Our society now has an irresistible tendency to divide into rich and poor, successful and losers. Some people who have not found themselves in life are sure that all newly minted millionaires must have earned their capital dishonestly. The biography of Andrei Korkunov, one of the most respected businessmen in Russia, a successful and happy person, can be a vivid example of where wealth comes from, how much effort and what sacrifice it requires. He went from a janitor to a director, tried himself in a variety of fields, rubbed labor corns on his palms, lived in a hut, but always firmly went to his goal, which, in the end, he achieved. In one of the many interviews, Andrei Korkunov noted that doing business in Russia from scratch is very difficult. Here, in order for everything to work out, you need to be at least a hero. What did he do so heroic? What bricks did he build his wealth from and how does he live now when he has already achieved everything and achieved everything?
General information
Many Russians know Andrei Korkunov. Photos, which can often be seen in the press and on the Internet, show a kind person, always smiling, always welcoming. In fact, A. Korkunov is a strong-willed person with a strong character who knows how to be tough and to be uncompromising. In the late 90s, he decided to start a “sweet” business, built and opened a small chocolate factory almost from scratch, which made his name famous. Having created a seemingly stable and very profitable business, Andrei Korkunov suddenly left him and took up a completely new stranger to himself - he bought Ankor Bank and became the head of the board of directors in it.
Having worked a little in a debugged financial system, Korkunov decided to introduce new principles of work into it and created a structure that deals with individual storage of funds. He called it “MOBIUS” (Mobile Individual Universal Warehouse). He also has another important position - he holds the post of vice president of the company “Support of Russia”, which unites small and medium-sized businesses. Korkunov reports that he is engaged in this work with great pleasure, as he is sure that it is precisely such small industries that can create the country's welfare.
Childhood "barefoot"
The biography of Andrei Korkunov, like any other person, begins in childhood. This time cannot be called flawed or deprived. In September 4, 1962, he was born in the small town of Aleksin, in the Tula Region, in the family of the factory’s deputy director Nikolai Korkunov. His mother Galina worked as an engineer here. He did not know a flaw in anything and from childhood accepted this lifestyle as the most correct. Therefore, in the 10th grade, in an essay about his future, he honestly wrote that he wanted to work as a director. With the exception of high aspirations, Andrei Korkunov grew up as an ordinary reckless boy, played football and hockey with friends in the yard, went to the sambo section, and in winter rode the Oka on ice floes. He recalls that he used to break into ice-cold water, but his friends always helped him out, although they themselves got wet too and then dried around the fire. All that little Andrei was worried about then was that his mother would not notice his wet underpants. She was always strict in education, scolded her son even for the four brought from school, instilling in him the idea that he should be better than others.
Student years
After graduating from school, Andrei Korkunov went to Moscow to study “as a director”, for which he entered MPEI. As he himself says, he didn’t have a special thirst for knowledge, he rarely even taught lessons, but he always pulled out exactly the ticket that he knew on exams, so he received a scholarship regularly. To the question of why he chose MPEI from all Moscow universities, Andrei replies that, in principle, he did not care where to study, if only to get to production at the end.
He chose MEI because his neighbor studied at this institute, who helped him make a choice with his stories about a cheerful student life. Despite his more than secured current situation, Andrei Korkunov believes that he was very lucky with his birth, because he found a wonderful life in the Soviet Union, when all the students were on an equal footing, and their thoughts were not filled with thoughts of business. He enthusiastically recalls trips “to the potato”, summer camps with their tents and songs to a guitar by the fire, and regrets that all this is unknown to modern youth.
First earnings
In the Soviet years, the average student scholarship was 40 rubles. Given the then existing prices, it was quite decent money. The children and family of Andrei Korkunov did not bother then, but he personally even wanted to have much more money for himself, for which he got a job as a janitor in two ZHEKs at once. In one, he swept near the school, in the other - near the hostel. He had to get up at 5 in the morning, but due to his youth it was easy. At the university, Andrei entered the committee that worked with foreign students. He took jeans from them, imported cigarettes, then fashionable plastic bags and haggled overseas goods, that is, he was engaged in fartsing.
Touching love story
This happened at the institute in the third year. A group of students from Taganrog came to practice at the MEO. Among them was a little shy and very pretty girl Lena - the future wife of Andrei Korkunov. A young man, almost a Muscovite, invited a provincial to go on an excursion to VDNH, three days later he confessed his love to her, and after two more he proposed to get married. Then Lena ended the practice, and she returned to her Taganrog.
Andrey had a wall calendar with two monkeys in the hostel. He tore it in half, gave one monkey to Lena, and kept the second for himself. For three years, young people corresponded, and once a week called back, for which they went to the telegraph (there were no mobile phones then). Andrew in this period of love still continued to earn. He went to the station and loaded coal, and during the Moscow Olympics he traded Pepsi-Cola. In this field, he managed to earn more than a thousand rubles.
Andrey Korkunov, biography: family and first steps in adulthood
Upon graduation, Andrei and his bride together received a referral to Podolsk at an electromechanical plant. Lovers were finally able to live together. As young professionals they were given a dorm room. Andrei, who was put into the assembly shop as a master, began to establish himself as a leader. He recalls that everything was not immediately given to him, because in his subordination, young and inexperienced, there were more than 100 people with work experience of 20-30 years.
In 1987, he was called up for military service. Thanks to his old connections, his father attached him to the design bureau as a military representative. He became a representative of the Ministry of Defense, checked the work of designers, took samples of military products. On duty, he had to move to Kolomna. Elena went with him. In Kolomna, young people got married. They were given a room in the hut that stood near the forest. Living conditions in that dwelling were difficult, but on the whole, for the newlyweds everything turned out fine. The Korkunovs made friends with neighbors with whom they had picnics in the forest with a bonfire and barbecue, which Elena and Andrei still remember. In Kolomna, their eldest daughter Natalya was born.
Creation of the first business
Perhaps Korkunov would have remained military, would have risen to high ranks, but the era of perestroika began in the country, ruthlessly destroying all plans. The Ministry of War reduced orders, and with them the salaries of all employees. Photo by Andrey Korkunov shows us an energetic strong-willed man. This one could not give up and humbly wait for improvements. He resigned from his design bureau, despite the loss of all military benefits, and with a classmate organized a workshop for tailoring jeans. 70 seamstresses worked in their workshops, in addition, there were drivers, movers, suppliers, sellers. Things were going well, but relations with partners were exhausted.
Andrey and his family moved to Moscow, where there are always more opportunities. Here he and his wife's friends organized a company that sold everything that was bought. Once, instead of TVs, they drove a truck with sweets. Surprisingly, the sweet product sold in a couple of days. Andrei decided to start selling sweets, and after two years of successful activity he matured for the construction of his own factory.
The beginning of glorious "sweet" deeds
In 1997, Andrei Korkunov signed a contract with the Italian chocolate company Witter for the construction of a similar factory in Odintsovo. He bought a plot of land, which was a landfill, and after 9 months he built the first workshop on this site. The Italians did not believe in success, so the contract was broken. Few remained to help Andrei, among whom was a candy technologist Mario, who later became his friend. It is hard to imagine, but Andrei Korkunov, who had no experience in the production of chocolate, created candies himself.
In the evening, on the eve of the launch of the first line, when everything was ready, he drove into the factory, tried samples of sweets, and he did not like them. Together with Mario, Andrei began to mix the ingredients in plastic cups until he achieved an excellent result to taste. This is how Arriero sweets were born, taking first place in France. In the morning the line was launched, but all the previous raw materials had to be poured into the sewers and replaced with new ones. Here he is, Andrei Korkunov, who for the sake of business is not afraid to lose something in order to gain more.
Financial activities
Many are interested in what condition Andrei Korkunov has. He himself does not advertise his income, so we can only say about his capital approximately. So, its candy factory, which lasted only 7 years, and with it the brand A. Korkunov "he sold to Wrigley for 300 million y. e. At the same time, he left himself a 20% stake and the chair of the chairman of the board of directors. Korkunov invested the proceeds in the acquisition of Tatekobank in Kazan, heading the board of directors there too. After a short time, he rebranded this financial institution, which for Kazan has become an unheard of. Now it is called Anchor. Savings Bank. ” Korkunov owns 49.79% of the shares, and the bank’s assets amount to 8.9 billion Russian rubles, of which more than 5 billion are from household deposits.
In addition, the risky businessman engaged in the production of Vorontsovskie crackers, however, he considers himself only a consultant in this business. In 2011, Andrei Korkunov was ranked 275th among Russian billionaires. Now Ankor Bank is in a quandary. His profits are falling (according to the latest data, the losses amounted to about 100 million rubles), investors are striving to take their money, which is why the management was forced to introduce restrictions on the withdrawal of funds.
