Julia Skupchenko

Hustle Amsterdam (HA): Where are you from? And what brings you to Amsterdam? 

Julia Skupchenko (JS): I come from the Arctic region of Russia. Nine years ago, at an international conference, I was scouted by Royal Dutch Shell to work on communications and third-party advocacy of the Arctic campaign. That was the start of my life in the Netherlands. After a couple of years of corporate life, I realized that I had to be my own boss and started my first business, which eventually brought me to Amsterdam.

HA: Tell me about your business? What’s your mission?

JS: Since 2015 my business underwent a few iterations. And in 2019, together with Massimo Mercuri, I co-founded AlterContacts, the Global Think Tank for Sustainable Development. 

Our overarching mission is to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More specifically it translates into two non-profit streams, Eradicating Ignorance and Empowering Entrepreneurship, and the for-profit part — the Think Tank Advisory to help companies instil the mindset of sustainability into their everyday practices and strategic decisions and measure their impact on Sustainable Development Goals. 

We act as a virtual laboratory of ideas that develops practices for sustainable solutions, helping people, communities, and organisations to become more resourceful, acting as an incubator for initiatives that contribute to a more prosperous world for generations to come.

HA: How has the shift to remote work affected you and your business? Are you being strict with a routine or taking it day by day?

JS: From its creation, the think tank has been a remote organization. We have experts in over 15 countries and four continents. As a sustainable organization, we are very environmentally conscious, and we didn’t even try to bring all of them to one place. 

In 2019 we hosted over twenty free in-person events for entrepreneurs in the locations of our experts, practically removing the need to travel. Since 2020 we’ve collaborated virtually in groups and one-on-one depending on the challenge.

As for the daily routine, I am very disciplined. When you work remotely to stay sane and healthy it is important to rely on the structure of the day.

HA: Why Think Tank AlterContacts? What brought you to Sustainability?

JS: The ultimate goal of a think tank is to be the driver of change: identify an institutional void or a societal problem that is not addressed, and bring attention to it. Both from the decision- and policymakers and the wider public through research, publications, events, initiatives. My co-founder and I have been doing quite a lot in the area already so formalizing it just made sense. Besides as a think tank, you have more influence on what happens with humanity and our planet than as an individual.

As for sustainability, our ability to change the way things are done to a more holistic, conscious, and safe way will define the future of our planet. In 2015 the global community, led by the United Nations, defined 17 SDGs and put forward an ambitious target of achieving them by 2030. This decade we have to make sure that the world’s resources go to accomplishing it. And that includes governments, businesses, civil society organizations, and conscious citizens.

HA: What is the current state of Think Tank AlterContacts? Do you have six and 12-month goals for your business?

JS: The pandemic has strongly affected the think tank AlterContacts. Especially the commercial stream that gave us the opportunity to fund our non-profit programs. In March 2020, when the lockdown was announced, all our clients cancelled what had been planned for months ahead. 

That was a big hit and since then we practically turned into a non-profit organization. In April 2020, we participated in the pan-European Hackathon #EUvsVirus and that gave a push to keep thinking of what can be done for our society in the current circumstances. 

To help small businesses and self-employed overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, in May 2020 we launched Lockdown Economy, an international non-profit grassroots initiative. It got registered by the United Nations as an Acceleration Action for SDGs. In October 2020, it received Gold in World Women Awards for helping over 8000 entrepreneurs get ideas on how to save their businesses. 

Our priority for this year is a further collaboration with universities. Based on our initiative, we developed an easy-to-launch program for any school — Lockdown Economy Challenge. We are helping universities to engage students in remote social action, make them active global citizens, and introduce the sustainability mindset. Our goal is to support the students in their school-to-work transition. I encourage everyone who wants to make education more dynamic to reach out to me.

HA: What kind of obstacles do you face in your company? How do you handle them?

JS: The main challenge for us is how we present what we do and how we come across. 

In our everyday activities, due to our experience, we just naturally follow the best practices of innovation: design thinking, agile, lean, brainstorm — to name a few. And we are used to speaking in these, sometimes quite abstract, terms and applying these concepts without thinking. 

But when we get on a call with potential partners and don’t tell them exactly what we need or how it is going to work, they often see it as vague. Whereas what we are trying to do is to keep options open for various types of collaboration without conditioning them to a specific outcome. 

The only way to handle it is to be mindful that we do it and try to adapt to the communication style of the counterpart.

HA: What has been your most successful moment so far? And how do you celebrate your wins?

JS: Despite the difficult business situation, the think tank received two international awards. It was awarded Bronze as a Non-profit of the Year by Stevie Awards; and Bronze as a female-led Social Impact Startup of the Year by World Women Awards. 

The recognition of the United Nations has been one of the most memorable moments of 2020. Besides the main platform of the UN for SDG initiatives, they featured Lockdown Economy in the information brief to all member states as one of the best examples of Acceleration Actions for SDGs. Being a non-profit initiative with no budget and no big-name support, we are mentioned right next to what governments of some countries do for Sustainability.

Another big achievement of our initiative was a TEDx Talk. To have an opportunity to share our story, our message, and what’s more important, hope and inspiration through such a well-known medium was incredible.

And a very big honour was when in March 2021, the Lockdown Economy became the finalist from the Netherlands in the Charlemagne Youth Prize for its contribution to international collaboration. 

This recognition helps us to keep moving forward. It’s difficult to find time to pause and celebrate because there is just so much we are doing, all at the same time. But I try to host virtual gatherings of our large team to truly acknowledge the contribution they are making.

HA: How have you accomplished what you have? Did you go to business school? Did you wing it? Fake it till you make it? Get really lucky?

JS: Hard work, discipline, and dedication. 

Luck comes in here and there and you cannot do without. But 90% of the accomplishments are due to the 12-hour working days over a course of many years. Before it was for studies, at some point I was studying at three universities at the same time for three different degrees. 

Then for building up the knowledge needed for entrepreneurship through online courses at Harvard and Stanford, reading the many books written about the subject, trying and testing. And afterward for finding clients, delivering excellent results to them, building the reputation, sharing my own expertise in many free articles, events, and masterclasses. 

In the last two years since the formation of the think tank, every part of my life has been put on the altar of growing it into a serious, credible, and recognized organization. As you can imagine, that doesn’t leave time for social life, entertainment, or idleness. Essentially, what you do becomes your work, hobby, best friend, source of inspiration, and social life.

HA: Did you fundraise for your business? If so, tell me about your experience.

JS: To begin with, the think tank had an inclusive business model where non-profit programs were supported by what we did for the clients of our advisory. It has changed this year, and in October 2020 I launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to continue the Lockdown Economy into 2021. So far it has not been very successful. It’s not easy to ask people to donate. I hope that readers of this interview would like to support us with a donation. 

We’ve also applied for several grants. What I’m learning in this process is that partnerships and what you can do together are more important than simply funding. Especially now, during the corona crisis. 

HA: How big is your team? And where are your team members located?

JS: The core team of the think tank is my co-founder and me. We both work on the think tank 24/7 without any other jobs or clients. He is from Italy, I am from Russia but we both live in Amsterdam. 

Our expert team is 30 people from 15 countries and 4 continents. They are a mix of self-employed professionals and academics with decades of experience in their fields and are running their own practices. The team of the Lockdown Economy counts over 90 volunteers from 20 nationalities. They are based all around the world. Overall our extended team is extremely diverse in expertise, knowledge, experiences, ages, and genders. What unites us is the ambition to create a better future for our planet.

HA: Do you have a favorite motivational quote? 

JS: There are many people that inspire me and they have wonderful quotes. But here I’d like to share my own which I hope will help the entrepreneurs reading this:

“If the old system doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work against you either. So instead of figuring out how the ‘new normal’ works — invent it! And make it work.” Julia Skupchenko

HA: What 3 tips would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? What do you wish you had known before you started?

JS: 

1) Before you start acting on your business idea, do your research: it probably already exists. If not, do even more research to find out why it doesn’t. It’ll save you time and disappointment from reinventing the wheel.

2) Plan what you want to accomplish the evening before. And on the day don’t check any social media, phones, or emails before 80% of your plan is done.

3) Healthy diet and full-night sleep (10 pm - 6 am) allow you to be productive and creative. By healthy diet I mean, at least, no processed sugar (only honey and fruits), no alcohol, no eating after 6 pm — if you can manage, your brain will be working like a charm, which for entrepreneurs is half the success.

HA: How would you describe your working style? 

JS: Keep moving forward. Be positive. Set priorities. Be grateful if people help, but don’t count on it. Believe in yourself. Collaborate.

HA: When you’re not working on Think Tank AlterContacts — where can we find you?

JS: With the lockdown and the pandemic, you can always find me at my home office. But the majority of my waking time I am working.

HA: How do you find work-life balance while being an entrepreneur?

JS: I always make sure that I sleep and eat well because there is nothing more important than health. Especially for an entrepreneur who relies on herself for creating opportunities and achieving results. As it is probably obvious from my previous answers, the impact that we can make with the think tank and Lockdown Economy is the top priority in my life at the moment. But it feels good because I know that I am using the resources nature and my family gave me to the fullest for a better future of the world.

HA: What is your passion?

JS: Music and writing. It’s funny how from the answers above you can hardly imagine that. But I have been singing and playing the piano since I was six years old. By now it has become my way to express my creativity, get centered, and meditate. Writing is another thing that has been with me since childhood. I do a lot of it for business. But I really cherish moments when I can do artistic writing, without a goal, just for the sake of enjoying the process.

HA: What inspires you most about Amsterdam? Do you have any favorite spots to work or hang out at?

JS: During the pandemic, the best place to hang out is in your home. But I’m lucky to have a park nearby. I hope that soon we all will be able to rediscover our favorite places and that they will still be there.

For me, Amsterdam is a capital of entrepreneurship, a city of many opportunities, and big ambitions. And at the same time, it feels cozy, not like a typical megapolis. I moved here from The Hague, and I just loved the vibe: it’s so full of life, diverse in ages and expressions, so united in that entrepreneurial spirit.

Follow AlterContacts on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. And connect with Julia on LinkedIn.