Dmytro Myshenin‘s entrepreneurial path started in 2011 with the selling of construction and building materials. In 2015, he diversified his business and moved into furniture manufacturing. A dedicated entrepreneur, Dmytro financed much of the company’s expansion and improvements himself. He also took advantage of grants from international and government organizations, which his company used to buy new equipment and tools and create a substantial number of new jobs.

However, his Woodbrand Furniture Company’s real transformation began in early 2019, when it won a grant from USAID’s Competitive Economy Program (CEP).

In November of 2019, Dmytro learned that his company had won a grant from USAID and immediately started looking for additional employees.  Until then, Woodbrand had employed 15 people, including a disabled person. The grant allowed the company to hire 10 more. 

“We are so happy to have the new equipment. The whole team is delighted!” says Dmytro. 

As a result, company's sales grew by more than $74,000 (a 600 percent increase).

The inspiration for Woodbrand’s next step came after company representatives visited the 2020 Kyiv International Furniture Exhibition. Dmytro and his employees came back from the trip with a new goal of returning to the exhibition in 2021 as suppliers. The team is overhauling the company’s catalog and website and is actively promoting the brand on social networks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tempered sales, but the company has made good use of the time to prepare the launch of its own furniture line. Employees are busy working on reorganization, increasing production efficiency, logistics, and strategy development. 

“We understand that production implies a need for constant growth. Only those who continue to evolve will continue to make a profit. From that comes the requirement that we invest effort and money into workers, equipment, and tools,” Dmytro explained.