Book "Life Inside a Bubble"
Igor Ashmanov's book “Life inside a bubble. How a manager can survive in an invested project ”is recommended to those who want to learn about working in IT projects. In fact, its topic is broader. How can a manager survive when investors do not have a clear idea of what they want and have no development plans. When the strategy changes every few months. When the left hand does not know what the right hand wants (and if it does, it does exactly the opposite). When there is more intrigue than work. The situation is typical not only for IT companies.
A mine of future conflicts was laid already at the hiring stage.
“The crazy uncontrolled hiring process led to the fact that in the company, like in a quickly filled and poorly stirred semolina, lumps immediately appeared - clans. Who fought for influence on the president and investors, for positions in the company. "
"The president promised leadership to so many when hiring."
“Investors did not initially set themselves the goal of business development. They were preparing it for sale. From such a statement of the problem, everything that happened automatically followed - ridiculous acquisitions, squandering of money, the absence of serious business models for the portal, the loss of partners, the panic of investors when it became clear that it would not be possible to resell. "
The existence of the company showed a serious difference between the expected and the done, the promised and the fulfilled.
“At a cavalry pace, an Internet newspaper, a health resource, an Internet incubator, a service with maps of Moscow and five other projects were bought in bulk. The projects were bought because they seemed to some of the investors a good deal, that is, a cheap purchase. They had nothing to do with the portal, in fact they were an unprofitable investment, but they created a lot of PR reasons and the appearance of the unrestrained growth of a powerful Internet holding. "
In fact, the whole book of Ashmanov on how to understand the difference between the visible and the real when you are not looking from the side (in this case, usually everything is simple), but you are in the thick of things.
It is not very difficult to determine the type of project: the main feature of a bloated and visible project is the presence of noisy PR before the start of real work and the absence of clear plans even among the top management. But even when you come to a good project, you should understand why you are doing it.
That is, the second point is to determine in advance your goals in the company. When these goals can be considered fulfilled, and when - not achieved.
It is worth negotiating "on the shore" and on paper. This is the third point. And to have criteria for measuring their achievements - so that there is no situation when investors say: "We expected a completely different result, so it is wrong to reward you." This can be, for example, sales volume or the release of specific projects.
To implement the project, it is necessary to find a healthy core - people who speak briefly, reasonably and to the point at meetings, and then carry out the decisions made at the meetings.
It is very important to screen subordinates from the investor - he has a lot of ideas, he does not understand why everything is done so slowly, he needs lightning-fast results. Therefore, for stable work, a top manager must be a filter, preventing unrest in the team due to frequent and unexpected changes in the investor's course.
And finally, the last thing is to leave in time. If it's obvious to you that the project will fail, then the best strategy is to stretch the spring of the project to the nearest milestone and pack your things. It is also necessary to leave successful projects if your goals are achieved in it. By the way, the book ends optimistically: “The overall result of the work in the portal is clearly a plus. And we were able to get out of this crazy story without much loss. With a new baggage of knowledge, skills and connections. Once again I was convinced: there is no extra work ”.
Mann, Ivanov and Ferber Publishing House
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How to increase sales of shoes and accessories?
The main colors of women's shoes for the fall-winter 2026/27 season
Fashion continues to embrace the language of emotion. The upcoming Fall/Winter 2026/27 season promises to be emotional and slightly reflective. Vibrancy gives way to depth, and ostentatious luxury is replaced by enveloping warmth. Five key shades of women's footwear reflect precisely these sentiments: trust in naturalness, attention to texture, and a desire to find beauty in nuances. Let's turn to the professional forecast of seasonal, cutting-edge colors from the international trend bureau Future Snoops. The selection of the Fall/Winter 2026/27 palette from Future Snoops presented in this article is an emotional map of the coming season, speaking of trust and fragile honesty, balance, inner strength, and warmth that requires no occasion. These five shades transform the seasonal footwear styles into a unique color language that can help the brand and its customers express themselves and their emotions.
Offline vs. Marketplaces: How to Survive and Win in 2026?
In Russia, e-commerce's share has grown from 5% in 2019 to nearly 23% in 2024 and continues to grow, with e-commerce market analysts predicting it will reach over 30% by 2029. Offline retail, meanwhile, can not only survive but also grow by 20-30% annually if it stops offering clothes on hangers and shoes on shelves and starts selling unique experiences. We discuss this topic with Shoes Report regular contributor Elena Vinogradova, an expert in fashion buying and sales and the author of the Fashion Business Blog, a blog for retailers and buyers.
How a fashion brand can launch a successful licensed product with a celebrity
Why fashion brands should consider licensing as a strategic tool—this is what Natalia Timashova, editor-in-chief of Shoes Report magazine, discussed with Maria Kozeeva, CEO of the Yulia Vysotskaya media holding (part of the Andrey Sergeevich Konchalovsky Production Center) and brand director of the Edim Doma and Julia Vysotskaya businesses.
How to strengthen and make your brand more sustainable
2025 has become a year of survival for many fashion brands in the challenging and rapidly changing conditions of an overheated market: declining traffic, the closure of entire chains and companies, the consolidation of sellers on marketplaces, the shift of customer traffic from offline to online—all these and other factors have impacted everyone, especially the weaker ones, those experiencing various challenges. The market has shifted to savings consumption. Some consider this a crisis, but our expert, Dania Tkacheva, a business consultant specializing in sales management and strategic development for fashion brands, calls it the maturation of the market. She offers distressed companies her own tool for diagnosing their business and opportunities for recovery and recovery. She calls this tool the Brand Maturity Pyramid.
Sales of additional goods and services can add up to 20-30% to a store's turnover.
Many stores today have hit a sales ceiling: they have the product range, the team is working hard, the marketing is up and running, but revenue isn't growing. Where can they find growth opportunities? In reality, the potential for growth lies right in the customer's receipt. And it's not about raising prices, but about offering customers more value at the point of purchase. We discussed with Maria Gerasimenko, an expert at SR in fashion business management and development, how to increase sales with additional merchandise, why accessories and related products are becoming a strategic source of profit, and the role of the store team.
Chinese brands and factories at Euro Shoes
The Russian economy's pivot toward Asia and the active development of the footwear industry and the technological base for producing a wide range of footwear in China are opening up new prospects for cooperation with Chinese partners.
Rieker and Remonte with new collections - at Euro Shoes
Rieker is well-known and beloved in Russia. Each pair of Rieker shoes is designed with the anatomy of the foot in mind, using Rieker's signature Antistress technology to ensure maximum comfort.
The home collection from Australian brand EMU Australia at Euro Shoes
SOHO Fashion invites you to discover the new Fall/Winter 26 collection of Australian footwear brand EMU Australia at the Euro Shoes Premiere Collection international exhibition in Moscow.
The 37th Euro Shoes Premiere Collection exhibition concluded successfully in Moscow.
From March 4th to 7th, the International Euro Shoes Premiere Collection exhibition took place at the WTC Congress Center in Moscow. It is a specialized B2B event for footwear industry and fashion retail professionals and the key industry event of the new purchasing season and selection development for fashion retailers. Approximately 100 companies and brands participated in the exhibition, presenting their Fall/Winter 2026/27 footwear, bag, and accessory collections to professional visitors.
Needs Identification Techniques That Really Work in Shoe Stores
"How can I help you?" is the most common, yet least effective, question in shoe retail. Customers rarely articulate their needs clearly. Some are shy, while others don't fully understand what they're looking for. Therefore, a salesperson's job isn't simply to suggest styles; they need to be able to identify the customer's true desires. In this article, SR expert Maria Gerasimenko and I explore five techniques that will help your staff better hear, see, and understand your customers, and therefore sell more and better.
Revisiting classic standards of retail lighting through the lens of modern technology
Just yesterday, the principle governing retail lighting was: the brighter the light, the brighter the store, the more customers and sales. Today, this principle has lost its relevance. It has been replaced by a trend toward a well-thought-out concept, intelligently applied lighting, and carefully selected lighting fixtures. Anastasia Efremova, SR's expert in retail lighting and lighting designer at Tochka Opory, discusses current lighting principles in fashion and footwear retail, and how light helps interact with merchandise, space, and customer emotions. She will help you understand the fundamental principles of lighting through the lens of new retail space requirements.
Just a month until the Euro Shoes exhibition in Moscow!
We are counting down the days for the main international exhibition of footwear and accessories Euro Shoes Premiere Collection in Moscow! The exhibition will be held from August 27 to 30 at a new premium venue – the capital's congress center WTC on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.
The Battle for the Sports Shoe Market
Fashion market experts and economic analysts predict a decline in sales of Nike and Adidas. The leadership positions of the unsinkable sports giants may be seriously shaken in the coming years, as they are being pushed out by young, bold and active competitors – challenger brands. Why is this happening, and what are the main reasons for such changes? Daniya Tkacheva, a fashion market expert and practitioner with 20 years of experience in sales management, and 13 years of experience in the Nike Russia team and fashion retail, shares her view on the situation on the market in the sportswear and footwear segment.
Micam and Livetrend presented a selection of footwear trends for the spring-summer 2026 season
The Italian international footwear fair Micam presents the "Spring-Summer 2026 Trend Guide", developed in collaboration with Livetrend. The guide is based on the analysis of social networks, online marketplaces and fashion shows, as well as new technologies such as artificial intelligence and Big Data.
PETER KAISER - the best brand of 2025!
"CAPRICE Schuhproduktion GmbH has received a certificate for awarding PETER KAISER the title of "Top Brand 2025".
Turn to Asia. Features of shoe production at a factory in China
Finding a partner factory for shoe production is not an easy process. Today, many Russian brands sew their collections in factories in China. The concept of the women's shoe brand N.early N.aked, founded in 2019, was based on the idea of producing shoes suitable for dancing, with a perfect fit. Initially, the shoes were sewn in Europe, but in 2022, shoe production was moved to China.
How to Compete with Marketplaces in 2025
The shoe business is a complex process due to the many related micro-strategies used to extract profit. It is necessary to determine how much goods to purchase, what trade margin to set, and approve the norm of balances at the end of the season. In addition, it is necessary to draw up a sales plan and decide on marketing campaigns that take into account seasonal demand and the competitive environment, set up a personnel motivation system and correctly set control points.
Rieker and Remonte will present their new collections at Euro Shoes!
The brands Rieker and Remonte, which are among the leading shoe companies in Germany, will present their Spring-Summer'26 collections in Moscow at the international exhibition of footwear and accessories Euro Shoes! The exhibition will be held from August 27 to 30, 2025 at a new premium venue in the WTC Congress Center on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.
The share of marketplaces will grow
The footwear category on Ozon Fashion shows steady growth The share of online sales in fashion is growing, and last year it was already more than 54%. Buyers are increasingly buying clothes and shoes online, and the lion's share of these purchases are made on marketplaces. Ozon is one of the leading players in the Russian fashion market, and the Fashion direction on the platform is the fastest growing. About trends in online trading, about the specifics of the shoe market and recommendations for brands planning to sell shoes through the marketplace - in an exclusive interview with SR with the Commercial Director of the Footwear direction at Ozon Fashion Olga Moskvicheva.
New Tamaris Spring-Summer 26 Collection: Comfort and Elegance in Every Model
German footwear and accessories brand Tamaris will present its new Spring-Summer '26 collection at the Euro Shoes exhibition in Moscow, from August 27 to 30.
KV+ sneakers for city and sports for the first time at Euro Shoes
The Swiss brand KV+ is not so well known to the general Russian audience, but it is well known in the world of skiing, because it was there that KV+ took its first steps and actively developed. The Swiss brand has earned the trust of the professional sports audience over the past 35 years. At the same time, the Russian sports market of ski equipment has always been a priority for the Swiss.
Shoe educational program: what shoe soles are made of
“What is the difference between TEP and EVA? What does tunit promise me? Is PVC glue? What is the sole of these shoes made of? ”- the modern buyer wants to know everything. In order not to smash his face in front of him and be able to explain whether such a sole suits him in soles, carefully read this article. In it, process engineer Igor Okorokov tells what materials the soles of shoes are made of and what makes each of them so good.
How to set prices that will earn
Some businessmen still confuse the concept of margin with the concept of trade margins and set prices for their goods, guided solely by the example of competitors. No wonder they go broke! Analyst at the Academy of Retail Technologies Maxim Gorshkov gives several tips and formulas with which you can set not only ruinous, but also profitable prices.
Sales of shoes and accessories: effective techniques for business rhetoric
Which speech modules are effective in communicating with potential and current customers of shoe stores, and which are not, Anna Bocharova, a business consultant, knows.
We form the salary of sellers: expert advice
“How do you charge your consultants for personal or general sales?” Is one of the most popular questions causing a lot of controversy and gossip on the online forums of retail business owners. Indeed, how to properly form the earnings of sellers? But what about bonuses, where to get a sales plan from, do employees allow them to buy goods at discounted stores? In search of truth, the Shoes Report turned to a dozen shoe retailers, but no company wanted to disclose its motivation system - the process of its development was too complicated and individual. Then we asked four business consultants, and finally became convinced that the topic of seller motivation is very complex, because even our experts could not come to a common opinion.
The whole truth about Bayer. Who is he and how to become one?
Bayer is no longer a new, but still a popular and sought-after profession. It’s fashionable to be a buyer. Buyers are at the origins of the emergence and development of trends. If the designer offers his vision of fashion in the season, then the buyer selects the most interesting commercial ideas. It is on buyers that the policy of sales of stores and what, in the end, the buyer will wear depends on. This profession is surrounded by a magical fleur, often associated with a lack of understanding of what exactly is the work of a buyer.
Technology Selling Issues
There is nothing worse than meeting the buyer with the words “Hello, can I help you with something?”, Because the seller works in the store just to help. Criticizing this well-established pattern of communication with the buyer, Andrei Chirkarev, business coach for effective sales and the founder of the New Economy project, shares the technology of truly selling issues with readers of Shoes Report.
Fur, and not only: types of lining
In the production of winter footwear, various materials are used that are designed to retain heat and meet the requirements of consumers: natural sheepleather, artificial fur, artificial fur from natural wool and others. All types of lining fur have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider the properties of each of them.
The best models of Czech shoes of the past
In Soviet times, for shoes from Czechoslovakia sold under the Cebo brand, customers stood in line for four hours and did not regret it, because Czech shoes were considered to be of high quality, comfortable and fashionable. Shoe designer Juraj Shushka shared a photo archive of his collection with Shoes Report magazine, which contains the most interesting Cebo models from the 1940's to the 1980's.
Retail Arithmetic
Before you begin to solve specific problems, you need to find out how accurately all the leaders of your company understand the basic terminology of retail.
How to fire a worker without tears, scandal and trial
Sooner or later, any manager is faced with the need to part with an employee. Correctly and on time the dismissal procedure will save the company money, and the boss himself - nerves and time. But why sometimes, knowing that a break in relations is inevitable, we postpone the decision for months?
