The New Order: Lilia Oliynyk

L’Officiel Arabia: When and how did you decide to become an entrepreneur? 

Lilia Oliynyk: I always liked to interact with partners, find like-minded people and innovate in everything I do, creating new services / products  which are necessary in a particular segment or in a certain period of market development, but I never planned to manage my own business or be a leader. It was enough for me to have a home and children, interesting work in international companies, cooperation in business projects, and various creative manifestations. Very often, carried away by what we love, we cannot even imagine what result we will come to. Having started my career at the age of 16, having entered the Linguistic University and taught English to children and adults, having created the first groups of teaching kids in kindergartens according to my own game method (then for the first time in Ukraine), having tutored students in many school subjects, having voiced films and made translations of books and documents, I was able to buy my first apartment in Kyiv immediately after graduating from university. Then my activity developed even more intense and exciting, and the scope of initiatives was constantly expanding, which eventually led to the formation of several areas that were of most interest to me and eventually turned into business projects.

LOA: Tell us more about ilive cafe and ilive center.

LO: My experience, knowledge and life position 10 years ago transformed into the mission of TM ilive, which focused on a different approach to catering (we were the first in the restaurant business to offer water and fruits / vegetables as a compliment before ordering, a wide variety of smoothies, dishes from wild plants,  cakes and pastries without flour and eggs, exclusively on natural oils and fruits, and much more - ilivecafe), education and leisure (affordable, varied, basic in one location - ilivecentre).

LOA: Who has inspired you the most in your life? 

LO: Of course, these are my parents, to whom I am immensely grateful, and children are the main inspirers and motivators, because I am sure that we cannot teach children what we do not know ourselves. Therefore, thanks to them and for them, first of all, all my further projects were created.

LOA: Have you ever been to the UAE? If yes, please share your experience.

LO: No, but I really want to and I believe that my dream will definitely come true. 

 

LOA: Are you affiliated with any charities?

LO: I have always collaborated and interacted with many charitable organizations, and 4 years ago I registered "I live in harmony", in which we focused on teaching and organizing leisure activities (of course, with food and gifts) for large families, or, for example, a mother who brings up a child / several children alone or families with sick children. And we also supported most activities for children.

LOA: What new projects are you working on?

LO: Now I pay more attention to the organization of the IV International Ecological Forum Eco Ukraine (which, unfortunately, we could not hold in May this year), the production of organic products and the development of educational and leisure programs for children and adults.