You pour your heart into building a business then a war breaks out, borders close, and your entire team is scattered. Would you risk it all and rebuild?This week, Matt and Tom sit down with Paul from MageCloud, a Ukrainian founder who built a seven-figure agency from scratch, then had to start again when everything changed overnight.From hustling fruit in Siberia to navigating UK visas, Silicon Valley failures, and wartime pivots, Paul’s journey is a real-life playbook for resilience, reinvention, and growth.🔑 What You’ll Learn in This Episode🇺🇦 How Paul survived post-Soviet hardship and learned to hustle from age 10💻 From developer to agency owner: the wild journey behind MageCloud🏃‍♂️ Why founders must own their mistakes and pivot quickly when the world changes🌍 How to build and manage cross-border teams (and why Ukrainian devs are different)🚀 What it’s really like to lose $100k chasing the Silicon Valley dream🧠 Why AI disruption forced a full business pivot and how to future proof your agency👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The raw reality of moving your family to safety while leading a business💡 Real lessons in resilience, leadership, and not letting setbacks define you🕒 Chapters0:00 Introduction & What to Expect0:45 Paul’s Wild Entrepreneurial Origins2:35 Selling Fruit, Surviving in Soviet Times4:00 Hustling in School & Early Businesses7:00 From Ukraine to the UK: The Big Move10:30 Building MageCloud (and Early Failures)14:40 Silicon Valley Dream And $100k Lost17:30 Surviving War & Rebuilding the Team20:30 Pivoting the Business: Agency vs Product22:55 Managing Teams in Ukraine & the UK25:30 The Family Story: Moving Amidst War28:00 Real Lessons in Resilience & Ownership30:45 The Role of Luck (and Why It’s Overrated)33:10 Future-Proofing Against AI Threats36:00 Key Takeaways & Final Thoughts37:35 Where to Find Paul, Matt & TomWhere to Find Us & Key Links🎧 Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/4uqUUHL0KUZL2m9dLx9JvO📺 Watch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@BritishBusinessPodcastPaul / MageCloud:Website - https://magecloud.agencyLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/magecloud/Matt:Linktree - https://linktr.ee/mrmatthollandTom:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-mcilvenny-b15b9555/Podcast studio - https://cheshirepodcaststudio.com💡 Key Takeaway:Setbacks are inevitable. The founders who win are those who take full ownership, adapt fast, and keep building no matter what the world throws at them.What’s the hardest business pivot you’ve made and what did you learn? Drop your story in the comments!#BritishBusiness #FounderLife #ImmigrantEntrepreneur #BusinessGrowth #Resilience #MageCloud #StartupStory #UkraineBusiness #Leadership #SmallBusinessUK #EntrepreneurshipCredits:Podcast by British Business PodcastProduced by Cheshire Podcast Studio (https://cheshirepodcaststudio.com)Guest: Paul - Founder, MageCloud (https://magecloud.agency)