In this episode of #TBNE Rob chats with Katya Samotoi about purpose-driven entrepreneurship and how her collective experiences have led her to be a multiple-time founder looking to change the way we give to charitable causes with Dido. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review.
In this episode of #TBNE Rob chats with Katya Samotoi about purpose-driven entrepreneurship and how her collective experiences have led her to be a multiple-time founder looking to change the way we give to charitable causes with Dido.
Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review.
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Show Produced by: Niranjan Deshpande (Nick), Broken Frames Studio, www.brokenframesstudio.com
Creative Director: Maxim Sokolov, www.maximsokolov.com
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EPISODE 89 - KATYA SAMOTOI
00:00:07:11 - 00:00:38:15
Rob Napoli
How we doing Bear Nation. We are back again with another episode of the Bare Necessities podcast. It is a recording that is officially 2023. Second episode of the year is going to be coming out and really just excited, I think where 2022 went by so fast. So I'm excited to get into a topic today about our purpose driven business and charity work, which leads me to my guest, Katya Cemetery.
00:00:39:03 - 00:01:19:12
Rob Napoli
That's that, right? Yes. Katya has over 16 years of work experience ranging from a lot of different space, and she's worked in medicine to dancing, bartending, heavy machinery, fashion designer, operations manager. And she also has launched her own ecommerce brands, and also now CEO and co-founder of a charitable organization. And I think that's so cool that kind of bring up and this topic of purpose driven, because all these different experiences have led you down this path to your passion, which we'll get into, which I know your mission, which I love, is to make this world a better place by helping these companies grow into brands that innovate and do good.
00:01:20:04 - 00:01:33:14
Rob Napoli
And the reason why I love that and talk about that is I have a book called The Social Soul, big on creating brands that drive growth passion. Right? And that's something that we both connected over. So, Katya, welcome to the show. I was a long winded intro, but welcome to the show.
00:01:33:21 - 00:01:38:19
Katya Samotoi
Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here and I'm happy to share everything. I know.
00:01:40:12 - 00:01:51:12
Rob Napoli
We're excited. So I start this. Tell me a little bit. You know, you're currently I'm going to second in Dublin right now. Right. And so what is Galway?
00:01:51:12 - 00:01:53:03
Katya Samotoi
It's west coast of Galway now.
00:01:53:10 - 00:02:22:23
Rob Napoli
So Galway now is over in Ireland, which I love that country. And you have you've had a kind of a blast around trying to get there. We just talked about all those different work experiences, but tell me when was it through? So all these different things, right? From medicine, dancing to bartending, heavy machinery. When did the ideation of you go and say, I'm working on all these jobs and these experiences to I want to be a fucking CEO, I want to be an entrepreneur, I want to do something bigger?
00:02:22:24 - 00:02:34:21
Rob Napoli
Was there a memorable moment? Was there a shift when in your life really kind of did things kind of change over from work to passion?
00:02:36:08 - 00:03:02:04
Katya Samotoi
Yes, that was a change. There was a moment when I realized that I need to do something on my own, and I remember it's very good. I think it was after my first burnout. And yeah, so I, I tried a lot of things. I have a medical degree and I think I always wanted to help people and I always try to through anything I do, I try to prioritize that, but to do something that can help someone else.
00:03:02:21 - 00:03:33:05
Katya Samotoi
So that's why I studied medicine, that's why I worked all those things that I traveled a lot as well. I mean, I lived in Australia for five years where I was selling grains. That's a good that's a very cool experience. That's where I realized that I need to do something on my own because I found the pattern, because it brings me kind of to not to burnout, but I'm getting not satisfied with the job because I'm putting so much in it as it was mine.
00:03:33:20 - 00:03:56:07
Katya Samotoi
But it's not. And in the end, they are following someone else's values and someone else's vision rather than my own, but too much effort in it. So that's how I come up to entrepreneurship and running business. And I've tried a few things, but now it's a charity and also my advice as well.
00:03:56:23 - 00:04:05:11
Rob Napoli
So before we get into kind of what you're doing currently, what when you decided to launch your own first business, what was it? Was it a brand? Is it a product?
00:04:05:19 - 00:04:29:13
Katya Samotoi
Not it was a agency. Because I came back from Australia to Ukraine and living in Australia, I realized that the medicine was very expensive and or for example, some surgeries or some procedures. You have to wait years. So and I realized that this problem is in many, many countries and in the United States as well, same as in Ireland.
00:04:29:13 - 00:04:56:18
Katya Samotoi
And I started the agency that does medical tourism. So basically you have those dentist as plastic surgeons. That is anything because quality of medicine in Ukraine is incredible, is one of the best in in my opinion, in the world. And I've been to many places and the price is very, very low. And also you can do procedures on a base.
00:04:56:20 - 00:05:01:05
Katya Samotoi
So I thought that could be business. So that was my first venture.
00:05:02:02 - 00:05:16:24
Rob Napoli
Nice. And what was your biggest lesson from your first venture when you started that? What do you think was your biggest lesson that you learned? Key takeaway failure experience from from the first kind of business that you started?
00:05:17:13 - 00:05:40:15
Katya Samotoi
I think the main thing I realized I again, for myself personally, you need a partner too. Very hard to do everything on your own unless you just freelancing. So it's not that not even just is equally hard to everything to do on your own, but also mentally. It's hard to bear all the responsibilities and it's easier even if everything goes to shit.
00:05:40:15 - 00:05:59:10
Katya Samotoi
I'm sorry for my language. You still have someone to share this disappointment with. So I think that's that's what I would recommend. Also, people who just starting maybe try to find a partner, but that's I think that's another issue that is very important as well, that the partner needs to be right. It's like a relationship.
00:06:00:01 - 00:06:23:04
Rob Napoli
That I know that there's some people out there that, you know, there's got two schools of thought that you either have like one CEO, one co founder is telling me one head coach, but I'm a big proponent of having kind of like multiple having that partnership because you you have that kind of ability to lean and no one person to handle all that.
00:06:23:04 - 00:06:46:20
Rob Napoli
No one person is smart enough. And there are exceptions. Right. But the end of the day, even, you know, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, like you think of these big people that have these big companies, you know, Melissa meyer with Yahoo! Giving them how to hire people smarter than them to do the things they couldn't.
00:06:47:06 - 00:06:47:13
Katya Samotoi
Yes.
00:06:47:21 - 00:07:25:02
Rob Napoli
And really driving a big business growth comes from putting the right people in the places to be successful. So I'm a big proponent of having a co-founder, and that's the first company I started. I had a co-founder and I think that was the best experience to do things. So I'm with you on that. So as you kind of, you know, you've traveled the world like being from Ukraine, living in Australia and Ireland and all over the place, what kind of led you through these experiences to starting the companies that you have now and Vistry group?
00:07:25:08 - 00:07:39:00
Rob Napoli
And ditto, what what kind of led you from that first experience to today as you kind of go through this path of passion and understanding what that is and managing these different businesses.
00:07:40:11 - 00:08:02:16
Katya Samotoi
I what I learned and how it led me there. I think the first of all, I was learning a lot as I was going, as I was growing, as I was testing things, failing things, which is the best part of it. And but yeah, as I said before, I knew I wanted to make a difference. I knew it since I was very, very small.
00:08:02:17 - 00:08:39:09
Katya Samotoi
I was like, I need to have a big, big purpose. And that's where I came with. That's where we came with Viceroy, myself and my co-founders as well. So we started with launching a brand that called Fragile Club. I mean, still exist. So it's a purpose driven brand which had no like nonprofit kind of model. We manufactured the clothes in Ukraine, which is still there now, but it was selling and the brand was about mental health.
00:08:39:16 - 00:09:08:14
Katya Samotoi
And the idea was to sell things, make money and donate them to mental health support stigma to fight. I don't know, different. How do you say they're basically to raise awareness and so on about mental health? Then we started to do it. Then COVID came and then we started to we did the masks and which went really good and which is an amazing product.
00:09:08:24 - 00:09:40:14
Katya Samotoi
And and then it just started to go on with different brands. For example, Doctor Foster is the immuno supplement that's not natural. And also it's produced in Africa, which gives the work to people in Uganda. So basically everything you kind of do because you do need to make money that the business can survive without it. But I think you have to have a bigger goal in mind, bigger purpose in mind than just making money.
00:09:41:12 - 00:10:06:10
Rob Napoli
Yeah, I love that. And I know, you know, with Pfizer, I really focus on building brands for creators through purpose driven, kind of purpose driven DTC, right? direct to consumer. When you're working with others and you're looking to to launch these brands, when you think about Purpose driven, right, it means a lot of things to a lot of people.
00:10:06:21 - 00:10:15:10
Rob Napoli
What is purpose driven means to you and how do you help others see what purpose driven means and context of brands?
00:10:15:10 - 00:10:46:09
Katya Samotoi
That's a good question. So our purpose driven means to me that your business outcome is not just monetary value, but there helpful to other people or to communities or to planet, to anything. Basically, it's not just money to do business. Outcome is not just money, and it's the demining because it's a lot of people I know a lot of businessmen, I know a lot of entrepreneurs.
00:10:46:09 - 00:11:16:19
Katya Samotoi
I know for me they're two different ones because he could be always a business admin but not always interconnect. And sometimes you have to have to make a decision in the company when you either choose profit or more ethical ways. So and that's where this purpose driven idea comes as well, that you're always going to go for ethical choice rather than just.
00:11:17:11 - 00:11:47:07
Rob Napoli
Go, well, sustainability, ethical choices, you know, it's a hot topic of conversation and everyone talks about it, but very few do about it, right. So how do you I guess for those that are interested in the space, Right. You know, you work with these brands, how do you find those seven companies? Right. And the reason I ask is we know that millennials and Gen Z want to work for companies that are purpose driven.
00:11:47:07 - 00:12:05:19
Rob Napoli
The fact that over 51% of companies don't have an employee value proposition, which is like, what is the employee's purpose and the purpose of the company for the employee? And millennials and Gen Z want that. So we start thinking about purpose driven companies in this community. How does one go about finding that community? How do you get in touch those type of companies?
00:12:05:19 - 00:12:11:10
Rob Napoli
How do you how does one actually get to be in this space of purpose driven, if that makes sense?
00:12:11:22 - 00:12:34:10
Katya Samotoi
Yeah, I think if you want to find that company, you s for example an employee, you you go the first, you go for what you want to do, then you do basically analysis and you see what companies companies do. And it also the good thing as well, which I believe you can find founders or CEOs or a top management in there in the company on LinkedIn.
00:12:34:10 - 00:12:54:14
Katya Samotoi
And you can see what people they say about if they if they in my opinion, if companies said, oh, we're all about mental health, and then someone says, Oh, I can deal with trauma, which is the founder is like, that's that's that's not how it doesn't work because it's like you don't you don't you don't see what people say.
00:12:54:14 - 00:12:55:09
Katya Samotoi
You see what they do.
00:12:57:01 - 00:13:25:19
Rob Napoli
And actions speak louder than words. So, yes, you know, when we think about this, you know, this idea of mental health, we've talked you've talked about it a couple of times, and we brought up that, you know, kind of that second burnout was when you decided that astronauts, how about you're experience with with burnout and mental health and why is that so important to you?
00:13:26:16 - 00:13:35:01
Rob Napoli
And what are some the things that you do as a multiple company founder to protect your mental health while still being able to drive business?
00:13:36:03 - 00:14:01:00
Katya Samotoi
Yeah, that's that's also a good question. I mean, I still I'm still figuring out how to deal with that. And it's it's very hard because if you put your heart into something that is a very big chance, you will burnout and it's not bad. But I think what what I mean, what I personally do is, is a therapy, therapy is good, even if you don't need the therapy to coach.
00:14:01:00 - 00:14:31:09
Katya Samotoi
I think it's the same idea, but it just helps you to navigate more. It's like going to the gym to build muscles the same way as a therapy is to train your emotional response as to the thing, how to validate them, but how to actually avoid the burnout. So that that's I learned the hard way and yeah, and you need to like when you see I believe there is no money force or or business opportunity worse your health, your mental health, your family as well.
00:14:31:09 - 00:15:01:14
Katya Samotoi
So it's like I know it's hard to do the work life balance. It’s hard for me. I know a lot of people say, but if you run your business, life is your business. Is it because it's it's it's so entangled together, it's very hard to separate. So you just need to make sure that you when you feel like you get in there, you take a breath, take some time, maybe some time off and just and then because it's like if you see if you can't, you can't do anything.
00:15:01:18 - 00:15:04:02
Katya Samotoi
And it just so nothing.
00:15:04:02 - 00:15:25:22
Rob Napoli
You brought this up because, you know, there's kind of two schools of thought. There's people that work for passion and ask you about work to live. Right. And both are okay. I'm in the work for passion camp, but I think both are okay, right? There are people that work so they can have all these passions like traveling or this or that outside of it.
00:15:27:02 - 00:15:47:08
Rob Napoli
And there's others that work and they're their work is their passion. Like us, for example. Yeah. So when I hear work life balance to me and one, I think it's important, but I think it's I think it's a bit kind of a cop out. So work life balance was like, What do you mean work life balance? Like, what does work life balance to you, right?
00:15:47:08 - 00:16:09:02
Rob Napoli
Like, I work hard and I work a lot, but I also give myself a lot of breaks, like I work in Sprint. So my wife, well, she she needs more time and she has that. She works in a career where she works longer hours and it's a lot different where I work in really hard sprints, right? And so like I set my schedule up where if there's a World Cup game on at 2:00 in the afternoon, I go to the bar and watch that.
00:16:09:14 - 00:16:33:10
Rob Napoli
But I may make that up in the evening. I may make that up in another day. So to me, work life balance is really this ideation that you understand when you can sprint and when you can come back. And you made this great point about it's like working out, right? We know the why. We go to the gym, we put our bodies fat so that our bodies can be trained for different responses, right?
00:16:34:17 - 00:16:56:10
Rob Napoli
Our brain is the muscle that's the most powerful muscle we have. But it's so taboo to go to therapy or work on mental health or meditate because it seems woo or taboo or whatever it is. When all of our neurons are firing. Everything that we do fight or flight is up here. This follow up here, right? Your body follows what our brain sends.
00:16:56:10 - 00:16:59:24
Rob Napoli
So why why are we so afraid to work on it?
00:17:00:05 - 00:17:20:07
Katya Samotoi
Right? Because there's a lot of stigma about these. And then I especially what I found is there's a lot of stigma. If a man, especially because we women are more allowed to show the emotions or to say or learn how to stop when matters like not why are you crying like a baby and stuff, which I think is awful.
00:17:20:07 - 00:17:32:16
Katya Samotoi
And I think a lot of issues that we have in the world are coming from this as well. So yeah, it's a I think that the stigma needs to end, but and I can see the differences is already.
00:17:33:16 - 00:17:58:01
Rob Napoli
Well, it's funny because we have this stigma, but if you look at the most powerful leaders in the world, male and both male and female, I guess any gender fluidity, right? Any powerful leader, they all talk about the need for a coach and they have somebody for that therapist and somebody to if nothing else, they have somebody to talk through because sometimes you need to just talk it out.
00:17:58:14 - 00:18:15:02
Rob Napoli
Yes, you need to say it in a safe space. There's times where I like will complain about something and I and whoever I'm talking to, usually my wife, sometimes my my mindset coach will be I want you to introduce us and show us and has to be like, Oh, do you want to? Like it's like, No, I just needed to say it.
00:18:15:02 - 00:18:39:08
Rob Napoli
I needed to say the fucking thing and get it out of my mouth. Get it out of my brain, get out of my head. I don't want to digest it. Don't talk about it. I don't want to think about it again. I just needed to get it out. So that's not percolating up there and causing issues. I think that especially for, you know, men more so I think it's just like you're forced to hold everything in it, just like keep bearing it down on top of each other and.
00:18:39:19 - 00:19:07:05
Katya Samotoi
It doesn't work like this. The thing is like you bearing things, but eventually they going to come out and they're going to it's like if you keep suppressing some feelings or emotions or whatever, you feel like a bad ideas and starting, we keep you ignoring it. They're going to manifest in something really bad. And I don't I don't do it on my own experience because like in Ukraine within I mean, now it's more but I never knew about mental health.
00:19:07:11 - 00:19:22:11
Katya Samotoi
We had like to it's like you had a crazy in you in a hospital or you just need to work harder or the things And that's why when I got my first burnout, when I got my first panic attacks, I was like, I have a cancer. That's it. So yeah.
00:19:23:02 - 00:19:41:24
Rob Napoli
I think that the most important thing is for everyone out there. And I had an episode earlier with an awesome coach named Mitch Lab who we talked about this. But, you know, the first step is talk about it. And if there's ever you're dealing with something or having issue, find someone to talk to. And if you need like I always tell people like I can be that person to talk to it, give me a starting place.
00:19:41:24 - 00:19:57:08
Rob Napoli
I'm not therapist, I'm not a mental health provider, but I can always help point in the right direction, happy to listen. And it's important to know who in your in your life that you can have those conversations with. Right. And especially as entrepreneurs, when you think about the context of the show and founders, you're going to go through a lot quickly.
00:19:57:09 - 00:20:05:19
Rob Napoli
And there's a lot of stresses of running a business, making money, paying employees, employees, Health and wellness.
00:20:05:19 - 00:20:08:10
Katya Samotoi
Yeah, learning about employees is a very big one.
00:20:09:15 - 00:20:27:02
Rob Napoli
So you need those kind of outlets right? I love it and I love that we can talk about this. And that's something that, you know, I know you're passionate about and myself as well. And it kind of ties in to the impact driven and company that you created, which really leads me to what I really wanted to get into today.
00:20:27:06 - 00:20:34:00
Rob Napoli
And it's the really fucking awesome work you're doing with ditto stuff.
00:20:34:00 - 00:20:39:15
Katya Samotoi
It's Dito and so it stands for decentralized impact driven organization.
00:20:40:09 - 00:20:56:18
Rob Napoli
Okay, so Dido, so talk to me about it, right? Like, you know, you talk about charity is broken and mainstream. We talk about mainstream media itself. There's truth. And you're here to change that, to talk about how did this come about? What was the impetus behind it? Tell me about what you're building.
00:20:57:00 - 00:21:38:20
Katya Samotoi
Yeah, I love 11. It's something I'm really, really proud of. So it started is so I'm Ukrainian, just so everyone knows I'm Ukraine. My family's there. And as the world knows, since February 24th last year, Russia attacked my country and there is still war going on. We're doing really good, but there's still a lot of things needed and humanitarian aid and clothes and so on and ammunition and what that's what we started to do like a lot of Ukrainians, which is another thing that is very, very powerful is the volunteers and how people self-organize.
00:21:39:08 - 00:22:02:22
Katya Samotoi
And they create this insane network of people knowing each other and just and it just works. You call one person and you need I don't know, a tank. And after half an hour you have already someone who can sell. You will find you where to buy it. And I was like, That's something that is incredible. And to see it and to be part of it is is so inspiring.
00:22:03:09 - 00:22:27:24
Katya Samotoi
I So how we come up with the idea that the charity's broken because when the war started there was a lot of evacuation, there was a lot of occupied territories, there was a lot of bombed houses, medical needs and so on. And the big charities, I won't name them, so I'm not getting sued just in case. But what was happening, there were a lot of humanitarian aid.
00:22:28:08 - 00:22:58:08
Katya Samotoi
They were coming through with their machine, the trucks and bringing stuff, but they always stopped in the east or sorry, on the West when there was nothing happening and no one wanted to drive through to the east because that's where the actual action was happening. So what we started to do and like my friends, my brother, my like two people who I didn't speak for like ten years they started to do is just organized themselves.
00:22:58:08 - 00:23:22:14
Katya Samotoi
So they found some shops were closed, pharmacies were closed, everything was closed. So people were staying at home. And what they started to do, they was starting to find their some food producers, all their shops like a small shops or the pharmacies or medical supply warehouses. And they contacted them and they were going they're buying stuff like in cash and stuff and then delivering it to the people.
00:23:22:14 - 00:23:44:22
Katya Samotoi
And it was happening so fast because my mom has a heart condition and she needs to take the pills and she ran out of them. And there's no pharmacies like usually have to I don't know what I would do if it was not up to you. And like in two days to people who I never met in my life, I'm I'm I didn't even send the money.
00:23:44:22 - 00:24:13:08
Katya Samotoi
It's like, oh, what do you need? And like, this is like, okay, so in two days they deliver. And that's where idea for Dido was born, because the first there is no bureaucracy like you don't need to do the I don't know when you need to react fast, you don't need to do the all the procurement things to build some quarters to do to check the prices, compared the prices, compare the market, do the tenders and so on.
00:24:13:08 - 00:24:39:12
Katya Samotoi
You need to act so fast, as fast as you can. So that's what was happening with volunteers and that's where we understood that the current system, the charity systems, the charity companies, they are broken. The first of all, you have no idea where your money go when you donate them because there is a lot of project. And also about at least 60% goes to pay people who work there.
00:24:40:19 - 00:25:01:02
Katya Samotoi
And a lot of them are working just pushing papers. I know it from like a first hand and I think it's just a waste of resources. And then the second one is that the process is so long because the more people you have involved, the longer it is and in this chain and you also have to pay someone and then the volunteers as well.
00:25:01:07 - 00:25:26:00
Katya Samotoi
So it's all long and and in the crisis situation, the needs are changing. They are constantly changing because today will end very fast, because they just not able to react. It's like today we need the medicine, tomorrow we need that, I don't know, food. Now we have food dumps. Someone donated and like next day we need some sleeping bags and so on.
00:25:26:00 - 00:25:52:14
Katya Samotoi
So and that's why when you work with people on the ground, I've seen it. I mean, I started we started it with Ukraine, but it's going to be moving everywhere. So any crises, relief, any like tsunami, tornado, hurricanes, all the things when you need to act fast. That's why. But it's happening. So that's how we built DIDO. It's decentralized because we kind of help to move things around.
00:25:52:14 - 00:26:20:06
Katya Samotoi
But people donate directly on they closes and they know where the money go because they get content back. That's another part of the things because when you send money, when I send money to volunteers and they buy, let's say, medicine and they deliver it to some old people in there, the Occupy territories, they take the pictures so they know, I know that's my money when they're letting pocket them or anything.
00:26:20:16 - 00:26:37:06
Katya Samotoi
And that's what we're going to do with data. So you basically you're buying a content by doing amazing charity work at the same time and you get Yeah, and you get a tax rebate as well as like a win win win.
00:26:38:04 - 00:27:05:12
Rob Napoli
I think that's important, right? In this idea and in the age of digital Light and engaged in an age of, you know, hyper connectivity and content, I think it's really important to know where money is going and why. Right. And you know, is honest. That content is showing where your money is going, how it's helped somebody else, and not being exploited for, you know, obviously explaining it to like, oh, look at me.
00:27:05:12 - 00:27:24:16
Rob Napoli
I you know, but like, hey, I'm excited, You know, this happened. In fact, I had friends in Ukraine who, you know, from there got out and went to Poland. And we're basically driving across the country every day and like sitting in pictures, like we've done it nice, like, hey, here's what here's what we bought, here's how you're providing you know, we're taking it here today.
00:27:24:16 - 00:27:44:22
Rob Napoli
And they tell us what city right. And like it was it was really nice, you know, in a time of crisis, you're not like, you know, it kind of like, oh, it's nice to know where my money's going. But it was like it was great. It looking back on it to see that you actually your money made an impact that what we're able to donate we're able to rally and do and what you saw them doing made an impact.
00:27:45:03 - 00:28:05:04
Rob Napoli
And I think for a lot of people, myself included, who have grown up and there's a lot of great organizations out there, charities, things that started with people's heart in the right place. But as they grow and get so big, there's always some sort of corruption and greed and scandal. And, you know, unfortunately, that's human fallibility.
00:28:05:17 - 00:28:06:20
Katya Samotoi
Right? Yeah.
00:28:07:23 - 00:28:29:05
Rob Napoli
So a company like like DIDO to me keeps the heart of the purpose of a profit. Right. And I know saying that you you had a great quote and we are talking kind of preemptively about purpose over profit. Right when a business and I probably got a bunch of that so you can say it the right way when business is just about money it's not really a business right.
00:28:29:10 - 00:28:35:13
Katya Samotoi
Is the purpose of the business is to make money. Business has no purpose. That's yes.
00:28:35:16 - 00:28:58:20
Rob Napoli
That is that that is that is the line that I was meaning. I said remember how to how to say it. And but I love this. Right. And it does remind us that, you know and I tell founders is a time, if you're creating a business just to turn a profit, that is okay. But be very clear about it and don't act like you're doing something else.
00:28:58:23 - 00:29:00:12
Katya Samotoi
Why is it like 100% of our.
00:29:00:12 - 00:29:05:15
Rob Napoli
Business is profit driven? This is exactly why we exist and this is what we're about.
00:29:06:00 - 00:29:06:07
Katya Samotoi
Yeah.
00:29:06:09 - 00:29:23:04
Rob Napoli
Let's get together. Actually, what if you're not? But if you do, you want to be about more. You got to be about more. Why you got to do, you got to act. And I think so many people were like, Oh, we want to be climate conscious or sustainable or this, but then they don't do anything. They donate a little bit of money.
00:29:24:08 - 00:29:46:23
Rob Napoli
We created a video and it's like bullshit, like, don't fucking lie to us. Like, we know. You see, when people are out there, we have so much social media content. Yeah, we know that your money, your employees are out donating. You know, their plays are being a part of the food drive. We know that all this is bullshit, and I think that's really important to have companies that show us what it means to have purpose.
00:29:47:07 - 00:30:16:03
Katya Samotoi
Yeah. Good. It's beside that as well is because purpose and purpose is usually something defined by your values. And values is something you leave out in your in the world every day. You can't just say all I value mental health or I value health to people about allowing you to be honest with the and then you know help people once and then you just scamming people and it's like, yeah, that doesn't work.
00:30:16:03 - 00:30:40:02
Katya Samotoi
Like this is like if you are doing good and you leave it out in the world every single day, you might not necessarily that you can make money every day or walking out that lady across the road, but at least something you say, something you do something, you post something. But if you just did one once, it's like good on you, but it doesn't define you as a good person at all.
00:30:40:02 - 00:31:00:24
Katya Samotoi
So especially when you do it to hype on the business and say, Oh, look at this, we are such an impact driven business. We donated, I don't know, something to some way to for kids and it doesn't work as well. Like it makes you look worse than if you wouldn't do anything. And yes, and I agree with you about that.
00:31:01:14 - 00:31:07:15
Katya Samotoi
If you're an asshole and you own it, I have more respect to you if you're an asshole and pretending to be not, that's.
00:31:08:09 - 00:31:28:04
Rob Napoli
You know, not sometimes you got to be who you are for that, for better or for worse. But I. I think that so many brands are reactive to times of crisis and things that they want, and they want to try to capitalize on it. But it's not like if you're claiming to be an ally of something, you need to show it day in and day out.
00:31:28:04 - 00:31:33:12
Rob Napoli
You can't just do it one day, one week or one month, right? You can celebrate it in that day week or month.
00:31:33:24 - 00:31:34:06
Katya Samotoi
Yeah.
00:31:34:20 - 00:32:04:06
Rob Napoli
If the other 300 and whatever days of the year you're being about it. And I think that's really important with our current age of enlightenment and content that we be about it because it's really easy to see if you're not. And if it was a quick Google search and find out, you know, what kind of actions, you know, if you have like one article a year, it's like we don't into this and it's like every about the same time every year really.
00:32:04:06 - 00:32:05:20
Rob Napoli
Is that is that action? No.
00:32:06:18 - 00:32:07:08
Katya Samotoi
I don't want to see that.
00:32:08:15 - 00:32:43:07
Katya Samotoi
Yeah. That's why I love agencies because they call you on your bullshit straight away is like you nowadays is is so hard to be or to do something dodgy or pretend to be something that you're not because you got to be called on your bullshit straight away and we can see it happening. A lot of that ex-employees coming out and that some people who worked with them, the client and so on and so on is right here that everyone tries, try to do to diversity, tries to do some some things that they not actually do.
00:32:43:07 - 00:33:07:11
Katya Samotoi
They just hiring people with different backgrounds or different sexuality or sexual orientation or different genders but they still not providing resources for them. And then it just not I don't think it works. And I because I had a I have a friend who is Muslim and she was saying that when you're working for the company, it's all good.
00:33:07:11 - 00:33:33:09
Katya Samotoi
They will want to hire diverse, anyways to show the world that they're really good and awesome, but then they don't provide you. For example, some time off for prayers. Like it's not it's not the things, but you need to to be educated about the clothes as well. You need to understand people's needs before you actually hire them just to accord.
00:33:35:10 - 00:34:02:07
Rob Napoli
Is for in 2023 now. Right. And we're looking at this next year. What what is on your plate? You know, we're talking about, you know, the companies we have with Dido and this. Right. So what are you kind of focused on? Where does 2023 focus her purpose driven impact and saving her mental health for her by not doing too much this year?
00:34:02:07 - 00:34:06:24
Rob Napoli
Where are you kind of looking to create the biggest impact for the country?
00:34:07:04 - 00:34:28:23
Katya Samotoi
Yeah, I think a Dido will be one of the biggest hits. But again, just because you don't really need to manage it much because everything is going to be automated so people can deal with the same. So it's I think we're going to hire people there as well to help with the content. But in general is that this is very, very simple model.
00:34:28:23 - 00:34:51:00
Katya Samotoi
And Louise Viceroy, my idea is to help to help influencers or content creators, people with big audiences to build the brands that are infantrymen, not just brands brands, but then when they can do that difference using the model that we did, we as we saw before, when it was just that we had our friends.
00:34:52:04 - 00:35:11:07
Rob Napoli
Yes, that. So how do you you know, as a founder of both companies and I know that you said that I was going to more automated, but how are you kind of dividing your time? Where do you how do you kind of manage your focus that you can give all of. Yeah. To both businesses when it's required?
00:35:11:11 - 00:35:37:01
Katya Samotoi
Yeah. But I'm putting my most of my time on the Viceroy because that's the business and stuff when dynamism or passion because I spent, I spent I spend a lot of time doing a lot of things for Ukraine, for, for refugees in Ireland. I was point of contact for a lot of them at some point and last coordinating volunteers in Ukraine.
00:35:37:01 - 00:36:00:09
Katya Samotoi
So I was already spending time for these or helping my friends, my family, friends of friends and so on, whoever I could even just, I don't know, going with someone to the hospital because they don't speak the language and they hear they have problems. So just a small thing. So basically that's the time that I'm dedicate dedicating for they try to work for the e-book work.
00:36:00:09 - 00:36:04:17
Katya Samotoi
So that's my that's the narrative because DIDO is not it doesn't feel like work.
00:36:05:08 - 00:36:05:17
Rob Napoli
Yeah.
00:36:06:11 - 00:36:36:01
Rob Napoli
That's it's amazing what passion and charity and things come out of conflict you know I know that and I'm sure it's been not easy for you looking with your family back home and things like that. But you know, being able to innovate and create opportunity to to make an impact that happens usually in times of crisis. That's where we look at history.
00:36:36:02 - 00:36:56:21
Rob Napoli
Most innovation in all areas of humanity has come during times of conflict and crisis, for better or for worse, you know? And so it's really cool that you've had that opportunity to do that. And, you know, hopefully for the most part of your family and friends have been safe and you've been able to to manage your own mental health for that.
00:36:56:21 - 00:36:58:17
Rob Napoli
That's I'm sure it's not easy. And you're trying to help everybody.
00:36:58:17 - 00:37:17:01
Katya Samotoi
Out and antidepressants help all them, all temporary things. But, yeah, it's it's hard for so many people to deal with that, especially not being in the country because somehow it's easier when you there than when you are outside. And I heard it from many friends.
00:37:17:08 - 00:37:23:22
Rob Napoli
It's just then is it because you feel helpless? Like you kind of feel like you can't be helpful when you're not there? Is that.
00:37:24:18 - 00:37:42:07
Katya Samotoi
Yeah, I think you feel more in control when you do. You kind of like, you know, you don't really in control. Obviously, of the drones, if that was what you feel like. You know what's going on by here. When you hear when you go outside, you just like watch the news, see what's going on and all the rumors.
00:37:42:07 - 00:38:10:23
Katya Samotoi
Rumors, rumors. And yeah, it's it's it's tough, I think, for many people. But it's a good driver as as you said, I mean, the crisis is bad or is awful, but it's a good driver for change. And I can see a lot of changes happening also in the country and I think in the world as well. Then Ukraine gave a really good push to digital development that in the government, the ones that are most have most of the bureaucracy going on there.
00:38:11:21 - 00:38:43:11
Rob Napoli
Hopefully 2023 you can can provide a year of some closure and some further innovation to help humanity as cause to go back in the right direction. What, you know, kind of closes this out, what you know, if somebody were to ask you for advice on Gen Z, are we talking about Gen Z? And as I say, I get a Gen Z, I kind of Sequoia really want to be an entrepreneur and I want to start a business.
00:38:43:11 - 00:38:47:19
Rob Napoli
I want to start a brand. What advice do you have for me? What would you tell them?
00:38:48:01 - 00:39:14:07
Katya Samotoi
I think the first I would ask for what is the driver behind it? Do you what do you want to do it? Because you have an idea and you want to innovate something and you really want to make a change. Or you just think that it's going to bring in more money. I mean, both things are working, but you need to understand, you need to have this answer for yourself so you know what direction you go and then you follow the brand or for the business.
00:39:14:13 - 00:39:28:17
Katya Samotoi
I would tell them, Go for it. Why not? Just just. You need to understand that is going to involve a lot of time, a lot of dedication and a lot of work. But the results might be incredible.
00:39:29:17 - 00:39:40:23
Rob Napoli
Of that and I always like to ask this this question of people, what do you think your superpower is? What is what is coming.
00:39:40:23 - 00:40:18:04
Katya Samotoi
I'm Ukrainian. That's my whole now I'm joking. I mean, not really, but yeah, I think my superpower is do you make complex things or a concept simple to explain, For example, like you would explain a complex thing to a child or to modify the processes to make it simple and not having that, for example, business process it was timing was to communications with like a different chain of command and stop, just make it as straight as possible.
00:40:18:09 - 00:40:21:24
Katya Samotoi
And I think that's I think that's my superpower.
00:40:21:24 - 00:40:50:01
Rob Napoli
I love that. And that's a really important one. I think both are important, right? Being Ukrainian, you know, is definitely about where you're from when when it when it drives resiliency and and, you know, a strong, willing attitude to to to fight for something. I think that's always a good power. But the complex things simple as is something that's not easy to do not to you know to be able to really create and take complex things and make it make sense because that's not easy.
00:40:50:07 - 00:41:10:07
Rob Napoli
And a lot of things are complex. I think that's part of what I love about your mission with Dido, right, is charities are complex and when you think of politics and all these things that happen in the world, our media tries to make it black and white. It's either this or that and it's not right. Like all these things are complex.
00:41:10:08 - 00:41:32:10
Rob Napoli
We look at them in silos of black and white when it's not. And I think that if we can get back to understanding that things are complex and we can help share and create conversation and oportunity around those complex things and conversations that are meaningful and maybe at the level that people can understand it together, how we may have some better conversations and more innovations coming our way right.
00:41:32:17 - 00:41:34:24
Katya Samotoi
Out of our present, more people involved.
00:41:35:18 - 00:41:58:04
Rob Napoli
Exactly. So I think that's an amazing skill to have and one that I is perfect for The work that you're doing, both with the brand's work of creating impact driven, direct to consumer brands as well as you know what you're doing with that. And I'm excited to see what happens with that in 2023. I know it's more of your passion project, but I feel like 2023 is maybe a lot of opportunity to make something happen with it.
00:41:58:04 - 00:42:01:07
Rob Napoli
So I'm really excited to see what happens.
00:42:02:13 - 00:42:03:06
Katya Samotoi
For you in this.
00:42:03:06 - 00:42:03:13
Rob Napoli
Year.
00:42:03:23 - 00:42:05:08
Katya Samotoi
Yeah, I think.
00:42:06:09 - 00:42:15:01
Rob Napoli
So. We're excited. Appreciate having you. How can my listeners find you? If somebody wants to get involved, learn a lot more, connect with you, where can they connect with you at?
00:42:15:13 - 00:42:32:08
Katya Samotoi
So I think the best one would be LinkedIn. I’m always there. I’m responsive to some degree, Katya Samotoi. Join or you can get in contact through Dido. The website is wearedido.com which is easy to find as well.
00:42:32:08 - 00:42:56:01
Rob Napoli
I will make sure to also link your LinkedIn profile and the company website and the show notes so those listening you can easily click on the show notes, go directly there and get in touch with a highly, highly recommend that you follow along her journey and what they're building because it is something special and really so thank you so much for being a part of the Bare Necessities podcast, being a part of Bear Nation.
00:42:56:07 - 00:43:02:19
Rob Napoli
I appreciate you taking some time with me for this episode. I appreciate you. Excited to see what happens.
00:43:03:06 - 00:43:06:04
Katya Samotoi
Thank you so much for having me. It was a big, big pleasure.
00:43:06:21 - 00:43:12:15
Rob Napoli
You too, Bear Nation, as always. Thank you for tuning in. And till next time, stay well and rise up.