Never give up, believe in yourself and your vision. When pursuing a true passion for what you do, that may actually benefit others, people will take notice and most will support you in this mission. When the going gets tough, don't lose focus; there is always that ray of sunshine at the end of the storm”, says Oksana Kolesnikova. She is the CEO and franchisor at Oksana Franchising International, Inc. As a multi-role entrepreneur, she is also a live performer; founder of a School of Music; musical collaborator; philanthropist.
Oksana emigrated with her family from Russia following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1993, initially settling in Florida when she reached the United States. While pursuing her passion for music, she went to study at St. Petersburg College and Florida State University.
Soon after graduation, she went on to perform across the U.S. and on television and became the first Russian-American female pianist to travel overseas to entertain U.S. military personnel, a career move that encompassed several world tours on behalf of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department of the U.S. Navy and a solo tour to entertain U.S. troops in Italy, Spain, and Greece.
The responsibilities changed after she became a mom, and had resigned from her busy touring lifestyle and transition into becoming a businesswoman. She states, “A transition that was the direct result of performing daily for countless celebrities and business leaders as the in-house pianist at the legendary Polo Lounge in the world-famous Beverly Hills Hotel between 2006 and 2013.”
After her transition as a businesswoman she initially set out teaching piano to a roster of celebrities and their kids, and gradually, over several years, this business venture expanded into offering tutoring for different subjects. She states, “It was at this point that I launched my first company, Oksana Management Group, Inc. (www.OksanaManagementGroup.com) in 2010, a smoothly-operating business that, to this very day, offers programs in music (piano, voice, guitar, singing, and more); foreign languages (Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Hebrew, Farsi and beyond); academic tutoring and test prep in all subjects for K through 12 as well as art (drawing and painting), acting and drama, fitness, yoga, cooking classes, martial arts, summer camps, and STEAM initiatives.”
The business model born out of OMG, Inc. proved to be successful, withstanding the test of time in addition to a myriad of other challenges. In 2019, Oksana opened her second company, Oksana Franchising International, Inc. (dba www.OksanaEnrichment.com); for this endeavor, she decided to apply the success of the business model to create a national franchise system, which proved to be a natural evolution with regard to scaling and expanding the brand.
This new beginning also presented an opportunity to allow other entrepreneurs to flourish in this exciting field by way of joining the company's franchise network; indeed, today's Oksana Enrichment offers franchising opportunities to entrepreneurs looking to work in the areas of education, tutoring, after-school enrichment, local youth-oriented community classes/programs, adults/seniors activities, and the online community. She asserts, “We offer a myriad of programs not only for students preferring private, one-on-one tutoring but also for the public, private and charter schools, districts, municipalities, and counties.”
According to Oksana, female business leaders have already come so far in the world of business. She mentions that all successful and emerging women leaders should be forever grateful to those brave female figures of the past who paved the road for them and, ultimately, faced far more challenges with regard to gender discrimination in the male-domineering world of business; a notion that traces back as little as half a century ago. Just as any business individual and entrepreneur, Oksana herself endured many struggles on the journey of growing her enterprises, but she points out that none of them were related to gender inequality.
When it comes to the franchise industry there are many misconceptions. Oksana wants to provide more reliable sources of information on the web and not just one-sided data based on stories of failure and “scare” tactics. She is rather showcasing and sharing more of the reliable and proven success stories. She