Saule Kozhukhova, 32, from Kostanay, director of Es Group LLP
On the starting point
I started working at 18 as a salesman, then as a real estate agent. It was not easy to be over controlled all the time so I started looking for other job.
At the age of 18 girls think of guys mostly, yet I was thinking of the ways to make money. That was how I and my friend started a real estate agency. I was always working and searching for the business that would be for me.
Now I’ve got 4 children and must think of their future. Children motivate me. Having broken up with my husband, I launched a candy shop which had to be sold afterwards. Then I started dealing with the flour export. The main is that it didn’t require investments.
Now I’ve got 4 children and must think of their future
There’re a great many wheat mills in our region. I negotiated with them to make sure if the flour was of high quality.
On the first deal and 60 thousand dollars
I started cooperating with three mills. We agreed on the lowest possible price and I promised them to ink a big deal within the next two-three months. I was working hard for three months and eventually enabled one mill to sell 2000 tons of flour. Two businessmen engaged in export got interested in the mills, one of them, Batyr Nurzhanov, became my mentor later. That was how I earned 60 thousand dollars at the first deal.
Then I moved to Astana to control the shipment process. I spent three days at home from June to August. That was crazy. I’m grateful to my parents for taking care of my children. Later they moved to Astana.
We lived in Astana for a year and returned back to Kostanay as all the basic negotiations on deliveries are held here.
The I dealt with sunflower seeds export which is more profitable as 1 ton costs about 110 thousand tenge. Seeds are processed and converted to oil which is sent to Uzbekistan.
On grain export
Kazakhstan’s top export product is wheat, the most expensive product is green lentils priced at 800-1000 $.
Export is not a seasonal business. There’re peasants saving up products and waiting for a certain price. For example, sunflower prices start rising in the early September and October. Some peasants store the product in their warehouses and sell it in January-March inflating prices. In April prices fall and it’s crucial not to keep the product for too long as it can deteriorate.
I advise to regularly mentor export prices. Peasants just waiting for a buyer without our participation can sell the product to local mills for a song. We monitor Uzbekistan’s price policy. Prices in Kazakhstan rise two weeks after they get raised in Uzbekistan.
Export is the business not requiring any investment
Export is the business not requiring any investment. Anyone can start it. I‘ve recently launched an export school with ten ambitious students learning how to earn money.
On plans
I'm working on launching my export school online. I’m planning to train more people.
