Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”
Kristina Sukharevich, UDF.BY
24 February 2015, 22:48
![Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”]( "Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”")
Finding an investor and starting a business is just the beginning, Kseniya says. The most difficult part is daily work:
The first hostel “Traveller” opened on May 12, 2012 in a detached building in Chizhovka area. The owner lived in the hostel-to-be and even supervised the restoration works. Then she worked as a front-desk person, “to understand what to require from employees”.
Soon she realized she has to move to the city centre.
The second hostel opened in October on the 6th floor of a residential building at Maksima Tanks street. Another problem occurred: the residents didn’t like the idea of neighbouring with a hostel and started complaining. So Kseniya had to move from there as well.
Today “Riverside” and “Trinity” hostels are located in the very centre of the city – on the Trinity Hill.
![Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”]( "Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”")
”My story is like one described in Robert Kiyosaki’s book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, - says Kseniya. The book reveals secrets of a special financial thinking that leads to wealth. For example, instead of saying “I can’t afford it” you should ask yourself “How can I afford it?” It also says that rather than looking for a good job, create your own and learn how to hire talented people. Calm readiness for risks, failures and possible financial losses is one of the main business strategies, because bankruptcy is temporary, while poverty is permanent.
With these principles in mind, Kseniya was building her business.
The entrepreneur made her first steps to big money far earlier the Start-Up Weekend, being a teenager: “I started working when I was 13. Among my working places were McDonalds and municipal services”
On one of these jobs Kseniya came up with an idea of hostels.
Work experience and numerous travels added ideas for the future business:
The girl attended many free business trainings and courses for independent entrepreneurs. She continues doing so today and reads much of business literature.
![Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”]( "Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”")
I think in Belarus needs a social system where everyone will be entrepreneurs. When everyone knows that everything in economy is interconnected: if your business fails, someone else’s one will fail too. Then everyone becomes socially responsible. Social responsibility should be the mission for each businessman and each citizen.
The businesswoman is convinced that in order to combine active work with family life (Kseniya is married) and seeing friends it’s vital to plan beforehand. For everyday time management she uses Eisenhower matrix and recommends it to others.
Kseniya has clear plans: she knows well what she is going to do both in 5 days and in 5 years.
The young hostess, who is younger than some of her subordinates, talks about her age very unwillingly and demonstrates that this topic is not of an interest to her:
![Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”]( "Director of a hostel chain: “Make a billion in Belarus? Easy!”")
A cozy and cordial hostel is attractive even to those who can afford to stay at an expensive hotel. “Trinity” hosted Russian top managers and even the Japan ambassador to Lithuania”! According to Kseniya, more and more people opt into cozy and low-budget hostels:
But the main thing people want is a special atmosphere.
Such a trend inspires hope that hostels will retain their popularity and profitability despite the growing number of hotels in Minsk.
We ask Kseniya: “Is it possible to make a billion roubles in Belarus?” The girl says through laughter: “With such an exchange rate? Easy!”
The first hostel in Belarus called “Jazz” opened in October of 2010 in Vitebsk.
According to the official statistics, there are 7 hostels in Minsk today.
In 2013 foreign tourists made 6,2 million visits to Belarus (the Belarusians travelled abroad 8,8 million times). During the same period, the number of foreign tourists who stayed in hotels and other such lodgings is only 0,9 million people, which is 6,7 times as few as the number of visits.
As of 2013, there are 481 hotels in the country. Since 2005 this figure has increased by 46%.
The majority of Belarusian hotels (70%) have 3 stars. There are also hotels with 1 star, they take 2%-share.
In 2013 Belarusian hotels hosted 1,8 million people, 63% of whom were Belarusians travelling domestically.
More than 80% of foreign tourists in 2013 were Russian. Polish tourists are in the second place (2,3%), the third place is taken by the Turks (1,5%).
The average load of Minsk hotels between 2005 and 2013 was 41-46%.
24 February 2015, 22:48
At the age of 20 a Belarusian student raised $100.000 of investment to create a hostel chain in Minsk. For 2 years she’s been running this successful business.
Kseniya Kurus, 22, is a student of law school at Belarusian Institute of Law. Since 2012 the girl has been running “Hostel Traveller” company that consists of two hostels located in the quiet yard in Minsk’s Trinity Hill.
One of them, Trinity Hostel, is the venue of our interview.
The hostel has a homely atmosphere, but the rules are “home-style” too: regardless of your status, guest or a journalist, after entering the hostel, please take off your shoes and put slippers on.
Kseniya allots 19 minutes for the interview as her schedule is full. However, this time is enough to find out how to become a billionaire in Belarus and what temper you should have to take charge of a company at the age of 20.Who wants to be a rouble billionaire?
At first, Kseniya’s road to success looks simple. Working for a tourism agency, one day she got an idea to create a hostel for tourists in Minsk. Or better – a hostel chain.
Kseniya created a business plan (“nobody believed in”), searched for information on the Internet, consulted with her university’s economics professor. She encountered a news article on Start-up Weekend in Minsk – a meeting place for entrepreneurs and investors – and went to raise money for her dream. The girl convinced the organizers that she had to present her idea. And it looked attractive to Aleksandr Knyrovich who invested $100.000 into Kseniya’s plan.
Kseniya in her hostel. Photo: Aleksandr Aleinikov
Finding an investor and starting a business is just the beginning, Kseniya says. The most difficult part is daily work:
With my fellow entrepreneurs we have a joke: Belarus is a country for strong ones. There are some, let’s say, specificities of doing business in our country… But it’s not bad, it’s rather interesting! Like a daily personal challenge: Will I manage it or not?
Actually, it’s possible to make a fortune in Belarus or Germany, or elsewhere – personality of an “Achiever” comes first, and only after this comes the business environment. The main thing is to do something, and to do it well.
Actually, it’s possible to make a fortune in Belarus or Germany, or elsewhere – personality of an “Achiever” comes first, and only after this comes the business environment. The main thing is to do something, and to do it well.
The first hostel “Traveller” opened on May 12, 2012 in a detached building in Chizhovka area. The owner lived in the hostel-to-be and even supervised the restoration works. Then she worked as a front-desk person, “to understand what to require from employees”.
Soon she realized she has to move to the city centre.
The second hostel opened in October on the 6th floor of a residential building at Maksima Tanks street. Another problem occurred: the residents didn’t like the idea of neighbouring with a hostel and started complaining. So Kseniya had to move from there as well.
Today “Riverside” and “Trinity” hostels are located in the very centre of the city – on the Trinity Hill.
”My story is like one described in Robert Kiyosaki’s book “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, - says Kseniya. The book reveals secrets of a special financial thinking that leads to wealth. For example, instead of saying “I can’t afford it” you should ask yourself “How can I afford it?” It also says that rather than looking for a good job, create your own and learn how to hire talented people. Calm readiness for risks, failures and possible financial losses is one of the main business strategies, because bankruptcy is temporary, while poverty is permanent.
With these principles in mind, Kseniya was building her business.
“I started working when I was 13. Among my working places were McDonalds and municipal services”
The entrepreneur made her first steps to big money far earlier the Start-Up Weekend, being a teenager: “I started working when I was 13. Among my working places were McDonalds and municipal services”
On one of these jobs Kseniya came up with an idea of hostels.
At the age of 18 she used to sell tourist packages and she did like how a tourism agency works. So Kseniya thought how cool it would be to create a tourism project!
Work experience and numerous travels added ideas for the future business:
In Budapest I was impressed by a hostel’s large living room. In Amsterdam I got a map with indicated bars and tips. They said something like “in this bar you can show an inappropriate gesture to the owner and get a 15% discount”. This is cool and funny! Just imagine such a move towards the owner from a decent person! As a result, we made a map as well. It’s more conservative but with markers of cool places. I have a collection of Minsk maps, but ours is the best.
The girl attended many free business trainings and courses for independent entrepreneurs. She continues doing so today and reads much of business literature.
I think in Belarus needs a social system where everyone will be entrepreneurs. When everyone knows that everything in economy is interconnected: if your business fails, someone else’s one will fail too. Then everyone becomes socially responsible. Social responsibility should be the mission for each businessman and each citizen.“I have goals for next 5 years, one year, one month and one week”
The businesswoman is convinced that in order to combine active work with family life (Kseniya is married) and seeing friends it’s vital to plan beforehand. For everyday time management she uses Eisenhower matrix and recommends it to others.
After 18:00 family is my main priority. Weekends are only for family and close friends. Though, of course, exclusions happen.
Kseniya has clear plans: she knows well what she is going to do both in 5 days and in 5 years.
The young hostess, who is younger than some of her subordinates, talks about her age very unwillingly and demonstrates that this topic is not of an interest to her:
Age does not affect anything. Someone has a very vivid life at the age of 19, others don’t. Someone wants to be a director, others don’t. Each person is successful depending on what goals they set and how they accomplish them. If a person is immature, it’s not about the age.
“Trinity” hosted Russian top managers and even the Japan ambassador to Lithuania”
A cozy and cordial hostel is attractive even to those who can afford to stay at an expensive hotel. “Trinity” hosted Russian top managers and even the Japan ambassador to Lithuania”! According to Kseniya, more and more people opt into cozy and low-budget hostels:
Tourists prefer saving on lodging and spending more on tours, bars and entertainment.
But the main thing people want is a special atmosphere.
Such a trend inspires hope that hostels will retain their popularity and profitability despite the growing number of hotels in Minsk.
We ask Kseniya: “Is it possible to make a billion roubles in Belarus?” The girl says through laughter: “With such an exchange rate? Easy!”
Trinity Hostel. Video: poshykinfo
Some figures on hostels and tourism in Belarus
The first hostel in Belarus called “Jazz” opened in October of 2010 in Vitebsk.
According to the official statistics, there are 7 hostels in Minsk today.
In 2013 foreign tourists made 6,2 million visits to Belarus (the Belarusians travelled abroad 8,8 million times). During the same period, the number of foreign tourists who stayed in hotels and other such lodgings is only 0,9 million people, which is 6,7 times as few as the number of visits.
As of 2013, there are 481 hotels in the country. Since 2005 this figure has increased by 46%.
The majority of Belarusian hotels (70%) have 3 stars. There are also hotels with 1 star, they take 2%-share.
In 2013 Belarusian hotels hosted 1,8 million people, 63% of whom were Belarusians travelling domestically.
More than 80% of foreign tourists in 2013 were Russian. Polish tourists are in the second place (2,3%), the third place is taken by the Turks (1,5%).
The average load of Minsk hotels between 2005 and 2013 was 41-46%.
The photos were provided by Kseniya Kurus
