Cheltsov Oleg

Cheltsov Oleg

Biography

Oleg Cheltsov was born and grew up in France. Still the boy he dreamed to become an entrepreneur, at school placed emphasis on the exact sciences. Studied mathematics at Institute of Technology of Grenoble, gained the diploma of MBA in New York. Having finished study, six months worked in L’Oreal, and then turned into musical business.

The 1990th: Musical producer

"In the early nineties I badly knew Russia, I had no money, but there was desire to risk, - Oleg says. - In an amicable way I was engaged in a bluff. It was provided to Patricia Kaas by the big Russian producer, told that in Russia at her there are a lot of fans – actually nobody heard about it. Then I without communications contacted the director of Olympic, organized an advertizing campaign – and the speech of the singer took place".

Everything passed successfully, but Oleg did not want to be a producer.

"In show business it is possible to earn quickly money, but then it is better to invest them in more profitable case in terms of a long-term outlook, - Oleg says. – In the musical industry today you are waited by success, and tomorrow – failure and you can lose everything. Never you know how many tickets will be sold, and it is necessary to pay the actor the fee".

Hosting of Amen and photo service Fotolia in France

Oleg returned to France and was fond of new technologies. He opened the country's first hosting company with the prices available to everyone – Amen.fr. (the leading hosting resource in France, in 2004 is sold to Vianetworks). The Internet developed, people in increasing frequency bought a hosting, and images were required for them to fill the propagating websites.

"At that time in Europe there were only traditional image banks, their images were very expensive - from $100-300. Pictures were required for all - not only to designers and the large companies, but also small entrepreneurs".

Then the bank of the stock photo – Fotolia was conceived. The scheme according to which the photographer free of charge provides the works and gets profit for downloadings and the customer pays only $1 for a photo, was clear to Oleg, but not pictorialists. They did not understand long time in what a reason free of charge to give the works. Only units agreed to lay out on the website the works – and that not the best.

"It is always difficult to explain new model and its potential. There passed a lot of time before on the website Fotolia thousands of images appeared, the database was created and sales began, - Oleg remembers. - It was heavy, we worked at a loss, and I also was not sure whether we will begin to sell in general sometime".

The good online project quickly untwists itself, Oleg considers. So occurred and with Fotolia – the image bank became the leader in Europe.

"Important, at what moment you begin business. We were lucky that we the first entered the European market, in America we appeared after Shutterstock and Istockphoto and could not be ahead of them".

Today photographers should not be looked for. They come and open accounts.

"We are only engaged in management of community, - Oleg says. - Let's organize marketing exhibitions to meet potential clients. We communicate with photographers, we hold for them photoshoots: we rent the platform, we employ models".

Cheltsov constantly generates special offers. Buying a hosting, the client free of charge receives photos of Fotolia. Publishing and polygraphic houses use images of an image bank for the products. Fotolia offers big API, a packet of ready services, – users can print images, somewhere place them, create on their basis logos, brands and so forth.

In 2012 the market of traditional image banks (Corbis, Getty) is narrowed, their sales are reduced by 20-30% a year. Entrepreneurs do not have sense to pay in 30 times more for the same product. They use the stock photo and reduce the budget at 10-20 times. The market of the stock photo is saturated: really grow and earn the single companies - between them all large customers are divided. According to Oleg, those entrepreneurs who will pay attention to Asia, China, for example have a chance. Fotolia, for example, the European image bank, and style of photos at it European.

"If in America like to use images of people of the mixed races: Africans, Asians, - Oleg says, – that for the German, Russian companies the European appearance, the Slavic person is more demanded. Let's say you in Russia open law firm, I do not think that on the advertizing banner you want to have the Spanish, South American people. In Russia the photos representing realities of the Russian business in China are necessary - no. We offer few photos in Asian spirit – here the direction in which other companies can move".

Startups: Beyondtherack

Success of Fotolia strengthened Oleg in desire to be engaged further in business on the Internet. Always there were acquaintances who accidentally mentioned this or that project. Among numerous startups Oleg selects that the ideas promoted further "just": already there is a website, the foundation of service is laid, transactions are visible.

"But the most important is a command, - Oleg says. – It is not obligatory at all that it was experienced. There are enough two-three creators ready to work hard and understanding what they want. It is alone difficult to make decisions and to achieve success".

Among the most successful projects Oleg calls Beyondtherack – KupiVIP analog in Russia. In two years of existence turnover grew to several hundred million a year, investments returned and profit began to arrive.

"Social trade, a sale on the Internet – very attractive niche, I think, it will extend further not only to clothes, but also to furniture, travel".

Large-scale online projects without accurate business model are uninteresting. "In that case it is necessary to reach the sizes of Facebook to earn money". Better, he considers, to pay attention to craft-sourcing as the website Etsy. People sew, do house things, visit the website and sell them.

"Fotolia too some kind of craft-source, - Oleg says. - Any who likes to photograph can offer the works. People to some extent work for free, give you what was created, and you receive the commission from sales".

Investments in the projects connected with payments as Square in America will become profitable. "Once you add the small device, and each person can accept payments via iPhone. The similar companies could develop worldwide", - Oleg considers.

In twenty years Oleg invested more than 40 startups on the Internet.

"I love new technologies, - Oleg says. – The Internet is a shop for the whole world. Here the most perspective investments, the most high potential of growth, the largest profit if not to count oil and gas which are not in France and".