Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu gave leadership and entrepreneurship courses to the students after the presentation of the honorary doctorate by Ardahan University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Biber.

Explaining the importance of entrepreneurship to students, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “There is only one way to become rich. If you want to be rich, you're going to be an entrepreneur. There's no other way. The way to get rich is through entrepreneurship.”

Emphasizing that the internet is a great advantage for young people, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that a market of 7 billion customers with a volume 20 trillion dollars is at their feet and that entrepreneurship has become so easy.

Comparing the situations of non-entrepreneurial countries and entrepreneurial countries, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that Germany and Japan, which were destroyed in World War II, are now the 3^rd and 4^th largest economies of the world economy, which they achieved thanks to their entrepreneurs.

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that the Soviet Union, one of the world's two superpowers, was destroyed in 1990 without a single bullet, and that the reason was that there were no entrepreneurs. “Where there's entrepreneurship, there's quality. Competition brings lower prices. It also brings quality. When there's no competition, the country isn't strong. I look at the richest countries in the world, the 20 most entrepreneurial countries, the 20 richest countries in the world. We have to be entrepreneurs for both the national and personal wealth.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu explained that entrepreneurship starts with dreams. “It's where we're freest. Don't be afraid to dream. Einstein said, ‘Logic takes you from point A to point B. Imagination takes you everywhere.’ Don't stop dreaming. Famous boxer Muhammad Ali said that a man without imagination has no wings. Imagine a world where Edison didn't imagine a light bulb. Well, we dreamed. We have to do something to make them not call us dreamers. Dreams must be turned into targets. We're going to dream. We're going to focus on goals in our dreams. There's a beautiful saying, no wind can help the ship without a target.”

Afterwards, he said, “Something has to be sacrificed. If you can't get out of your comfort zone, you won't succeed. It takes a lot of work to achieve the goal. A Turkish proverb says: To be a sharp knife, you must be hammered.”

“This is the era of inventing,” he said. “If you can't invent, you lose. You must think differently. To be an entrepreneur, you need a garage and a computer. That's capital. It's all about creating dreams, goals, hard work and inventing. There are great opportunities. Bring new customs to the old village. Build a good team. Birds of a feather stick together. Work with people who are smarter than you. Choose to work with people who think differently. I'm from Kayseri, but I'm not upset about the money I've given to ideas. I have employed people who are smarter than myself everywhere.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu noted the importance of branding and advised young people to “Brand what you do". Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that one of the essentials of entrepreneurship is courage, “You must not be afraid to lose. A person who's afraid of losing can't be an entrepreneur. Never give up your confidence and your dreams. Remember, not every attempt is successful. But only those who try succeed. Let everyone have their own constitution for success.”

“Always hold out hope,” he told the students. “This country has immense potential. Remember how far we’ve come from in 100 years. Think of a country without bread to eat, devastated by the war, missed out on the industrial revolution. No capital, no machinery to produce, no trained workforce. Not a single tractor to process the land, no people with foreign language skills. But what do they have? Great determination. On this occasion, I commemorate the founder of our Republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and his comrades in arms with our deepest gratitude. When we stand together, we win. But when we're divided, we all lose. Don't marginalize anyone. If we exclude people because of a difference of ideas, we lose.”

Governor Hüseyin Öner explained that when looking at the basic characteristics of developed countries, they are countries with knowledge and technology in all areas. Noting that Ardahan University is also taking firm steps in this field, Öner said, “We are acting with this truth and understanding. Ardahan University is a university that continues to develop and prove itself in development. Our students will obtain the information and use this knowledge for the peace and prosperity of humanity.”

Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Biber reminded that Ardahan University will soon turn 14, “The beginning years of the university will directly determine its success in the future. We strive and strive to do the right things for the development of the region. Ardahan is one of the cleanest provinces in Turkey with its air, water and soil. Ardahan will be one of the most livable provinces in the coming years with these advantages.”