Development is the meaning of life: Maria Terekhova on intuition in business and insight into international work

Maria Terekhova is a laureate of the "Woman of Ukraine" award, CEO of Fast Line Studio, and co-owner of the "Let's Go with Us" travel agency network. She develops international projects, opens offices in new countries, studies languages, and is actively developing in marketing. How does she do it?

Especially for LIGA.Life, Maria Terekhova talked about her approach to life and business: what inspires her, how she makes decisions and regains strength during stressful times.

Maria Terekhova's rules for success

— I have a credo: development is the meaning of life.

Therefore, every time the question arises: to do or not to do, to leave or to stay, to open a business in a new country or not — I choose to try. To test the idea with an experiment, to test the business tool — and only then make a decision. This is how I make decisions about new directions, countries, projects.

— I am guided primarily by intuition.

This is probably a purely female story. But later I always try to check my intuitive decision with logic. When it comes to finances, I always calculate or consult with those who understand better: financial managers or narrowly focused specialists. But still, I make the final decision based on both data and feelings. And often intuition wins — and, as experience shows, for good reason.

— Family is inspiration for new projects

During the war, close people became my main resource. Another source of inspiration is knowledge. Recently, I have learned Polish to a level where I can speak, write and perform fluently. I am currently learning Spanish – one of our businesses is entering the markets of Spanish-speaking countries. I am very actively involved in this process, because we open up where our tourists go.

I am also very interested in female entrepreneurship, the "SHE" industry – I study it, I am inspired by the stories of other women.

— Rebooting practices

— Over the past two years, the workload has grown exponentially — both due to the active development of the business and the large-scale expansion of teams in different countries. In moments of overload, several things help me recover: traveling with my family is a great source of resources, transcendental meditation, and personal yoga practice.

I really like Nordic Walking: I take poles and go. If I'm near a pond, the sea or the ocean, I swim. It literally brings me back to myself. Recently, tennis has also entered my life – and it seems to be starting to work out quite well. It keeps me in shape and also gives me energy.

— The strongest insight in international business is marketing

At the beginning of this year, I immersed myself in it with a new depth. Before that, of course, I also studied and worked in practice, but now I am discovering the classics of marketing in a completely different way. Why? Because there is a great demand for cross-cultural aspects.

It’s not enough to translate advertising. You need to understand the mentality, the customer, their behavior, their motivation. Why do they buy? Why do they come back? Why do they become brand ambassadors? This is not a superficial thing — it’s a process that is worth studying for a lifetime.

Blitz poll

• Useful habit: Have a clear plan.
• The best advice I've ever received: Hire a nanny from the first day after your baby is born.
• Balance formula: Morning meditation, yoga, physical activity.
• The country where you would most like to implement a new project: open Fast Line Studio beauty salons in Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Singapore.

What advice would you give yourself at the start of your career?

Think more about health and resources. But I know that in youth it is perceived differently anyway – drive wins. And that's normal.

The material was published as part of the media partnership between LIGA.net and the National Award "Woman of Ukraine" , which has existed since 2016.

The 15 categories honor women who create change, shape new meanings, and inspire millions. The award is an independent initiative that recognizes women's contributions to society without political or commercial bias.

Among the laureates of previous years in various nominations were Ada Rogovtseva, Jamala, Lina Kostenko, Ella Libanova, Marta Levchenko, Lilya Hrynevych, Olga Kharlan, Victoria Tigipko and other women who inspire with their example.

In May 2025, the award will be held for the fifth time, after a four-year hiatus.

Voting is scheduled to start on May 12, and the awards ceremony is scheduled for May 28, 2025.