Entrepreneurial Journey: From School to Billion-Dollar Ventures

Oscar's journey shows that success stems from embracing contrarian ideas and seizing opportunities others overlook.

### The Path to Success: Entrepreneurial Experiences and Controversial Ideas
* 🚀 13 years ago I tried to meet Jacques Tantoine, founder of Ombria, and despite three refusals, I waited for a meeting, which confirmed the **effectiveness of persistence**.
* 🎓 15 years ago, I was in your shoes at a university in Germany where I was inspired by **serial entrepreneur Oliver Summer**, which motivated me to **share my experience**.
* 📈 In 15 years, I have become a shareholder in 130 companies, 100 for-profit and 30 non-profit, giving me **"100-terabyte experience"** in business.
* 💡 "The difference between those who have built a business and those who haven't is that **successful people act**."
* 🛒 My first business was an online sports nutrition store in Germany that I created in 11th grade that brought in **1000 orders a month**.
* 🏗 I later switched to selling building materials, which **increased my profits to 20 euros per order**, and this **opened up new horizons for me**.
* 📊 Statistics show that one out of **600 students** in Germany becomes a unicorn founder, and Y Combinator increases the odds by **more than a thousand times**.
* 🌍 The key lesson is that successful ideas are often contradictory, and to succeed you need to have a **unique and counterintuitive concept** that can **change the market**.

### Path to Success: From Startups to Unicorns
* 🚀 Oscar shares his experience, starting with the creation of a dating site that has helped **40,000 couples in Russia start families** despite a high divorce rate.
* 💼 In 2010, he founded the company, which reached a **turnover of one million euros a month** in the first year, competing with giants such as Lamoda.
* 💰 Oscar sold his company for **$25 million dollars**, taking a **3% stake**, and at age 29 became a successful businessman despite struggling finances.
* 🌍 He began investing in other startups, including online fashion projects in India and Brazil, and had success with Auto1, which became a **$12 billion capitalization unicorn**.
* 📈 Oscar notes that successful entrepreneurs often have "**abnormal**" traits that set them apart from ordinary people, and that they **act faster than others**.
* 💡 He emphasizes the importance of **action, vision, and KPIs** in startups, arguing that success requires **taking multiple steps** and being willing to **take risks**.
* 🔍 Oscar also shares personal lessons on the importance of **not being afraid of failure**, as the world doesn't pay attention to your fails and you need to **keep moving forward**.
* 🏆 Ultimately, his journey shows that "**the future is already here**" and successful ideas can appear in the **most unexpected places**.

### Success in Business: Conflicting Ideas and the KPI Czar
* 👑 "If you can **satisfy a million women**, you'll be successful," is how Oscar sets the goal of **one million club members**.
* 🚀 When Avito was created, the founders didn't make a single dollar in the first five years, but the number of ads was growing, which **boded well for success**.
* 💰 In 2021, Flash & Post became the most successful business, reaching **$1 billion in sales**, thanks to its **fast beverage delivery**.
* 📈 Oscar emphasizes the importance of rituals in business, such as **regular meetings to discuss KPIs**, which helps companies **grow**.
* 🤔 In a declining economy, Oscar found successful business models such as **selling used cars** and **fixed price stores**.
* 🌊 In 2021, there was a boom in new fortunes when **11,000 companies were sold for more than $50 million**, symbolizing a successful time for entrepreneurs.
* 🌀 Oscar encourages finding **controversial investment ideas** that can lead to **future success**, even in the face of **uncertainty**.
* 🔍 It is important **not to jump to conclusions** based on one experience and to **share knowledge with other entrepreneurs** to achieve success.

БИЗНЕС С НУЛЯ: КАК СОЗДАТЬ КОМПАНИЮ ИЗ ИДЕИ | Оскар Хартманн | Форум HSE BC 2023

HSE Business Club

Oscar's success story: from school business to investment

Attempts to meet with Jacques Tantoine and followed up with a 3-4 hour chat after a surprise office visit.

An analogy to his own experience 15 years ago when he listened to speeches at a German university.

The importance of speeches and their impact on people, as well as experience in 130 companies over 15 years.

The difference between those who have built a business and those who haven't is 15 years.

Inviting the audience to ask questions on topics of interest.

First business experience: online sports nutrition store

Moving from America to Germany and observing the Starbucks and Bodybuilding.com phenomena.

Understanding the future as a phenomenon unevenly distributed around the world on the example of Kazakhstan.

Creating the first online sports nutrition store in Germany in 11th grade.

Reaching capacity limits and comparing it to Protein.com's success.

Finding more profitable niches: telemarketers and building materials.

Education and the Community's Role in Success

Experience studying at the best university in Germany and statistics of unicorn founders.

Failure to apply the knowledge gained at university in practice and the role of hard work.

Successful investments in 14 billion dollar companies and the role of communities in success.

The importance of communities and their impact on success.

Moving to Russia and working on the basis of creating value for the country.

The idea of using the "newspaper of the future" to find business models in Russia.

The idea of selling clothes and shoes online and the reaction of others.

The importance of conflicting ideas and long-term vision.

The path of a business angel and investing in international companies

Started investment activities and focus on online fashion.

Investing in Auto1 and the story of Hakan, the company's founder.

Characteristics of unicorn founders: "craziness" and unconventional approach.

Search for signs of "abnormality" in potential investment projects.

Investing in India and the role of chance in success

Investing in Indian startups since 2013 and achieving success.

The role of luck and the right community in successful investments.

Further investment and choice of business models.

Period of high confidence and subsequent losses

A period of high confidence and the creation of many companies.

Establishment of a scholarship program for gifted children.

The idea of CarPrice and underestimating the speed of the market.

The insignificance of failure in the long run.

The story of Flash and Post and the role of conflicting ideas in success

Flash and Post success story sold for $1 billion dollars.

Finding conflicting ideas for investing in poorly digitized markets.

Invest in Flash and Post and the rationale behind the decision.

Impact of coronavirus on Flash and Post business.

Selling Flash and Post for 1 billion euros.

The importance of opportunity readiness and long-term thinking

An analogy to surfing and the importance of constant movement.

The possibility of the wave coming again and the need for constant operation.

Searching for controversial ideas and creating new markets.

The need for multiple attempts to succeed and avoiding hasty conclusions.

The importance of sharing experiences and teamwork.