I met Marina 3 years ago. She interviewed me for my first position in the affiliate marketing industry, being the CEO of G.Partners at the time. Since then, our work has turned into a friendship. Now Marina is a CMO in a well-known affiliate program, I have moved to Wild Wild Group, and, of course, the frequency of communication has decreased significantly - adult life is full of its own problems. However, it seems that this has only strengthened our friendship, and although we rarely see each other, it only makes our meetings more joyful.

Since meeting Marina, I've learned a lot about her - it may sound trite, but it's true: a talented person is talented at everything. A person who started out as a promoter selling mayonnaise in a supermarket and became the chief marketing officer of large IT companies.

But the most interesting thing is that she didn't stop there and built a successful business outside of the affiliate - a chain of coffee shops! So meet Marina's sincere story in HWYD! And another tip: brew a strong cup of coffee and let the invigorating aroma immerse you in reading our story with a taste.

Kostya Golubev, editor-in-chief of HWYD

Childhood.

Youth

Parallel business not related to the industry

Background of Gentle Partners 

Behind the curtain of the launch - pregnancy and changes

The structure of Gentle Partners

The future of Gentle Partners

The incredible story of Victoria Maslova or How to leave a thriving project and devote yourself to your family?

We at How Was Your Day love our friends! Sincerely! And not only the new ones, but we also remember those with whom we went through both Crimea and Rome 🙂.

One of the most prominent figures in the field is definitely Vika Maslova - ex Head of AFFHUB! We decided to talk to our old friend and find out where she is now, what this extraordinary person lives and breathes!

Our conversation was, as always, full of emotions, tears of joy and inspirational words. Vika shared the most intimate things. The things that are told only to those close to her and in a whisper. However, all of us in our HWYD community are friends, so with Vika's permission, we are happy to share it with you.

So that you do not worry and know that Vika is doing well. She became a mom! However, how did she feel about leaving AFFHUB, does our heroine miss the industry, and how did she realize herself further - in our new interview.

Enjoy your reading!

HWYD editorial team

Childhood.

Student years

The scope of arbitration

Affhub now

Reasons for dismissal

Personal life

HWYD: Tell us about your childhood.

Anastasia: I was born in Pyriatyn on 23.08.99, but I have lived in Kyiv all my life. I grew up in an ordinary family: my mom, dad and younger sister. My parents worked at a state-owned production facility, and, as was often the case in those days, I didn't spend much time with them - their work took up most of their day. But for me, it was the norm, because that's how everyone around me lived. My childhood was like many others: simple, ordinary, and without any frills. One of my fondest childhood memories is my birthdays. They were always special because my mom always came up with something interesting to make this day unforgettable. I think it was from her that I got my organizational skills. Another interesting fact is that my dad's birthday is the same day as mine. We are both Leos, so imagine how much of a challenge it was to make me feel really special. But my mom always managed to do it, and every birthday I had remained magical.

Since childhood, I knew that I wanted to be a managerial leader. Working with people is definitely my thing, and I felt that it was in this area that I could realize myself fully. But at the same time, I have always been attracted to creativity. As a backup, I even considered becoming a choreography teacher. Dancing, movement, self-expression - it was close to my personality, but in the end, the desire to organize, lead and work with teams won out.

I loved school, especially from the 8th grade, when I started to actively participate in all events. I was always in the center of attention, organizing events, leading performances, participating in KVN, dancing, and competitions. I even held the "position" of the Minister of Culture in the school government. I always wanted to change something, to invent something new, and it was school that helped me develop my leadership skills. As for my studies, I liked everything related to literature, history, law, biology and chemistry - it was "my thing". But math and physics never aroused much interest. I understood them, but they seemed boring to me, because I knew that they would not be useful to me in life. If it's hard to pick out your favorite subject, it's easy to pick out the one you didn't like at all - it's definitely physics!

I was extremely active in school life and participated in everything possible! In addition to the KVN team, I organized cultural events, concerts, sports competitions - my initiative and energy were everywhere. I also took part in competitions, especially in biology, geography and Ukrainian language. I have collected many diplomas, medals and letters of commendation - each victory gave me even more motivation to move forward. I have always liked to stand out, and the spirit of competition is like an engine for me. This is what charges me to work even better and achieve more.

Dancing occupied a special place in my life - it was not just a hobby, but a real passion. I was a professional dancer, and of course, it took up most of my free time. But it was worth it: I won first places, participated in competitions, and traveled abroad. Dancing not only helped me unload and distract myself, but also tempered my character, taught me discipline, endurance, and the ability to pursue my goals.

HWYD: What path did you choose after graduation?

Anastasia: I entered the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. My uncle was involved in the construction business in my family, and I saw how promising this area was. So I decided to enter the management department, because I knew for sure that I wanted to manage people. However, after six months, I realized that effective management is impossible without deep practical knowledge. So I decided to get another degree and entered the engineering program. As a result, I received two degrees and graduated with honors. It was a challenge, but at the same time a great experience that laid a solid foundation for my future career.

My student years were one of the best times of my life. I was again in the center of attention, I became a senior citizen, and everyone knew me - from the rector to the head of the department. The most memorable feeling is when you are not just known, but perceived as one of their own. For example, when teachers invited me to have borscht at their department, it was a real recognition. Every day was a new story. Student life was in full swing, and this was its special magic.

HWYD: How old were you when you started working? What prompted you to do so?

Anastasia: I have always strived for independence, so my first attempts to earn money were in my childhood. I used to pick berries and vegetables and sell them, and I also collected stickers and resold them in class. Later, I started helping my classmates by writing term papers and diploma papers.

But if we are talking about more conscious work, then from the age of 17 I already clearly understood that I needed experience, and the sooner I got it, the better. So it was at 17 that I started working officially, taking my first serious steps towards independence and professional development. But I seem to recall that I bought a gift for my mother with my first salary!

HWYD: How, under what circumstances, and when did you get into 1win Partners UA?

Anastasia: One day I decided that I wanted to try something new, because my job as a project manager in IT no longer interested me. I submitted my resume and was contacted by a very nice HR person. From the first minutes of our conversation, everything became clear, so I joined the team without hesitation. Since then, I have been here for many years and I am happy that I made this choice.

If I highlight the main points, my responsibilities include the following:

• Work with merchandise, CRM system, and warehouses.
• Interaction with partners and development of partnerships.
• Development and implementation of stands.
• Organization of events, team building and corporate events.
• Team coordination and strategic planning.
  Implementation of effective business solutions for the company's growth.
• I am responsible for an integrated approach to managing and developing internal and external processes that contribute to the company's scaling.

HWYD: What is your biggest achievement as a part of 1win Partners?

Anastasia: My greatest achievement is that I continue to develop, open up new opportunities and stay true to myself despite the challenges of life. I am sure that our greatest achievements are yet to come. But today I am proud that everyone knows about our company, our stands are considered the best and even become a model for competitors, and our merchandise has become a standard that everyone wants to get. This confirms that we create a quality product and set high standards in the industry.

HWYD: What are your dreams?

Anastasia: Like all Ukrainians, my biggest dream right now is for the war to end. I want everyone to be able to feel safe in their homes, build a future without fear and live in a peaceful, free country.

HWYD: What is your guilty pleasure: what do you indulge in, what makes you happy?

Anastasia: My guilty pleasure is anything that gives me strong emotions and unforgettable impressions. I especially enjoy traveling, new places, unexpected adventures, and anything that gives me an adrenaline rush. This is what fills life with bright moments and makes you feel truly alive! I don't like to stay at home, so the best weekends are active weekends! I love to explore something new, so I'm rarely caught at home! And, of course, it's meeting friends and spending time with family.

HWYD: Looking back and meeting yourself as a little 10-year-old, what would you say to yourself?

Anastasia: Nastya, don't pay attention to other people's opinions. Go forward no matter what! Set clear goals, focus on the main thing and believe in yourself. You are incredible, and you will succeed!

HWYD: Tell us about your childhood.

Masha: I was actually born in Zaporizhzhia, but since I was two years old I have been living in Kyiv, so I consider myself a Kyivan ☺️ My family consists of my dad, mom and older brother, but we are very close with another family, which is very large and I can't even count them all. So my family is big! Perhaps that's why I have always been brought up and developed a sense of family values. I was also taught since childhood never to lie, although sometimes I had to in my childhood to avoid being scolded by my parents (as it seemed to me at the time, it could save me).
The most vivid memory from my childhood is probably my grandmothers' dacha in Zaporizhzhia, fried potatoes, a bunch of friends in the yard, and homemade pies. This is how I spent my time as a child every summer.

As for my dreams, I have always wanted to become a celebrity: either a singer or an actress, and in my teens, YouTube bloggers started to gain popularity, so I also wanted to be a blogger.

I did okay at school: not bad and not excellent. Sometimes I played hooky, of course, and my grades suffered because of it, but it taught me to always find ways to solve problems. However, I loved going to school - I am very socialized and I like to be around people, so I always found someone to make friends with at school. Among the subjects, I liked English the most, but I hated physics, although when I managed to solve a problem, then temporarily this subject did not become so unbearable))

At the time of my school education, almost everyone participated in Kangaroo, and I was no exception. In addition, I was delegated to the district competitions in English and German. It also happened that I won prizes. I was also a cheerleader and participated with the girls' team in all school competitions.

And where did I go besides school?) Tennis, dancing, gymnastics... Even speed-reading courses) There were a lot of clubs in my life, but I stayed in rhythmic gymnastics and tennis for the longest time.

HWYD: What path did you choose after graduation?

Masha: It so happened that after high school I entered the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy to study sociology, but over time I realized that sociology was not my thing. So I graduated from Kyiv National Economic University with a degree in marketing.

Unfortunately, I don't have many memories from my student days, because it was the time of the notorious coronavirus, so almost all of my studies were done remotely.

HWYD: How old were you when you started working? What prompted you to do so?

Masha: Since I was a child, I was often invited to work as a model, later in my teens I opened my own small online clothing store, and at the age of 17 I started doing SMM for various cafes, which later led me to our field and PR in particular. I think I earned my first money when I was 8 or 9 years old - I took pictures for a children's clothing store, and spent all the money I earned on a table clock for my dad.

HWYD: How, under what circumstances, and when did you get into 1win Partners UA?

Masha: I have been working at 1win Partners for almost a year. Before joining the company, I always noticed what cool stands 1win Partners had at conferences. Also, merchandise and marketing in general inspired me to look for options to join this team. And, fortunately, it happened. I found myself in the company as a PR manager, trying to maintain a positive image of the company in the market, as well as developing various advertising campaigns to make everyone talk about us, and initiating various collaborations that I am passionate about.

I am sure that my greatest achievement in the company is still ahead, but I am happy to work here - in a company that everyone knows about and that is on everyone's lips. There is only more to come!

HWYD: What are your dreams?

Masha: My biggest dream is for the war to end as soon as possible! I want all my loved ones to come together and peace to finally come to our country.

HWYD: What is your guilty pleasure: what do you indulge in, what makes you happy?

Masha: I don't have any guilty pleasures) I enjoy my work and the business I do.

HWYD: Looking back and meeting yourself as a little 10-year-old, what would you say to yourself?

Masha: Everything is always for the best! Everyone should remember this)

HWYD: Tell us about your childhood.

Tanya: I was born on November 7. For some reason, no one likes this fact, because I'm a Scorpio, and everyone but me is sure that I am fully associated with this sign. But I don't believe in horoscopes. I'm from Kropyvnytskyi, formerly Kirovohrad. It's not a big city, but it's pretty nice. But it was too crowded for me.

I have a pretty close-knit family, and my childhood was bright and eventful. The family got together very often and had lunches and dinners. We always had a lot of traditions that allowed us to get together as often as possible. I had a lot of hobbies, a lot of toys, I think I could have had a separate room for them.

My fondest memory from childhood is when I was visiting my grandmother, and my mother called me and told me that there was a surprise waiting for me at home and that I should come back. I arrived home, and there was a gift waiting for me-a small puppy, a dwarf poodle. He was the size of a kitten, completely white, and his ears were the color of coffee with milk. I had been dreaming of a dog and was happy that we finally had a tail at home.

As for my profession, I wanted to be a model, journalist, psychologist, gymnast, and even a molecular cook. As soon as I learned enough about something, I started to find it boring, and I looked for something more interesting. The molecular cook thing is no joke. I remember how my mom printed out a recipe book for me, which I was reading.

I didn't like school from the first grade.) I didn't like waking up early. And in high school, I was a real rebel. I was for justice and always fought back against all the teachers who allowed themselves to communicate with students in a rude way. I also loved to argue, to defend my opinion. I adored law, I was very interested in learning about the law and solving problems on it. And most of all, I disliked math and German, I just didn't like teachers, and I played hooky very often. School years are a separate page of my life, where I was a rebel

However, I even attended some Olympiads and have my diplomas somewhere, but I don't remember which subjects. But I was always drawing school posters for all the holidays.

The longest I studied at a music school was 8 years of piano. I graduated and was very happy about it, because it was a school after school with its own lessons. I also took art classes. And there was a club where there were different creative directions: modeling, drawing, beading. As for sports, I went in for dancing since kindergarten, then rhythmic gymnastics for a little over a year, but I got injured, so I couldn't attend competitions, and therefore stopped doing it because I wanted to win))

HWYD: What path did you choose after graduation?

Tanya: I have two higher education degrees. The first one is in translation. I entered a private university because my school had a focus on languages, and I had already studied English, German, and Polish. I decided to move to Kyiv, so I just chose any university. My second higher education was in law at the Academy of the National Police. I really wanted to get there, but as a full-time student I would have to live in a barracks. My parents weren't very happy, but I entered the academy as a part-time student in my second year of university and didn't regret it. I really liked it, I wrote articles and even published one. Now I have just completed my master's degree and passed my exams a month ago.

My student life was full of warm moments - it's hard to single out anything, but probably the warmest memory is one of the days when my friend came to visit me from another city, and we walked all night, talked a lot, laughed, and then met an incredible dawn. For some reason, this memory is very vivid for me, and I still remember this moment perfectly.

HWYD: How old were you when you started working? What prompted you to do so?

Tanya: Since I was 17 years old. Have I mentioned that I was very persistent?) My parents didn't want me to live in a dormitory, they were against me working and wanted me to study. And my mom said I wouldn't get a job because I was underage. I said, "We'll see!" and hung up the phone. I had never done that before. An hour later I found a job, called my parents and told them. They were shocked, and we laughed about it. But my parents wanted me to spend more time in my childhood, not work.

With the first money I earned, I rented an apartment because my parents were right that I wouldn't be able to live in a dormitory-I lived there for less than a month, and I didn't even put my things away.

HWYD: How, under what circumstances, and when did you get into 1win Partners UA?

Tanya: Two of my friends worked at 1win Partners. I was looking for new offers for myself and one day I received two offers: the first one offered to manage a full-cycle marketing agency, and the second one from 1win Partners - to become an affiliate manager. At that time, I had been in marketing for 4 years, so I decided to try something new for myself and I was right. And now I'm back to marketing and working in SMM and PR.

I am responsible for the company's social media and PR, in short. In fact, it's hard to describe the tasks in a thesis statement. I have a very interesting job now, I'm just thrilled. What I like the most is the opportunity to realize cool ideas with an incredible team that is always supportive. Imagine when your ideas come to life and you get incredible feedback. Especially when others say that they want to do it like 1win.

Probably my greatest achievement in life is that I learned to listen to myself and always do what I want to do. To live authentically, and not to label it as "the right thing to do." As for the company's achievements, I would love to share my children, but I'm sorry, NDA. I think the biggest achievement is just ahead, I don't plan to stop there)

HWYD: What are your dreams?

Tanya: A white house with blue windows overlooking the river so I can paint. In fact, I have a picture of an ideal future in my head, probably like everyone else. But I'm not sure if I want to realize it, because I'm not sure if I really want it. As for the easiest thing to realize, I want a Malinois dog, and I'm waiting for the right circumstances.

HWYD: What is your guilty pleasure: what do you indulge in, what makes you happy?

Tanya: I have a bucket list of all the things I want to do, try, or buy, there's just a bunch of stuff and my "want" never ends. And I'm constantly closing this list.

HWYD: Looking back and meeting yourself as a little 10-year-old, what would you say to yourself?

Tanya: You'll meet a lot of people, but not all of them will stay with you forever, and that's fine. Sometimes friends will leave, but new ones will appear instead. The main thing is to do what you like and don't be afraid to make mistakes. What seems important and scary now will turn into a funny story later.

Every person has their own unique story behind them! It was this life experience, with a touch of warm childhood memories, that led Tanya, Nastya, and Masha to the field of affiliate marketing. And although their stories are different, they have one thing in common: a sincere enthusiasm for what they love! In preparing this material, we aimed to show that behind every successful case there are real people with grandma's pies, dreams of a dog, or sleepless nights working on their theses. Be inspired and go for it! Just like the heroines of our interview did.

HWYD Media editorial team

How Was Your Day Media met with the beautiful and marketing fairy Maria-Victoria for a cup of coffee to find out what kind of family business Masha and her fiancé Yura are building, and whether the couple is afraid to follow the trodden path of other ambitious predecessors whose joint business led to the collapse of their love? Read in our interview to find out what kind of business the couple is developing, whether it is profitable, and what the 7-year life of one of the most famous couples in Ukrainian affiliate marketing has been like.

Masha and Yura are equal co-founders of the agency "2B Digital- a company consisting of several units: an agency account rental service with a focus on Facebook and Google, but the couple's business also includes a large pool of accounts for other platforms (on request). In particular, 2B Creo, as a separate unit, provides arbitrage specialists with creatives for gambling, betting - generally for iGaming, can make static and dynamic creatives, design PWAs, dipfakes, lipsync, etc. The last component of the "2B" triad is "2B Mediabuying" with a focus on Facebook traffic.

HWYD: Whose idea was it to start your own family business, and how did you come to it?

Maria-Victoria: From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Yura started pouring in traffic, he was a buyer and worked for a product company. One day, an agency specializing in agency accounts that he was working with, scammed Yura for 1.5k $. Over time, we figured it out, understood how it worked, and tried to create our own service to be independent and reduce our own risks, to provide ourselves and later other media buying teams with accounts. That's how we started, actually. It was June 2024. So in June 2025, we can congratulate ourselves on our first year.

HWYD: How did you start taking the first steps? How did you realize the idea stage into reality?

Maria-Victoria: We started on our own, managed and created everything with our own hands, and looked for interested teams among our friends. At the beginning, we were three people in the company... Although, I must admit, it still feels strange to call it a company - perhaps we haven't fully realized it and haven't gotten used to it yet. So for now, I feel more comfortable calling our business a team. We currently have 9 employees, and we keep growing. At the start, we were also helped by acquaintances - we have been in this market for a long time, so we offered our friends to take our accounts for a test, they liked it, and it allowed us to scale and gave us faith in our chosen business.

HWYD: What is the name of the agency?

Maria-Victoria: The project is called "2B DigitalWe have a website, but it is not quite up-to-date at the moment, and we also have Instagram page and several channels on Telegram: "2B Digital - general information, about the life of our company and our services, there is also a separate channel "2B Creo" - is a channel exclusively for creative design. We also have an additional service - a creative unifier - it's free, we provide it along with other services to our partners who come to us for creatives. The uniqueizer works in such a way that you can throw any creative into it, press a button, and the bot will do the rest - change small details so that the platform perceives it as different and, accordingly, blocks it less.

HWYD: Who came up with the name?

Maria-Victoria: We came up with the name together and finally narrowed it down to three options suggested by Yura. We settled on 2B, which sounds cool and short. It's a multifaceted name, deep, it can be twisted as the infinitive "to be" - to be, added to different functionalities - to be mediabuying, to be creo. And it can be used to continue the cycle of our services in case of further scaling.

HWYD: Is the business popular among customers?

Maria-Victoria: Yes, we are currently working with the largest media buying teams and within products that work as separate teams in the market, meaning that most of the top companies already cooperate with us, and these are our main clients, and we focus on them and for them. We are not yet ready to work with small teams with a small spread, because it is very energy-consuming and does not bring the desired result. So it's much more efficient for us and for our clients to focus on one large company instead of several small ones and provide it with creatives and accounts.

HWYD: Where and how do you order advertising?

Maria-Victoria: We started with word of mouth: we went to our friends, then to the friends of friends, some recommended us to their colleagues and friends - this is how we built our first customer base. We took the next steps of promotion through my TG channel "Women's View of Gambling" - I advertised there, plus, let's say, I hang out among authors and owners of other thematically similar channels - I agreed with them on publications. My own brand and trust in the Instagram community helped. And now, on the eve of Affhub: Fuck Arbitrage - Arson, we have finally created our own Instagram page, where we will also promote ourselves with high-quality and unique content based on our experience and expertise, as well as set up targeting and participate in various events of the 2B business, buy advertising from media personalities and prepare media articles for various resources so that as many people as possible can learn about us.

HWYD: What type of advertising works best for your business?

Maria-Victoria: Sarafanka. When a person you trust advises you on something that they have tried on their own, it is not even advertising - they are sharing valuable experience. You can make 25 advertising publications in the media, but it's unlikely that at least one will really touch a potential relevant client. Yes, it will increase recognition and trust, but it will work cumulatively over time. Instead, advice from a familiar pro will significantly reduce this time.

HWYD: What is the peculiarity of your business?

Maria-Victoria: We are very loyal to our existing partners: we offer big discounts, we turn a blind eye to certain nuances that may arise from the client in the course of work, we compensate for uncontrolled traffic, which no other agency does - if there is a mistake on our part, we compensate the partner for the amount, whatever it is. There was a case when the amount was 5-digit, but we compensated everything in order not to lose trust. And not only did we not lose it, but we gained it - we continued to cooperate, eventually recouping all previous costs and making it a real win-win.

HWYD: How does it feel to work with your loved one? There's a common belief that you can't work with loved ones. What about you?

Maria-Victoria: Working with your loved one is interesting, to say the least. There are both pros and cons: sometimes work goes into personal life and vice versa - unfortunately, this is impossible to avoid, no matter how hard you try. However, we try to separate work and personal life, because otherwise we will either simply part ways or stop working together, and then the family business will no longer be a family business. Among the advantages: we are very supportive of each other, we can talk about work at any time. Personally, I think that we can manage to combine, but, of course, not without difficulties. I will say that this is not the first project in which we have worked together - before the full-scale war, we had our own network of dance and fitness studios. We started that business as a couple, still young and inexperienced - we were 20 years old. It's cool that after so many years we are still moving together and in the same direction, we have the same views on life and the future - all this only strengthens us and our relationship.

HWYD: Did you and Yura have any disagreements about the business vectors? How did you resolve them?

Maria-Victoria: Of course, we have disagreements all the time, we think differently, sometimes our views are polar opposite, but over the 7 years of our relationship, we have learned to listen and hear each other, to give in to something, to talk and discuss a lot in order to find a solution that will satisfy both of us. Without being too modest, I can say that I think we are a great tandem: Yura is more adventurous and experimental - he always has a lot of ideas, he is always in favor of testing: if it works, okay, if it doesn't work, we move on. I'm a Virgo, I'm more pragmatic: I need to think things through, understand the risks and prepare for them. In this, we complement and insure each other.

HWYD: How is the business doing now? Does it generate a stable income? Do you plan to scale up?

Maria-Victoria: Currently, things are going well, we are developing by leaps and bounds. From time to time, we barely have time to realize how everything is happening so fast. Again, we will only be a year old in June, and we have already opened 3 units, at the end of April we are announcing the launch of our own PWA service for media buyers, and we are currently working on a new product - a CRM system for managing and optimizing the work of media buying teams. Our team is growing, and the main feature of the team is that it consists of family and friends. So our main value is trusted and reliable people. We have been working with each of them for many years, we can rely on them, and we trust each 100%. In return, the team knows that we will do our best and create the best conditions for the personal growth of each teammate.

HWYD: Does the family business affect your main job? In what way?

Maria-Victoria: I can tell you more - it does, but it has an extremely positive effect! Thanks to the first three months of working with buyers at the beginning of my own business as an account manager, I understand how they think, understand what is important to them for their bays, feel all their needs, know their psychology... This is a great skill when working in an affiliate program. At the moment, I work as a PR specialist for Makeberry, and the most important thing for a PR specialist and marketer is to understand your target audience well and know their needs perfectly. And I'm glad that I have the opportunity to develop both in organizing the processes of building my own business, which is focused on the bays, and at the same time grow in a completely different direction with the company I represent as a PR specialist. As for me, this is a perfect match of two opposite, but extremely necessary, sectors of our industry.

HWYD: What are your plans for the future with Yura?

Maria-Victoria: We have ambitious plans for the future. But our main plan is to strengthen our relationship, continue to develop ourselves as individuals, and at the same time become, as they say, a part of society. We are already close to this step - we are planning to get married in the summer, so this is another project of ours - creating a family. I'm sure our experience in business communication will be useful here too. ☺️

Editor HWYD: Sasha, as everyone knows, creates the most top events in the Ukrainian affiliate industry. It's hard to argue with this, and, frankly, it's pointless. So, of course, Sasha is busy with event after event - as soon as the ashes of Arson are burning down, Tribe is already actively preparing - and he has little time to spare. But that's why we love her - even in such moments, she will never say no and will always find time.

Together with Sasha, we tried to make a story about how for the organizers of a convention, it is not about coming to everything ready-made. Each event professionally hides sleepless nights and nerve cells spent on finding and implementing optimal solutions to satisfy everyone, even the most demanding.

I would personally like to urge the representatives of the affiliate community to read this interview and at least once think about the difficulties we sometimes have to go through to create a high-quality, decent, and trustworthy platform for our networking.

HWYD: Tell us about yourself. What kind of family are you from? Who are your parents? What city were you born in? Describe some of your most vivid childhood memories.

Sasha: I was born in Kyiv, into a simple family with hardworking parents. My mother worked in the retail sector as a deputy director of a large shopping center, unfortunately, she passed away very early. My father worked in the furniture industry. For me, Kyiv is not just a place of birth, but the best city on earth, to which I feel a special attachment and love.

My childhood was full of energy and activity. I was a real tomboy - I loved climbing trees and often came home with scratched knees. I especially remember how I would always find stray animals and bring them home to feed and treat them. My parents, of course, were "delighted" with such surprises!

It is significant that my entrepreneurial spirit manifested itself very early on - I earned my first money at the age of 6! I had my own small outlet at the market, where I sold vegetables and fruits from my grandmother. It was my first experience of independence and responsibility.

When I was 17, I got my first serious job at an international company. It was quite an intense period - I worked all day and in the evening I ran to the university for classes. Despite such a busy schedule, in five years I received two degrees from KNEU - a bachelor's and a master's degree in international economics and management.

This combination of early work experience, hard work and natural activity laid a solid foundation for my future professional path and shaped my character - energetic, determined and able to overcome difficulties.

HWYD: How did you get into the field? What was your first impression of the industry and your immediate tasks?

Sasha: I got into the industry by accident. At the time, I was looking for a job that would combine two important components for me - event organization and the ability to actively use the English language. As fate would have it, a cryptocurrency company offered me to head their public relations and event management department, despite the fact that I had no previous experience in this particular field.

My initial responsibilities were quite diverse and exciting. I was responsible for:

• Organization and construction of exhibition stands
• Coordination of team visits to international exhibitions
• Management of the company's PR strategy

From the very first days of work, I was captivated by the dynamism of this industry. Every day was full of new tasks and challenges that required quick decisions and a creative approach. I was particularly impressed by:

• A variety of tasks that never let you stagnate and get bored
• Powerful networking opportunities with interesting people from all over the world
• The prospects for professional and personal growth that were opening up for me

This field seemed to have been created for my energetic personality and desire for continuous development. Although the beginning was accidental, I quickly felt that I had found my place where I could realize my potential and enjoy my work.

HWYD: How did you get into AFFHUB?

Sasha: My acquaintance with AFFHUB was due to professional connections - I knew the previous project manager. At a time when I was actively looking for new career opportunities, I accidentally noticed an open position in the company.

When I saw the job posting, I immediately decided to act and wrote to find out more details. After receiving advice to try my hand at it, I didn't hesitate for a minute - I sent my resume for consideration.

The selection process was quite quick and successful for me. I passed all the stages of the interview without any difficulties, which probably indicated a good match between my skills and experience and the company's requirements. Sometimes the best career turns start with a simple decision to try something new.

HWYD: How did you select the staff? What was the first event from AFFHUB fell on your shoulders?

Sasha: When selecting a team, I focus on soft skills - I look for friendly, honest, and open-minded people. Toxic personalities in AFFHUB there is no room. Although we had to conduct many interviews, the project now has real stars, of whom I am very proud!

My first event at the AFFHUB was an online format - a New Year's stream from our YouTube channel "Your Traffic Kitchen". It was an important experience that helped me get into the role of a manager and better understand the specifics of the project.

HWYD: Extreme Arson - how many people did you gather? Stands?

Sasha: We managed to achieve impressive results: 2034 guests attended the event, 30 stands and various zones with interactive activities for participants were organized.

HWYD: What were the most difficult cases in the preparation of this conference?

Sasha: The most challenging task was to organize a fundamentally new format - the AFFHUB Mastermind. It was a real challenge for our entire team, because it was necessary:

• Organize 10 tables in different verticals
• Gather 43 industry experts in one place
• Ensure that each table is effectively filled with relevant participants

Despite the complexity, we successfully coped with this task, and this new format really resonated with our audience.

HWYD: In general, in all your practice, what was the toughest case you had to prepare and how did you fix it?

Sasha: In fact, we have not had any tough cases with large-scale problems in our practice, and this is no coincidence - we pay extraordinary attention to the detailed planning of each event. Our success is based on careful preparation and anticipation of possible challenges.

I will give you some examples of situations that we have solved, but they are hardly complex cases, because, again, we are careful in our planning and preparation:

1. It was urgent to find and install a thermal curtain in 12 hours, as it was necessary to keep the room warm with the doors open, and the weather conditions hinted that it would be cool.
2. To provide heat in the 15,000 m² building, we developed a special system, taking into account that no single generator could have pulled the centralized heating. We thought out the mechanics of keeping the heat even in the event of an emergency power outage.
3. To decide and agree on how to suspend 1.5 tons from the ceiling, taking into account the load on the beams and all safety standards for the load on the ceiling. We went through all the circles of hell and all the chief and super mega chief design engineers to solve this issue.
4. To fit 20+ stands on 450 square meters!!!, to leave 1.5-2 m of space for aisles - we played this puzzle for a long time and measured every centimeter without exaggeration. Also, within the same hall, the task with an asterisk was to plan the installations/doors/and the order of arrival so that everything was built on time and the developers did not critically interfere with each other.

And there are a lot of other little things that are not critical, but it was impossible for 100% to ignore them.

HWYD: Which services are usually the most difficult to communicate with during the preparation process and why?

Sasha: In the process of preparing events, we cooperate with many services and contractors, and each has its own specifics. It is difficult to single out any particular category as the most difficult - the key to success is to find an individual approach and the right format of communication with each partner.

We always stick to constructive dialog instead of quarrels or ultimatum demands. This allows us to quickly find mutually beneficial terms of cooperation with anyone.

If I were to single out the most specific category, it would be government services and institutions - communication with them usually takes more time due to bureaucratic procedures. But we see it as part of the work process and find common ground even in such situations.

HWYD: Did you ever have to call on ambulance workers, firefighters, etc. during the conference? If so, please tell us more.

Sasha: Medical representatives are always present at all our events and can be contacted by participants if necessary. We understand that unforeseen situations can arise at any time - someone may suddenly experience a deterioration in their health or need emergency care. In terms of fire safety, we strictly adhere to all established standards. Firefighters are on duty at each of our conferences, although fortunately, we have never needed their services in an emergency. This is a standard part of our safety protocol, which ensures peace of mind for both us, the organizers, and all guests of the event.

HWYD: Did anything ever go wrong during the conference itself? Could you please give us some examples and how they were fixed?

Sasha: Of course, our event team has had some difficulties at events before, but that was a long time ago and before I started working at AFFHUB, which we are very happy about. Now we have a team of experienced event professionals, so there are practically no serious problems. All that happens are little things that can be easily solved:

• The speaker is late - we bring out the next one
• Fonts in the presentation are broken - we fix them during the check
• If the batteries in the microphone run out, we give you a new one right away
• If the headset doesn't work, we change it to a spare one

We don't even consider such moments to be special problems. There are a lot of organizational nuances, but they don't deserve to be called serious problems - they are just working moments that a professional team is always ready for.

HWYD: How do you manage communication with participants/guests so that no one is left unheard?

Sasha: To be honest, I don't see communication with our guests and participants as something that needs to be "handled". We are always open to feedback and take any suggestions for improving our work very seriously. Of course, sometimes we cannot fulfill certain wishes for objective reasons, and it is a shame that some people do not always try to understand our limitations.

HWYD: How impudent are people/companies when communicating? What do they ask for, what do they demand?

Sasha: We're all different, and I have to admit that some individuals and companies really cross the line in their demands. The most common requests:

• Free tickets "for good eyes"
• Discounts for stands without objective reasons
• We would love to provide more free opportunities, but few people consider the real economics of our events. At conferences, we provide a full range of services - from basic admission, water, and interactive zones to food, cocktails, and hookahs. On average, the cost of one guest's stay at our conference exceeds $100, and this is just the direct costs.

Therefore, we are forced to balance the desire to satisfy all requests with the need to maintain the economic feasibility of our activities.

HWYD: Are there any guests/companies that are not allowed to attend your events and why? Or at least unwanted guests.

Sasha: Yes, we have a category of people who are banned from attending our events - guests or companies that support the aggressor country. We consider it unacceptable to provide a platform for those who support aggression against Ukraine. For us, this is not only a matter of business, but also of moral choice and social responsibility.

HWYD: How important is feedback from guests/participants for you? How do you respond to criticism?

Sasha: We really take every piece of feedback we receive extremely seriously. In addition, we constantly conduct internal reflection, trying to objectively evaluate the results of our work. It is very important for us to hear how we can improve our events and the project as a whole. We are always looking for innovative solutions and are happy to implement them in our projects. It is thanks to the feedback from participants and partners that we can find new approaches and make our events even better. As for criticism, we are open to it and even welcome it, but we appreciate constructive comments that are based on real-world experience. Our team is always ready to listen to different opinions and take them into account in our future work, as we strive to create events that best meet the needs and expectations of our community.

HWYD: How many people (not including contractors) from AFFHUB working on preparing for the conference?

Sasha: The AFFHUB internal team of 10 people works on the preparation of each conference.
This compact team efficiently coordinates all aspects of events: from concept development to logistics management and participant relations. Thanks to our professionalism and clear division of responsibilities, we are able to organize large-scale events even with a small team of in-house employees, engaging contractors only for specialized tasks.

HWYD: How many in total, including contractors?

Sasha: The total team size, including all contractors working on our conferences, is up to 25 people. The exact number depends on the scale and complexity of a particular event. For simpler events, the team may be smaller, while more complex projects require additional specialists in various fields.

HWYD: What are your future plans personally and AFFHUB In particular? I heard you have international projects in the works? Please share what the community can expect.

Sasha: I have to admit, I have such a busy work schedule that I don't always manage to pay enough attention to my personal plans. However, now I really intend to travel more, find time to relax and attend more international industry events. This is important not only for personal development, but also for generating new ideas for AFFHUB.

As you correctly noted, we are actively working on international expansion! We will soon announce our conference in Warsaw. It will be a large-scale event, for which our team is already carefully preparing.