Building a Company That Can Outgrow the Market

B1 CEO Alex Iaroshenko and HR Director Nana Shneider on why people, ownership, adaptability, and product focus remain the foundations of sustainable growth.

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What Creates a Lasting Competitive Advantage?

If a competitor copied B1’s strategy tomorrow, what would still make the company win?

Alex Iaroshenko:
The answer is actually quite simple: our people.

Over the years, we have built an exceptional team of professionals who know their domains inside out, take ownership of their work, and genuinely enjoy solving complex challenges. Many of them do not wait for problems to appear — they actively look for opportunities to improve, both for their own growth and for the benefit of the company.

Could someone copy our strategy? Perhaps parts of it. But they could not copy the way we think, the way we manage, or the way we see the market. Those things are built through years of experience and shared values.

Nana Shneider:
Even if someone copied our strategy tomorrow, I believe B1 would still stay ahead.

What has impressed me most over the years is our ability to adapt. We do not simply react to trends — we often start working with emerging tendencies before they become obvious to the market.

A strategy is only as strong as the people behind it. Our team is not afraid to rethink, improve, and evolve it whenever necessary. That is what gives us a lasting competitive advantage.

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What is most important for a company’s growth today: the market, the product, or the people?

Alex Iaroshenko:
People are always the foundation. I do not know any stage of business where they are not.

Between the market and the product, I would choose the product. Markets constantly evolve, but they are also surprisingly conservative when it comes to adopting change. Truly innovative products are what move industries forward.

Right now, we are heavily focused on product development, and I believe what we are building is something the industry has not seen before. We are also opening new opportunities for AI to transform iGaming from an entirely different perspective.

Nana Shneider:
For me, it is the people who create the product and bring it to the market.

Great products do not always come from obvious market demand. Often, they come from people who are curious enough to challenge the status quo.

Many of our colleagues have spent years in this industry. They continue to create because they enjoy solving difficult problems and pushing themselves further. That curiosity eventually becomes innovation — and innovation is what the market begins to demand.

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If you had to deliberately slow something down to grow in the right way, what would it be?

Alex Iaroshenko:
I would slow down long enough to question our habits.

Every company develops routines — weekly, monthly, and quarterly. Some continue to create value, while others simply become legacy processes that nobody questions anymore.

That is exactly why we hold strategic sessions every six months. They give us the opportunity to step back, challenge our assumptions, review what truly works, and make sure the entire team is moving in the same direction.

Nana Shneider:
I could jokingly say I would make summer six months long instead of three.

But professionally, I would slow down how quickly we evaluate people’s performance.

Business moves fast, and deadlines matter. At the same time, people do not always develop at the same speed. Sometimes, giving someone a little more time to grow, learn, or find the right approach creates much stronger long-term results than focusing only on short-term performance.

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The CEO Perspective: Focus, Agility, and Product Strategy

What is a number you look at every week that most people would not expect a CEO to track personally?

Alex Iaroshenko:
My blood pressure. (Laughs).

On a serious note, of course I follow the standard business metrics: pipeline performance, financial results, client activity, and, during major events such as the IPL season, even our clients’ daily turnover.

But if I am honest, I am not a numbers-driven leader.

I constantly keep track of something that is impossible to measure: how people are feeling.

In my mind, there is a kind of relationship meter. Are people motivated? Are they happy? Do they feel supported? In my experience, how someone feels has a much greater impact on performance than almost any KPI.

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What part of B1’s current strategy would surprise people outside the company?

Alex Iaroshenko:
Probably how focused we are.

People often expect long-term strategic plans stretching five or ten years into the future. Our planning horizon is much shorter — around 18 months — and many of our objectives are designed to be achieved within three months.

That approach keeps us agile. It allows us to make precise decisions, monitor progress almost daily, and avoid spending time on initiatives that do not move us closer to our goals.

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What does becoming B1 enable the company to do that was not possible before?

Alex Iaroshenko:
It gives us clarity.

Previously, our positioning made us appear capable of providing everything for everyone. While that brought opportunities, it also diluted our focus.

As B1, we are product-driven.

We are building partnerships around our own products and working with clients who value innovation rather than simply looking for a reseller. Our direction is much clearer today, and that clarity helps us make better strategic decisions.

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The HR Perspective: Hiring for Potential and Building a Culture of Ownership

How has the hiring profile changed as the company’s ambitions have grown?

Nana Shneider:
I would not say our hiring profile has changed dramatically, because our ambitions have always been high.

From the very beginning, we have looked for people with long-term potential. We do not hire simply to fill vacancies — we hire people we believe can grow together with the company.

We are committed to learning and development, offering educational opportunities and encouraging internal mobility. It is not unusual for someone to build an entirely new career path within B1 — whether that means moving from Support into Development, from HR into Events, or exploring another direction where they can create more value.

Our expectations remain high, but so do our commitments to our people. We expect continuous growth because we strive for it ourselves.

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How would you define B1’s culture in your own words?

Nana Shneider:
Culture is not something you write down — it is something you build every day.

From the moment someone joins B1, they are supported, guided, and given everything they need to succeed. We invest time in helping people understand not only what we do, but also how we work together.

What I am most proud of is the trust we have within our team.

We respect each other’s professional responsibilities while also understanding that everyone has a personal life beyond work. We do not blur those boundaries, but when someone needs support, the team is always there.

That balance between professionalism and genuine care is what makes B1 special to me.

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If you could bottle one thing about how this team works and give it to every company, what would it be?

Nana Shneider:
Ownership.

People at B1 genuinely own what they do.

When a task is assigned, there is no need for constant follow-up or micromanagement. We trust each other because everyone takes responsibility for delivering the best possible result.

To me, ownership is much more than accountability. It is respect — for your work, for your colleagues, and for the trust your manager places in you. When ownership becomes part of a company’s culture, everything else becomes easier.

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ABOUT B1 (BE ONE):

B1 (Be One) is a B2B product-focused iGaming company, shaping AI-driven content and   real-time sports data infrastructure.

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