Behind every strong man, there must be a strong woman. Kristina Conde, co-owner of the engine export company LC Autos Ltd, shares her story of persevering in a tough, male-dominated business and the journey she and her husband have been on together. Our company’s story begins with my husband’s grandfather, and now four generations have continued his legacy.
Our joint venture in England was founded in 2018, but there is a long history preceding it. My husband was involved in dismantling transport vehicles and collaborated with the Discovery Channel. Hollywood films were even shot on their premises.
Meeting my husband completely changed my life. He proposed on the day we met. At the time, he was collaborating with a partner from Belarus, while I was studying at a university of foreign languages.
With my appearance in his life, my husband dreamed of entering the global market. Before that, all his activities were limited to Great Britain. My Russian entrepreneurial spirit and his British mentality helped make that dream a reality.
Eight years ago, he offered me a partnership and gave me a task: sell 500 engines worth several hundred thousand pounds. I had a two-week trial period. I managed to connect with companies that had never heard of me before.
They sensed trust and transferred large sums without meeting or inspecting the goods, simply by receiving an Excel list. In 2015, a tragedy occurred. On Christmas Eve, about a thousand cars were parked at one of the dismantling sites.
At 4am, the phone rang: your yard is on fire. We had recently moved to that site, and the insurance hadn’t been finalised. Our colossal labour, health, and time invested in the company burned to the ground in a few hours.
We cleared the ashes piece by piece for half a year. It was hard, but we got through it. After a year and a half, success unexpectedly arrived.
Our thinking changed, and our decisions became correct. Three years ago, while sitting in England, we were contemplating the future. One day, we were watching YouTube where an English blogger was talking about how easy it is to set up a company in Dubai.
That’s how we entered Dubai, the central hub with direct rails to Australia. We now dismantle cars and trucks and export engines to Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Dubai brings tranquillity and peace.
90 percent of the time in London was a rollercoaster. My life credo: who dares wins.