The “formula of happiness” is simple – it is when you fulfill the goals set for yourself

   Roman talks about his role in the success of the company: “I received an invitation to work at TERRA-PAСK  from commercial director Volodymyr Hopka. At the end of February 2020, I received an offer. We met and talked. He described the general situation in which the sales department was then, I made some assessments for myself. This offer interested me.

In my professional activities, I always try to be guided by the credo: “Never stop at what has been achieved, always implement new initiatives that can ensure the development of the company.” I began my duties in March.

It was then that the company expanded production: new equipment was installed in the stretch film production shop. My primary task was to ensure that the production capacity was loaded with orders. It was necessary to organize the systematic work of the sales department in such a way as to expand the client base. I saw this, first of all, by expanding the geography of sales, since at that time sales were mainly localized near the branches: Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Mukachevo.

   Analyzing the geography of sales, I saw the low involvement of the center of Ukraine. At the same time, I understood its good potential as an industrial region. Efforts were directed there.

   It was also necessary to restructure the sales department in branches that did not have managers (Lviv and Odesa) and reported directly to the head of the sales department. Thus, the most experienced employees were appointed as heads of these branches. Sales began to be more structured.

   We set a goal – to increase sales, to expand branches with new managers, which made it possible to expand the client base. As of the end of 2020, 50% of the capacity of the new equipment was loaded. This year I also studied the range, production capabilities to be able to manage sales. This initial year was successful.

    I call 2021 the “year of business trips”: every month there were business trips to branches and key clients. This year I was on a business trip for 384 hours. Sometimes I traveled with the commercial director, sometimes alone. The main purpose of the trips was to establish the work, finalize the structure that was introduced.

In April 2021, a new production unit for the production of polypropylene tape was opened on the basis of the Kyiv branch. As of today, this project is successful.

Upon opening the branch in Kyiv, there was a lot of work: recruitment of new managers, adaptation, training. There was also a change of managers, as not all of them could withstand the demands placed on them, it was necessary to rotate the staff. Reporting was introduced for new managers, which is carried out to this day. To date, the branch is functioning successfully, fulfilling all the assigned tasks, but it has the potential for development. We are working on it.

   In my opinion, every person can be taught to work, including with analytics, the main thing here is a person’s desire, aspiration for self-realization. Working with analytics and having experience in personal sales, the manager is able to move into the category of managers to teach others to work as he does. But for this there must be successful indicators – I always judge managers by their sales indicators. Two main criteria: execution of the sales plan and work with receivables.

   For a person who has a desire for self-realization, we give all the tools for self-realization, and then, as the commercial director says, the “happiness formula” works. The “formula of happiness” is simple – it is when you fulfill the goals set for yourself: in your personal and/or professional life. If you set a goal and fulfilled it, you are happy. If the goal is set, but not achieved, the person will be depressed and demotivated. I believe that a manager should set goals for himself, and I, as a manager, should help with the tools to achieve the goal.

   I am a father of many children, I have three children, so almost all my free time goes to my family. We spend most of our time at work, leaving little time for family – no more than 20% of our personal time, if we exclude sleep. I try to pay attention to children and their development.

It is nice that the company organized a visit to the enterprise with receiving gifts and various contests where children had the opportunity to participate – this is how the connection between family and work is felt – this is important for me personally, as, probably, for any -what kind of employee: so that the children can see where dad works, where he spends his time.

This also gives pleasant bonuses: once I went to a stationery store with my youngest daughter, and the daughter, knowing that the company produces tape, began to ask: “Dad, is this your tape?” It was our client and I proudly answered: “Yes, this is our tape!”

   With the beginning of a full-scale invasion, after February 24, 2022, it was necessary to change the specifics of the work of the sales department. There were financial risks associated with the fact that not all clients were able to continue their work. Working with clients on payment deferrals, I understood that the sales department had to ensure a quick refund in order to protect the company from financial losses, because the risks had increased significantly. Therefore, the emphasis was placed on quick refunds. We reformatted work with clients: for some time we worked on prepayment. At the beginning of the war, the logistics chains for the supply of raw materials were destroyed, there was not enough of them, the suppliers transferred us from the terms of deferment to the terms of advance payment. My direct task was to ensure the financial flow of funds to sufficiently supply the enterprise with raw materials. We coped with this task.

The end of 2022 was quite chaotic – there was not enough raw materials, there were delays and a large volume of orders that had to be regulated and distributed so that none of the customers were left without products. A queue lasting 1 month was formed for the production of scotch tape and stretch film. The volume of orders increased sharply due to the excitement associated with power outages – not all manufacturers could work at full capacity, so customers were also playing it safe, stocking up.

    I positively appreciate the help from the marketing side: the visibility of TERRA-PACK increased, information about the company’s products, presence in social networks and and advertising clients appeared. A professional website was made, a general rebranding was carried out, which improved the perception of  TERRA-PACK  by customers and increased their trust .

A pleasant factor is that the owners of the company in a difficult situation – the war is not over yet – have a desire to invest in the future of the company, to expand the production equipment park, which will make it possible to improve and refine existing directions with potential and develop new ones.

    Work should bring both material and moral satisfaction. At the moment, everything suits me. With God’s help, with the help of the Armed Forces, I am sure that we will win. And we will win, including in our difficult business – sales!”

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