MBS Blog

We have all heard the “war stories.”  Sit at any pub, club, bar or cafe in Ukraine where ex-pats congregate, and the topic of conversation will eventually turn to the difficulty in getting things done here.  The inevitable comparsions between how easy things are accomplished in the United States, the U.K. compared with Ukraine begets the question: “why are you here then?”

Of course, we know the reasons.  We are here to make  money, and lots of it.

Here is the attraction: excellent geographic location between Europe and Russia, a developing market with a population the size of France,  rising incomes, burgeoning consumer demand, and a seemingly less anti-business regulatory and tax environment than the mature economies of the United States and Western Europe.

That all sounds great. So why is so difficult? Why do businessmen, particularly foreign businessmen feel like they are pioneers or as one American real estate developer said to me, “like one of those characters in the HBO TV series Deadwood.”  Yes indeed!! Here are the top reasons, in no particular order.

1. Corruption- you always pay…and then pay some more…and everyone has their hand out.
2. The Government- or should we say, lack thereof. The rules change on a daily basis.
3. Business Culture- not exactly Western, not exactly Soviet. The customer is wrong!!!
4. Work Ethic- more for less…work that is. I get my salary whether I do a good job or bad job.
5. Bureaucracy- you always need one more paper or permit…but the office is closed today.
6. Transparency- you always find out afterwards. Information is seldom volunteered.
7. Punctuality- are you kidding? Ukrainians rarely show up on time for meetings.
8. Contract Negotiation- signed, sealed, delivered…and then undone. Just when you think you are ready to move forward, the contract needs to be renegotiated. Of course, you are the one who must “negotiate.”
9. Visibility- you want to be noticed. You want your product and services to be recognized …but you have to be discreet too.
10. Bias- not xenophobia on the part of Ukrainians which can certainly be a factor, but more importantly the bias of foreigners. Ukraine is not, and may never be an easy place to conduct business. Hard to accept. Even harder to deal with, but a fact unlikely to change.

Anton Olff

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