A businessman who was able to create one of the largest companies in the Russian IT market without attracting investors and having no prior entrepreneurial experience, Andrey Monosov sets a great example as a driven, goal-oriented person. His biography is the proof that determination and hard work can lead you to success, even if money is constantly tight and you do not have any useful connections.
Biography of Andrey Monosov
Andrey Monosov was born into the family of a teacher and a doctor. He grew up in Moscow. His father, Leonid Monosov, had to change his profession out of necessity and become a driver to provide for his family. His mother worked as a doctor for many decades.
Early Years
Andrey always says that he had a very happy childhood. He received a quality education, despite studying at a school without any special focus. He was interested in science and played sports. But a special place in his heart was reserved for programming.
Andrey was the first among his classmates to get a computer. His parents encouraged his interest in programming. And, although they never lived in luxury, they did everything in their power to create the best learning environment for their son.
Dreams of Entrepreneurship
Andrey was passionate about programming and created simple games in C#. Being good at tech, he was able to earn some money by repairing hardware and installing various software for other people. It was then that he began to think about having his own business. He liked to take responsibility, manage his time, and be in control of his income. He realized that he wanted to become an entrepreneur.
And so, after receiving his high school diploma, Andrey Monosov made an unexpected decision regarding his future profession. While his parents were almost 100% positive that he would prefer programming, Andrey chose to major in economics.
The businessman’s father, Leonid, recalls, “My son didn’t say anything to me or my wife. He made this decision by himself, without consulting anyone. He explained that he wanted to run an IT business instead of working as a programmer. Back then, I thought he was making a mistake. But now, I understand that my son was right. He had a dream and he followed it.”
Career Development
Andrey Monosov got his first job right after defending his final thesis and graduating from university. He did not intend to stay employed all his life; his goal was different — to earn money and gain experience.
Career in Banking
This seemed like the easiest way to solve the problems at hand. As a student, Andrey Monosov did an internship at a bank in Moscow. He felt like he knew the “inner workings” of a bank very well and would easily adapt and advance in his career.
But time passed and no promotions followed; he remained a junior specialist. Andrey Monosov decided to quit and get a job at a bank with a radically different personnel policy. However, those differences turned out to be illusionary — and history repeated itself. In the end, the future entrepreneur gave up trying to build a career in the banking sector.
Work in Consulting
However, the problem of lack of experience and money was still there. Very soon, Andrey Monosov decided to switch his professional focus. He chose the consulting industry and almost immediately got a job at one of the largest Russian companies working in this field.
The situation with career development was much better here. Within a few months, Andrey Monosov received his first promotion. In less than four years, he became the head of one of the largest departments in the company. And this was where the manager got the chance to show his best qualities.
With Monosov in charge, his department:
- Integrated new key components into the development strategy.
- Implemented multiple important projects.
- Hired highly skilled professionals.
- Significantly improved individual and overall performance.
- Efficiently reduced many budgets, most notably marketing spending.
The CEO and founder of the company held Andrey and his achievements in high esteem. There was talk among the management that Monosov might soon take charge of one of the company’s branches that were particularly important for the future growth of the business. But, despite the great prospects, the manager decided to resign from his position and leave the company for good.
According to Andrey Monosov, his decision, to put it mildly, was not taken well. The CEO had a long talk with him and tried to find out the reasons. The manager explained that he could not continue working in the company, as he had been planning to start his own business for a while — in a completely different field. Finally, after long negotiations, the parties managed to come to an understanding.
Creating a Business
Andrey Monosov considered several different options when choosing a field for his future company. However, it was the IT industry that had his full attention as the most promising and rapidly developing market. On top of that, IT business also required minimal operating costs.
History of IA Tech
The company was founded in 2017. As Andrey later admitted, he did not have enough staff at the beginning and had to take on many essential responsibilities himself. In the early days, IA Tech did not have the resources to even partner with outsourcing companies, let alone hire experienced workers.
Because of this, the CEO had to regularly spend almost all day in the office. However, IA Tech had a team of skilled software developers — and the head of the company put all his trust in them. As a result, the number of regular clients, just like the company’s profits, rapidly grew. Everything seemed to be going great.
Problem Solving and Business Development
However, soon the head of IA Tech made his first serious mistake. Unwilling to compromise on the qualification requirements, he expanded the team of developers extremely slowly. The number of projects grew much faster. Eventually, in 2019, the CEO decided to outsource a software development project to a seemingly responsible contractor.
The latter failed to fulfill its obligations. Andrey Monosov later admitted that this was one of the most dangerous mistakes he made. It could have caused the company to lose a major client, but, fortunately, this did not happen. The situation made the entrepreneur completely rethink the personnel policy and focus on changing the recruiting process.
First of all, he changed:
- motivation system;
- compensation policy;
- distribution of profit shares among key employees;
- bonus scheme;
- work schedules.
New conditions were much more favorable to developers. IA Tech managed to attract dozens of professionals who were highly motivated to complete even the most complex tasks ahead of schedule. This allowed the company to quickly overcome the crisis. Today, it consistently ranks as one of the leaders of the Russian IT market.
Personal Life of the Entrepreneur
Andrey Monosov is the all-time leader and founder of the enterprise software development company called IA Tech. The entrepreneur devotes a lot of time to his business. However, he managed to start a family and now has three children. Together with his wife, he enjoys an occasional change of scenery; the couple spends their free time traveling when they get the chance. The businessman is also interested in music and regularly plays sports.
Andrey considers philanthropy an important part of his life. He noted repeatedly that he donates anonymously, because he does not want to put himself in the spotlight. He also does not believe that his personal brand is recognizable enough to attract other people’s attention to certain problems.