Alla Reveko and Maria Sibirtseva are redefining how we perceive failure in business.
With a rich background in journalism, marketing, and content creation, they have both encountered setbacks that have profoundly shaped their professional paths. Inspired by these experiences, the duo has taken on a new challenge: organizing Fuckup Nights in Cyprus, a platform where entrepreneurs, business owners, and creatives come together to share stories of failure, vulnerability, and resilience.
This initiative aims to foster a culture that embraces failure as a stepping stone to success, one candid story at a time.
Fuckup Nights, a global movement and a series of events where industry leaders share their failure stories, is opening in the fall in Limassol. Their second event with Fuckup Nights Limassol Vol. 2 will take place on September 10 at Gazebo Mare.
A journey begins…
Could you each tell me a little about your professional journey and how you got to where you are today?
Alla: I have always been interested in people and their stories, so I began my professional journey as a journalist at 17. However, this path gradually shifted toward working as a business development manager in an IT company. Over time, I learned more about marketing, SEO, and paid ads, which ultimately led me to become a full-circle marketer, having experienced every aspect of the marketing profession. With all these skills and my passion for people, along with my best partner Maria, it was only natural for us to venture into event organization and put our combined marketing expertise to use.
Maria: Having an international relations and publishing background in education, over 10 years ago, I started working as a journalist for international media such as Culture Trip, Wizz Air Magazine, Artsy, and more. I enjoyed classic journalism but also wanted to try myself in copywriting. That is why I applied for a job at Depositphotos almost 6 years ago. I started by writing blog articles, and in two years I was already managing a team of copywriters and content managers. Now, I am a Head of Content Marketing at Depositphotos, developing creative projects, curating content production, and managing the copywriting department.
Another direction I am working on is public speaking. In the last few years, I have been a speaker at around 30 events, including B2B Marketing London, Digital Enterprise Show Malaga, I Love Marketing & Technology Warsaw, Marketing Business Summit Milan, Reflect Festival Limassol, Fuckup Nights Almaty, and many others. My presentation at Fuckup Nights Almaty became the beginning of our journey with Alla in organizing these event series in Limassol.
What were some major challenges or “fuckups” that helped shape your career paths?
Alla: One of the biggest realizations that helped shape my career path is the importance of relationships with people. I used to think that a career is something you build on your own, but it’s actually all about being open to collaborations and welcoming new people into your life.
Maria: I completely agree with Alla. For me, the biggest challenge and a fuckup was about building a copywriting team almost from scratch at Depositphotos. I had no experience in hiring people, and I was sure that you could do it pretty quickly. However, what I realized with time is that finding the right people is the biggest investment that you can make. It will take time and resources, but it will definitely pay off in the long term. Don’t rush, think twice, and make a choice for someone holding ‘green flags’.
What inspired you to create Fuckup Nights?
Alla: With a large network of creators, business owners, startups, and entrepreneurs on our island, I’ve always realized that their paths are not as smooth and shiny as they might seem. Achieving the success they have today took time, courage, hard work, and numerous failures and setbacks. The concept of business events focused on storytelling about failure didn’t exist in Cyprus, so there was a huge niche and demand for it. Moreover, the time has come when people are less afraid to share their failures openly, and they need an event platform for that.
Maria: This is a funny story. In February 2024, I was invited to speak at Fuckup Nights Almaty. Just before the flight, I quickly stopped by a pharmacy and met Alla. While standing in the queue, we had a chat saying that we loved the event concept and that the local community would benefit from this kind of event.
When I came back from Kazakhstan five days later, we messaged the Fuckup Nights HQ that we’d like to bring the event to Cyprus. The next day we signed the contract, and here we are today.
Was there a particular experience or failure that made you realize the value of sharing stories of failure with a wider audience?
Alla: I’ve experienced many different failures, both big and small – probably like many of us! Some failures are necessary for personal growth, but others could have been easily avoided with the help of others’ experiences. While there are plenty of stories available on podcasts, Instagram, and other platforms, the experience of someone from the same space or location, who understands the market you’re trying to grow in, is much more valuable.
Maria: My presentation at Fuckup Nights Almaty. This was such a unique experience. The event was held in a standup club, and I had a challenge to be funny about my failures and make 280 people laugh at 10 pm. This was the first time I had been so vulnerable in front of a crowd. However, I later got an immense amount of positive feedback. During the after party, the audience approached me to share how they could relate to what I was sharing and that they felt more confident about where their career was heading now. This is when I realized that the more you are open to people, the stronger and more invincible you become.
Impactful lessons
Since Fuckup Nights is all about embracing failure, would you be willing to share a personal failure that had a profound impact on you? What did you learn from it?
Alla: Of course! I’ve always wanted to be a business owner, so naturally, I’ve had my fair share of attempts. Once, I tried launching my custom cosmetic brand just on my own, but apparently, logistics, taxes, legal stuff, and accounting don’t magically handle themselves. Who knew I needed a team? After that enlightening experience, I ventured back into the beauty industry as a distributing company, but with a team that didn’t have the hard skills we needed to keep things running. What I’ve learned from these experiences, and from my fantastic collaboration with Maria, is that in business and partnerships, it’s crucial to understand and leverage the resources, skills, and experience you have. Building something significant is a team effort, and having the right team makes all the difference.
Maria: I had many fuckups during my career, but those that made a significant imprint on me always happened when I was feeling too confident about myself.
For instance, during one of the big European conferences they had a speaker’s competition. I thought I was good enough to win it, but I underestimated the level of competitors, who did dozens of TED Talks, published their books, and made an entire performance during the presentation. The failure motivated me to explore ways to make my presentations a small performance rather than a lecture, and Fuckup Nights became a logical extension to this idea.
How do you feel the event is resonating with the local community in Cyprus? Have you seen any change in the way people approach failure since the first event?
Alla: We saw a big response and received positive feedback right after the first event. People were curious and immediately asked when the next one would be. And that’s understandable because we’re trying to show that failure is part of the learning process – something you shouldn’t be ashamed of but rather be proud of, as it means you’re not afraid to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. For too many years, Instagram and other social media have only promoted a successful version of life, which has recently left people feeling exhausted as they realize it’s often unrealistic. So, I believe that, together with our speakers and event attendees, we can make embracing failure a lifestyle.
Maria: It feels that by bringing Fuckup Nights to Limassol, we managed to raise a lot of curiosity around the topic of failure and also matched the global trend. Today is all about authenticity and stepping away from the unrealistic picture. Fuckups are part of the journey, and they happen to the best of us from time to time.
How do you hope to continue growing Fuckup Nights in Limassol and reaching more people?
Alla: On September 10th, we have our second event planned, and we aim to host two more events after that this year. We would love to attract more companies and build relationships with them.
Maria: One of the key ideas behind the Fuckup Nights in Limassol is to bring different communities together in one space. We want locals and expats to unite at our event for several reasons. First, failure is universal regardless of background, experience, or views. Second, the best projects happen at the intersection of different industries. Third, we believe in the power of collaboration, which is how we plan to grow the event.
We already have a couple of collaborations with brands and other events in discussion, which will be something new that Cyprus has not seen before.
Safe… failures
Do you see a common thread in the types of failures that speakers share across different industries?
Alla: What I have realised is that while problems and failures can sometimes exhibit similarities across different industries, many issues are highly specific to each field. Challenges faced in event organisation often involve unique logistical and coordination hurdles that may not be encountered in other areas, such as HR or product launches. Similarly, the setbacks and learning curves associated with launching an online product, such as technical difficulties or market adaptation issues, differ significantly from those in HR, where challenges might include team dynamics or talent management.
Maria: Another thread is that people who usually fail at school or universities tend to achieve success in their careers as quickly as those who excel. The trick behind this phenomenon is that grit and high IQ are not enough. Emotional intelligence which includes communication and empathy skills often become key drivers for success, especially in leadership positions. This is another important point that we believe is not discussed enough in society today.
Creating a “safe environment” for discussing failure is one of your goals. How do you ensure this space remains supportive and constructive for both speakers and the audience?
Alla: We encourage our audience to enjoy a drink (haha!). A little relaxing glass of their favourite beverage and a bite to eat can help calm the nervous system and make attendees more receptive to challenging topics. But seriously, we aim to make the event relaxing by incorporating a fun approach in our presentations, with jokes and self-humour, and creating a very laid-back atmosphere at the venue. Instead of using a traditional conference room, we opt for a more casual setting. For example, this time our visitors will be seated on the grass next to the sea, enjoying the fresh air. I think this creates a truly enjoyable atmosphere.
Maria: We believe in the power of ambience, so we’re carefully selecting venues for our events. We want the space to be open, relaxed, and green. Our first event was held in Cinema Bar, the philosophy of which is all about embracing imperfection and enjoying things as they are. The second event will take place in Gazebo Mare in Limassol Marina, which is a place for those who love adventures.
Our brand positioning is no less important. Thanks to our particular tone of voice and visual style, we appeal to the bold and open-minded, shaping a mindful community of fuckuppers.
Have you heard of any success stories or transformations from people who have attended past Fuckup Nights in Limassol or elsewhere? How have their perspectives on failure changed?
Alla: At this moment, we are seeing more and more people approaching us with statements like, ‘I’ve fucked up so many times and I’d like to share my story.’ This is a positive sign that people are becoming more confident in discussing their failures, especially when they find a supportive environment to do so. Now we also expect to hear more stories about how Fuckup Nights Limassol has changed their lives.
Maria: A couple of days ago I had a conversation with friends who attended Fuckup Nights before, and we concluded that with such an event on the agenda, you don’t feel ashamed any more to share your failures. Discussions about fuckups become part of our daily lives and indeed put less pressure on people during their career paths.
More events to come
Can you walk me through how you choose speakers for each event? What qualities or stories are you looking for?
Alla: For us, it is important to have a person who has a significant impact on the business landscape in Cyprus. We need speakers and individuals who have navigated through life and achieved a certain level of success in entrepreneurship and networking. It is also crucial for the speaker to be positive, open-minded, and have previous speaking experience, as the goal of the event is to turn the drama into FUN.
Maria: This is a complex process. With our motto “No success stories allowed” in mind, we’re creating a long list of potential speakers and exploring their projects and backgrounds in detail. Of particular interest are people the life of which looks like a complete success. They win awards, exponentially grow their businesses, and inspire others with their actions. But what’s behind this success? How did they achieve it? What are the stories about their careers they don’t share in public?
In addition, we carefully look for speakers with the presentation experience. Fuckup Nights is not a regular business conference, and it’s important to feel confident enough to share your failure on the stage.
Where do you see the event heading in the next few years? Are there any specific goals or expansions planned for Fuckup Nights in Cyprus?
Alla: In the coming years, we envision Fuckup Nights in Cyprus evolving into a premier platform for candid, impactful storytelling and networking. Our goal is to continue expanding our reach and influence, making the event a staple in the local business and entrepreneurial community.
Maria: The event will definitely grow in scale in the next few years. Limassol will remain the headquarters for the Cyprus events. However, we’re open to all kinds of collaborations and might hold additional events around Cyprus too.
“Failures are a part of the journey”
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs and professionals in Cyprus who are afraid of failure?
Alla: I would say that if you’re not trying, you’ll never know how life might turn out. You can only guess what could happen, which is often just a mental projection because human psychology tends to imagine the worst-case scenarios to keep us in the ‘safe’ zone.
Maria: If you want to make a difference, be bold enough to try something new. Fortune favours the brave.
How can they build resilience and see failure as a learning opportunity rather than a setback?
Alla: We all need to celebrate progress, as it is an important part of the journey. That was a lesson I learned in the past as well. Sometimes, we are so focused on the final result that we forget to enjoy the process along the way. Of course, always analyse your mistakes to avoid repeating them. And don’t forget to seek support and network with people who stand by you and your ideas – being supported by those close to you is incredibly powerful.
Maria: Self-love is key. It is important to listen to your inner voice and turn negative, self-criticizing thoughts into healthy and encouraging conversations with yourself. This way you can become stronger inside and feel more powerful to start from scratch if the situation requires so.
Do either of you have a personal mantra or belief that keeps you grounded when things don’t go as planned?
Alla: I love to put different affirmations on my phone screen, depending on the life situation. At this moment, I have: ‘Old fear cannot see new things’.
Maria: I do the same! But my favourite quote is Seneca’s ‘Luck is when preparation meets opportunity’. So if you want to have a lucky chance during a fuckup, be ready to detect it and act decisively.
Finally, what’s one thing you hope people will take away from attending Fuckup Nights Limassol?
Alla: I hope people take away that failure is a valuable learning experience and that embracing it with humour and resilience can lead to growth and success.
Maria: Failures are a part of the journey. The only people who don’t fuckups, are the people that do nothing.
