Born in the USSR's last generation, wore October Revolution badges, red pioneer ties, and enchanted by magic number 2000 and couldn't imagine that their birth certificates would one day have the name of a non-existing country of origin. People would pay by couple of clicks on their smartphone screen instead of the timeless ruble. Our columnist, Vadim Dymov, Russian businessman, founder and owner of 'Dymov' company, book-store net 'Respublika', ceramic factory in Suzdal, speaks on what is and what is not important in his life.
'For me money is a way and possibility to change the world for the better. It is definitely not the opportunity to make my own life conditions at the current mo-ment, it doesn't bother me in my personal life, not interesting. It is boring to earn money for the reason of spending it on expensive cars, homes, toys, devices. Many people consider this ability to spend money to be important and necessary. Maybe my descendants will learn to do it in future but I can't. I grew up in an ordinary Soviet family, we weren't rich and lived quietly and in dignity. Lived normally, like others. Question of money wasn't discussed much at home and may be for this reason I don't consider it to be an important life element.
Young Pioneer camps were part of my life. I remember standing there on the wooden stairs in one of them, my hands together, waiting for someone, looking forward and thinking: '2000 will come, what will I do, how will it be?' I was a small kid with a red pioneer tie, trailing somewhere with everyone without clear understanding of what these Soviet rituals of standing in line all together are done for, what's the point? Later on, I understood this idea of building a corporate spirit: we were brought up to be the trusted party activists. We had that feeling feeling of being united. We had one big common country, no partition, no worry about the next twenty-five years. We didn't worry about the future at all: nothing would happen to the country, we would all go for military service, we'll have a flat, a car, a Soviet family. This kind of life path clearness is good for an ordinary person. Everything is quiet, everything will be alright.
But then nineties happened. The years when people's ways' directions were formed by a sequence of randomness new reality just started to form. So, my life was pretty much changed by my partner who evoked me from my law practice and I happened to be there with him. I started in the Far East, built a big company there, then sold it and started here in Moscow.
I remember my first million quite well, I used it to re-equip. We always invested in our enterprise 's better abilities, new projects, involving more people. People found each other in our company which is eighteen years already, they plan lives and even marry. I recently came to the 'Dymov''s office, there were many students. I talked to one of them and found out that his parents got married working for us. He said exactly like this: 'I was born here, I came here to study and I want to work here'. This is a dynasty of workers. You don't notice time I started it when I was twenty-nine and youth seemed to be forever. Youth went but passion is still here.
Thus, on the wave of research passion appeared ceramics. I was moving intuitively, feeling myself as a navigator of the flagship discovering new spaces. At the moment where we started our business this manufacturing area was declined: there was Dulevo5, Gzhel, and some 'pop-art fishing'. Things which at first sight seemed to be just a matter of research changed into a big manufacturing. We build a manufacture, we work with restaurants. We collaborate with many famous artists: Dmitriy Gurzhe, Sonya Utkina, Andrey Bartenev. All in all, it turns out that people need this. This is what replaces money, I give much importance to people's respect to what we create. I didn't think about it before but now I started to realize that this is what would be left after me, the story of my research and then building something important. I see our ceramic at homes. One guy came the day before to apply for job, saw a Bear by Bartenyev and asked 'Why is it here I have the same at home'. We told 'Well, we produce them'. Moments like this fill something important inside of you. It's a big joy to see that people are interested, it is useful for them, their parents and children, everyone. Suzdal gives what people need and give value to.
Our main project in Suzdal is pointed to embody the idea of rural life and is supposed to remind people of the amazing and peaceful life Russia was filled with in prerevolutionary times. Homesteads, country estates Russia lived in communes. I feel a very big pleasure connected with this enterprise, I am egoistic in it, I adore to live naturally in the old Russian city. I agree with Aristotle on considering three to five thousands of people towns to be the best for living. It is comforting and pragmatic. Modern metropolises are not able to provide this kind of life level, you can't afford a garden bed, a garden.
There is a dairy and restaurant in Suzdal, our rural establish-ment was started for it. We tried, it worked out, we decided to develop little by little. Now we build a new farm, a good one, modern and beautiful and animals will feel comfortable there. Maybe we will try to produce cheese. I like this all. No need to race, be the first, be the best, this matters only when you are very young. I like to explore and learn, be taught.
Education is very important; agrarian topic, rural farm helped me to understand that there is a big lack of specialists in Russia. I was then inspired by one man John Hardy, jewelry designer, the legend of Bali. He sold his jewelry business and with the money he got built an agricultural college which helps to teach people how to grown rice and other cultures. I thought that that would be interesting for me. Not an Academy but College with simple, easy to understand and extremely useful subjects. Why not to decide this problem in one separate place. I don't pretend to make something big but if I have an opportunity it would be good to invite the best specialists to teach there. It will be something very utilitarian and applied, Vladimirskaya Region is all gardens and fields: cherries, apple trees, wheat, other cereals, corn. Tractor drivers, combiners, veterinary staff will be needed also. It's good to use agronomist in your farm.
