The history of the business idea contest "Do Your Own" from the Charitable Foundation "MHP-Hromadi" has been replenished with new winning projects. The competition commission selected 80 best initiatives from among 502 applications. For the implementation of each of them, the authors will receive up to UAH 100,000 of grant support. Some of them are just starting, others involve scaling. Among them are unique businesses for growing shrimp, making fermented garlic, basalt flour, and even craft production of Poltava dumplings and feed for homeless animals. The entire pool of winning projects includes 32 businesses initiated by veterans or their families. Most projects are in the areas of craft production, food security, and household services.
For 10 years of operation, the CF "MHP-Hromadi" together with its strategic partner MHP company have supported 548 business initiatives for the amount of more than UAH 38 million. According to Oleksandr Pakholyuk, director of the Charitable Foundation "MHP-Hromadi", during the organization's work, supporting small businesses in communities has become an important area of the Foundation's activity, as it provides not only for strengthening small businesses, but also for forming the sustainability of business development in communities.
- Supporting small business is not only an economic issue, but a strategic step towards sustainable community development. Because when a business works, money stays within the community. However, the main thing in this is the people who stay in their villages and towns and are ready to provide services, organize small businesses, unite and learn in order to make their community stronger, more powerful, and more sustainable. By supporting small business today, we are investing in strong, self-sufficient and viable communities tomorrow, - emphasizes Oleksandr Pakholyuk.
According to Alik Mkrtychyan, famous chef, creative director of the culinary direction of MHP and member of the competition commission "Do Your Own-2025", the scale of the competition is growing every year, it is gaining popularity and gives the opportunity to receive support to those who are ready and able to work or are seriously настроєний on starting their own business.
- I am impressed by the range of projects for which participants wanted to receive a grant, from growing microgreens to an already established business. The production of dairy products, cheese dairies, and beekeeping were interesting. Small cafes in villages where there are no public catering establishments at all, but people want to start their own business and open small cafes are impressive. There are even culinary and historical projects! It is especially pleasing that the participants do not give up in difficult life circumstances, but on the contrary - they want to develop both after demobilization, and even after losing loved ones. This competition gives me the opportunity to be proud of Ukrainians once again! - Alik Mkrtychyan is convinced.
Artem Belyenkov, chief of staff of the 412th separate regiment of unmanned systems of the SBS, co-founder of Smart Farming and VkursiAgro, who evaluated the project applications submitted to the competition, also gave his recommendations to the winners.
- In the conditions of war and economic turbulence, small business in Ukraine is obliged not only to survive, but also to look for new opportunities for development. Additional opportunities today lie in the plane of technological modernization, exchange of experience, partnership, collaboration and attraction of international assets and programs. The search for new markets and niches opens windows for innovation, export, digitalization and rethinking of business models. The main thing is to be flexible, open to change and not be afraid to use all available resources. These are the tools that will help the state to stand up as an institution and lay the foundation for future growth in post-war Ukraine, - comments Artem Belyenkov.
As Maryna Tokareva, business trainer, business mentor, founder and lecturer of Format University, head of the FORMAT consulting project, who gave her conclusions on the evaluation of project applications of participants in the business idea contest "Do Your Own", noted, grant applications are not only about granting.
- Thanks to participation in such competitions, the authors of business initiatives learn to work out their own ideas and their sustainability, as well as realize the entire scale of the impact of their business activities on the development and support of their town or village and, in fact, the region as a whole. However, the most important thing in this project for micro-entrepreneurship is the support from big business, which already has scaling experience. This helps the small business owner to believe in themselves and go through a difficult path together, - says Maryna Tokareva.
Such competitions, as Anton Ruban, entrepreneur, military and member of the competition commission "Do Your Own-2025", believes, add confidence and understanding that the entrepreneur has support and has someone to look up to.
- It is extremely important when large companies invest in supporting small and medium-sized businesses, and thus a kind of ecosystem is created that makes our country stronger, - adds Anton Ruban.
According to the organizers of the competition, the winners will receive training courses and mentoring support.
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