David Yakobashvili on the bill on the circulation of cultural property: “I hope that our colleagues got carried away. Advice from David Yakobashvili Do you think we have already reached the bottom of the crisis?
David Yakobashvili - about three-fifty piglets and a fictitious wife from the Finnish outback, about "White Swan", "Metelitsa" and other brands promoted in the dashing 90s, about how he did not give in to the bandits, but gave in to Berezovsky, and also about the way two private jets suddenly became redundant.
In business, as in a looking glass, even to stand in one place, you have to run as fast as you can. Well, if you really want to move forward, you need to run at least twice as fast. David Yakobashvili has been moving non-stop for more than thirty years. He was once a laborer, but now he is on the list of the richest entrepreneurs in Russia. During this time, David Mikhailovich took part in almost 300 business projects!
Tempus fugit - written on the dial of the grandfather clock in Yakobashvili's reception room. "Time is running out". David Mikhailovich's phone is constantly ringing. More precisely - phones. There are several of them. During the interview, he took three old Motorola flip phones out of his pockets one by one, turned off the sound, and put them aside. As he himself says, it’s a complete whirlwind...
Many successful businessmen often say that they were simply in the right place at the right time. They're probably flirting. And yet, David Mikhailovich, where and when did you end up? Or was it a completely different story?
Time is perestroika. Place - Moscow. But the story, of course, is different - its own.
There were many opportunities then. Boom, non-stop activity. But I wasn’t bored even before I came to Russia. Life did not allow me to relax. I had a good secondary education - I studied at a physics and mathematics school. In the mid-70s, without any problems, he entered the Tbilisi Polytechnic Institute, the Faculty of Industrial and Civil Engineering. Again, I studied well, but had to leave college and urgently look for a job. My father was imprisoned and we had to sell all our property, including our family home. It was necessary to help the family. Father was business person. He was engaged in the production of knitwear - clothes, scarves - in Checheno-Ingushetia. Tsehovik. That's why they imprisoned him. Those were the times... I served eight years. He died there. In general, he spent 18 years in prison - on a variety of charges. In 1938, he was imprisoned for sailing on a ship abroad... Grandfather spent 17 years in prison. He was from a poor family, but managed to get rich on his own. After the revolution, everything was taken away from him, after which he was periodically imprisoned and then released. Not only our family had a similar story. Enterprising people sooner or later ended up on bunks. My childhood was nervous. It is known how gifts were given to Eduard Shevardnadze when he was still working in the Pervomaisky district party committee. My father lost all his money and became seriously ill. But in the end he still ended up in prison.
After leaving the institute, I got hired as a laborer at the metro construction site - I worked at night and during the day I worked part-time in a metallurgical laboratory. Over time, he learned to repair radio and audio equipment and began accepting private orders. It was illegal then: you were only allowed to work in an atelier, not in a handicraft industry. The earnings were pitiful. I was doing sound recording. In addition, he worked part-time at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in private security: he installed alarms in houses. Nothing complicated, just stretched the wires and secured the simplest equipment.
In 1982, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were allowed to take in piglets for raising, so that later, after returning them to the state, they could receive money for the difference in weight. I took part in this program. This was the first entrepreneurial experience. I took in 200 piglets for a year. I took them out of town to a friend’s house. We built a small farm. I brought food to them every day - I collected food scraps from restaurants and from friends. I had to work constantly. Some of the piglets died - sometimes the food they received was questionable. Another survived, the third reproduced. Then I sold them by live weight - 3.5 rubles per kilogram. Earned it.
- Did you want to repeat the pig-breeding experiment?
No. Once was enough. Besides, I decided to leave the country. I understood that nothing bright awaited me in Soviet Georgia... If I had been engaged in underground repairs of equipment, I would have ended up in prison. Friends advised me to enter into a fictitious marriage. I found a Finnish girl from the labor force. Her name was Maryo. She was three years younger than me. Agreed. He promised to pay her for it. Played nice wedding- everything was for real. We developed a warm, friendly relationship with her. Then I waited a long time for her to issue an invitation and invite me to Europe. I issued the order and called. I had to wander around Germany. Then I came to Marjo - to a small town in northern Finland. She wanted to end the marriage as soon as possible - after all, she had already received her money. I didn’t want to show me to my relatives so as not to tell them about how I had to earn money. I was afraid to even just let her go outside. She rented me a small student cell - two by two meters. And I sat there all week. He only went out at night, ate a sausage and a sandwich and came back... He received a residence permit and immediately left.
Lived in Helsinki. He washed something, cleaned something - that’s how he made a living. Then he got a job as a driver - he drove Japanese filmmakers filming in Finland. They fed me and also paid me 200 Finnish marks. Not bad! There was happiness.
Then I went to Sweden. I moved my sister there.
- What made you return to Russia?
Perestroika. As soon as the first echoes of change reached me, I immediately decided to return. It became clear that now it is possible to get down to business in Russia. I consulted with friends, they confirmed everything, my doubts disappeared. I moved to Moscow. 1988 Finally freedom came and we opened our own business. The first ideas were the simplest - to buy something, sell something. Next we had to look for our niche.
I met Finns who urgently needed parts for Euro pallets. My friends and I found a factory where these parts were made, took them to Finland, and sold them. This is how I made my first big money. 22.5 thousand marks! Was happy. Before this could not even be dreamed of. I bought myself a Mercedes for 14 thousand marks.
Old connections helped. Bill Lindvall, the creator of the Cherry company, believed in me. I met him when I lived in Sweden. With his support, he organized the supply of the first slot machines to Moscow. For me it was a ticket to great life. It helped that I had a foreign passport - I could safely cross the border.
Computers were supplied from Germany. Then the automobile boom began. My friends and I began importing used jumbo cars from America: large cars, SUVs or mini-buses. We bought them at auctions for 300-500 dollars in the USA. They were transported by ship to Finland. Then - to Olgino, St. Petersburg. There, not far from Olgino, a small hotel was built. We were there in the share and parked our cars with them. Then everything was transported to Moscow. They were very popular there. We also got into auto repair.
By that time, my friends had already opened the Ginseng health salon on Chistye Prudy. It was one of the first Soviet cooperatives - it stood at number 14. I joined them. Entered into the share. Then Trinity was organized, and most of the projects were implemented within the framework of this group.
- The bandits didn’t bother you?
They bothered me. But we somehow managed. There were also problems with transporting cars. If the cars broke down along the way - and this happened, because they were not in the best condition - then we lost them forever. Left on the side of the road, they quickly disappeared.
All sorts of people came to us... But it was simpler then. It is clear who is who and how to talk to whom. The cops took their side. The thieves - theirs. Now thieves and bandits have mixed with law enforcement officers, and it is not always clear how and with whom to talk. Here, after all, either you force yourself to be respected, or they will take advantage of you. Like in prison.
- How was your communication?
According to concepts. There is no method against scrap. Strength is strength. What can they do? In principle, there was no blood. More often than not, everything was limited to talking in a raised voice. They understood that serious resistance awaited them here, and they left. There was never a firefight, but during these negotiations we were ready for anything. At any moment someone could start shooting. Everything was on edge. I somehow didn’t really fear for myself, and there were no relatives in Moscow. So fear did not come. My hands didn't shake. But it was hard. That's life. This is a chance. Someone lost their nerve - and that’s the end. You can lose everything in one moment.
- And you were ready to shoot a person?
I was ready to defend myself. No one shot at me, but they shot at the friends with whom I was driving general business. We fought. It was so. They didn’t take anything from others, but they defended their own. This is how my good friend Slava Vanner died. He died in his own separate business. I didn’t share a share in some bar with the Kurgan guys. I helped him out of friendship. I took risks, of course. They could kill not only him, but also everyone who stands nearby, those who finance him. We tried not to conflict with anyone. They didn’t take a business that belonged to someone. Everyone started from scratch and stayed within the bounds of the law. It happened that thieves came to us and wanted to take something away. They said that some director back in Soviet times promised to give them this land, this house... Weak arguments. Everything was in order with our documents - we were not afraid of the court, and based on our concepts we could explain that it was better not to interfere with us.
By 1992 we got into juices. The first concentrate was brought from Germany. They continued to install slot machines. The first of them were installed in St. Petersburg, then they mastered other cities of Russia, even reaching Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Estonia. The Soviet Union is over. Explosion! There was, of course, a mess, but at the same time, for the first time, there was an opportunity to move forward. There were no administrative barriers. Anyone could make good money. You just had to work tirelessly. Day and night. Meet everyone, communicate, work. Don't deceive people. This is the main thing.
We have a good active team. Everyone worked in their own direction. St. Petersburg and Moscow guys. We were lucky, we had no traitors. We weren't afraid because we relied on each other. We worked for pleasure. We sat in our office on Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya, discussed plans, projects - non-stop. They took on a wide variety of work. Fortunately, we didn’t bother with Chechen advice notes... We focused on the applied sphere. We received our first dealership from General Motors. Then they bought wood, placed orders for the production of all kinds of parts, exported them abroad, and sold them.
In 1993, my partners and I had enough funds to build our own casino - this is how Metelitsa appeared on Novy Arbat. Unfortunately, we had a small share here. Very profitable business. We continued to make juices. Rented production line at the Lianozovsky dairy plant. Meanwhile, step by step, they bought out the plant in Ramenskoye. Dairy then occupied a small part of production - it was still undeveloped. It was most profitable to produce juices - the margin reached 150 percent! Subsequently, we bought the Lianozovsky plant from the Menatep bank, from the Moscow government and other shareholders.
We have our own bank - Expobank. We bought the Eastern European Insurance Agency. We tried ourselves in the business of special sensors (antennas) that helped find a stolen car. They opened a Super Rifle store that sold jeans. On Tverskaya - the Gifts store. They sold lingerie, Swedish kitchens, and office furniture. They opened their own medical production and produced tablets.
They were spinning. They were spinning non-stop. They took on any part-time job from which they expected profit. Then the Metropol Hotel underwent renovations, after which it was discovered that the furniture they had been given was bad. We set out to replace it. The decoration in the hotel was completely changed, even the curtains were changed. At the same time, they opened a store that sold both furniture and curtains for private apartments. We built the first beer restaurant - "Angara", a health complex on Chistye Prudy - with a restaurant " White Swan", - then they sold it to Deripaska's structures. I am only indicating the main projects, and there were many of them - hundreds! The business was versatile - you had to learn everything every time. If you do not truly understand how this system works, you will not get anything from it dividends. You will be too easy to deceive. My job is constant study.
- Is it possible to take into account all the nuances if you work on many different projects at once? Mistakes are inevitable.
Certainly. There were mistakes and failures. Someone deceived us, someone robbed us. Theft often began in stores, and this meant the end of trade - profits immediately fell. I am still being deceived. Some guy appears, describes his wonderful project, takes money for it and then disappears. This happened more than once. They threw it. I'm a very trusting person. People take advantage of this.
We tried to quickly part with unsuccessful projects. We didn't do very well in banking... Trinity Neon, which made neon signs, didn't live up to expectations, but we managed to sell it well. The same "Trinity Motors" had to be given for one dollar. What is the reason? To be honest, I don't know. At first, this direction was profitable, we actively sold cars, but then something went wrong. The market has changed. Perhaps we made mistakes in management. One way or another, we were not upset - we had enough other directions.
- Didn’t having a Georgian surname make work difficult in those years?
It made it difficult... I had to prove every time that I was not a swindler, not a swindler, especially to officials. There are always problems with a Georgian surname. There are too many Georgian thieves in law. But when communicating, everything became clear.
Some publications call your business a family business, taking into account the fact that back in the 90s you became related to Gavril Yushvaev: you married his niece.
Empty talk. There was nothing family in our business. It never played a role. Yushvaev has many nephews, so there is no need to look for anything special in this. In addition, Gavril Abramovich now has his own separate business. We did not think about involving relatives in our business. We always cooperated according to our abilities.
- Didn’t you want to go into politics?
No never. For what? This doesn't interest me at all. I know it was fashionable then. But I didn’t even have such a thought.
- Have you tried to go into the raw materials business?
I tried it. We had a stake in Krasnodarneftegaz. In addition, there was a share in Orenburggeology. We bought Gazprom shares. This made it possible to earn some money, but these, of course, remained secondary projects. Although there are still plans to mine rhenium - a very rare, one of the heaviest and most refractory metals - on the Kuril Island of Iturup.
- Is it possible in modern Russia How to quickly create a business from scratch?
It was easier before. There was no casuistry. Everything was clearer. Even at customs they didn’t particularly find fault when we suddenly actually had fewer cars than stated. Well, we didn’t eat them! It broke, they left it. Nobody cared. There was no such pressure from the authorities as there is today.
Today, many administrative barriers have appeared. More risks. If the bandits don’t come, then the authorities will come. Difficult. In the 90s, despite the fact that we were sometimes tense, everything was fairer. Then the entrepreneur had a chance to win. The methods that bandits in law now use are far from honor and decency. Nevertheless, now, as before, much can be done. There would be a desire. Of course, there is probably no easy money left, but a smart mind will be able to earn it.
You must follow the rules of the game. Always search - invent something new. Our country is huge. Someone says that now all the niches are occupied, that there is nowhere to break through. None of this is true. Chatter. In fact, nothing has really started for us yet. There are many undeveloped areas in Russia. Stick it in and it will grow. Two conditions for success: knowledge and desire. You need to work hard. Continuously learn, improve, master new areas, read the press. If you got up at eight in the morning, returned home at six in the evening, and then lie on the stove, watching TV, then you won’t be able to build a business. You need to do your business around the clock. There should be no separation between work and rest. This is all one life.
- How has your life changed since you became a successful businessman?
It has changed, of course, but not fundamentally. Yes, I don’t deny myself anything, but I’ve never had any special whims. I drive the same cars. Few changes in everyday life. I don't have a yacht. There used to be two planes - I fly a lot, more than 500 hours a year, and time is precious in my work - but now there is not one. I think it’s better to just rent them, it’s more convenient. I'm not looking for any frills. It's just not interesting to me.
- Have you thought about buying any sports club?
No. However, now I am finishing the construction of my private museum of self-players musical instruments. I will make a small contribution to the education of future generations... Bill Lindvall, who helped me supply slot machines in the early 1990s, remains my friend. It was he who owned the first collection of instruments. He collected them for many years. I was really interested in this direction. I must say - in an unusual direction. In Stockholm he had his own exhibition, located in a small room. About 400 items. Lindvall was a rich man, but this did not stop him from going out into the city center on a sunny day and playing something for passers-by on his organ. Sometimes he performed at weddings and birthdays. At the next celebration of the Cherry company, he invited me to buy this collection. He was old and did not want to leave it to his children - he was afraid that they would sell everything. I agreed. I liked this idea, it must have been influenced by childhood memories. I remembered well how in Georgia they played barrel organs and gramophones on the streets. Besides, I have always been interested in technology.
I bought the collection. After that, Bill introduced me to people who were also interested in musical instruments in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Holland. We attended various auctions together - I bought new instruments and added to the collection. Lindvall wanted me to set up a museum. This is what I did. For eight years he sought the right to open it on Solyanka. I achieved it. The building is already ready. I rebuilt it from scratch - before there was a glass kebab house here. Now we need to complete the finishing. Area - 11 thousand square meters. There I will place all the collected items. We still need to figure out how all this will be sorted, how it will be presented. I want as many people as possible to come. But you also need to think about safety. After all, this will be a private museum, not a state one, people’s attitude may be appropriate...
In addition, I became interested in Russian applied art. Now I collect such items as well. I started earning good money, I can afford it. In total, I have more than 10 thousand exhibits in my collection. Music boxes, automata, watches, paintings, sculptures, snuff boxes, dishes and much more. There is no particular favorite exhibit. I love everything I collected. Each item has its own story. Something belonged to the royal families. Something for governors and princes. There are items from the collections of Catherine the Great, Grand Duchess Olga, wife of the Greek King George, Nobel. There are works by Faberge. But I’m not looking for something purposefully - I’m just selecting from what’s on the auction lists. Sometimes they bring me interesting things - they know that I collect them.
- Have you ever tried to walk through the streets of Moscow playing the organ?
No, of course, I didn’t go out into the streets, but I can play the organ; nothing special.
- Can we say that now you pay less attention to business than in previous years?
No! You can't stop. I don’t work so that one day I can suddenly leave everything for rest. I enjoy the process itself. This is my life. If I stop, then that’s it... And life will end. Sometimes you make mistakes, miss, sometimes you take successful steps. This has its own excitement. I don’t revel in success, I move on. I am sad about my mistakes, but not for long. Everything passes. Both good and bad. The ultimate goal in all of this no. The only thing that matters is the process.
- Hundreds of business projects, many partners, competitors... You are a member of the bureau of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, a member of the board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, a member of the board of directors of AFK Sistema, president of the Russian-American Business Cooperation Council, chairman of the board of directors of the Bioenergy corporation and so on, so on. ...Are you tired?
- No. After all, I don’t keep everything that happened inside me. I forget what happened. It was and was. Gone, gone, lost. I'm moving on. Therefore, freshness is maintained for everything that is happening now, in the present moment. I'm interested. I work, collect antiques, ride a motorcycle... I wouldn’t look for anything else, even if I lost everything at once. I have a good supply of knowledge and experience - I can start from scratch at any time. Many of my former colleagues have retired and retired. We have different interests now. Our original team, of course, disbanded, but the process continues. There are young people around me. I share my experience and help - fortunately there are both financial and administrative opportunities. There are still many projects. Now I have at least 20 businesses in different countries. An interesting trend is developing in the processing of peat, which can be used as alternative source energy. I am engaged in the banking business... I am sure that I will be in business until I run out of energy. To a ripe old age. If I suddenly stop, then atherosclerosis and anemia will certainly begin. Why do I need it?
- And the family?
I have very few relatives. That's how it happened. Many died, others left. It was necessary to flee Georgia, Gamsakhurdia came to power - a terrible time began. Nationalism, banditry. People were kidnapped and raped. Many of my relatives and friends were killed... It’s a difficult time... My uncle lives in the USA. He is 88 years old, he is a participant in the Great Patriotic War. Son Mikhail is now studying in New York, at the Liberal Arts College. The wife is in France. Whenever possible, I fly to her on weekends. I love being on the road. In addition, I have my own real estate business in Europe...
I don't feel lonely. We are talking. Now there are many electronic devices for this. Over these twenty years I have already gotten used to it. My whole life is in the office. I come home literally for a few hours - to sleep. I get up and go back to work. Work is the most important thing in my life.
Dossier
David Mikhailovich Yakobashvili
Born on March 2, 1957 in Tbilisi (Georgia).
In 1992, he became a co-founder of the Metelitsa casino, one of the founders of the food company Wimm-Bill-Dann (from 2001 to 2010 - chairman of the board of directors).
Since 2000 - member of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, since June 2004 - member of the bureau of the board.
In April 2001 he joined the public association entrepreneurs" Business Russia".
Since April 2001 - member of the board of directors of OJSC Rosneft-Krasnodarneftegaz.
Since April 2001 - member of the board of directors of OJSC Ufamolagroprom.
Since May 2001, he has been a member of the Bureau of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress (REC).
In 2010, he became chairman of the board of the Russian Union of Dairy Industry Enterprises.
Now he is a member of the bureau of the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, chairman of the board of directors of the Bioenergy corporation.
Participates in the work of the community of manufacturers of branded brands"RusBrand", Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Russian-American Business Cooperation Council.
It is a shareholder of Petrocas Energy Group, AFK Sistema, and Bashneft.
Owner of a unique collection of ancient musical instruments.
One of the founders of Wimm-Bill-Dann; in 2001-2010 - Chairman of the Board of Directors. Vice-President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Head of the Russian-American Business Cooperation Council
Vice-President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Head of the Russian-American Business Cooperation Council. Member of the Board of Trustees of the State Hermitage Museum, the All-Russian Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts, the Mstislav Rostropovich Scholarship Fund, charitable society"Maria", orphanage"Pension family education", Fund for Support of Children in Difficult Life Situations, High school Economics, Business School of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, French University College in Russia. Member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, member of the Steering Group for the Protection of Intellectual Property. Member of the Public Council of the Russian Ministry of Construction.
Fluent in English, French, Georgian. Speaks Swedish.
Successful financier and entrepreneur.
Chronology
- In 1991, together with his partners, he founded Trinity Motors, which became the first official dealer of General Motors.
- In 1992, he became one of the founders of the food company Wimm-Bill-Dann (from 2001 to 2010 - chairman of the board of directors) (sold his stake in 2011).
- 1993 - became a shareholder of Expobank and the Eastern European Insurance Agency.
- In 2002, elected Chairman of the Board of Directors non-profit partnership"RusBrand".
- In the same year, Wimm-Bill-Dann became the first Russian food company to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.
- 2011 - created the Bioenergy Corporation, which deals with alternative energy.
- In the same year, he was elected to the board of directors of AFK Sistema.
- 2013 - elected chairman target group B20 (Business-20) “Job creation, employment and investment in human capital.”
David Mikhailovich, what are the most promising types of business now?
David Yakobashvili:Promising. It’s hard to say about promising ones now. Any production, of course, I’m some kind of optimist, I agitate everyone, we need to develop production, boost the economy, we need to build roads, we need to produce something in the country. This is all you need. Build shops, create infrastructure, everything needs to be done. No one will do this for us. As for how to make money quickly now, I don’t even know. Even banks are in a difficult state today. Big banks, if there was government assistance, are all in quite a difficult state. If you borrow, even develop a business, today’s interest rates are high, very high. They even lowered it to 12%, many received loans, but you can still survive somehow. But I know that I have a business, and where I have 20-25%. Most recently they took 35%. It is possible to develop a business, this is before the first turn, in order to have time to sell it, so as not to lose it completely.
Does it make sense for young guys to start their own business now?
David Yakobashvili:
You know, as an optimist and as an entrepreneur, I will say “Yes,” nothing has begun yet and nothing has ended yet. Life, it goes on all the time, each stage has its own heroes, but the opportunities are still enormous. And there are many possibilities, you can do them, depending on how you adapt. You can adapt, you can do something, that means you need to do something, you need to move forward. Nothing is over yet, nothing has been decided yet.
Moscow is a whole state, in fact.
David Yakobashvili:
Absolutely, yes.
A new era will begin.
David Yakobashvili:
Well, yes. Anything is possible. There are some new ones. There was the Cherkizovsky market, it doesn’t exist now, but there will be other markets. Let's go one, two, three.
The market doesn't like emptiness.
David Yakobashvili:
Nothing lasts forever under the moon.
David Mikhailovich, we have a traditional section, at the end of the program we ask the guest to look into the camera, introduce a young 18-year-old guy from the outback and tell him parting words.
David Yakobashvili:
Young, yes. Certainly. In fact, the first thing is not to be lazy. I want to tell you that you must always go forward, you must bite to the end. Because life is so interesting, you came here as a guest, but you came here to show something, do something, achieve something. Yes, you are interested in this, you can tell your children what you have achieved, what you once did, and that you deserve to live in a good country. I think so, a lot depends on you here, in this regard. So don't be shy, go ahead.
