Locations"Entrepreneurs Benefit from Helping Each Other": A Carpenter from Khoiniki on Growing Business and Promoting Local Growth
April 26, 2025
Igor Balenok is an entrepreneur from Khoiniki, a town in Belarus still recovering from the long-term effects of the Chernobyl disaster. Just a few years ago, he worked as a lawyer but a desire for change led him to take a leap into an entirely new field: woodworking. Today, his growing carpentry business is not only thriving but also generating new opportunities for others.
From idea to enterprise
Igor had no prior experience working with wood before launching his own business. What inspired him was a traditional craft for which the Khoiniki district was once known - cooperage, the art of barrel-making.
“I taught myself everything by watching YouTube tutorials, reading books,” he recalls. “I wanted to revive old traditions and create authentic wooden barrels, something my hometown was once famous for.”
But sourcing the right tools and materials proved challenging. So Igor changed the course and launched a furniture brand called Baju-Baj (Rock-a-bye) and began crafting wooden cribs for children. Over time, he found his niche: adjustable high chairs that 'grow' with the child. Thanks to their adaptable seat and footrest, the chairs are suitable for children from ages 1 to 12.
“It turned out to be a product I genuinely enjoyed working on,” says Igor. “The demand for adjustable high chairs grew quickly, and for over three years now, they’ve been the sole focus of my production. A few competitors have entered the market since then, but we target slightly different audiences.”
Time Banking: Growth through collaboration
As orders for his handcrafted chairs surged, Igor began to scale up, hiring workers, expanding his workshop, and learning to promote his products on social media.
The next logical step was to enter online marketplaces. But with no prior experience in e-commerce, Igor found himself at a crossroads.
That’s when the Time Banking initiative arrived at just the right moment. Launched by the UNDP Belarus Accelerator Lab, the programme connects entrepreneurs who offer each other peer-to-peer consultations in their areas of expertise. In return, they receive help in fields where they lack experience.
To sell his products through major online platforms, Igor needed to shift his legal status from an individual artisan to a registered business. That’s where the Time Banking community proved invaluable.
“I started working with Sergey Romuk,” Igor explains. “He already had solid experience selling wooden educational toys for children on Wildberries. Since our target audiences are quite similar, his guidance was incredibly helpful in getting started.”
With his entry into online marketplaces, Igor’s customer base grew quickly. Orders now come in from all regions of Belarus, as well as from abroad. Today, his company produces an average of 120 items per month, an 80% increase compared to before.
As the volume of orders increased, so did the opportunity to hire more staff.
“I currently employ five people: four in production and one in marketing. My plan is to keep scaling up. In the future, I would like to open a large furniture production facility here in Khoiniki. Our city lacks something big that could create jobs and help stimulate the local economy. If I can achieve that, I’ll consider my mission complete,” says Igor, sharing his vision for the future.
Supporting entrepreneurship in the Chernobyl-affected regions
According to Igor, a common challenge for regions recovering from the Chernobyl disaster is the outflow of young people. Many move to larger cities for education and rarely return. The area lacks skilled workers and individuals who are eager to invest in creating new opportunities.
To run his growing business, Igor hires not only specialists with relevant training but also those with no prior experience. He personally trains them on the job. With a shortage of skilled carpenters in the area, particularly in fine woodworking, nurturing his own workforce has become a key strategy for expanding production.
“In my opinion, entrepreneurship support is key to fostering local development. People need to see that there are opportunities for a decent income here, too,” says Igor. “The Time Banking initiative is a great example of how entrepreneurs benefit from helping each other. My legal background helped others. And in return, I received a strong boost for my business growth. In regions like ours, still grappling with the aftermath of Chernobyl, building strong business communities is crucial for long-term development.”
A total of 18 entrepreneurs from the Bragin and Khoiniki districts have participated in the Time Banking initiative, with more than 60 hours of consultations exchanged.
