“It was scary”: how the 22-year-old carpenter Kirill Savlukov took a risk and built a furniture empire

Director of Vitebsk private trade and production enterprise: “Reputation is achieved by years of hard work and huge budgets, and it can be destroyed in one second”

In a world where fashion changes faster than sofas wear out and competition turns into a battle for the customer, there are those who play by their own rules. They do not chase short-term profits, do not save on quality and keep their word. One of them is the director of the private trade and production enterprise Savlukov-Furniture Kirill Savlukov. Beginning with the lifting of furniture in the garage, he created a brand that earned the trust of his native Vitebsk to sunny Tashkent.

All stories often begin with childhood hobbies. Since childhood, I was attracted to everything that was related to repairs, that can be done by myself, improved. Even as a schoolboy, I already well pasted the walls with wallpaper, says Kirill Savlukov. And then it naturally grew into furniture, into interior design. The innate craving for creation became the foundation on which the whole furniture empire later grew.

The path from childish hobby to professional was direct and logical. After school, Kirill graduated from Vitebsk State Professional Lyceum No. 2 of builders in the specialty “job-machine worker”. In parallel with his studies, he worked in garages from private craftsmen, mastering the basics of furniture lifting.

- When he graduated from the lyceum, he issued an IP and removed his box. And very quickly I realized that this is a dead end, recalls Kirill. Garage format limits everything: in volume, quality, development. We needed scale, we needed other conditions. First, the entrepreneur rented a room in the agro-town near Vitebsk. He worked there for several years, but gradually came to the understanding that serious production could not live in other people’s squares. I need my own. But it required resources. And then the 22-year-old Kirill Savlukov takes a step that many of his peers even feared to think about.

In August 2017, he took care of the building, which still houses the production.

- It was the building of the former Kirov factory, where bolts were made, says Kirill. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they bought it and made furniture here. It was convenient for me because according to the documents, it was suitable for furniture production. But there was horror. Dilapidated walls, bare earth and open sky. No communication, no comfort.

In November of the same year, he took out a loan of $300,000 – an astronomical, frightening figure for him at the time – and went into repairs. The bank agreed and granted a six-month delay in payments. This saved the business: paying both the loan and the rent for the previous site would be simply murderous. “It was scary, honestly,” the businessman admits, recalling those days. - But we did it. The loan was paid early. It was the only major loan in my life. Loan tools are convenient, but I am afraid to use them. There's no need. In the spring of 2018, the company completely moved to its own building, and a new stage began. Today it is a modern production complex, where in winter it is warm even at minus 25 degrees (heating on solid fuel boilers, there are no problems with firewood), where it is clean in every corner - from the locker room to the dining room - and where it smells not construction dust, but fresh wood and new fabric. The main secret of the success of the factory "Savlukov-Furniture" lies not in the number of machines and not in the uniqueness of design, although both are really at the highest level. The secret lies in the director’s unwavering philosophy, which has become the DNA of the entire company. For Kirill Savlukov, there are no trifles when it comes to customer trust:

- Reputation is number one. It comes with years of hard work and huge budgets and can be destroyed in a second. One mistake that you didn’t react to, or inappropriate behavior towards the customer – and all, you will be blown away, everything will be destroyed. That cannot be allowed to happen. There is no compromise for him. If the customer is dissatisfied, the problem is solved instantly and radically, even if it brings the company a direct financial loss. The logic is simple and brutal: short-term gains are negligible compared to the loss of face. This principle also applies to partners. Relations with suppliers of fabrics are built rigidly: any, even the most insignificant complaints about the quality of the material leads to an immediate termination of the contract.

- Fabric is the main problem, because the turnover of collections is crazy, explains Kirill. - A new one appears, in six months it is withdrawn. Therefore, if there is at least one complaint on the fabric, we simply shoot the collection at once in all salons.

Curiously built relationships with suppliers of equipment - thanks to this, the factory is always the latest machines.

“Partners take old cars, and we pay the difference for new ones,” the director shares his life hack. I never repair machines. When a month ago Kirill Savlukov was elected chairman of the Vitebsk interdistrict council of the regional union of employers, it was noted that he is able to unite its members. This can be seen in the case of his team of 200 people.

- People are the main thing, Kirill Savlukov repeats as a mantra. This is felt in every corner of the company.

In the production of upholstered furniture, manual labor is indispensable - no robot is able to sew a complex sofa - only a person, the owner of the factory is convinced: - The team is grown for years. Now, if you want to expand, it's relatively easy: there's a team that's going to take an inexperienced person and turn him into a master. Kirill personally participates in the selection of employees, having some inner flair. Weed out negative people – those from whom blows toxicity, laziness and indifference. But those who share the values of the company, all conditions are created. There is almost no turnover here because people feel genuine care and protection.

- People need to be human, and they feel it. So do employees: if they are good to them, they will reciprocate. For any person, the microclimate in the team and a sense of self-importance are important, the director notes. We will never leave our man. Even in the most difficult times, no one is out of work. We shared the difficulties equally. It's a credo. All our successes and achievements are the result of the efforts of a not indifferent and initiative team. This approach creates an amazing atmosphere in the factory. People work not just for a salary, but for an idea, for a team, for their leader. They know that if something happens, they will not be thrown out. From Vitebsk to Asia, Savlukov-Mebel has long been not a local Vitebsk factory, but an international player with an ambitious geography. The brand confidently conquers the markets of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. Negotiations are underway with partners from Georgia.

In Belarus, there are salons in all regional centers, as well as in Novopolotsk and Soligorsk.

- Just this year we opened Gomel, Mogilev, sites in Astana and Almaty, carried out a major renovation of the salon in Grodno, Kirill lists. The first store outside of Vitebsk was in Orsha. Then 80 kilometers seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle, the entrepreneur recalls, but today the distance does not scare at all: Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Tashkent - easy. Kirill Savlukov is confident that Belarusian furniture is a strong brand that wins over manufacturers from other countries due to quality, practicality and durability.

- Our people want it to be beautiful, but always comfortable. Fashionable sofa with intricate shapes, which is uncomfortable to sit on, we will not buy. Our people are practical. It should not only be beautiful, but also practical. And Belarusian upholstered furniture is just that.

Kirill understands the mentality of his buyer. Fashion comes and goes, and comfort remains forever. Therefore, in the collections of his factory there is no place for useless decoration to the detriment of ergonomics. Every seam, every corner is designed so that a person would be happy to live with such furniture for years.

- Very modern and beautiful, but uncomfortable sofa nobody needs. Our people need a balance. That's what I think is right.

The main achievement is my family. Kirill admits that work is his whole life, but there are things that are more important than business: My main achievement is my family. A wife and two daughters. Even in a busy schedule for them, the director finds time: whenever possible, takes him on business trips. Such joint trips and replace the usual vacation. The businessman admits that he can not rest:

- Beach format, lying on the sand - not my element. Rest for me is a change of activity. At home I like to sit by the fireplace. Thinking, looking at the fire. I hate restaurants. I'm fine at home.

And at home a whole zoo: a dog, cats and a huge parrot macaw, which, according to Cyril, will be inherited by his grandchildren: these birds live for 70 - 100 years.

This love for the living, the present permeates his business. Every sofa, every chair in the factory "Savlukov-Furniture" is made with the same care with which Kirill treats his family and his own business. The plans of the director are simple, but capacious: that after decades the team remained as creative, the factory strengthened in the market, and people continued to get coziness in their homes. To be as it is today: the team is alive, there is work, the client is satisfied. We want to change the machine, we change it. We want to hold a festival – we hold, says Kirill. The main thing is for the team to live it, so that we preserve this energy.

Nadezhda Lazarevich, Chairman of Bellegprom Concern:

- The enterprise is unique. At the entrance you see a non-standard interior and instantly feel at home. A young, dynamic company that gives the market a breath of fresh air. This is the strength of the company and its leader. Speaking with him for the first time, she noted his concern for people and responsibility. He is a natural leader, able to lead a team and create a product that makes a real contribution to the country’s economy.

OPINION

Angelika Mikhailova, Deputy Head of Administration of the Railway District of Vitebsk:

- Working with this creative enterprise is a pleasure: they are open to dialogue and sincerely involved in social life, participate in all charity events and sports events.

The culture of production is also delightful: despite the specifics of woodworking, the shops are perfectly clean. And this is not out of hand, but due to the internal discipline of each employee.

The attitude of the leader to people is unique: he knows all the employees. This is not just a team, but a real team. In this case, the leadership is characterized by rare modesty: their merits are not advertised.

DOSYE

Kirill Savlukov was born on May 29, 1985 in Vitebsk.

• In 2004, he graduated from Vitebsk State Professional Lyceum No. 2 of builders with a degree in “job-machiner”.

• In 2016 – P. M. Masherov Vitebsk State University, specialty “teacher of history”.

• Since 2013 – founder and director of ChTPUP Savlukov-Furniture.

• Laureate of the honorary title "Person of the Year of Vitebsk region - 2025".

• Chairman of the Vitebsk Interdistrict Council of the Regional Union of Employers.

Married, two children.

alimova@sb.by