In the “Way to success” section we study how sports and careful attention to your health help you develop your business. Here are the stories of several entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts.
Photo: Personal archive of Dmitry Demchuk.
I wake up early and immediately go running, exercising, or doing yoga.
In normal life, I get up between 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning. When I compete, my daily routine changes a little. It takes some time to prepare. Then I get up at 3:00 in the morning, have breakfast at 4:00 and leave at 5:00. This summer I spent 47 days in this mode, because I crossed the road from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea alone.
At my usual time, after my morning training, I start working. I have lived in Africa for the last three years, so I am used to doing business remotely.
Photo: Personal archive of Dmitry Demchuk.
During a marathon you have to eat a lot. On normal days I like a balanced diet: salad, soup, main dish and compote.
I usually spend my free time with my family or playing sports. I really like to lead an active lifestyle. I like trail running, running in the mountains. Favorite distance: 160 km. Sometimes I do triathlon. I ran the full IRONMAN four times.
I opened my own company at the age of 23 and immediately made my dream come true: I went to study to be a pilot.
Another hobby is aviation. My conscious childhood passed in the city of Zhukovsky. I went to a club for young technicians and made model airplanes. The first thing I decided to do was start a business and as soon as the opportunity arose I started studying to be a pilot.
I started the company when I was 23, so I was busy for a while. I fulfilled my dream of being a private pilot when it was possible. I now have four planes in South Africa.
Photo: Personal archive of Dmitry Demchuk.
Training to be a pilot is my hobby. Back in Moscow, I built a helipad at my summer cottage. A private pilot flew to me so I wouldn’t waste time traveling to the club. So he and I trained in a helicopter.
He is also interested in sailing. I’m planning to swim across the Atlantic Ocean. I have my own yacht in South Africa.
Running helps me relax and change.
In general, my love for sports began in school. It was about grade 10-11. Then I discovered an interesting phenomenon. If you ran 15 km before the exam, you passed everything with at least a B. Knowledge emerged and even complex materials were easily remembered.
I stopped consciously preparing for exams. Instead, he started running. Now sport occupies a very important place in my life. It also helps run the business.
My entrepreneurial journey started quite early. In fourth grade I had a small business. I made icon shelves and sold them in a church store. That’s how I earned my first money.
Photo: Personal archive of Dmitry Demchuk.
Problems push us to find new solutions and this moves the business forward. I think that without difficulties it would not be interesting.
One of the important character traits for running a company is courage. It is not for nothing that people are called “entrepreneurs”. They decide to open their own business. I mean, these people are doing something. For many people it is not so easy to leave a stable job. Because of this, they lose the opportunity to be free.
My business is based on delegation and trust in people.
Many people believe that it is necessary to do everything yourself if you want to get a good result. I don’t think so. Let someone do it a little worse, but not with their hands. As John Rockefeller said, “I’d rather get 1% of the work done by 100 people than do 100% myself.” I also adhere to a similar principle.
There is another motto in my work. It is necessary to make decisions on any matter more easily. Opening a business should be like tying your shoelaces.
Photo: Personal archive of Dmitry Demchuk.
At the beginning of the trip, I would also advise making a decision as quickly as possible. I think I did everything right, but maybe I would have opened my own business even sooner. At first everything was intuitive. It took a long time to find the right path.
Sports help me a lot in business. First of all, it relieves stress. Secondly, an opportunity to think. That’s why I love running. Most of the time, classes last an hour, during which time you can think about a lot of things. In addition, I now run 1400 km in the mountains. I can make important business decisions and generate ideas.
Sport gives determination. And in business it is very important: decide to act at the right time and place. Often, while running, I assign some tasks to my assistants. For example, the last time I ran 1200 km through the Caucasus Mountains, I bought a business, an apartment in Moscow and opened a new branch. He did many things. I think without training it would have taken me much longer to decide on this.
I started participating in competitions in 2017. Then I ran 50 and 100 km. This fascinated me and also helped me in business.
Over the course of my time, I have completed approximately 40 marathons and four IRONMANs.
He participated in swimming competitions. The longest distance is 10 km. It was in South Africa, in Knyzna Bay. We swim upstream.
Last year I participated in the most important competition: the 1,200 km Armageddon race. He covered the entire Caucasus Mountain Range, from Dagestan to the Krasnodar Territory. This year the route was a little different. In June I ran 1,400 km alone through the Caucasus Mountains.
This was my sports goal for the current year. I traveled 1400 km from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea. It started on June 14. I was going to complete the route in 30 days, but along the way I decided to experiment.
He wanted to conquer the two highest points of Elbrus. In the end, the entire trip took me 47 days. I also took a small bottle of water from the Caspian Sea and poured it into the Black Sea, thus connecting the two seas.
46 steps, ascent to both peaks of Elbrus without acclimatization, snow and southern heat – all this was on the way during the trip.
As for discipline, I don’t have clear rules. I try to do running exercise every day. But in general I am not a very disciplined person.
Photo: Personal archive of Dmitry Demchuk.
With each distance you realize that anything is possible. After 160 km, 100 will seem like nothing. So in increasing order. After 1200 km, any road is no longer so important or difficult.
The training teaches you how to be a leader and occupy a successful position.
Many athletes become entrepreneurs. And in general they achieve success in life. It is not in vain that all English educational systems pay a lot of attention to sport, even in South Africa. There, two or three lessons are dedicated to training every day. That is, half of school time is dedicated to sports.
I don’t have idols in sports. I focus more on entrepreneurs like Richard Branson. Or famous travelers. For example, in Konyukhov, it is certainly very durable.
Inspired by Francis Chichester, who at the beginning of the last century flew around the world by plane. He was knighted “Sir” by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain as the first sailor to sail solo around the world.
Yes, besides running, I also love water sports. For example, surfing behind a boat, on an artificial wave and in the ocean.
If you are thinking about starting your own business, this information will be especially useful:
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I also tried skydiving. Maybe I’ll continue. In general, I dream of flying in a flying squirrel suit, the so-called wingsuit. Jumping off cliffs is dangerous. So I decided it was better to go by plane. If the weather is cloudy, you maneuver and feel a sense of freedom.
Of course, I still have room for improvement. I don’t need money, I can afford whatever I want. Travel, live in another country, etc. Now I am interested in making this world a better place.
I founded the charitable foundation “Support, Compassion and Development”. We help autistic children and people with disabilities.
We also sponsor the Murom “Phoenix” center for disabled people. Perhaps in the future we will expand our addresses. We will provide assistance to young entrepreneurs or athletes.
We already had a similar experience. We sponsor long distance athletes. We also took this opportunity to develop the brand. Athletes ran in company uniforms and won prizes repeatedly.
Photo: Personal archive of Dmitry Demchuk.
There is something called a “cucumber jar.” I’ll explain it now. If a fresh cucumber falls into a jar with pickled cucumbers, it quickly becomes the same. Therefore, you need to surround yourself with people you want to be like.
If your goal is to be rich, associate with successful people. Do you want to become an outstanding athlete or traveler? Join the circle of those people.
It is also important to try and not get discouraged. The winner is the one who made the most attempts and achieved the desired result.
Books and movies that everyone should read and see.
I really love biographies: Churchill, Napoleon, Caesar, Branson. I like reading about empires: Roman, Russian, British. Of course, its development mechanisms are interesting.
One of my favorite books is “Three Cups of Tea.” School at the ends of the earth.” It is about how a man built 360 schools in Muslim countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is very interesting to describe how he did it.
My favorite movie is Forrest Gump. I saw it between 15 and 20 times. Also “Point Break” with Keanu Reeves. Sometimes they tell me I look like him. I also like movies about extreme sports and business development.
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Habits that keep me alert, both physically and emotionally
Sport is the main thing. No matter what happens, he will always help. And also communication with people. I really love communication. I find a common language quite easily in any country. In South America I integrated into society in a few months. Everyone thought he had been living there for several years.
Photo: Personal archive of Dmitry Demchuk.
lightning survey
If you could become a professional athlete in any sport, which would you choose and why?
I would choose to run because I like it. I can become a professional athlete. I ran a daily 190 km marathon. To become a master of sports, you need to travel 240 km. I can do this.
What was your first job and your first ruble earned?
I earned my first ruble by delivering bottles. But I earned my first income making shelves for a church store. In ninth grade more serious matters happened. Back then I restored armchairs, chairs and antique furniture. I reupholstered, varnished and sold it to customers for $50. The main business started after the army, then I opened KardanBalance. Now it is a fairly large company, with more than 12 branches and a call center in another country.
If you could try any profession for a day, which one would you choose and why?
I would definitely try the astronaut profession. This is a childhood dream.
Favorite gym exercise.
I prefer to run outside.
What do you usually do to relax after a hard day?
Running helps better, after which you get a second wind to deal with family problems and household chores.
Which athlete do you consider iconic?
Eliud Kipchoge is the fastest marathon runner in the world.
Messi or Ronaldo?
Both Messi and Ronaldo, of course. These are legendary athletes. It’s hard to say, I’m not a football fan, but I think Messi.
Imagine having to eat the same dish for the rest of your life. What will it be?
I would prefer soup. It’s quite light and you feel active afterwards.
Should you force yourself to exercise? Yes or no, why?
Sport relieves stress and is an opportunity to think. It helps a lot in life. But you don’t need to force yourself.
Sports should be done voluntarily. You can find some hobby that you will definitely like. There are many options. If you don’t like running, start walking. You will be able to enjoy nature and explore the beautiful surroundings. The best option is when the heart is trained. People live longer if they walk a lot.
Let’s analyze the topic together with a psychologist:
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Do you want more tips and tricks for a healthy lifestyle?
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