► Follow Alexander Sokolovsky on other social networks: ▫️ Telegram channel - https://t.me/sokolay ▫️ Instagram - / sokolovskiy Today my guest is entrepreneur Ivan Khokhlov, co-founder and CEO of one of the most popular clothing brands in Russia - 12storeez. We discussed how Ivan's career began, how he opened stores with used laptops, founded a construction company, worked as a trader, launched an online dry cleaner and then entered the Executive MBA program at the Skolkovo Business School. And also, how the idea was born to master the commodity business and create their own clothing brand, together with twin sisters Irina and Marina Golomazdin. In our interview, we talked about what served as the impetus for creating several businesses. How did you manage to become a profitable company from the first days without investing in marketing and advertising. What is it like to do business with your wife and about business growth during a pandemic? Is it possible to acquire creative skills or is it an innate talent? What qualities does a manager need to create a profitable and successful business? And how did studying at Skolkovo help? And what were the global mistakes or wrong decisions? If you want to listen to an entrepreneur with a huge background, then hurry up and watch the episode! Timecode. 00:00 Meeting the guest. Ivan Khokhlov 02:07 How did it all begin? 04:29 Experience in creating several businesses? 06:01 What was the impetus for new businesses? 07:50 How did you realize that this was not your business? 11:20 The main value in life 12:30 How the idea for the 12storeez brand was born 19:45 About business with relatives and the first investments 21:17 How the famous brand 12storeez began 22:38 Should creativity be innate? 25:53 About inspiration from an idea and what were the first actions 27:00 Zero budget for marketing for the first 2-3 years 31:01 Success factors at the start and why not a showroom? 36:10 What happened after success? When did you realize that you needed to leave the construction site? 40:16 What to do with the profit in business? 42:40 How to live for the first time, without a salary 47:40 New investor Baring, how did this affect? ​​58:00 Key combination for success 01:02:55 What is your main role in your business 01:03:45 What qualities does a manager need? 01:06:38 How do you work with customer feedback? 01:08:57 What is important in a resume? 01:21:30 What is your mission and the mission of 12storeez? 01:23:51 What are your personal goals and the company's? 01:26:55 About entering the international market and personal goals in life 01:33:48 How to do business with your wife? 01:36:35 How are the problems of the director and founder solved at home? 01:41:33 How to create a stellar team? 01:45:40 What were the global mistakes or wrong decisions? 01:48:35 How do you manage to stay calm 01:52:50 How do you feel about risk 02:00:40 How did you survive the pandemic? 02:02:50 How do you find suppliers 02:05:00 Key qualities and skills of Ivan Khokhlov? 02:07:44 Does everyone need to be an entrepreneur? 02:12:09 What has changed after the MBA? Subscribe to the channel, like and don't miss new episodes with cool guests! You can listen to the audio version of the podcast on all available platforms here: https://band.link/K6HKR #IvanKhokhlov #12storeez #AlexanderSokolovsky #commoditybusiness #brand #marketing Instagram Ivan Khokhlov - / ivan.kh