Evgenia Sergeenkova has owned an advertising agency for 8 years and has more than 18 years of experience in advertising. She is also a wife and mother of two sons.
Tell us more about your main occupation and how did you come into this field?
I have been in the advertising world for over 18 years. I’ve come a long way from office manager to owner of an advertising agency. I’m very glad I did because I saw different sides of the advertising business. I got into advertising by chance, not on purpose. By coincidence, I was offered to replace the girl-secretary at a large advertising agency, which belongs to AFK System. That’s where I stayed. Thus, I plunged into the world of big clients, projects, and big budgets.
My main function for many years has been the client service. Therefore, I can say with confidence that making contact with people and keeping their attention is a daily routine for me. And I should say that it’s a pleasant occupation, which can hardly be called a job. I basically enjoy doing my job, it’s probably extremely important for everyone. To find a place of my own that brings joy and inner fulfillment, not destruction.
What difficulties have you encountered in achieving your goals?
The main difficulty was at the beginning of the journey, eight years ago, when we first
started out we didn’t have a portfolio. But I was talking in those moments about personal
experiences with brands during my time as a salaried employee at agencies. And I still hear about that a lot, and I say myself, that it’s not the companies that cooperate with each other, but people do. So my experience legitimately formed the basis of what our agency does.
I don’t look around, I just go. When you start to look around at your competitors, study them, analyze them, in the classic sense of building a business, you automatically see a lot of disadvantages in yourself, which makes you weaker.
You are a nominee for the “Mainstream Women of the Year” award. Can you tell us more about that?
My story of achieving what I have now is quite interesting and, in my opinion, can be useful to girls who, for one reason or another, do not dare to launch their own business. When you have support and an example of how another person went through something similar, it’s easier for you to go after your goal. The “Top Women of the Year” nomination allows you to talk about yourself, your steps, and demonstrate the results.
How do you combine a demanding job and motherhood?
I don’t have a universal recipe. It’s difficult, especially when you do without a nanny. But this is everyone’s choice, for me, it was important to live with a child myself for the first 3 years of his life. At times like these, it’s important to feel supported by others and give yourself a chance to rest.
Now when the older one is in school, and the younger one is in kindergarten, everything is easier. I have the whole working day at my disposal, and in the evening, I already communicate with my children and husband.
You are planning to launch several charitable projects. What kind of projects will they be?
I have developed a need to help people as I grew older. Especially children who cannot realize their dream because of their parents’ difficult financial situation. The dream in this case can look in different ways. It can be a toy or paying for a course or a sports club. My way to my dream was long. I want to help shorten it for children for whom it is really important.
And the second direction – financial literacy for children, there is a similar situation, I learned how to deal with money at the age of 36. It is a pity that I was not introduced to this issue in action.
How to keep yourself and your hobbies in mind when you have an active, daily schedule?
The schedule is active, but as I said earlier, it’s about building a schedule for the day. I do stretch, English, and I get massage three times a week, and twice a month I have beauty treatments. All the above-mentioned procedures are done at home, which saves me a lot of time. Shopping with a stylist also saves time.
How has Covid-19 influenced the sphere of advertising?
Advertising activity did not stop. At the same time, there was a decline in sales, which the brands have adequately endured. And continued to promote their brands.
Specifically, for us, Covid-19 also did not affect much, or rather we quickly adapted to the situation and continued the work process in the new model.
What else do you plan to develop in the next 5 years?
At the moment I am interested in video clips production. I think to develop in this direction. More precisely, I have experience but have decided to move in a separate direction and to grow a profiling agency.
I am studying for an MBA and in a couple of years, I plan to become an international diploma holder.
