Anna Gandrabura

Achieve your goals with the right plan & intention

#BOSSLADY DETAILS:

Name & Surname: Anna Gandrabura

Strengths: Change leader, content creator, business development, product development, marketing, personal branding

Country: Ukraine

Industry: EdTech/VR

Favorite quote: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

Please give us a bit of background on yourself

I have been a womanpreneur since I was 21. I only had one job where I had a boss and that was the reason why I started my own business - my boss was bad, I wanted to do things differently. And I did. Everything I hated about her management style and the rules she introduced in her company I changed in my business, even though we are in the same industry.

I majored in English so I started my career as an ESL teacher when I was 19. Soon after I started a language school back in my home country teaching English as a foreign language. I did not have any business experience or education, I was learning everything by doing things, asking questions, and watching others. I have always loved learning new things and the challenges I would get daily. I believe this is the key to success - you have to want challenges in your life, that way you grow.

A few years into running the language school I came to realize that I wanted my school to be different. There are so many language schools out there in the world, mine is no different. I wanted to be unique. And that was when I was invited to teach English and communication skills at a big tech company in Ukraine. I knew nothing about the tech industry, but I loved the challenge.

To make sure I can bring value to my client I had to teach myself tech so that I could be on the same page with my students. I learned HTML/CSS, I was able to bootstrap a website. For a couple of years I was taking so many classes on everything tech related because I had a plan in mind … As the tech industry was and is very young there wasn’t much content available to use in the classroom, no textbooks, no online courses. So, I wanted to become a content creator in the space which required me to understand tech. And I did become one!

No longer was I running an average language school. I became a founder of the world's first English For IT language and soft skills school. As soon as I pivoted, my team and the client base started growing. Although, people were telling me that the niche is too small, it would be better to offer classes to everyone, not just the tech professionals. Never listen to naysayers, trust your gut. That’s what I did. And I was right.

I soon started working with my team on the first version of the English For Tech online course. We went through several stages of iteration and testing before we approved the product. To date we have three English courses that help improve language and communication skills. That was a huge milestone we achieved in 2019. The milestone of 2021 is the first “English For Tech” textbook written specifically for tech workers learning English. Coming September 2021.

I believe in the power of paying it forward and giving back, so I constantly share my knowledge with anyone who may benefit from my experience.

What are some of your biggest achievements throughout your journey?

My biggest achievement is creating what people want and need to advance in their careers. In my case, it’s the curriculum that helps non-native speaking tech professionals nail their tech careers, get higher salaries, work on interesting projects, and ultimately have a dream career and life.

What are 3 business principles that are of core value to you?

Professional etiquette

Know your standards, live up to them. Have boundaries for yourself and respect other’s.

Quality.

Do the best you can. Go the extra mile.

Flexibility.

Be adaptive to change quickly. Nothing is forever.

What is the hardest part of being an entrepreneur?

You have to be able to do everything for your business. Before you delegate you need to know the ins and out of the task otherwise you won’t be able to delegate it properly. Delegation is another hard thing to do for a founder because you want it to be perfect your way. The tip I once got from a self help business book about delegation was that if you are 70% happy with the outcome of the delegated task, it is great! Don’t expect 100%, 70% is plenty.

How do you stand out in this digital world?

Founder’s personal brand helps the company to stand out in the digital world. If the founder is a content creator, the company will always generate organic growth. It is a tough task though as content creation requires a lot of time and effort. However, it is worth it. My personal brand in Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn drives sales, attracts new hires and customers.

What was one of the biggest mistakes that you have made throughout your journey and what lesson did you learn from it?

Holding on to toxic employees. You have to fire fast once you see the employee makes you and the team feel uncomfortable. Toxic frequently means when they stop meeting your values. Revisit your values with the team regularly to make sure you are on the same page.

What is your key to success?

Never stop developing. If you admit you know everything, you actually stop growing and start going down the hill. Develop yourself as a person and as a professional, share your knowledge, give to the community and you will always be successful no matter what you do.

What does success mean to you?

Success to me is when I can add value and feel accomplished by making peoples’ lives better. Success is when you do what you love everyday, when you don’t think about work-life balance because you enjoy every moment of your life and work. Success is when you feel rewarded for what you do in the way you want.