GMW: The secrets of the Swiss businessman’s success, useful not only for schoolchildren
While visiting Kyrgyzstan, the Swiss businessman Jürg Stäubli took time out of his busy schedule to talk to Kyrgyz schoolchildren during Global Money Week and share his life experiences with the younger generation.
Jürg Stäubli is a Swiss investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist with tremendous experience in finance, real estate, consulting, startup development, and many other fields. He has higher economic education, MBA, diplomas in marketing and real estate, doctoral degree in economics from Cosmopolitan University of Missouri (USA). He is a Director of a Swiss company, which invested 10 years ago in the creation of the Kyrgyz-Swiss Bank in Kyrgyzstan.
The Swiss businessman, answering the children’s questions, told them that he lived in a small European country about the same size as Kyrgyzstan. He recalled his years of education in a regular public school and university as an economist, as well as the small family grocery store where his parents worked hard. It was then, he admitted, that he realized that it is impossible to be successful without hard work.
- “When I went to school, my parents purposely didn’t buy a TV, I studied hard and read a lot - 3-4 books every week. Don’t think of the easy way, that success will catch up with you right away. Working in a bank, you do not immediately become chairman of the board. You have to start at the bottom, gradually climbing up the career ladder.”
- “You need three things to succeed. First, you need a good education. Learn always and everything you can. Learn as many foreign languages as you can, because knowing languages helps not only to communicate, but also to better perceive cultures, to develop tolerance, and to understand how others do things. Second, it’s hard work. We say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you don’t do anything, you won’t have anything. And the third point is chance. There will always be opportunities in the course of life, but you have to take action to do it. Being a leader is something within you. Make the effort to make the chance arise. And when it appears, catch it.”
- “Life is like a line - be sure of the path you have chosen. Hold to your line, even if others doubt your choice. No matter how many times in your life you have failed. The important thing is to get up after every fall and move forward.”
“My goal has always been to become a businessman. It’s not easy because there are always risks, challenges and problems. When you have to make decisions, you are always alone. So, you have to know your strengths and always believe in yourself. You should always be optimistic! And never regret anything. Never!”