The birth of an idea

In the summer of 2007, I returned from vacation, determined to change my life. Not because I did not like my place of work, for then, for the fifth consecutive year, I worked as a teacher of English in one of the private universities in Kyiv; and not because I wanted to change my direction. Believe me, the true love of teaching is a vocation that, over the years, becomes deeper and more powerful. I tuned in to change because I did not imagine myself in the same place five years later, with the same store of knowledge, in the same environment. A tragic incident was also a powerful impetus when in August of 2006, my elder brother died in a car accident and, having remained the only daughter of my parents, I promised myself to please them with the success of two children.

So, about holidays and inspiration they brought. We were invited by our mother to the charming island of Sardinia, where emerald and pink beaches do incredible things for our imagination, fantasies, and dreams. There I dreamed of fully leaving my job at the university, and starting the work of my life in the form of a language school. For comparison, in 2007, there were at most two hundred language schools, and today they number over a few thousand. It is interesting to remember that at that moment, almost everyone discouraged me from this “crazy” decision - from colleagues, leaders, relatives and friends to clients with whom I trained. However, among the latter was one charming lady, Oksana, who inspired me with her belief. To her I will always be very grateful. There was also a friend, Tatiana, from whom I sought advice over the phone. To my parents I am sincerely grateful for knowing my purposefulness, as they were silently celebrating and not interfering with what was to happen.

The opening of Veni Vedi Vici and a useful failure in my life

My first support came from a distant relative, who graciously supported the idea of ​​intellectual business, and made great efforts to have an extremely beautiful three-storied room with terraces and stained-glass windows in the heart of the city. Her daughter became my first business partner, in which we both knew little. For my part, I took on the diligent writing of our school concept (which, in fact, became fundamental to the birth of SARGOI), language programs and administrative part. During this period I began to develop an important character trait: self-organization and self-discipline; learning to take responsibility for my actions, to cultivate the right habits and defend my values.

The Veni Vedi Vici language school on Basseynaya Street admitted its first guests on April 8, 2008, and five students became our first clients. It seemed that the dream was about to happen - a high mission, a nice room with waterfalls, talented teachers, satisfied customers who grew more every day... But eight months later, I decided to turn Veni Vedi Vici into Speak & Go. Why?

Occasionally, jokingly, I call Veni Vedi Vici a great but wonderful failure in my life. And not because I disagreed with our first partner; I'm even grateful to her for such an important role in my life. And not because at the age of 27 I was left without work, without a flat, without a husband, and with only basic means of subsistence. It was an important and crucial moment in my life, because thanks to it, I was even more determined and dedicated. Thanks to this experience, I realized a great desire and love of teaching is not far from the components of a successful business. In both, you need knowledge of the management of educational institutions, advanced techniques, team building practices, and financial literacy.

My love for Speak & Go despite all the temptations of life

In January 2009, Veni Vedi Vici transitioned to the Speak & Go format, and we moved to Pechersk, into a lovely house with a garden and a view of Motherland Monument. In February 2009, I made one of the most important decisions in my life and began to look for opportunities to study in London. My dream came true, and since then I have been steadfastly gaining international experience in my professional field, translating it into fruitful work. I was tempted many times with interesting suggestions to stay and work abroad, but my love for Speak & Go, rooted in Veni Vedi Vici, was stronger than all the attractive offers. Each year, our small school became stronger, and I actively shared the knowledge I gained in London and Barcelona with my teachers.

During 2013 - 2014, I was fortunate enough to represent the Washington Business Leadership Academy and Diplomacy in Ukraine as Executive Director. This experience broadened my horizons immensely and introduced some key people, who in turn influenced the development of my life. I’m very grateful to the founder of the academy, Mrs. Alexa Chopivska, for the opportunity to grow during this time. It was from Alexa that I learned two key traits of behavior and character: gratitude mindset and growth mindset; the ability to be grateful and the aspiration for development. It is the ability to be sincerely grateful for the small joys of life, and the willingness to work to improve the quality not only of your life, but also of people who are near and dear to you. These two traits of behavior fill our lives with context and beauty. Together with a group of future leaders from Ukraine, we gained precious, unforgettable experience during personal meetings in Congress, the World Bank, advanced universities in America, and the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States.

I also want to write about the first experience of the Speak & Go franchise. The first franchise school was born on March 1, 2015 in my native place Kamianets-Podilsky, founded by my longtime friend and classmate Julia Shvydka. Frankly, when she called in December 2014 and offered to open a franchise, I thought she was kidding... But it was one of the best jokes in my life. I would have a reason to visit my hometown more often, and I understood that friends with whom you share the values ​​of life can still become business partners. From Julia you can learn continuity, a great love for life, and the ability to always go forward.

On the way to self-realization and development of my life, I want to sincerely thank my advisors and mentors:

• for constructive criticism - professor, business coach and president of the business school MIM-Kyiv in 1997 - 2005, Bogdan Pavlovich Budzan;
• for faith, advice and international support - professor at the University of Frederic II in Naples, attorney and specialist in intellectual property, Paolo Poliche;
• for inspiration for self-discipline and the affairs of my life - author of bestsellers on self-development, coach Robin Sharma;
• for the art of being himself and under no circumstances straying from his path - composer and singer from London, and SARGOI international ambassador, Nicky Rubin;
• for love and faith in me as a leader, woman, and mother - my husband Andriy Melnyk;

And yet, in this tumultuous time, I am encouraged by the noble American President Lincoln, with his belief that thorough preparation and sense of humor can create the incredible, in the heads and hearts of man. "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. Here is my religion," he wrote.

Why SARGOI International Community?

In 2016, following the persistent recommendations of my mentor Bohdan Pavlovich Budzan and my husband Andriy Melnyk, I entered MIM-Kyiv Business School and began to study marketing. During one of our cases, I was invited to present Speak & Go, which I was only glad to do. Emotionally and numerically, I had a love for business. Do you know the feeling of one question that makes you rise up and reevaluate yourself, so that after that question your life begins to gain momentum? Do you know such a feeling? During my presentation, Professor Vadim Saveliev asked: "Anastasia, why do you cling so hard and prove that Speak & Go is a linguistic school? Yours are an international mission, values, and people seeking self-development through foreign languages ​​and international experience. This is who I became. And I seriously thought it over. It was only then, a week before the presentation of my thesis at the MIM-Kyiv Business School, that I conceived of SARGOI as a sea fish floating in the blue oceans… I do not think that this coincidence, rather a sign quality intuition.

What's next?

Once upon a time, I dreamed of renting a three-room apartment for English courses, and we opened a three-story school on Basseyna Street. Then we dreamed of going on a cruise to America, but with the help of the TEG leadership program, I had the pleasure of getting to know leaders of Congress, Voice of America, and the World Bank. Once upon a time, I dreamed of attending the EAQUALS conference, a worldwide organization dedicated to international accreditation of linguistic private and public institutions, and now we are preparing for accreditation. In other words, it is necessary to continue to dream, to go forward - and most importantly, to grow to be useful to society and to help Ukrainians gain international, professional experience with high-quality linguistic education.

Our plans for 2018 - 2023:

• successful international accreditation by EQUALS
• development of educational franchises in Ukraine, under the concept of SARGOI International Community
• opening a school for early development and foreign languages, ​​for children from 3 years old
• further development of the community in English-language projects with the involvement of international partners and experts
• introduction of further projects for the development of foreign language teachers

Over the course of ten years on the way to SARGOI International Community, I realized that daily training and realization of knowledge in practice, as well as drawing up and implementing goals that do not contradict, but reproduce the values ​​of your life, can create amazing things. Let this path lead to frustration, pain, despair and failure - these lessons of life make us veritable, honest and genuine.

Thank you to my parents and daughter, who give me their love.

Thank you to every client, because each of you has contributed to our development.

Hats off to the team: managers who lead by personal example, not by a title; vocational teachers; our administration; marketing department; and our information technology team.

With faith in oneself and everyone who seeks change for the better,

Anastasiya Rybak