Brovary, the largest satellite city of Kyiv, is rapidly developing and creating comfortable conditions for entrepreneurs. They actively support business initiatives here, helping small and medium-sized enterprises not only to survive, but also to grow. A vivid example of successful entrepreneurship is the bicycle store "Velomisto", which has been providing the city's residents with quality bicycles and services since 2018. Its story is a combination of family passion for cycling, perseverance and a modern approach to business, writes UNN.
Everything for bicycles: repair, sale, rental
"Velomisto" is more than just a store, it is a family business created on the basis of a love for cycling. The store specializes in the sale of bicycles, accessories, spare parts, and also provides repair services. A team of five people works to provide customers with the best solutions in the cycling sphere.
"We focus on the middle price segment, offering quality bicycles for which manufacturers provide real guarantees. We also don't forget about budget options, but we only choose models that we are confident in the quality of", - said UNN the co-owner of the store Larysa Pikalova.
The assortment of "Velomisto" includes products of both Ukrainian and international brands. The store cooperates with such well-known Ukrainian manufacturers as the Kharkiv company "Velotreyd" and "Praid". Thanks to this approach, customers can choose bicycles for any needs - from children's to sports models. Every year the store sells about 500 bicycles, but the owners are convinced that the potential for growth is much greater.
History of creation: from idea to implementation
The idea of creating a business belongs to Larysa's husband, an international master of sports in cycling. After finishing his sports career, he decided to connect his life with the bicycle industry. It all started with an online store, but customers increasingly asked about the possibility of seeing the bicycles live and trying them on.
"We realized that a physical store is what our business needs. In Brovary, we already had premises, so opening a store became a logical step", - says Larysa.
Social responsibility and charity
"Velomisto" actively cooperates with charitable organizations and participates in social projects. Last year, the store supplied bicycles to the Ukrainian Red Cross in two regions. In addition, the store's team helped to fulfill children's dreams by donating bicycles to children as part of volunteer campaigns.
One of the most touching cases is the story of a child who witnessed terrible events near Brovary. "We had such a case near Brovary, when a tank ran over a child's family there, the child witnessed it, and he had a dream of a bicycle. So we, in cooperation with volunteers, gave him a bicycle. And this year we also realized a child's dream - for Christmas, we gave a bicycle to a boy who had written a letter to Santa Claus", - Larysa recalls.
Challenges of war: adaptation and new opportunities
The full-scale war has affected the business, changing the purchasing power of customers and reducing the number of regular customers.
"Many of our customers, especially families with children, have left the city. At the same time, internally displaced persons have appeared in Brovary, who have also become our customers. We are trying to adapt to their needs", - explains Larysa.
In addition, the business is facing staffing difficulties due to mobilization. However, even in such conditions, the store continues to operate and develop.
Community support and participation in grant programs
In 2023, "Velomisto" received a grant within the framework of the "Own Business" program in the amount of 250,000 hryvnias. These funds helped to improve online sales by hiring two new employees to support this area. Larysa is also a participant in the first stream of UWE HUB - an initiative to support women entrepreneurs.
According to Larysa, the hub is a great opportunity for small businesses. Here you can get inspiration, exchange ideas with other entrepreneurs, learn about new trends and get inspired.
Future plans: rental, assortment and international expansion
"Velomisto" has ambitious plans for the near future. This year, the store plans to launch a bicycle rental service in Brovary. In addition, the owners want to expand the assortment, adding more sports goods, which will help stabilize the business in the off-season.
"We have an idea to enter the international market with Ukrainian bicycle accessories. This is an interesting and promising direction that we plan to explore in 2025", - shares Larysa's plans.
The story of "Velomisto" proves that Brovary is not only a city with a convenient location, but also a place that supports entrepreneurs. Thanks to the joint efforts of the community, initiative and social responsibility, "Velomisto" has become a symbol of perseverance and success of Ukrainian small business.
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In Brovary, at the city council, a Business Support Center operates, where entrepreneurs and people who are just planning to open their own business can receive free consultations on business registration, premises rental and grant obtaining. This year, about 150 people, mostly representatives of micro and small businesses, have turned to the Center.
According to the mayor of Brovary, Ihor Sapozhko, during the martial law, within the framework of the implementation of 76 investment projects, Brovary managed to attract over 466 million hryvnias of investments and create almost 600 new jobs. He added that during the martial law period, the number of various companies and individual entrepreneurs in the Brovary community has increased - currently there are more than 18,000 of them.
In addition to foreign funding, Brovary will also receive other assistance from twin cities. For example, German partners provided the local community with generators, medical equipment, special vehicles and much more assistance. In order to determine specific areas of further cooperation with their Ukrainian colleagues, in October a representative of the municipality of the German twin city of Jena, city councilor Matthias Mitt, visited Brovary.
In general, within the framework of cooperation with the German cities of Jena and Erlangen, as well as the Lahn-Dill district, Brovary received three ambulances, four fire trucks, three units of municipal transport, one school bus, generators, various equipment for the community's educational institutions and a modular town where displaced persons live.