Name of your website?Thomas Global Ukraine
Your name?
Svitlana Drozd
Your Location (city, etc)
Odessa Ukraine
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Our goal is to list every factory in Ukraine on one site. Most know how difficult it is to locate products Made In Ukraine. The form is FREE to fill out in ENGLISH please. You can also go to our parent web site http://thomasglobal.com There, you will find more than 700,000 factories worldwide already listed.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
We already own http://yellowpages.com.od.ua but this is a general phone book and does not cover factories in all of Ukraine. In order to REBUILD Ukraine, the ONLY way is to MAKE products here and sell them OUTSIDE Ukraine. WE need jobs and we have the best skilled labor force in Europe. REALLY! Low labor rates too for now.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Way back in 1998, we launched http://yellowpages.com.od.ua and also launched http://yp.od.ua which is the same site.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Made In Ukraine sounds much better than MAID IN UKRAINE. We not only take good care of our products, we also MAKE hundreds of thousands of quality products at prices that are very competative with those EASTERN boys that always seem to have CONTAMINATED materials included in thier product lines. Hey, that is a great way to get rid of your industrial waste??????????? Not here in Ukraine. We keep a CLEAN ship because we want REPEAT clients world wide.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Very simple to use. No pop ups, very few banners, lots of user friendly links, and easy to find factories worldwide. We have more than 11,000 catagories of products. Most other web sites have less than 600 catagories or headings available.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Never to sell it, only to GIVE IT AWAY, information that is and for FREE. We make money selling advertisements on Thomas Global and through our affiliate web sites like http://www.kgbdoors.com and http://ukrainiantours.com Even that site is FREE. By the way, not even the KGB can break into one of our doors. A little joke there. On that site, you will see NATASHA. She stands SIX FEET FOUR a beautiful. Now to find Boris. Yes, she is STILL single at 27. Better hurry!
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
Balance? Totally upside down but the POINT is to help people find and discover UKRAINE. That will be our pay off. The more people that come to Ukraine, the better everyone will be. This is the last GREAT place on EARTH. Easy living, great food and beautiful sights.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Hire a full time web designer and let them connect to as many GOOD Ukrainian web sites as possible. Connect with EVERY government official and post REAL e mail addresses. Offer on line SHOPPING so folks can order great products straight away. Those profits could help us support the many Orphaned children here. OUR PRIMARY REASON to do this in the first place.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
We have unlimited supplies and many available skilled people to run additional tasks. Lots of space and a warehouse near by and of course we have a SEA PORT here so that solves shipping.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Time. It takes a lot of time. Dealing with the LAWS of Ukraine and especially accounting rules. Our poor book keeper is a saint. We commend her for her loyalty. We have what they call here as TAX POLICE. Can you imagine? May as well be Gestapo. If the truth hurts, change it. Yes, you, the government of Ukraine. Controlling business does not make you money. You LOOSE money by restricting free trade through TONS of foolish laws and regulations that get solved by paying off the local tax guys. YES, this is true so FIX IT. We don't mind paying taxes IF those funds go to the citizens of Ukraine. Not some local person that thinks he or she is God. VENT VENT VENT!
What has been your biggest challenge?
Getting all the CORRECT contracts from vendors and government agreeing to these forms in UKRAINIAN. OK, so we are in Ukraine but the WORLD speaks and does business in ENGLISH. Translation expenses are difficult to explain. Yes, they all have to be REPLACED each year. Additional expenses for all. WHY?
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Friends telling friends plus they all love the pictures on our FREE travel web site, http://ukrainiantours.com
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Slow but we seem to get listed on page one of www.google.com if you ask for business tours Ukraine as an example.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Maybe three years. Forever if possible. It isn't the money, it is the mission. Build a new FREE Ukraine through good business.
Who will benefit the most?
The children. There are 300,000 orphaned children in Ukraine. Maybe more. Our goal is to not just bring them a few gifts now and then. We want to find HOST families to come here to ukraine and sponsor one child or more. Not to adopt but to love. These children need a FAMILY. Even if it is far away. If we find just ONE family per child, we will solve this issue this year. Were you alone for Christmas? Did you have a big meal and receive gifts and most of all HUGS from your family? Try being one of these beautiful children for one day. These children will grow up to be adult Ukrainians and will be OUR FAMILY forever. Big challenge? Worth it.
What is your website address?
Thomas Global Ukraine
