to talk about a business located far from a major city?
— Building a PR campaign is not very difficult. I don't allocate any special budget for this. I just do social media. For example, before TikTok was blocked, I developed my page - I gained 55,000 subscribers. People like to hear about village life, about eco-friendly products. Many are tired of "successful success" and "glamorous glamour." They want something simple and homely.
We also have a page on the Svoe Rodnoe site. This is an online store and marketplace where you can order natural products from manufacturers. And on “Own farming”, where agricultural workers can communicate with each other and agree on cooperation.
Someone, for example, is looking for fertilizer, someone sells young bulls. On these sites, you can also promote yourself. The idea is clear: we register wherever we can and declare ourselves.
And those who know how to work are noticed by the administration. They sometimes help us with PR - for example, they recommend for exhibitions, offer subsidy programs.
— What difficulties did you encounter?
— Firstly, it is difficult to recruit personnel. Few people in the villages are willing to work. And even if it comes, it is most often for show: the day has passed - and okay. Or with the thought: “Where to steal something?”
Of course, we have local trusted people. But the main backbone is made up of foreign citizens. We create all conditions for them: formalize, pay taxes, we regularly send for medical examinations. Everything is clean and transparent. No illegality.
Secondly, there is practically no state support. If I were the Minister of Agriculture, I would try to help farmers. But now the ice seems to have broken: Mishustin signed a law on land lease for small businesses.
Let's see what will happen. Last summer showed that there is a need for vegetables, but Russian farmers do not cover it well.
— Considering that this is a seasonal business, is there a strong drawdown in winter?
- When we worked on a rotational basis in the summer, and in the winter we grew plants in two small greenhouses, the drawdown was felt strongly. But now it has practically disappeared.
— What are the advantages of doing business outside the big city?
- It is easier to live and make your way in the countryside. If you really work, and not just walk around and kick shit (sorry for being rude), you will be noticed and supported.
For example, I recently managed to attend a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers under the President of the Republic of Tatarstan. I personally talked with Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov! Could this happen if I lived in Kazan? I think no. It's easier in the countryside. You just have to work hard and be pure in heart.
— How do you plan to develop the business?
— Over the 10 years of doing business, our farm has changed a lot, and we do not want to stop there. For example, at first the sowing area was 4 hectares. Now - 78 hectares. The plan is to increase it to 100.
We will also increase the number of greenhouses. Several new ones have already been built, it remains to gasify them.
We also plan to build a vegetable store. It is very necessary. The more we grow, the more we feel the need to store it somewhere.
And, of course, I would like to automate some manual labor processes. I remember that at first we did not have money for agricultural equipment. We bought a tractor for 150,000 rubles and plowed it for 11 years. Only last year could afford a new one. It would be great to replace other equipment as well.
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