Early years, childhood and family of Oleg Tinkov
Oleg Yuryevich Tinkov was born on December 25, 1967 in the industrial Soviet city of Leninsk-Kuznetsky (Kemerovo region). Most of his relatives worked as miners, but Oleg himself decided to choose a slightly different path in life for himself.Already at an early age, he began to be interested in commerce and various earning schemes. After graduating from high school, our today's hero went to serve in the border troops, and after demobilization he went to St. Petersburg, where he soon entered the local state mining institute. It is very noteworthy that already during this period among his friends and acquaintances there were entirely prominent entrepreneurs and businessmen. So, in particular, among his classmates were the founders of well-known retail chains in Russia - Andrei Rogachev (Pyaterochka), Oleg Zherebtsov (Lenta), as well as Oleg Leonov (Dixie).
During his student years, one of Tinkov’s favorite hobbies was road cycling. The entrepreneur achieved considerable success in this sport, but his main successes were still associated with commercial activities, which Oleg Yuryevich began to engage in already in his college years.
Business secrets of Oleg Tinkov
Oleg studied only three courses at the St. Petersburg State Mining Institute. The reason for leaving the university was a successful commercial activity. So, in particular, already in 1992, Tinkov managed to open his own trading company, which was engaged in the trade of Singaporean electronics.Somewhat later, a retail network for the sale of household appliances “Technoshok”, which was created by Oleg Yuryevich, also appeared in St. Petersburg. Some time later, it was also supplemented by a chain of stores selling music products (“MusicShock”), as well as the recording company “Show Records,” known for its collaboration with Sergei Shnurov and the group “Bricks.”
One day by Oleg Tinkov
The commercial empire of Oleg Tinkov grew quickly, but in its original form it still existed for a relatively short time - about five years. In 1997, businessman Tinkov successfully sold the companies he owned and began to engage in new projects. One of these was a company producing dumplings, produced under the Daria brand.
Subsequently, this brand also brought considerable success to Oleg Tinkov, but over time it acquired considerable debts and was sold to another Russian businessman, Roman Abramovich. According to media reports, the transaction amounted to $21 million, of which about seven million was spent on paying off debts.
While selling the company, Oleg Tinkov left for the USA for some time, where he again began to pursue his education. In 2000, he completed a six-month Diploma Marketing Program business course at the University of California.
After this, Tinkov fell out of sight of the Russian and European media for some time, but subsequently reappeared in the business world with a new project - the Tinkoff brewing company. A little later, a restaurant chain of the same name was also added to this, distinctive feature which had their own breweries. The beer company's products were sold both in Russia and in the USA. At its peak, the restaurant chain included restaurants located in nine Russian cities.
Oleg Tinkov: “I will not sell the bank!”
Tinkov's commercial product was used great success and became famous thanks to a rather eccentric advertising campaign. In particular, the well-known slogan “Vodka without beer is money down the drain,” which is widely
Used by the marketing department of a brewing company. The enterprise was a success, but later the Russian entrepreneur sold the business he had created again. In 2005, thirty and then the remaining seventy percent of the company's shares were sold to the Swedish fund Mint Capital. The transaction amount, according to official information, was $200 million.
Oleg Tinkov in banking business
After the sale of his previous enterprise, Oleg Tinkov began to engage in banking business within the framework of the Tinkoff bank he created. Credit systems". Some time later, a Russian entrepreneur created the Tinkoff Credit Systems cycling team in Italy, which, however, subsequently changed its sponsor and, having moved to Russia, became known as “Katyusha”.Some time later, Oleg Tinkov became the general sponsor of another cycling team - Tinkoff - Saxo, which had previously changed its name several times. In this context, it is worth noting that cycling is still one of the main hobbies in the life of an entrepreneur.
As for business, in this regard, Oleg Tinkov’s affairs are also going quite smoothly. His bank is thriving. According to a number of authoritative sources, the business of our today's hero is estimated at $1 billion. In addition to the banking sector, the company's structure also includes Tinkoff Airlines, which was founded in mid-2013.
In recent years, in addition to business, Oleg Tinkov has been writing books, as well as creating his own Internet program “Business Secrets with Oleg Tinkov.” One way or another, both of these types of creativity relate to different aspects of conducting commercial activities and are based on business tips. As of 2013, Tinkov’s fortune with all assets is estimated at $1.8 billion.
Personal life of Oleg Tinkov
Oleg Tinkov is married. His wife's name is Rina. The couple has three children - sons Roman and Pavel, as well as the eldest daughter Daria.It’s not for nothing that people say: “a talented person is talented in everything.” History is filled with personalities who left a noticeable mark on the biography of all humanity. Russia is also not inferior to other countries in terms of the presence of unique people who have incredible talent for some craft or business. Today we will talk about the family of the famous businessman Oleg Tinkov.
But first let's spend short excursion according to his life.
The life path of the famous businessman Tinkov
A few words about Tinkov's biography. Oleg Yurievich was born under New Year 1967 in Leninsk-Kuznetsk, in the Kemerovo region. Almost his entire family was from a miner's background. But the young man did not want to continue his family’s mining business, he chose a different path for himself and went down the road of business. While Oleg was sent to the border troops after graduating from school, a bright future already awaited him.
After completing his service, Oleg Tinkov was brought to St. Petersburg, where he became a student at the Mining Institute.
Wife and children of businessman Tinkov
Back in 1989, while still studying at the university in his first year at the St. Petersburg Institute, the future businessman met his wife. Rina, a girl from a wealthy Estonian family, also studied at a mining university. Some of Rina’s family believed that their daughter was not a match for the future businessman. But Tinkov persistently knocked on the closed door, and she accepted his offer to live together.
Their romance and unofficial life together continued for 20 years. All these two decades, Rina personified both a friend and loving girl, and a wise advisor. In 2009, their life together ended with a stamp in the passport and the formation of a family. Rina also became a wonderful wife. In the photo on the Internet you can see: the family is enjoying life.
His wife Rina gave Oleg Tinkov 3 children: Pavel, Daria and Roman. In the photo, the wife, husband and pretty children are smiling happily.
Oleg Tinkov raises his children quite strictly and does not give any slack in their upbringing. His daughter, Daria, has already visited many European countries and is trained in about four languages. But wherever Dasha is, she remains a Christian and a patriot of her Fatherland. The father instills in Dasha and his sons a love for Russian writers such as Pushkin and Dostoevsky.
By the way, my sons are still in school. Tinkov wants to give the best to his children, so he pays more than five thousand pounds sterling for Dasha’s education at Oxford. He saves on himself: he hasn’t changed his car for 10 years.
This is where the story about Oleg Tinkov’s family comes to an end!
In the field of entrepreneurship, this man has reached dizzying heights. Moreover, he was able to realize himself in several areas of business: selling electronics, manufacturing semi-finished products, brewing, banking. It was thanks to these niches that the odious entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov made a multimillion-dollar fortune. From childhood, he gravitated toward profit-taking, although initially he had no one to teach him the art of “buying cheaper and selling more expensive.” Often I had to learn science through trial and error. Of course, the biography of Oleg Tinkov will be of interest to many people who are just taking their first steps in business. What was remarkable about her? Let's consider this issue in more detail.
Years of childhood and youth
Oleg Yurievich Tinkov is a native of the village of Polysayevo (Kemerovo region). He was born on December 25, 1967. The parents of the future businessman were not wealthy people: his mother worked as a simple dressmaker, and his father mined coal in a mine.
The boy went to regular school, and his childhood was the same as that of thousands of “Soviet” children.
First experience
However, already at this stage of his life, Oleg Tinkov’s biography is not devoid of remarkable facts. The teenager became seriously interested in cycling. After some time, he was already the gold medalist of the championship held throughout his native region. And then the young man began to regularly participate in competitions held in the Central Asian republics. And Oleg demonstrated amazing success on them. In between training sessions, he managed to “quickly” go shopping and buy several items of scarce clothing, which upon arrival in Kuzbass he sold for several times more. Naturally, no one had yet canceled the article for speculation, so the teenager tried not to advertise his small business.
Army and Institute
It would seem that Oleg Tinkov’s biography would be inextricably linked with sports, but the young man chose a different path. Having received a matriculation certificate, he goes to serve on the Far Eastern border.
Having been demobilized, Oleg Yuryevich Tinkov returns to his native land, but soon decides to study at a university. He goes to the “city on the Neva” and enters the mining institute. But the young man will not be able to obtain the coveted diploma, since the university management will become aware that he is engaged in speculation...
"Technoshok"
Oleg Tinkov quickly realized that it is very difficult for a student to live on one scholarship. The young man began to look for options for additional income. At first, he sold alcoholic beverages within the walls of the hostel, then he began buying jeans and perfume from foreign students, which he sold at a premium in his homeland. After some time, he became actively involved in the shuttle business, not only in the USSR, but also beyond its borders.
And then the idea of selling foreign equipment arose in the head of the novice entrepreneur. To a young man managed to arrange supplies of televisions and tape recorders from Singapore, and he focused entirely on commerce, relegating his studies at the institute to the background. But, naturally, the biography of Oleg Tinkov is not limited to this. The young man successfully develops his business: he barely has time to satisfy the regularly growing demand, and soon opens a Sony store in the Northern capital. In 1994, Tinkov already had two such stores, which some time later he renamed Tekhnoshok. By 1996, the businessman already owned 7 retail outlets under the Technoshock brand.
Oleg Yuryevich decides to expand the horizons of his business and acquires the recording studio “Shock Records”. After some time, albums of the popular musical groups “Leningrad” and “Kirpichi” were released on it.
Selling a business
In the second half of the 90s, Tekhnoshok stores brought huge profits to their owners. And all thanks to the fact that entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov was able to competently organize the business. He spends money on staff training. To increase sales, the businessman tries to keep prices down, he invests in advertising on radio and television, and provides clients with a free home delivery service. It is not difficult to guess that such steps provoked huge demand for products. However, in 1997, Oleg Yuryevich sold his profitable business for $7 million and invested the money in new projects. As it turned out, they would bring him even greater profits.
Restaurant business
The story of Oleg Tinkov is a guide to action for absolutely every newbie in business. Currently, the businessman is happy to share the secrets of his own success with others. The main thing, according to Tinkov, is to start taking action and not be afraid of potential failures.
In 1998, Oleg Yuryevich began implementing a new business plan. He decided to start selling low-alcohol drinks through his own restaurant in St. Petersburg. The entrepreneur decided to sell beer. Soon the well-known Tinkoff brand appeared. The drink was indeed in unprecedented demand, and profits from the new commercial project “flowed like a river.”
In 2005, Tinkov got rid of this asset, and InBrev (Belgium) became its new owner. However, beer restaurants remained the property of Oleg Yuryevich.
Production of semi-finished products
The businessman continues to look for new horizons. He invests money in the food sector. Tinkov establishes the Daria company (named after his daughter), which produces dumplings. Over time, the “brainchild” expands its product range: the plant supplies the food market with cutlets, pancakes, meatballs, etc., produced under the brands “Pitersky Smak”, “Ravioli”, “Tolsty Kok”. Trade turnover at Daria is simply off the charts. But Tinkov is again changing his business priorities.
Banking
In 2006, Oleg Yurievich actively showed interest in banking. The businessman acquired the credit institution Khimmashbank, which was renamed CJSC Tinkov Credit Systems.
Soon he became the head of Tinkoff Bank (TCS Bank) and announced a fundamental new model running a lending business. The entrepreneur refused to build a network of bank offices, saying that one main institution in Moscow was enough. All banking operations in its structure began to be carried out online. To use banking services, the client must have access to the Internet, email, social media account and mobile phone. Moreover, all operations can be performed without leaving home, which is very convenient.
Secrets of success
For several years now, his author’s program “Business Secrets with Oleg Tinkov” has been published on the Internet, where he tells his colleagues about the pitfalls of entrepreneurial activity in Russia. In addition, he writes books on the topic of properly organizing your own business. “Don't be afraid to take risks! Strive to create something new!” - Oleg Tinkov confidently declares. “How to become a businessman?” - this book has already become a real bestseller in the business community. Besides her, he wrote another one - “I’m like everyone else.” It will also help the aspiring businessman navigate the cutthroat world of business. The main idea of the second book comes down to the following: “Anyone, absolutely anyone can achieve success in business!” And Oleg Tinkov tirelessly repeats this phrase. How to become a businessman? He gives the answer to this question in a detailed form in his books.
Outside the profession
Oleg Tinkov, personal life whose life has developed in a favorable way, is not only a successful businessman, but also an exemplary family man.
He met his wife Rina Vosman while studying at the Mining Institute. They saw each other at a disco, and we can say that it was love at first sight. After some time, Oleg and Rina were already living together. But the newly formed unit of society immediately encountered financial difficulties. But after the head of the family started doing business, they gradually began to disappear. Oleg Tinkov's wife supported and helped him in all his endeavors. Rina gave birth to her husband three children: sons Roman and Pavel, daughter Daria. The businessman simply idolizes his family, which gives him new strength for achievements. Oleg Tinkov’s wife leads an active lifestyle, managing to run a business and raise children.
Oleg Tinkov advises all people to stop working for a certain wages and wipe his pants in stuffy offices, working for unpleasant people just like him. Most salaries are minimal, and it's not worth earning yourself a hump for it.
He always encourages you to create your own business, not to be afraid of new solutions, approaches and never be afraid to take risks. After all, in Russia there are many opportunities to create a successful business. These possibilities are endless, you just need to overcome your laziness and constantly improve.
Oleg Tinkov belongs to a new generation of entrepreneurs who can be classified in a separate category. Businessmen who create their business from scratch deserve more respect than those who did not make much effort. According to analysts, soon, business creators will be slightly higher than wealthy people today.
Tinkov’s main focus is to create a certain business from scratch, with its subsequent sale to more serious organizations. According to the entrepreneur, it is much more interesting and easier for him to create a new business than to develop and maintain one business.
- Biography of Oleg Tinkov.
In 1967, on December twenty-fifth, Oleg Tinkov was born in the small town of Polysayevo in the Kemerovo region. The father did not bring much money into the house, as he worked in the mine, and the mother worked in a local atelier as a dressmaker. Oleg himself describes his childhood as follows: they lived in a barracks for two families, where there was no water or central heating, and the toilet was located fifty meters from the house itself. In such conditions, he decided that he would definitely achieve success in this life.
At school, he took up cycling quite seriously and achieved significant results: multiple champion of Kuzbass, in total he won more than thirty races. Oleg was a member of the regional and regional teams and participated in various training camps in the southern regions of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. At this time, he begins to develop entrepreneurial skills. As Oleg himself recalls, they had a shortage of many things, especially imported ones, which could be easily purchased in the places where he went for training camps. Therefore, with all the money his parents gave him, he purchased various things and then sold them to friends and acquaintances in his homeland, increasing the cost threefold. I didn’t manage to earn much, but I gained invaluable experience in entrepreneurial activity.
In 1986 he was drafted into the army. Oleg remembers those years like this: he really wanted to get into SKA, but this required connections that he did not have, and they took the son of one of the military leaders there, who was weaker than him in all competitions. And the military registration and enlistment office decided that a tall athlete should serve in the border troops. After a year of service in Nakhodka, he was transferred to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. There he had to fight mosquitoes and constant cold, the temperature reached minus fifty degrees, and of course, at that time there was no need to think about business.
After the service, he returned to his homeland and decided to go to the camp with his girlfriend; a tragedy occurred there, which significantly influenced his entire future fate. There was a terrible accident on the way to the camp. The bus in which he was with his girlfriend collided with a KAMAZ. As a result of the accident, Oleg's beloved girlfriend died, and he was left with a large scar on his face. He could not be in his hometown, where his girlfriend died, so after being discharged from the hospital, he decided to go to Leningrad.
There he successfully entered the mining institute, where he was engaged in speculation in jeans and cosmetics, which were popular at that time. There were many foreign students studying at the institute, so he bought scarce things from them and resold them in the city. And he sent larger shipments to Leninsk-Kuznetsk. This is how the entrepreneurial spirit develops, you need to find a place where you can sell for much more.
Oleg became very interested in entrepreneurial activities, so he never managed to graduate from college. By that time, he began selling modern equipment from Singapore. This was the early nineties. The business started with the purchase of simple calculators for seven dollars, and in Russia it was already sold for seventy dollars. After that, he switched to tape recorders and televisions, since larger equipment could bring in more income.
He was mainly engaged in wholesale orders and was significantly successful in this business. As a result, in 1993, he founded his first company called Petrosib. Then this company owned several networks: MusicShok and Tekhnoshok. In general, Oleg was prompted to this type of activity by one factor that deserves true respect. As Tinkov says, the desire to engage in commerce arose as a result of a great desire to live normally, and not to hunch for pennies, to move to a comfortable apartment and have enough cash. It should be noted that many of my comrades at the institute also became successful and prosperous people. For example, the founder of the Lenta chain of stores was his classmate Oleg Zherebtsov. “Diski” was founded by Oleg Leonov, and the well-known “five” is managed by Andrey Rogachev.
- Tinkov's first companies.
In 1994, a furor occurred in the city after the opening of the “technoshock”. This happened thanks to the creative ideas and innovations of the company's highly qualified employees.
Oleg Tinkov tells how this idea was born. His company is the first to conduct a major advertising campaign. Together with Oleg Gusev, they shot a television commercial, our advertisements were displayed throughout the city, and they also connected radio and newspapers. And at one point we became super popular and famous. Another advantage of the company was that they delivered all goods to the door of the apartment. Then many store sellers went to America for training. After that, our level of service increased and people came to us, since our employees could tell us which equipment was best to purchase. Thus, in 1994, the company was one of the first to bring civilized retail to Russia. At the same time, a “party” wanted to buy the company, but they did not agree on a price. Although this was a large company. If Tinkov’s company had a turnover of 60,000,000, then the “party”, in 1996, had a turnover of 600,000,000. But, no matter what, they learned a lot from them. Even the employees of “technosila” admit that the name came from the strong impression of the activities of “technoshock”.
All buyers were not afraid of prices, which, by the way, were twenty percent higher than the city average. But this was a reasonable markup, since in the store there was high level service, and only high-quality modern equipment was sold. And this was a profitable decision, since even in the difficult nineties, there were many who wanted to purchase quality goods.
At that time, many people wanted to show their superiority and independence, in some cases even exaggerated by an order of magnitude. Therefore, it was prestigious to buy equipment from Technoshock, even at inflated prices. As a result of successful management of the network, Oleg sold it in 1997 for 7,000,000.
Production of low-alcohol drinks and creation of a famous brand.
In 1998, Tinkov focused his attention on low-alcohol products, or rather beer. At that time, he could not open a beer production plant, so he opened a beer restaurant in St. Petersburg. Despite the modest investments, just over a million, the restaurant soon began to generate good profits.
Today, this beer restaurant has turned into a whole chain. So what is the success of this business? They offered beer of their own production, which is not pasteurized. And the entire process of making beer could be observed through a transparent wall. This was an innovation in our country. It should be noted that Oleg was the first to use the term “live beer” for advertising purposes.
In the same year, he opens new company for the production of dumplings. In addition to them, the plant was engaged in the production of other semi-finished products: cutlets, pancakes. As a result of this, Oleg created a number of brands: “Tolstoy Kok”, “Daria”, “Petersky Smak”, Ravioli”, which brought constant and good income to the entire company.
Tinkov decided to sell the Daria in 2011, as he received a lucrative offer. Oleg mentioned this lucrative deal more than once. On the one hand, it was a profitable business that brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly, and it was a profitable business. But on the other hand, many organizations are involved in the production of dumplings, so Tinkov’s share in this market was small. And after the courses that Oleg took at Berkeley, he began to understand what market share is. You can make good money with a share of only three percent in a large market, but in a small one, you need to take the lion's share of it. But if you play big, then increasing your share is quite difficult, since competitors never lose their vigilance. And at this time, Roman Abramovich’s asset manager called Oleg and began offering to buy out this business.
One of the conditions for the negotiations was a meeting with Abramovich. We arrived at one of the offices, where Abramovich met them and showed them to the guest room. There is an opinion that among wealthy people there are many unpleasant personalities. But Tinkov was inspired by the oligarch. A wealthy person did not evoke the feeling of an erudite or educated person. The saying that silence helps one look smart suits him, according to Oleg Tinkov. Abramovich was not verbose, he just nodded his head and asked what Oleg was going to do with the money raised, and as a result of half an hour of negotiations, he said that Tinkov should be paid as much as he wants for this business. Everything was quite fast and clear.
He was paid 21,000,000 for the company, which allowed him to start producing his own beer. His goal was to produce expensive beer, which would be named after his last name.
By the time the plant opened, its network of beer restaurants was bringing in constant and stable profits. Therefore, it was not by chance that he decided to start producing this drink. It turns out that back in the eighteenth century, his ancestor was engaged in the production of beer, which was famous throughout Siberia. True, no one still knows how reliable this information is. But thanks to this rumor, the brand gained great popularity. Which was his main goal, to maximize sales.
Today, the Tinkoff brand is known to many people and has become a real asset. The beer brand and the chain of restaurants under the same brand attracted young people who had a blast in the festive atmosphere and among the famous performers who performed in Oleg’s restaurants.
The company gained great popularity thanks to a competent advertising campaign. Tinkov claims that mentioning the word sex in his products attracts large number people. It should also be noted that at its factories, for the first time in Russia, they began to produce the so-called “live beer”.
The Tinkoff brand received a prize in the category of the main brand of 2003. The company's beer production peaked in 2005. Its share of the beer market was one percent, and this is not so small for a small company and it was a significant factor for the brand.
But after the adoption of a law banning the sale of beer after ten o'clock in the evening, the company suffered significant losses and led to a significant decrease in permanent profits. This caused Oleg to urgently begin to look for buyers of the brewery who would highly appreciate his business and purchase it at a favorable price. There was no need to wait long for those wishing to acquire the company. The InBrev company from Belgium bought the brewery for 201,000,000. Oleg himself received 80,000,000 from the deal and kept a chain of restaurants, which he continued to manage. In addition, the Belgian company InBrev invited him to join the board of directors, which was a very tempting offer.
- Tinkov's banking activities.
In the fall of 2006, he bought out a small bank called Khimmashbank. Oleg received the right to carry out banking activities back in 1994. And in 2005 he entered the register of banks that are participants compulsory insurance all deposits. In the winter of 2006, he renamed the bank TKS, which stands for Tinkoff Credit Systems.
The bank did not have a single physical branch; it was positioned as virtual. Its focus was the issuance of credit cards, which are distributed by mail and customer service is provided via telephone and Internet.
Despite the global crisis, this type of activity has become successful for Tinkov. Already in 2009, within nine months of the bank’s operation, profits increased fiftyfold. Plus, the bank had a low percentage of overdue loans; according to international banking reporting standards, the overdue amount was only five percent. And the loan portfolio grew by 1.7 billion rubles in nine months.
If we take into account all his entrepreneurial activities, we can assume that the bank belongs to him temporarily. Some media outlets claim that Tinkov plans to develop banking and then sell this business. Also, some publications say that Oleg wants to take a place on the list of dollar billionaires.
Hobbies of Oleg Tinkov.
At the beginning of 2006, Oleg presented the Tinkoff Restaurants cycling team, which at the end of the year changed its name to Tinkoff Credit Systems. At that time, it was the only professional team in Russia. Tinkov’s team managed to win several victories at the most prestigious competitions around the world. Oleg signed a contract with the team for a period of three years, but already in 2008, he decided to stop working with the guys. And in the fall of the same year, on the basis of the team that was financed by Tinkov, a new cycling team was created, called “Katyusha,” which is sponsored by many well-known companies in the country, such as Gazprom, Intera, and Rostekhnologii.
Oleg is also interested in alpine skiing on unprepared slopes. He also writes one of the columns for the finance magazine and is an active blogger under the nickname olegtinkov. His posts are on the most popular Internet platforms.
In addition to entrepreneurial activities, he actively promotes business in Russia, which deserves due respect. He breaks many stereotypes, and encourages others to do the same. The main thing is to prove your superiority not with words, but with deeds, and not be afraid to take on a new business. And he claims that when you achieve results in a non-standard way, and are a pioneer in your business, it gives great pleasure.
He also hosts one of the programs on Russia.ru. Famous people who do business come to him. On the show they share their secrets, tell their difficult path to success. Very interesting and informative. It's very useful to watch for motivation.
From Oleg’s personal qualities, it can be noted that, despite his serious results and successes in business, he remains a simple person, and does not turn up his nose that he is better than other people and is a superhero. Like any person, he has his own positive and negative character traits, and always admits his failures and defeats, this only stimulates him to win new victories.
In 1989, when Oleg was studying at the mining institute, he met his future wife Rina, an Estonian originally from Kohtla-Jarve. They have three wonderful children - sons Roman and Pavel, and a beautiful girl Daria, but they decided to legalize their relationship only twenty years later, after their first acquaintance. The wedding took place in Buryatia in 2009. Tinkov considers his family to be his main success in life.
Oleg tried himself as a writer, and in 2010 his first book, entitled “I’m like everyone else,” was published. In it, he talks about his fate and the difficult path to achieving success and significant results. It will not be interesting from an artistic point of view, but it is an excellent incentive for various actions that will lead to inevitable success. The book allows you to look at everything from a different point of view and make the right non-standard decisions that will allow you to find the right niche for your business. Each person will gain invaluable knowledge after reading the book.
« Guys, stop working for a salary and wiping your pants in offices working for assholes like me. DO YOUR OWN JOB. Stop hunching over your salary, which is meager in most cases! I encourage you to do YOUR job, take risks and create NEW things! Our country is full of prospects! The possibilities are endless. No need to be lazy!» Oleg Tinkov
Oleg Tinkov is very often classified as a so-called businessman of a new direction. Businessmen who create a business from scratch deserve more attention than they currently receive. According to analysts, these are the changes that will occur in the near future, when the “creators” will be revered an order of magnitude more than the current “oligarchs.”
The main activity of Oleg Tinkov is the creation of a new business and its subsequent sale to a larger company. As the entrepreneur himself says, he is incredibly interested in not only creating something new, but it is also much easier to do this than maintaining and developing an existing business.
Success Story, Biography of Oleg Tinkov
Oleg Yuryevich Tinkov born on December 25, 1967 in the small town of Polysayevo, Kemerovo region. The father of the future entrepreneur worked as a miner and brought in little money, his mother was a dressmaker in an atelier. This is how Oleg himself recalls this period: “We lived in a two-family barracks, without water or central heating. All amenities are 50 meters from the house...” Under these conditions, Tinkov decided to achieve success.
At school age, Oleg Tinkov was quite seriously interested in road cycling and reached serious heights, multiple Champion of Kuzbass, won more than 30 races in total! He was a member of the regional and regional teams, went to training camps in the southern regions, Leninabad (Tajikistan), Fergana (Uzbekistan), etc. At that time, entrepreneurial abilities began to awaken in Tinkov. " What we had in short supply in Siberia: scarves, boots and other imports, for obvious reasons, was not in demand among the southerners; we, being athletes, bought it with all the parental money we had and upon arrival sold it at the market or to neighbors three times more expensive. Then off we go... I didn’t make money so much as I learned the tricks of the trade"- recalls Oleg.
In 1986, Tinkov left to serve in the army. This is how Oleg remembers those years: “ I was preparing to get into SKA, but since I didn’t have a shaggy hand, they threw me in with the army sports club, they took the son of a Novosibirsk military man, whom I was ahead of with one leg. And at the military registration and enlistment office they told me: “Master of sports, 1m89cm - excellent, in the BORDER TROUBLE!“After serving in Nakhodka for a year, he was transferred to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, where he understood what mosquitoes mean and -55C. It is not surprising that Tinkov did not think about business in those years.
After returning from the army, together with his girlfriend, Oleg decided to go to a camp for the summer, where a tragedy happened to him, which partly influenced his future fate. A KAMAZ crashed into the bus in which Tinkov and his girlfriend were traveling. Unfortunately, Oleg’s beloved died, and he was left with a scar on his face as a reminder of this terrible day. Due to the loss of a loved one, Tinkov could no longer stay in his hometown and after he was discharged he decided to leave for Leningrad.
There he enters the Leningrad Mining Institute, where in the dormitory of this university he begins to speculate and resell perfumes and jeans. He bought all this from foreign students (both Americans and Germans from Germany studied there) and resold them in Leningrad, and transported larger quantities to Leninsk-Kuznetsk. This is how the mindset of an entrepreneur manifests itself, to find a place where you can sell at a higher price.
His passion for commerce led to the fact that Tinkov never graduated from the institute. This was facilitated by active trade in equipment from Singapore in the early 90s. This business began with banal calculators, which were bought in Singapore for $7, and in Russia were sold for $70 apiece. After calculators, televisions and VCRs came into use, since it was possible to get more profit from larger equipment. Thanks to successful trade, which was carried out mainly in wholesale, Oleg Tinkov opened his first company, Petrosib, in early 1993. Subsequently, this company owned such networks as Technoshok and MusicShok. In general, Tinkov was pushed into commercial activity by a factor that deserves respect. According to Oleg, he was prompted to engage in commerce by the desire to live and not vegetate on a meager salary, the desire to move to a prestigious apartment and have enough money. It is also worth noting that some of Oleg Tinkov’s classmates later also became quite successful entrepreneurs. Thus, Oleg Zherebtsov founded the Lenta hypermarket chain, Oleg Leonov founded Dixy, and Andrei Rogachev founded the well-known Pyaterochka.
The opening of Technoshock in 1994 immediately created a sensation in the city. This became possible thanks to the use of creative ideas and innovations in the company's work. Oleg Tinkov: « Where was the breakthrough idea? – We are the first in Russia to create a marketing-integrated company. Those. what we did - we shot a television commercial (together with Oleg Gusev, who directed “My Bunny”) and covered the whole city with posters + radio + magazines and newspapers. For me it was nonsense - we became super famous overnight! TECHNOSHOCK! I even remember we had a slogan: “You don’t need to carry a bag with you - Technoshok will deliver all goods to your home!” We actually delivered goods to people's homes. I remember we even took our salespeople to America for training. Thus, we had shocking service - people came and the staff told them which radio to buy, etc. Those. we brought, I’m not afraid of this word, one of the first (later “Party” too) civilized retail in the country in 1994. The “Party” wanted to buy us, but we did not agree on a price with Minaev. “Party” was a huge company - if in 1996 we had a turnover of 60 million, then theirs was 600 million. But, nevertheless, they learned a lot from us. The guys from TechnoSila even admitted that they came up with the name because they were under our impression.»
Buyers were not deterred by prices, which were 15-20% higher than the city average. But this fact was completely justified, since in addition to the Technoshock service, from the very beginning of its existence, it sold only reliable equipment. And this was the right decision, since even in the difficult 90s there were still buyers for good equipment. In those years, people also tried in every possible way to demonstrate their status, their wealth and independence, even if somewhat exaggerated. That is why it was prestigious to buy equipment from Technoshok, despite the significantly inflated prices. Such network management allowed Tinkov to sell the network in 1997 for $7 million.
In 1998, the entrepreneur's attention turned to the developing market of low-alcohol drinks, namely beer. At that time, he could not open his own beer production, so he opened a beer restaurant in St. Petersburg, which quickly began to bring good profits, and this despite the investment of $1.2 million for the opening.
What was different about this restaurant, which has now become an entire chain?
Also in 1998, Tinkov founded a company producing dumplings. The factories of the Daria company produced not only dumplings, but also frozen cutlets and pancakes. During the development of the company, Tinkov created a number of popular brands: “Daria”, “Ravioli”, “Petersky Smak”, “Tolstoy Kok” and a number of others, which brought the company substantial profits.
In 2001, Tinkov decides to sell the Daria company. This is how Oleg recalls the deal to sell the Daria company: “ On the one hand, the business brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit every month and that suited me. On the other hand, the dumplings market was worth a couple of hundred million dollars a year, and our share of it was already high. After studying at Berkeley (in 1999, Tinkov took a marketing course at the University of Berkeley in California), I began to understand what volume and market share are. In a large market you can make good money with a three percent share, but in a small market you need to be a powerful player. Naturally, it is very difficult to increase your share if you are already the largest player - competitors are trying to pinch off a piece. And then Andrei Beskhmelnitsky, manager of Roman Abramovich’s food assets, called me (the oligarch was interested in a highly profitable but small business with the beautiful name “Daria”) and began to persuade me to sell the business.
I didn’t believe that I would meet Abramovich. But I set this condition during the negotiations. We arrived at the famous Sibneft office on Sadovnicheskaya Street. Abramovich came out to us and personally escorted us to a beautiful guest room. I am a businessman and must have good intuition. Among the oligarchs there are extremely unpleasant types. Abramovich made a very good impression on me. He's definitely not an asshole like some people. Although it is impossible to say that he is smart and erudite. The saying “Keep quiet and you'll pass for smart” is about him. In half an hour he said about four phrases (Ellochka the Ogress had a wider vocabulary). One of them goes something like this: “Well. Well, well. What will you do with the money when you sell?” And the last words were: “Okay, pay him, guys.” All!»
The proceeds of $21 million allowed Tinkov to finally start producing beer. He intended to start producing expensive beer under the brand name Tinkoff.
By the time Oleg Tinkov opened his first brewery, his beer restaurants had been operating for quite some time and were bringing in solid profits. By the way, Tinkov’s desire to start producing beer is considered not accidental. In the already distant 18th century, one of Tinkov’s ancestors was a brewer, whose beer was famous throughout Siberia. Whether it's true or not doesn't matter. The hype around this fact created the name of the Tinkoff delusion. This is precisely the main task of Oleg Tinkov - building a brand for the most profitable sale.
The Tinkoff brand has become a real asset. The beer brand and the restaurant chain, united under one brand, were very popular among young people, who were attracted by life to the fullest in the atmosphere of restaurants and various concerts of famous musical performers in the restaurant chain. Don’t forget about the advertising campaigns conducted by Oleg Tinkov to promote his brand. Frequent use of sex themes, according to Tinkov himself, best attracts public attention to the advertised product. It is also worth noting that Tinkov’s factories began producing “live” beer for the first time in Russia.
In 2003, the Tinkoff brand was awarded the main prize in the “Brand of the Year 2003” nomination.
2005 is considered the peak of Oleg Tinkov’s brewing company. His Tinkoff beer has 1% of the total beer market share in Russia, which was an important factor for such a relatively small company. But the adoption of a law banning beer advertising before 10:00 p.m. dealt a rather serious blow to the company. This was the reason that Oleg Tinkov began urgently looking for a buyer for his brewing company. And the buyer did not have to wait long. It was the Belgian company InBrev, which acquired the company for $201 million, and Tinkov himself received about $80 million and retained a chain of restaurants. In addition, despite the sale of the company, InBrev invited him to join the board of directors.
In November 2006, Tinkov acquired the small Moscow Khimmashbank and became chairman of the board of directors of this credit organization, which received a license to carry out banking activities in January 1994 and was included in the register of banks participating in the compulsory deposit insurance system in February 2005. In December 2006, the bank was renamed CJSC Tinkoff credit systems"(TKS). This virtual bank, which did not have a single branch, began to specialize in issuing credit cards, using direct mail technology to distribute them and serving customers using only the telephone and the Internet.
 Oleg Tinkov: The financial market is one of the most promising markets in Russia today. And the most interesting niche here is, of course, credit cards. Luckily for us, there are no big brands built in the financial industry. State banks in the Soviet Union served enterprises; they did not care about consumers. The private banks that emerged next overwhelmingly continued this tradition. Therefore, it is possible to quickly build a strong consumer brand. In fact, there are no niche offers on the market - this is a huge potential for development, which we will take advantage of. Our bank is the first Russian true monoliner, that is, a bank that will deal with only one product - credit cards. He will not have any other business, no branches, no accounts for individuals or legal entities. We want to become the largest player in our sector, we see all the opportunities for this and believe in success. We have a very strong team – one of the strongest on the market. We have gathered everyone who was the best in credit cards in the post-Soviet space in our bank. I am proud of my team, and we have great prospects. |
This business turned out to be successful for Tinkov, despite the global financial crisis: in November 2009, Kommersant, citing the bank’s reporting for 9 months of the year, reported that TKS increased profits by more than 50 times. At the same time, the bank showed a “record low” level of overdue payments international standards bank reporting - only 5 percent, and its loan portfolio since the beginning of 2009 has grown from 4.2 to 5.9 billion rubles
Like any of his companies, we can assume that the bank belongs to Oleg Tinkov temporarily. The media wrote about Tinkov’s plans to make his bank successful and then sell this business. They also reported the businessman’s intention to someday enter the list of dollar billionaires.
In January 2006, Tinkov presented the new and at that time only Russian professional cycling team, Tinkoff Restaurants, which at the end of the same year changed its name to Tinkoff Credit Systems. The team has achieved numerous victories in the modern peloton, including two stages at the Giro d'Italia. Initially, Tinkov entered into a sponsorship contract for a period of three years, and in September 2008 he decided to refuse cooperation with the team. In November 2008, on the basis of the team financed by Tinkov, a new Russian professional cycling team, Katyusha, was created, sponsored by Itera, Gazprom and Russian Technologies.
Tinkov’s other hobbies also include alpine skiing outside prepared trails (freeride). The businessman writes a column in the Finance magazine, he is an active blogger: under the pseudonym olegtinkov he has registered accounts in the LiveJournal blog service and the Twitter microblog service.
The work he is involved in, in addition to business, namely the promotion and popularization of entrepreneurship, deserves special attention and respect. He really tries to break stereotypes and encourages others to do the same - in words, and better yet in deeds, urging them to become entrepreneurs themselves, to try, not to be afraid, to achieve their goals - and this is really cool!
He hosts the “Business Secrets” program on Russia.ru. Both leading Russian entrepreneurs and socialites who have their own businesses come to visit Oleg Tinkov. They share their secrets of success, how they got on their feet and grew in business. I liked many episodes of the program, check it out too!
From purely personal qualities, I liked the fact that Oleg, being a competent businessman, remains a simple person, “his guy”, who does not stick out something supernatural, does not pretend to be a superhero. He remains a person with his positive and negative qualities, and he equally recognizes both his successes and his failures and shortcomings.
Tinkov is married. He met his future wife Rina, an Estonian from Kohtla-Jarve (a working-class town in the mining region), back in 1989 at the Leningrad Mining Institute. Despite three children (daughter Daria and sons Pavel and Roman), Tinkov married Rina only twenty years after they met - the wedding took place in June 2009 in Buryatia. In one of his interviews, Tinkov himself called his family his main success in life.
In 2010, Oleg released the book “I’m like everyone else,” where he talks about his life and business path. From an artistic point of view, the book may not have much value, but as a motivator to action, the effect of the book is enormous! It makes you look at everything from a different angle, from a different side, to feel a different vision. This is very cool. Therefore, I advise everyone to read this book! You will definitely take something away from it.
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