This week the guys do something a little less entrepreneurship related and have an incredible interview with Maksym (“Max”) Chikin, a Ukrainian immigrant who moved to Mississippi at age 17 to reunite with family. He recounts the difficulties of navigating American culture and the English language in a rural setting, especially while facing a four-year delay in his career due to COVID-19 and immigration paperwork. As a finance major, Chikin offers a pragmatic perspective on the geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine, attributing much of the tension to oil interests and systemic corruption. He contrasts the individualistic mentality of Eastern Europe with the charitable community spirit he has observed in the American South. Ultimately, Chikin expresses a desire to build a professional life in financial analytics within the United States rather than returning to his war-torn homeland. Want to hear about the current Ukraine/Russia conflict from the perspective of someone who was actually born and raised there? Want to hear about the American South from the perspective of someone that moved here as a teenager and unable to speak the language?  Then this is your episode! Check it out on the podcast player of your choice! Special thanks to Max for getting behind the mic with the guys and sharing his amazing story!