Vasyl Lukyanenko left Ukraine two weeks before the war started and built a custom millwork business from nothing in the United States in just four years. In this episode of the Designers and Builders Podcast, host Steve Larosiliere sits down with the founder and owner of Epure Millwork to talk about precision craftsmanship, the realities of scaling a shop, and what it takes to say yes to every opportunity when failure is not an option.
Vasyl's path to the trades was unconventional. With a background in tech, an MBA, and a first degree in marketing, he understood the business side long before he ran a shop floor. After arriving in the US, he and his former partner began installing Italian furniture in New York, where their European training in millimeter-precise work quickly set them apart. That reputation for precision led to their own fabrication shop, and when the partnership dissolved, Vasyl launched Epure Millwork with a team of craftsmen carrying over 40 years of combined experience.
The conversation covers the real mechanics of running a small, high-end shop: how Vasyl learned the hard way that upholstery subcontracting costs can destroy a budget, why he now walks away from clients who push too hard on price, and how his 10-person team handles everything from luxury Manhattan townhouses to jewelry store buildouts in Nashville, Orlando, and Miami. He breaks down his project workflow, from weeks of shop drawing revisions to rapid fabrication and installation, and explains why he would rather take fewer projects and execute them flawlessly than overload his schedule. Steve and Vasyl also trade notes on the challenges of project management software in the trades, the wave-like seasonality of the business, and why the hardest part of running a shop is not the equipment but finding people you can trust.
For designers, builders, and entrepreneurs, this is an honest look at what it takes to build a craft-based business from the ground up in a new country. Vasyl's story is a testament to the power of precision, relentless work ethic, and the willingness to say yes before you have all the answers. Whether you run your own shop or manage subcontractors, his insights on pricing, client trust, and team building are immediately applicable.
Chapters:
00:00 From Ukraine to New York: Starting Epure Millwork
04:48 The Pursuit of Perfection in Every Detail
05:25 Product Evolution: From First Project Losses to Luxury Buildouts
09:07 Saying Yes to Everything and Traveling for the Work
12:03 Knowing When to Walk Away from a Project
15:06 Shop Drawings, Process, and Why Preparation Saves Everything
20:39 What Keeps You Up at Night Running a Millwork Shop
22:29 Running the Business: Software, Reporting, and Team Management
28:13 Seasonality, Market Waves, and the Year Ahead
31:29 High-End Clients, Privacy, and Marketing a Craft Business
35:09 Leaving Ukraine and Building a Life from Nothing
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