Doing business internationally means many opportunities, but also many challenges. A person learns as they go, and sometimes they are given a lesson they will never forget. That’s exactly what happened to me.

We led the company Aluko, which operated in Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Austria and France. Everything was going relatively well, but one day an unexpected fine arrived – 38,000 euros for an administrative error in Sweden. My first reaction? “What?! You can make beautiful dreams come true for that kind of money, and we’re just supposed to throw them out for some bureaucratic mistake?”

At that moment, I realized that even a small inattention can have major financial consequences. But in the end I said to myself – it could have been worse . Some competitors received even larger fines. But for me, it was a clear message: You can’t do business without paperwork.

Since then, I have dug into the company’s processes, set up rigorous controls, and made sure every detail was under control. And I still do it today.

What did this experience teach me?

✅ You can have any good business model, but if your paperwork isn’t in order, sooner or later there will be a problem.
✅ Watch your cash flow and don’t waste money, even if you have a good income. If you learn how to manage small, it will work on a large scale.

Today I know that when I’m building a business, it’s not enough to just work hard and be the best at what I do. I also have to think about things that seem insignificant at first glance – because in business, a small thing can decide whether you grow or pay for expensive mistakes.

To this day, I thank the ladies at Aluk for always approaching these things responsibly. Thanks to this, we eventually built a successful company, which my team and I successfully sold.

Paperwork is not a pleasant thing. But sometimes you have to do what is not pleasant – but essential .