Milliyet – Erdem Genç

Work 8 hours, sleep 8 hours, have fun 8 hours

Erdem Genç, recently named Turkey's most successful young person, says: "I've always set myself goals. Once I reach those goals, new ones follow... But I don't want to be a man who can never lift his head from work. If you're working 8 hours and sleeping 8 hours, spend the remaining 8 hours having fun."

The son of a grocer father and a homemaker mother, Erdem Genç wanted to make music but studied Mechanical Engineering at Yıldız Technical University at his family's insistence. He took his first steps into the business world through the events he organized during his university years. Last week, thanks to M3 Works, the company he founded in those years, he was named Turkey's most successful young person by the Turkish branch of JCI – Junior Chamber International (the International Association of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs). The author of three books — "Boss at 20," "Cuban Rhythm," and "Debut" — Genç also plays percussion and is an amateur photographer. He's now 32. He has cafés, a publishing house, and an events company. We sat down with Genç to talk about the secret to his success.

How did you decide to start an events company?

I wanted to study at the conservatory and make music, but my family said I'd go hungry. So I studied mechanical engineering. One reason I chose that department was that the school had no Rock Club. I figured that if I enrolled, I'd start a Rock Club and become its president. And that's exactly what happened — I enrolled, founded the Rock Club, and became its president. I organized events.

You seem to be someone who always gets what you go after.

Yes, if I want something, I work very hard to make it happen. This award was something I wanted too. I'd been applying for three or four years, and I only just managed to win it.

You reportedly told your father, defiantly, "I will never take money from you again." Did that motivate you toward success?

Yes. Around the time I founded the Rock Club, I was so absorbed in music that my father and I had a falling out. I told him, "I will never take money from you again." And I really didn't. Once I realized I couldn't make money through the Rock Club, I started putting on concerts and events. I was 20 years old and earning 2,000 lira a month. When I moved into corporate work, my events company M3 Works was officially founded.

What was the starting point? Making money, or doing work you love?