Andriy Boychuk

Andriy is the Founder and CEO of Flowium marketing agency.

He and his family moved to the US in 2004. Before launching Flowium, Andriy spent 9 years working in corporate America, advancing from a junior position to Senior Project Manager at the Clarient Group. He focused on designing integrated, smart building design solutions.

In 2017, he created Flowium to help businesses realize the full potential of email marketing. Since then, he’s pioneered strategies to translate a strong customer retention ground game into stable revenue growth.

As an experienced business leader, he has a wealth of knowledge and insights to share on marketing, e-commerce, and entrepreneurship topics.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

I wish I could say there was some innovative solution to staying productive – but it’s really about structure and discipline.
I always start my work day at 8 am and end it at 5 pm, time blocking each activity in between to make sure I get everything I planned for the day done.
As a CEO, my role requires a lot of management and meetings with different departments within the agency. To stay organized and productive, I divide my week into themes, dedicating specific days to meetings and other days to deep work. During meetings, my team and I prioritize actionable points instead of simply updating each other on what’s happened throughout the week.
When you run a fast-growing agency, it’s easy to become consumed by work and neglect other important aspects of life, such as family and personal health. I’ve made that mistake in the past, so to avoid it, I start every day with family time and prioritize my physical and mental well-being by incorporating exercise into my daily routine.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I used to think bringing ideas to life meant having to work myself to exhaustion. But as I moved from working as a freelancer to building an agency, I learned that it’s not only about working hard, but also about having a clear vision, being self-aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, and finding the right people to share and help you implement that vision.

That’s why when we hire new team members, we always look for people with an above-and-beyond attitude, who are creative, passionate about their work, and who are supportive team players.
So in short, surrounding myself with the right people who share the agency’s values and vision is how I bring ideas to life.

What’s one trend that excites you?

As someone truly passionate about email marketing, I’m excited to see more and more businesses recognizing the power and effectiveness of email marketing compared to other marketing channels. Lately, I’ve noticed even more established and traditional businesses incorporating email into their marketing strategy, and as someone who’s been preaching the power of email for years, I’m glad to see that.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Being clear on my and the company’s priorities and setting goals accordingly. By doing this, I’m able to assess every task that comes up through the filter of whether it’s going to get me and Flowium closer to achieving those goals. If the answer is a whole-hearted yes, I do it, even if it wasn’t originally on my to-do list.

What advice would you give your younger self?

As I became older, I realized the power of delegation and letting go. When I was younger, I mistakenly believed that I had to do everything on my own and underestimated the capabilities of a strong and knowledgeable team. Once I learned to delegate tasks that others could do better than me, I became calmer and more satisfied with my life, and Flowium started to really take off.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.

I believe that it’s essential to only work on tasks that you’re both passionate about and good at.
I know that this fear of letting go of tasks that we’re not good at may come from the habit of staying busy instead of staying productive and the notion that success requires doing something we don’t like.
I discovered this principle from Michael Hyatt and ever since I put it into daily work routine, it has had a transformative effect both on my life and the company.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

Achieving the life you desire and envision begins with setting higher standards for yourself and those around you. This applies to every aspect of life, including the work that I do, the results produced by my team, the new team members we hire to work for Flowium, our partners, and the working conditions and benefits for my team.
By consistently raising the bar in all areas, we were able to transform Flowium from a small niche agency to a premium email marketing company respected by the industry leaders and offering sought-after services.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed, I find it helpful to switch up my activity. Whether it’s moving on to a different task or simply taking a short break, it works wonders. It’s a gentle reminder that maintaining a balance between work and rest is key to staying productive. After all, being truly productive isn’t just about the work you put in, but also about giving yourself the chance to recharge.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

Find partners. Partnerships are everything. Even for a relatively small team at Flowium, we have a person specifically in charge of partner relations. Partnerships are what’s going to allow you to grow and help each other out when times get tough.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a failure – simply because I’ve stopped labeling work-related experiences as such and rather appreciate them for what they are, learning experiences.
At the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, I tried to do too many things at once. I tried offering our services to all kinds of businesses and wondered why it didn’t work.
Then I read the book called The One Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan, which pushed me to niche down – and so far it’s proven to be a great decision for my business.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Although email marketing is continuing to grow, there are still not enough knowledgeable email marketing technicians. Learn the tech, commit to improving, and set a competitive price for your services.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

When it comes to productivity, you really don’t need to reinvent the wheel. To stay productive every day, I use Asana. Simple enough if you want to keep it simple, it also offers limitless possibilities to users like me who need to keep a million tasks under control.

What is the best $100 you recently spent?

A 1-person coffee machine – so I can make my own coffee in the office, without having to run out for one and interrupt my routine.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?

The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. It’s a very short book you can finish in one day. But it gives you the three techniques of an effective manager: one minute goals, one minute praisings, and one minute reprimands. Each of these techniques may take only a minute, but they have a lasting impact. That book has helped me become the manager I am today, but the techniques described in it are also applicable to other areas of life.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

When it comes to picking between movies and podcasts, I’m definitely more of a podcast person. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy movies too, but there’s something about podcasts that really captures my interest. As for movies, I can’t really pick just one favorite. What really gets me excited are the inspiring stories of successful individuals. The kind that leaves you feeling motivated and reminds you that nothing’s out of reach. There’s just something about those stories that really resonates with me and keeps me going.

Key learnings:

• You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to productivity. Create a structure and schedule you know you can commit to, organize your work with tools like Asana, and, most importantly, keep your eyes on the goal, so you can prioritize better.
• Surround yourself with the right people who are passionate about what they do, share your vision and values, and have your back. That’s how you bring ideas to life.
• Once you build your team, dare to focus on the tasks you’re both passionate about and good at, and delegate the tasks your team will do better than you.