Entrepreneurs share their success stories with youth
Sector leaders met with students at the “Bi’ Dünya İş” titled conference series organized by the Vocational School of Izmir University of Economics (IUE).
IUE Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Aşkar pointed that the determination of entrepreneurs on path to success would be guiding light for students. IUE Vocational School Director Burçin Önder stated that they aim to increase the inner motivation of students through activities. Önder, indicating that the guest speakers’ success stories set unforgettable examples, told students “Write your own stories. Think about the past and the future. Educate yourself and be organized. Find a role model, read success stories”.
In his “A Success Story Stretching from the Taurus Mountains to Europe”, titled speech, Kemal Şahin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Şahinler Holding, recommended young people to find a job that is compatible with their talents and abilities. Şahin said, “Find a job that matches your skills and enjoy doing it. Find something you love to do and you will never have to work a day in your life. I went to Germany to study engineering with a scholarship. After completing my education, I opened up a little souvenir shop in 1982. I started out my business with 5 thousand Marks (equivalent to 10 thousand TL today). Currently, we are carrying out business in 8 countries.”
Şahin stated that despite studying engineering, he headed towards business management and that building confidence when doing one’s job was one of the most important factors in success. Şahin, who stated that they developed products based on the market demand, said that in his career he started in Germany, he served products that meet the needs of the customers, and today his was running business in various sectors in 8 countries across the world.
‘Dream Big’
Çelik Ören, Chairman of the Executive Board of Junior Achievement Turkey, indicated that entrepreneurship began with dreaming, and he said, “Entrepreneurship begins with a change in mentality. It is difficult to become successful without establishing an entrepreneurial mindset. You need to start out with a dream. Then you need to think about, and work hard, to realize this dream. You need to make a difference in whatever you are doing”.
Levent Yılmaz, Founding Partner and Chairman of the Executive Board of Baydöner, Osman Ünal, Management Consultant of Ekol Logistics, Murat Erdör, Founder of Me Consultancy, Deniz Selen Kızılçözgürler, Regional Director of CarrefourSA Istanbul, Muhterem İlgüner, Director of Brand Finance Turkey, İpek Dorak, Managing Partner of Mindshare, and Gökhan Peksarı, Founding Partner and Chairman of the Executive Board of DOGO, also shared their experiences with the youth at the conference.
