Today we’d like to introduce you to Oksana Kolesnikova. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Oksana started her entrepreneurial journey as a professional pianist in 2000, graduating with honors from Florida State University. At the same time, she married her Italian-born husband/manager and embarked on a lifelong adventure that saw her sharing her music with audiences worldwide and ultimately launching three education-based businesses in the Los Angeles area, where she currently resides.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been far from smooth, but like everything else with value, every effort had its own place and worth. Especially challenging were the beginnings in Los Angeles, where competition is rampant and talent abounds.
As you know, we’re big fans of Oksana Management Group, Inc. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Oksana Kolesnikova is a world-renowned artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public figure. To learn more about her, simply Google her name or read about her on this page.
MEET OKSANA: From Polo Lounge Entertainer to CEO and Entrepreneur
Oksana Kolesnikova got her start in Beverly Hills playing piano at the Polo Lounge. Now, she is the CEO and Founder of three successful companies making a difference in children’s lives through their academic enrichment programming. Oksana Kolesnikova is becoming a household name across Southern California and beyond. Those who have watched her rise up in Beverly Hills knew all along this was going to happen. From getting her start as a pianist at the Polo Lounge to now serving as the Founder and CEO of three successful companies,
Oksana is setting herself up for even bigger moves in the near future. Oksana moved to Beverly Hills from Florida in 2006 to serve as the pianist at The Polo Lounge, the legendary 5-star restaurant and bar in The Beverly Hills Hotel, after spending parts of 2003 and 2004 traveling the world entertaining US troops stationed in Europe and Asia; performing for the United Nations, with appearances on PBS and five consecutive years at the Home Shopping Network. Her position at The Polo Lounge provided her the opportunity to expand her artistic career; Oksana booked private parties, galas, and private lessons for both adults and children in the greater Los Angeles area.
It was during this time at the Polo Lounge that Oksana realized her true passion in life: educating and enriching the lives of children through music. By the time she left The Polo Lounge in 2013, Oksana Management Group, Inc. (OMG) had been in operation for three years. Her first business, OMG, provides online and in-person private lessons and after-school enrichment programs for music lessons, foreign languages, and academic tutoring for K-12. When school is not in session, OMG provides summer camps, providing a year-round educational experience with a vast array of programs. The organization partners with schools, school districts, and municipalities (including the City of Beverly Hills) to provide children with additional educational and cultural opportunities that include music lessons, foreign language instruction, as well as programs such as acting, drawing and painting, chess, animation, financial literacy, and many more. Oksana is quickly becoming a top choice for celebrities looking at private educational programs. The organization grew locally, leading Oksana to realize her vision beyond her backyard.
With OMG’s success in Southern California, Oksana realized that her focus on music and foreign language was in-demand across the country. In order to provide these opportunities, she created Oksana Franchising International (OFI). Just recently, OFI has been approved to award education-based franchises in 35 states, adhering to the same curriculum that brought Oksana and her team success in Southern California.
While Oksana found her initial upscale clientele through her connections within the Beverly Hills elite, she realized that there was a large section of the population who could not afford any kind of after-school enrichment programming. Turning from for-profit to non-profit, Oksana created the Oksana Foundation in 2020. Thanks to generous sponsors, the Foundation provides scholarships and grants for children to be able to utilize those programs.
Through her extensive network in Southern California, Oksana and her team have been able to partner with businesses and other philanthropic entrepreneurs to grow their reach through the Foundation and touch the lives of even more children. After ten solid years in business, Oksana earned the prestigious Award of Excellence in Education at a pre-Grammy Awards party for her contributions to her after-school enrichment programs.
As she looks ahead, Oksana is grounded in her family-first mentality. She and her husband and business partner Alex live in Valencia, CA where they have resided since 2016 with their 13-year-old son Alessandro, a skilled pianist and budding entrepreneur himself. She frequently posts to her YouTube channel, Oksanabella, with videos of her and her students performing music and participating in the various parts of the OMG curriculum.
Oksana owns and operates three businesses: Oksana Management Group, Inc., Oksana Franchising International, Inc., and Oksana Foundation.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I mostly value my family life, to have such a stable and happy environment for our son in which to grow; to have good health as that’s of paramount importance for everything else, and to keep marching forward with expanding our businesses, thus providing practical solutions for thousands of parents who need our educational services, and lastly, to be able to offer a similar opportunity to other entrepreneurs nationwide and internationally.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oksanaenrichment.com/omg
- Instagram: omgoksana
- Facebook: pianistoksana
- Youtube: yourtube.com/oksanabella
- Other: www.oksanamanagementgroup.com
