How Daria Leshchenko Transformed a Side Project into a Global Support Empire

During her pursuit of an education degree, Daria Leshchenko explored various roles within the service industry. By the time she turned 21, she had gained experience as both a restaurant server and a sales assistant. However, it was her stint as a customer support agent that sparked a career-defining shift, opening the door to a future she never anticipated. Soon after, Daria found herself leading the customer support department, setting the stage for something bigger.

Her breakthrough moment came when the founder of a neighboring startup approached her for help with customer inquiries. This collaboration revealed a clear gap in the market for specialized support services, prompting Daria to launch a side project focused on this need. What began as a small venture evolved into SupportYourApp—an innovative Support-as-a-Service company that delivers secure, technical customer experience solutions to growing businesses around the globe. As the CEO and managing partner, Daria now leads an international team of 1,500 employees, serving 250 clients.

Read on to learn more about Daria's inspiring journey.

Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Not really. I studied teaching like my mother, but I was open to different opportunities. Knowing that teaching jobs would probably always be available, I started exploring other opportunities.

From there, my first steps in co-building SupportYourApp were quite intense. I had to balance my studies while learning management on the go and keeping the company running without significant financial backing in the early years. My attitude is that giving up is not an option—and obstacles only motivate me to push harder. Now as a seasoned leader, I see how this mindset defined my career path.

What’s one thing you wish you had known before starting your company?

How important it is to stay objective as a leader. For me, this means focusing on results rather than trying to be liked, and not confusing loyalty with performance. It also means making decisions based on what’s best for the company, even when it’s not easy.

Objectivity also helps me maintain professional boundaries during both successful and turbulent times. I remind myself of the old proverb “this too shall pass,” which allows me to take wins as temporary pleasures and losses as temporary hurdles. In my early days, even the risk of losing a key client could feel overwhelming.

Has your definition of success evolved throughout your journey as a founder?

In the beginning—when I had to resolve client requests at night, eat and sleep in the office, and study on the subway on my way to university—success was more about financial prosperity. Buying nice clothes, getting my first car, traveling to different countries I was craving to visit… those things felt like success. Once I was able to cover my basic needs, other aspects of success became more relevant. I began putting more weight, for example, on social impact, igniting change, and leading people. These are more abstract ways to define success and they are difficult to measure, but they eventually create a sense of purpose through meaningful contributions to the industry and improvements to the world.

How have you grown as a leader since starting your company? What experiences have contributed to this growth?

At the start, I was a micromanager who switched between overly lenient and overly strict. Today, I’m a more balanced leader who trusts, delegates, and focuses on strategy rather than day-to-day tasks. Early on, I made mistakes. At times, I prioritized being liked over accountability, which led to a lack of structure and ownership in the team. At other times, I was too focused on operations, constantly putting out fires instead of building a clear long-term vision.

Over time, I learned that leadership is about balance: setting clear expectations, trusting people to deliver, and creating space for strategic thinking. That shift has probably had the biggest impact on how I lead today.

What have you learned about building a team and a support network around yourself?

One defining lesson I’ve learned about building a team is the “hire slow, fire fast” principle. While the concept came from a book by Dan Kennedy, my hands-on experience prepared me to adopt it. Mistakes we made while scaling at speed proved that hiring is a meticulous process in which caution helps. When we overlooked poor performance, we saw that firing must happen promptly to protect the morale of high achievers.

I’ve also learned that a support network begins with trust and empowerment. I try to back the initiatives of our teammates and empower them in execution. This creates an environment where people take ownership of their results and grow alongside the business, allowing my team to provide the professional leverage I need to focus on the company's long-term health.

How would you describe the journey you’ve had in a few sentences. And would you do it all over again?

I would definitely do it all over again. Describing my journey even more concisely, I’d only use adjectives: challenging, adventurous, interesting, unpredictable, and impactful.

What’s next for you and your company/career?

The big goal for SupportYourApp is to successfully transform into a new-generation business with an AI layer. We are transitioning from a rather classic B2B model to a more innovative company where humans and technology cooperate. Already, we’re transforming our business model to prioritize the development and support of AI skills. My main priority right now is to ensure that this organizational change is a success.

For me personally, the next goal is to shift my role and be even more involved in the strategic aspects of the business and the journey, rather than the operational ones.