Material for the “Experts Speak” column, Synergy Global Forum
Roman Viktorovich Vasilenko, Doctor of Economic Sciences, President of the International Business Academy (IBA)
Before discussing entrepreneurship and education, I believe it is important to outline the starting point of my professional journey. More than thirty years of practical experience have allowed me to accumulate knowledge that, in my view, can be valuable for people building their own businesses. It is this experience I would like to share.
How It All Began
My career started in a field that, at first glance, has little to do with entrepreneurship. In 1986, at the age of seventeen, I enrolled in the Yaroslavl Higher Military Financial School named after Army General A. V. Khrulyov. At that time, it was one of the key educational institutions in the country training financial specialists for the Armed Forces.
After graduating, from 1990 to 1998, I served at the Leningrad Naval Base of the Baltic Fleet, where I held the position of head of the financial service of a military unit.
My responsibilities included budget management, organizing payments, working with contractors, and preparing financial reports. This work required absolute precision, strict adherence to regulations, and the ability to operate effectively within predefined resources. Entrepreneurship is often associated with freedom of decision-making, yet it was the military that gave me the fundamental skills without which building a sustainable business is impossible.
Over the years of service, I adopted several principles that still guide me today. First, the viability of any idea is determined not by its concept but by real cash flow. Second, financial transparency is never excessive: if reporting is not completed on time, problems will inevitably arise later. Finally, responsibility for decisions cannot be shifted onto circumstances or instructions.
Choosing a New Direction
In 1998, I completed my military career with the rank of Captain 3rd Rank and transferred to the reserve. This decision was not an easy one.
Military service provided stability, clear career progression, and social guarantees. The civilian market of that time was far less predictable. The country was going through the aftermath of a financial crisis, the ruble was rapidly devaluing, the banking system was under severe pressure, and trust between market participants was extremely low.
Nevertheless, I decided to take this step. The reason was not a romantic desire to become an entrepreneur. I understood that the financial management, budgeting, and control skills I had accumulated could be valuable far beyond a single military unit.
Later, I came to an important conclusion: people often underestimate their own competence while remaining inside a familiar professional environment. Only after leaving it do they begin to realize the true value of their skills. That is exactly what happened to me.
Ten Years of Professional Exploration
The next decade became a period of intensive practical learning. From 1998 to 2009, I worked in the commercial sector, holding various positions—from financial consultant to company executive.
My work involved investment projects, insurance, private capital management, and financial consulting. A significant role was played by my cooperation with a Swiss consulting company, where I became familiar with international wealth management standards and adopted approaches used by professionals with decades of experience in the field.
For a long time, I considered this period to be merely a transitional stage between military service and my own business. However, today I see it differently. It was then that I studied numerous business models, observed different management approaches, and analyzed mistakes that would have been far more costly in my own project.
I observed entrepreneurs of very different scales. Some built companies capable of operating successfully for decades, while others achieved rapid success but lost everything just as quickly. Gradually, it became clear that the key factors were not the industry or luck, but the quality of decision-making and the ability to think systematically.
From this experience, another important conclusion emerged: the opportunity to study both the successes and mistakes of others is one of the most underestimated resources for a beginning entrepreneur. Many people rush to start their own business, missing the chance to gain knowledge without paying the high price of their own errors.
Why Education Became the Choice
In 2009, work began on a project that later developed into the International Business Academy (IBA). In 2011, the organization was registered as a private institution of additional professional education, and in 2016 it received a state license for educational activity.
I was repeatedly asked why I chose education, even though financial consulting seemed a more obvious and profitable direction.
The answer formed through years of practice. I came to believe that the main shortage most people face is not a lack of capital. Much more often, the limitation is insufficient knowledge, the absence of effective thinking models, and an inability to manage one’s own decisions.
A person can be given significant resources and a promising idea, but without self-management skills, they risk losing everything. Conversely, another person with far fewer resources can build a stable system and achieve significant results.
That is why the core idea of the academy was not to create another set of business courses, but to build an environment where people can develop strategic thinking, financial literacy, goal-setting skills, discipline, and the ability to form long-term plans.
Lessons Learned During the Development of the Academy
Over the years of running the academy, I have made several important observations.
The first concerns motivation. People are ready to learn when they truly believe in the possibility of their own success. The strongest influence comes not from theory, but from real-life examples. When a person sees the story of someone who has followed a similar path, their belief in their own potential becomes much stronger.
That is why the academy has always featured not only lecturers and experts, but also international practitioners, including Allan Pease, Andreas Vins, and other well-known professionals.
The second observation is related to discipline. Any educational program requires structure and responsibility. If learning becomes merely comfortable entertainment without obligations or clear goals, its effectiveness drops sharply. Practice shows that people value not the absence of restrictions, but a clear system that allows them to see their progress.
The third conclusion concerns the scaling of educational projects. Growth is only possible when there is a clear understanding of what exactly is being scaled. Speaking to tens of thousands of listeners requires completely different tools than working with a small group. This distinction became clear to me through many years of public speaking across various platforms—from large concert halls to international forums.
A Book as a Way to Systematize Experience
In 2021, my book “Hunter for Success: How to Achieve Your Goal” was published by Piter Publishing House. Its purpose was to summarize principles that repeatedly appeared in the biographies of successful people and were confirmed by my own practice.
It was not about finding a universal formula for wealth, but about identifying patterns that can be observed regardless of a person’s field of activity.
At the same time, a film of the same name was created, within which I had the opportunity to interview Arnold Schwarzenegger. For me, it was primarily a chance to preserve and pass on the experience of a person who achieved outstanding results in different fields.
However, the main outcome of the book was not sales figures. Much more important was something else: the writing process forced me to critically reassess my own views and formulate them with maximum clarity. That is why I am convinced that every entrepreneur should at least once put their worldview on paper. Such work quickly reveals which beliefs are truly grounded in practice and which exist only at the level of assumptions.
Key Thoughts for the Synergy Audience
To conclude this story, I would like to share several insights that I consider particularly important today.
First, the value of one’s own experience is not immediately obvious. What seems ordinary to you may have high market value in another professional environment. Therefore, it is important to learn how to recognize and properly present your competencies.
Second, discipline is not a matter of character but a serious competitive advantage. Over the years, I have seen many entrepreneurs fail not due to lack of knowledge or investment, but because of systematic small violations of their own rules. Consistency in actions determines long-term results.
Third, any business model must be clear. If an entrepreneur cannot clearly explain the value their product brings to a client, this will eventually become a serious problem for the company.
Finally, visibility always has a price. The larger the audience, the closer the scrutiny of every action. All decisions begin to be evaluated externally, and this evaluation is not always objective. However, this is an inevitable part of professional growth for those working in the public sphere.
Instead of an Afterword
More than thirty years ago, my professional journey began as a lieutenant in the financial service of the Baltic Fleet. Today, my work is connected with science, education, entrepreneurship, and public activity.
Looking back, I cannot say how my path would have developed had I remained in military service. But I am absolutely certain of one thing: each stage of my biography played its role and became a necessary part of the experience I have today.
I wish every reader to find their own direction, remain faithful to their chosen path, and not abandon their goals even when circumstances are unfavorable.