(interview)

Konstantin Kozhemyaka is the owner of the family printing house Huss and the niche publishing house ArtHuss. His advice will definitely come in handy for budding publishers.

“What three tips would you give yourself early in your career?”

Konstantin Kozhemyaka: “The first advice is not to go into projects that give immediate results. I know that there are young people who love to tell how in 3-5 months their undertakings are already profitable. Then everything just as quickly exhausts itself, and they think about the next business. That’s not mine. Mine is to work on something that, as a rule, gives results in 3-5 years, but the effect of these projects is long lasting. The second tip is to delegate everything and give marketing to yourself. Therefore, always in any of my business, the main marketer is me. Third, it is impossible to grasp the immensity, you need to work with professionals to whom you set tasks, and then they, relying on their competence, implement them.”

“What should an employee be like so that a year after hiring him or her you feel that you have made the right choice?”

Konstantin Kozhemyaka: “If we are talking about team players or staff members, then I never had the need to wait long to understand whether a person was right for me or not. Team members define success, so here I focus primarily on skill level and engagement. If a person is indifferent to the matter, then there will never be any sense, but if his eyes are sparking, then I understand that I made the right choice.”

“How to maintain a work-life balance in order not to get tired and be effective?”

Konstantin Kozhemyaka: “First, I should be doing what I love. My work is creative, and it helps a lot to maintain balance. And, of course, the fact that I really like to delegate powers saves a lot. Once upon a time, at the beginning of my activity, I suffered from the tutelage of my subordinates, and then I realized that if I took a person into a team, agreed with him the sphere of competence and area of ​​responsibility, then not I, but he should tell me how he or she would achieve effective play in the team on his or her site. This approach greatly relieves me and motivates a team member — he or she is doomed to be involved in the process and feel his or her involvement in the result achieved.”

“Where to look for inspiration?”

Konstantin Kozhemyaka: “My formula is quite simple: family and favorite hobbies. And also the communication with creative people. By and large, all my best ideas arise when I can be in silence, with myself, and it is desirable that this should be a long time. Rest also helps, especially if it is unhurried, lazy — you walk in the woods, and at this moment the best ideas come.”