We were lucky to catch up with Tigran Harutyunyan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tigran, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Where did the idea for PBA.AM come from?

PBA was founded in 2021 with a very clear mission: to raise the standard of professional education in Armenia. In the beginning, from 2021 to 2023, we operated exclusively through offline courses. The response was overwhelming. The demand for high-quality, practical education was far greater than we had anticipated, and it quickly became clear that physical classrooms alone would not be enough.

As the demand continued to grow — especially for flexible and accessible learning — the idea of building an online platform naturally emerged. But when we looked at the Armenian market, we realized something important: there was no truly high-quality, structured E-learning platform offering professional courses in Armenian. Not in Armenia, and not for the global Armenian diaspora.

That realization became the foundation of PBA.AM.

We saw a clear gap. Around the world, online education was evolving rapidly, yet Armenians had limited access to modern, professionally produced, internationally competitive courses in their native language. We were not just building another education platform — we were solving a real problem that no one else was addressing at that level of quality.

Our initial mission was to serve Armenia and Armenians worldwide by providing Armenian-language courses built to global standards. We focused on strong methodology, practical application, and production quality comparable to international platforms.

Today, our vision has expanded even further.

We are now actively developing English-language, AI-powered courses under the PBA brand. These next-generation programs are designed not only for Armenia, but to compete in the worldwide market. By integrating artificial intelligence into the learning experience, we aim to create adaptive, scalable, and globally competitive educational products.

What started as a response to a local gap has evolved into a global ambition. PBA is no longer just addressing a regional need — we are building an AI-powered education ecosystem capable of standing confidently in the international arena.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

About Me and PBA

My first and primary profession is filmmaking. I am a film director and cinematographer, and I have worked on numerous films and music videos throughout my career. Cinema was my first professional path, and it shaped the way I see the world — through structure, storytelling, precision, and emotion. That foundation continues to influence how I approach everything I build.

The discipline and production standards required in filmmaking are extremely high. Creating a powerful film demands coordination, vision, technical precision, and emotional intelligence. I apply those same principles when developing educational products. In many ways, building a truly high-quality course requires the same level of production thinking as producing a film — something that may be far more difficult for those without a strong creative and production background.

Music is also an important part of my life. I write songs and play the guitar as a hobby. Both cinema and music strengthen my creative thinking and help me design educational experiences that feel structured, engaging, and professionally crafted.

In 2017, I began studying digital marketing in depth. What started as curiosity quickly became a serious professional focus. As I immersed myself in the field, I saw a major gap in structured, high-quality education in Armenia. That realization sparked a new idea — not only to practice and work in digital marketing, but to teach it properly and systematically.

PBA represents the intersection of cinema, creativity, marketing, and education — built with long-term vision and high standards at its core.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots in my life was moving beyond cinema as my only professional focus and stepping fully into business, technology, and education.

For nearly five years, I worked around 18 hours a day. It wasn’t just hard work — it was complete immersion. I knew that if I wanted to build something serious and long-term, I needed to deeply understand the mechanics behind it. So I started learning the IT field extensively — not superficially, but properly. I studied different disciplines, systems, and technical structures in order to eventually build and lead a strong, intelligent team.

At the beginning, it was extremely difficult. When everything is new and unfamiliar, progress feels slow and overwhelming. You question yourself. You doubt your direction. You feel like an outsider in a completely different world.

But something shifts when you begin to understand the subtle layers of business — the strategy, the systems, the psychology, the operations. Once you start mastering those nuances, things that once felt heavy become lighter. Complexity becomes clarity.

Throughout that transition, I never saw my background in cinema, directing, editing, and art as something separate. On the contrary — I understood that those creative disciplines were giving me an advantage. Film taught me how to lead teams, communicate vision, manage pressure, work with different personalities, and build something from zero to final production. That universality helped me operate across industries and collaborate with very different types of professionals.

Looking back, the pivot wasn’t about abandoning one path — it was about expanding it.

If I could give one important piece of advice to people who are afraid to change their field or direction when things get difficult, it would be this: if you see even a small light of opportunity, act on it. Don’t wait for certainty. Don’t wait for comfort.

Growth rarely feels safe.

Later, when you look back, you will often realize that the decision that once felt risky was actually the most logical and necessary step in your evolution.

Sometimes the hardest seasons build the strongest foundations.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I’ll try to keep this answer simple, because in reality, the core reasons are not complicated.

The first and most important factor has been product quality and trust. From the very beginning, we were extremely detail-oriented about every course we produced — from curriculum structure to lesson dynamics to overall learning experience. We focused not only on information, but on how that information is delivered. The courses had to be structured, engaging, practical, and built to real professional standards.

Quality builds trust. And trust builds reputation.

The second key factor has been transparency and accessibility. We have always maintained a direct, open, and human approach with our clients and students. We are accessible. We communicate clearly. We listen. In many markets, especially in education, people don’t just buy a product — they invest in confidence. We made sure that every student felt supported and valued.

Consistency has also played a major role. PBA has been trusted and recognized for five years now. We did not try to grow through noise or hype — we grew through steady delivery, real results, and long-term commitment. Over time, that consistency compounds.

Another important factor is that we approach education as product development, not just content creation. That mindset naturally positions us differently in the market. We build systems, not just courses.

And finally, reputation grows when vision aligns with execution. We have always aimed higher than the local standard. That ambition — combined with disciplined work — has allowed us to stand out.

I am confident that as we continue expanding — both within Armenia and internationally — our role and influence will only grow stronger.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pba.am
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pba.am/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/personabusinessacademy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/pba-am

Image Credits

Tigran Harutyunyan