Scaling a resilient aquaculture business

How would you describe yourself and the RAS aquaculture business you lead at Zivs uz ledus? 

I would describe myself as someone who sets very ambitious goals. The feeling of victory in the end result matters greatly to me and helps me maintain intense focus for as long as necessary. When the destination is clear, even difficult decisions become more rational and less emotional. This mindset has helped me build Zivs uz ledus.

We launched the company in December 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The following years brought the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, rising energy costs and wider economic uncertainty. Only in the second half of 2025 did we begin to feel that external pressures were easing, after five years of continuous adaptation.

Zivs uz ledus specializes in farming Arctic char using closed-loop recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Although I had no previous industry experience, I had three clear criteria for the business:

• It had to involve manufacturing.
• It had to be export-oriented.
• It had to be scalable—if two units worked successfully, ten could be built without significant barriers to growth.

I carried this vision for years while working as an employee, until I discovered closed-loop fish farming. It is an advanced way to produce fish industrially while minimizing environmental impact. Ten years ago, only a handful of these facilities existed worldwide. Today, they represent around 5% of global aquaculture production, with projections suggesting that the share could exceed 50% within the next 10–15 years.

Seeing that potential, I partnered with Finnish investors to establish a pilot project in Latvia. They now own 70% of the company, while I hold the remaining 30%.

What motivated you to leave salaried employment and become an entrepreneur, and what was most difficult about that transition?

There was no single dramatic moment. Leaving a salaried position and accepting the risks of entrepreneurship is challenging, but if you see the potential to build something significant and international, it is worth trying. My desire to try was stronger than my fear of failure.

I had also always kept a Plan B—or even a Plan C—in mind. If things had not worked out, it would simply have meant that this particular venture had failed. With entrepreneurial experience behind me, I could have returned to an executive role. Would I want to do that today? Probably not.

The mental shift was not particularly difficult because I had been developing the business plan and building the company structure alongside my full-time job. I transitioned fully into the aquaculture business only when construction of the farm began. Financial uncertainty was not a major concern either, largely because I was fortunate to have the right partners. We share a similar mindset and understand that, in the early stages, results may be negative before they become positive.

Responsibility has never frightened me; it motivates me. “I take responsibility for every fish that reaches the customer. I want people to know that it is my fish.”

My reputation is one of my greatest assets. It matters to me that I deliver on my promises and that others see me as a trustworthy partner.

What does effective leadership look like in an aquaculture business, and how has entrepreneurship changed your approach?

The definition varies depending on the nature of the business. In aquaculture production, the key qualities are strategic vision and a systematic approach. From day one, I have built the company around a simple principle: regardless of who performs a task, it should be done according to a unified system. This approach has allowed us to halve the number of labor hours required over the past five years—not through overwork, but by eliminating unnecessary steps and working more efficiently.

Entrepreneurship has also taught me to see the bigger picture. As an employee in telecommunications sales, I sometimes believed that processes should be improved in a particular way without having access to all the information. A manager, however, must consider costs, efficiency, and broader business priorities.

Looking back, I realize that I was not always the easiest employee to manage, even though my intentions were good. That experience has given me greater respect for employees’ ideas and a better understanding of where they come from and why they matter.

You entered aquaculture without previous industry experience. Was that a calculated risk, healthy naivety or ultimately an advantage?

“Excel can justify anything. New ideas require a pair of rose-colored glasses; otherwise, we would be too afraid to pursue them.”

It was a combination of all three. The initial business-plan projections looked phenomenal. At the time, it seemed as though I would need to come to work only two days a week. Reality, of course, turned out to be quite different.

Pragmatism is valuable when you are doing something familiar. But when you are building something entirely new, with no experts to consult or university courses to guide you, you have to accept that you will not know where all the dark corners are. Without that courageous naivety, we would evaluate every opportunity too critically and avoid many of the bold decisions that can lead to exceptional outcomes.

At the same time, not knowing the aquaculture industry gave me an outsider’s perspective. I saw that areas such as communication, branding, marketing, and accountability to the end consumer had often been overlooked. I believed we could do better.

From day one, I also participated in international events, conferences, and workshops. If you remain within the Latvian bubble instead of building relationships with the wider industry, no one in export markets will know who you are.

Do you remember when you first felt the business could truly work, and what has been the most emotionally challenging part of building it?

I would actually turn the question around. The first time I was truly stressed and thought that things might not work out was just two months after we opened the farm, when the COVID-19 pandemic began. We had 40–50 tonnes of Arctic char in our tanks, and suddenly there was no demand. We mobilized quickly and adapted just as fast.

I also serve in the National Guard. In the military, one of the most important qualities of an officer is the ability to make decisions quickly. Even if a decision proves to be wrong, it can be adjusted later. The most dangerous thing is hesitation and failing to make a decision at all.

The greatest emotional challenge has been accepting that crises will always arise and learning not to panic when they do. You cannot prepare for something you do not know is coming, but you can strengthen your overall readiness for uncertainty.

I have believed in this business from day one, and I still do. When you are doing something truly unique on a global scale, success ultimately comes down to execution. As long as you are in first place, your job is to make sure you stay there.

What surprised you most about running an aquaculture business, and what myth about entrepreneurship did you stop believing?

When a company is still relatively small, you have to fill almost every role in the business. I was not prepared for how much time I would spend on day-to-day operational matters—recruiting and dismissing employees, negotiating contracts, and handling administration—rather than on strategy.

Especially in aquaculture production, the idea that an entrepreneur has weekends, holidays, or fixed working hours is a myth, at least in the early stages. You have to be willing to step in and do the work yourself. During the first two years, I was constantly on-site, personally training the team because I had a clear vision of the product I wanted to create.

I developed those standards through international experience, industry exhibitions, and conversations with fish farmers from around the world. Once the processes are properly structured and running smoothly, however, they become enjoyable in their own way.

What advice would you give Latvian entrepreneurs who want to expand into international markets?

Get out there and talk to others—not only within your own industry, but also with people from completely different fields. Build connections and share experiences. The challenges we face are often similar, and solutions may come from where we least expect them. The more open you are, the more opportunities will find you.

Historically, there has been a tendency in Latvia to think more privately—to build a fence around your business and keep quiet. But Latvia is not small; it is a country with enormous opportunities. The sooner we step beyond our familiar boundaries, the broader our perspective becomes and the greater the opportunities that open up.

Don’t be afraid to take responsibility, and celebrate the small victories!