Entrepreneurship isn’t just about building a business, it’s about seeing the world differently. Asia Solnyshkina, founder of ProSense, didn’t set out to create a company, she set out to create something meaningful. Over the years, she’s built and reshaped her business, navigated uncertainty, and learned to embrace risk — not as something to fear, but as a tool for transformation. In this conversation, Asia shares her journey, the mental frameworks that have guided her through crises, and why she believes business is as much about resilience, adaptability, and daring to believe in the impossible as it is about strategy.
Could you introduce yourself and share your entrepreneurial journey with our readers?
I’m Asia Solnyshkina, a product strategist and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience leading global tech projects. My company, ProSense, operates globally, from Mexico to Saudi Arabia and across the EU and CIS. We’re helping businesses navigate digital transformation. At ProSense, we bridge the gap between business strategy and technology, ensuring our solutions align with our clients’ long-term objectives, making digital products not just functional but truly transformative.
You’ve built a business from scratch and transformed it multiple times. How do you view entrepreneurship as a system of thinking rather than just a career path?
Asia: Honestly, my entrepreneurial journey wasn’t something I planned in a conventional sense. I didn’t start out thinking, I’m going to build a business. I just wanted to create something beautiful and meaningful, surrounded by people I loved working with. It wasn’t about money; it was about building something that mattered.
We built one project, then another, and before I knew it, I had a company with real budgets, employees, and financial responsibilities. I didn’t wake up one day thinking, Today, my business is real. It just happened, step by step.
How has running a business shaped you personally?
Asia: What fascinates me most about this journey is how business fundamentally changes you. Initially, I was just focused on making great products. But over time, I realized business is more than just creating. It’s about leadership, making tough decisions, and defining what truly matters to you. I still hold onto my principles. I believe in female-led businesses. I hire women intentionally because they bring incredible talent and dedication, and I stay true to what I stand for.
People think entrepreneurs should be fearless. I disagree. I don’t naturally handle risk well, but I’ve learned to navigate it. For me, business is like psychotherapy, it forces transformation. It teaches resilience, helps you embrace tough decisions, and pushes you past fear. Every month, when I pay salaries, I know I’m supporting my team’s lives, their families. That responsibility is what keeps me going. Entrepreneurship isn’t a career. It’s a way of seeing the world.
What mental frameworks or strategies have helped you navigate the uncertainty and volatility of running a business?
Asia: At first, I struggled. I had too many emotions clouding my decisions: fear, anxiety, doubt. I knew it was hurting my business, so I worked with a business coach. She helped me understand how to process emotions, feel them in my body, and make rational decisions even when I’m overwhelmed.
And then, life tested me in the hardest way. My daughter was diagnosed with PURA syndrome, a rare genetic condition affecting only about 700 people worldwide. The moment I heard the diagnosis, my world shattered. But something incredible happened. I pulled myself together within a month.
Without my business experience, without learning how to manage fear and make decisions under pressure, I don’t think I could have done that. Business gave me the tools to survive this. It helped me focus, act, and take things one step at a time rather than letting fear consume me.
I realized that in business and in life, you can never control everything. What you can control is your response. You can acknowledge fear but still act. That’s what business taught me — fear will always be there, but whether it stops you or fuels you is your choice.
You’ve faced multiple crises: economic downturns, political instability, and now a personal challenge with your daughter’s health. Why do you think entrepreneurs adapt better to crises?
Asia: Because we live with uncertainty every day. Entrepreneurs don’t have safety nets; we have to figure things out as we go. The pandemic, the war in my home country, the fluctuating economy. I’ve had to make decisions in situations where no one knew what would happen next.
At some point, you stop resisting uncertainty and start accepting it. You learn that no matter how bad things get, you will find a way through. You stop panicking about worst-case scenarios because you’ve faced them so many times and survived. And once you prove to yourself that you can adapt, the fear loses its grip on you.
That mindset was crucial when my daughter was diagnosed. I didn’t have time to be paralyzed by fear — I had to act. And I still act every day, finding new ways to support her, researching treatments, building a future for her. Just like in business, I take challenges one by one and work through them.
You’ve turned ProSense from a development agency into a full-scale business solutions company. How do you see business as a tool for solving the “unsolvable?”
Asia: Business is problem-solving at its core. If you think about it, every successful company exists because someone saw a problem and decided to fix it. That’s what we do at ProSense. We don’t just write code—we help businesses create Lego-like systems that allow them to experiment, pivot, and grow.
That same mindset applies to personal challenges. When my daughter was diagnosed, I didn’t see it as something static — I saw it as a system I could influence. I’m constantly looking for ways to improve her quality of life, to challenge the limits placed on her. I dream big. I don’t see any reason why she shouldn’t have the same opportunities as any other child. And just like in business, I take one step at a time.
What’s your ultimate goal, both for your business and for yourself?
Asia: I believe in impossible things. I believe my daughter will speak one day, despite what doctors say. I believe I will build a business that will change industries.
I don’t know how long it will take, or how many challenges will come my way. But I do know that I will get there, because I’ve seen myself do it before.
Entrepreneurship isn’t about never failing. It’s about knowing that no matter what happens, you will always get back up. That’s what life, business, and resilience are all about.
