Business is an Art

What do you need to develop your own business? Many will say, that it is money or loan. I had thought so too until I met Askar Sekerbaev, entrepreneur and business coach, who lives in Kulsary. His name has become famous not only because of the success of the local residents, but also because of his students from Atyrau and Aktau. What is his business development theory? Anticipating the interview, I note that the meeting took place in the framework of the project of the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia for the development of social entrepreneurship "ZHARKYRA" in Atyrau and Zhylyoi district with the financial support of "Tengizshevroil" LLP.

- So what do you need to start a business?

- To open a business you need not money or connections, as many people think. It is time to wake up and move away from frames and stereotypes. One of them is loans. What is loan? It is a duty, sometimes the long-term duty. And when to earn the profit? Advertising on loans is public, it is everywhere: on TV, radio, outdoor advertising. Everyone formed a certain stereotype. Population thinks that to achieve something you need to take a loan: to rest, to purchase a car or household appliances and so on. Everywhere on TV a successful businessman is shown to us, he is sitting in an office in an expensive suit, drives a foreign car. Does the picture lure? Yes. It turns out that the entrepreneur has not yet produced anything, but has already spent a certain amount of money. And what about the work? When will it bring the profit, if it is already necessary to pay the loan and the production has not been established yet?

- Does it turn out that there is another way?

- Yes there is. I conduct seminars on how to start a business without a start-up capital. I have an authoring program, which differs from the others. I can say that I "open" people's eyes. During my seminars they are feeling shocked.

- Could you tell us about the successful local entrepreneurs?

- Yes, I want to talk about Nadan Shegerov. He is a hereditary shepherd and has always lived in the steppe areas in Emba, he has been engaged in animal husbandry for 23 years. He has a problem: there is no electricity in the stripping section, on dzhaylyau. He has been using a lamp until now. He goes to a nearby village to charge his cell phone battery. It is expensive and takes time. So how can you live without electricity today in the era of information technology? After hearing about me, he came over and said: "I want to learn to earn money and have a power line to my place. I heard that you teach people, teach me."

I asked him: "Are you ready to pay for the training?" I know that if a person does not pay, there will be no use for him. If one pays from his own pocket, then he will fully use the opportunity. He paid and learned from me. In two days he had a qualitative shift. During the training we developed this idea: he has a resource - horses, and they should be used. He studied at the weekend, and already on Monday he went to the city administration and asked land for his business. He was advised to contact one of the local businessman, who had an unused piece of land that meets the needs of Nadan. The businessman agreed to cooperate. Then Nadan brought two horses from dzhaylyau and started to earn money. One horse is used the children’s riding, 10 minutes cost 200 tenge. The other horse is for riding of children with disabilities. It is free. Everyone knows that riding brings significant health benefits. It is just in the genes of any Kazakh who sit in the saddle to feel euphoric. By the way, Nadan himself is an invalid of the second group and receives a pension of about 16 thousand tenge.

- How does he tend the cattle, it is not so easy to do?

- He is assisted by his family, wife and children. In the first day he earns 25 thousand tenge. After the second day he covers the cost for his education. Then he goes to the district department of employment and offers further cooperation - therapy for children with disabilities free of charge. They agreed to cooperate. Now he wants to buy ponies that kids love. He is looking for a sponsor or a business angel.

- But after all this is the idea of ​​social entrepreneurship, a two-year program which has already began in Kulsary, is it right?

- It can be said that seeds fell on the fertile soil, and we already have first examples. I can tell you about other projects of local residents who have united and want to contribute to society and earn money. Such examples are many.

- Social Entrepreneurship Seminars resonated among the local population. Are your "wards" going to participate in this project?

- I think so, and in the most active way.

- Going back to Shegenov. Has he held himself a power line?

- Not yet, but after learning he realized that he lived in certain frames for many years, believing that real wealth of a Kazakh is cattle. Through this sector one can expand his horizons, while ensuring earnings in other way as well. He is generating new ideas now.

Another student of mine went to the barber shop, where she talked to the barber who works for 20 years, she likes it, but she wants to do something else. She was advised to come to me. She shared her idea - to teach those who want to learn how to be a hairdresser. To do this, she decided to rent a room in the center of Kulsary and pay for it. I told her that it is a bad idea. For example, how much is the room for rent? A considerable amount which she does not have. When will she have it? Will have it at all? In addition, it is necessary to purchase the equipment, tools. I advised her to take a different path, a different scheme which brought her three hundred dollars even before opening the courses. It is amazing. She used the money to rent a room, she opens a training center soon, prepars a presentation. She also started to generate ideas, she is now doing makeup, etc.

- There is no wonder that people say that people themselves originally know the solution of a problem, they only should be guided.

- A good teacher does not say anything new. I do not say anything new to customers. I listen to them and lead in a certain direction. They themselves begin to understand what they need. Loan is a curve that leads down. If a business is started without a loan, in any case no one will lose nothing. Repayment of the loan is time and health. Do not forget about the main thing that you need to love your job. Many people consider their hobbies only as a leisure, and in fact if to refine and develop it, it is possible to make money and enjoy life. I devote one day with a student to know what he wants from life, what his dream is, a hobby. For example, a man came to me who makes up to 3000 euros on his network business. It sounds good. He has everything in his house, he is a wealthy man. At the same time, he does not have a business he love. "I buried my gift," - he said, and asked me to help. After all, people need not only the material wealth, but to be useful for the society and have the self-realization.

- Thank you for the interview.

Gulzhan ELESHEVA, "Caspian commune" newspaper, Zhylyoi district.