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The Founder Of Sellanycar.com Has Not Taken A Day Off In A Decade
Saygin Yalcin takes a deep breath before he begins the story of his life. To summarise 9 years of trials and victories in a 20-minute interview is no easy task.
But perhaps not impossible for the man behind sukar.com (souq.com), Kayishha.com, sellanycar.com, sellanyhome.com, buyanycar.com, and carnab.com
Although Saygin Yalcin’s initial years were divided between Germany, USA, and Mexico… It was Dubai that stood out to the ambitious 24-year-old who knew that he wanted to do “something with his life”
“I came here with a backpack…I had literally nothing. I had an idea though.”
His story starts in a cafe in Al Barsha that had internet. There began sukar.com, which would later be acquired by souq.com, and finally go on to be acquired by Amazon for a whopping USD 580 million.
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Sellanycar.com turns 10 today…but Saygin still thinks of it as a startup
It’s clear that he does not regret his decision from several years ago to shift to Dubai. The entrepreneur truly believes that Dubai is the place to be if you want to start a business.
“Dubai is a land of opportunity. You can really build your legacy here.”
In a city filled with an ambitious workforce, he likes the start-up mentality because of the flexibility it brings to the company mentality.
“This is a city where people really want to achieve something. Be a go-getter, and actually achieve their vision.”
Saygin is very aware of the rules of business. The first is that innovation is key. He also knows that the right way to innovate is by listening to his customers. For him, they are the ultimate boss.
“Within the team everybody ultimately reports to me. But then I report to the customer.”
Much like his business ideas, his business views are quite unconventional too…
This entrepreneur does not shy away from having bold opinions about working from home and 4-day workweeks
To him, both these options do not make sense.
Owing to his obsession with business, Saygin says he is available 24/7. “I haven’t taken a day off in a decade.”
But he also provides a disclaimer- “Don’t take me as a good example.” Something he repeats when he reveals how he slept in his office for almost 3 months just this year.
His explanation for this belief is simple–“I literally have this all-in mentality and a no-limit mentality. So I am all in on my work.”
On working from home, Saygin stresses the human connection and energy that goes missing. “If you tell me that your human energy doesn’t matter then I would say that you are at risk of being replaced by robots.”
This is not a sentiment everyone agrees with, nor is it something he thinks people should copy. It is just his preferred method of work.
Perhaps the most humbling twist to this story is when Saygin reveals that his legacy will have nothing to do with business
Despite having three successful business ideas, and a book on being humane while also being rich, Saygin’s priorities lie with his family.
His sister was diagnosed with a rare and incurable disorder which leads to a severe form of epilepsy. And Saygin invests a good sum of money into the research for a cure.
He wrote in a Facebook post back in 2020:
“I have dedicated my wealth to investments specializing in finding medical treatments. I am happy to announce that my foundation now also supports the research of Prof. Peter Crino, Chairman of the Department of Neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.”
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According to Saygin, if you’re coming into Dubai as an entrepreneur you’re already on the right track
He talks about how people come in here as tourists, and view Dubai as a theme park.
“Life in Dubai is not a theme park. You have to add value to the city- see what you can build for yourself. This city is not going to serve you for nothing.”
He also believes that a business will only succeed with new ideas and consistent innovation. “A business solves a problem, and if it doesn’t solve a problem in the market, it dies.”
Saving the best Saygin quote for last, his perspective on why Dubai is such an excellent place to thrive:
“I have said this for over a decade that this place is a land of opportunity. We can build something because the city itself is a startup…It adjusts so fast. It learns from other markets, and then avoids the mistakes. [Dubai] takes the best of it and is innovative.”
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The Lovin Dubai Show: Entrepreneur Saygin Yalcin’s Journey To Success
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