Pavel Zingan in an interview with Olga Boreț, director of CUPOS-COM, maib business client
Hello, Olga! What is the business field of CUPOS-COM and how long have you been on the market?
CUPOS-COM was founded in 2011 and our field of activity is international transport.
How did you end up opening your own business?
Until the founding of the company, my entire professional activity was related, in one way or another, to the field of transport. After university, when I had to find a job, I got a job at car factory number 6. Although I studied management at university, it happened in such a way that my entire career was in the field of transport.
After gaining some experience at the car factory, in 2011 I came to the conclusion that I had to start my own way. So I decided to open my own business. The decision was made together with my husband, who supported me, and from then until now we work together on the development of the company and make all decisions jointly.
How did you start in 2011? What volumes did you have?
At the beginning of my independent career in the transport business, we were dealing with brokerage, at that time we did not have our own cars, and the team consisted of two people: me and my husband. After some time, we managed to buy the first car for the business.
What regions do you work with?
Our main regions are Turkey and a number of European countries.
How has the company's team and car park changed in so many years of activity?
In 2024 we have our own 18 cars and a team of 28 people responsible for logistics, drivers, accountants and other colleagues.
You have extensive professional experience and considerable experience in running your own business. During this period you have faced crises several times, an inevitable phenomenon that can either strengthen the company or destroy it. From your point of view, how should crises be managed?
You need to focus on people, your team and employees. If the team begins to fall apart, if the leader does not create conditions that not only preserve, but also help unite the staff in moments of crisis, then the company, most likely, will be doomed to bankruptcy. Therefore, in crisis situations, as a leader, I always put the main focus on the team. The task of the leader is to unite the team, to convey to each employee that there is always a responsible person on whom you can rely and who can solve any problem. After all, that's what saved our company during crises.
Is it difficult to create a united team?
It is not easy to create a team, but the main thing is to focus on what kind of people you need. Now we have colleagues who have been with us for many years and we are glad that our team is becoming more and more united, being made up of true professionals.
All your professional activity is related to transport. At first glance, this does not seem to be a female field... How difficult is it for a woman to work in this field and run a company that provides transportation services?
I do not make a difference between female and male spheres of activity. No one can say that the transportation business is more suitable for men or that men are more successful in transportation. It would be more appropriate to say that professionalism does not depend on gender and we should not believe in stereotypes that could in any way limit the possibilities of women. What matters is how well you do your job, not what field you work in. Stereotypes about female and male professions have remained somewhere in the past and in the modern world we should not rely on such aspects, you should do what you do best and what you like. I never thought that my career would actually be related to transportation, but after trying to work in this field, I realized that I like it. I like big cars, I like trucks. I like all the processes that take place in this business. I realized that it is exactly what I need for my development and career.
Growth in transportation business is not possible without substantial investment. You managed to create a car fleet of 18 cars by 2024…
Yes, and such development in our case is not possible without loans. From the beginning of the company's activity, we started to collaborate with banks to invest funds in the development of the company. In recent years, we have been collaborating with maib and we are satisfied with the conditions they offer us. One of the last loans we took was the loan from the 373 program. It has a very attractive interest rate, so we couldn't miss the opportunity to apply for a loan. Working in the field of transportation, one of the main conclusions I have come to is the need to regularly update equipment and work, as much as possible, with new cars. The loan offers the opportunity to purchase technology directly from the showroom and to update the fleet in time. For us, one of the main advantages of working with maib is the professionalism of the team that supervises us and the speed with which all situations are solved. The loan from the 373 program was approved for us very quickly and easily, so we were able to save time and shortly we were able to purchase new cars.
