By Lily Vince (information collection), Saba Rejali (editing), Sinja Veen (photography), and Charlotte Weyrauch (tech support) 

On Friday, October 10th, the DP1 Business Management class welcomed three diverse and inspiring entrepreneurs who eagerly shared their journeys with the students, all while everyone enjoyed a warm and inviting atmosphere filled with muffins and coffee. 

First to speak was Walter Brown, who was born and raised in Germany. After studying economics and exploring a variety of career paths, he came to an important realization in the 1970s: working for a large company wasn’t for him. This insight inspired him to start his own business. 

He first started out in a coin shop, and years later in 2005, his self-employment journey began. His business now has 3 employees alongside 3-5 students. 

The aim of his business: buying big quantities of coins, selling them to smaller companies, and then selling it back to them. This is especially done through online auctions (eBay). He also has good experiences with Partnerships. His business has a relationship with multiple banks, but also private family investors like SIS. 

Interesting fact: the most expensive coin his business possessed was a 100 kg gold coin, all in one piece, only made 5 times in the world in Austria. It was later sold for 2.5 million euros; today, it would be 11 million euros worth. He said the coin was split into pieces and sold and eventually stolen from a museum in Berlin. 

Walter’s journey into entrepreneurship began with a friend’s family business – his best friend’s father owned a company that was looking for someone to “help out.” Always fascinated by history, Walter found his passion when he realized that coins, as he puts it, are “the best proof of history.” This passion has kept him in the business ever since. 

Next up was Dr. Yasene Jesernik, 39, originally from Jamaica but educated in the United States. She now works as an associate professor, teaching courses on marketing strategy and direction. Holding a PhD in International Leadership with a focus on Marketing and Communication, Yasene shared that she was never initially interested in self-employment, believing instead that climbing the corporate ladder was the right path for her. 

She worked in the Marketing department of many airports around the world such as in South Korea and the UAE. But she eventually got “bored.” 

So, she founded a company dealing with auctions of metals and coins; this was in joint operation with Walter! She, however, found the business hard, and opposed to Walter who enjoyed being a Sole Trader, she wanted to expand in her business. 

She bought one of Walter’s existing GmbH companies at a low price and made it her own. One of her companies was for young people to connect with families around the world who are planning to take a gap year, also an Au Pair service. She now has 4 different companies, all in different registrations, but all functions fall together under one umbrella. 

Lastly, the class heard from Mel Balik, who was born in the Philippines and raised in Hong Kong. Coming from a family of ten and growing up with limited means, she faced many challenges. While her mother hoped she would follow in her footsteps as a wedding dressmaker, Mel chose a different path, starting out in the restaurant industry. Despite her struggles and working multiple side jobs, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and Operations. Over time, she built an impressive career, working for one of Hong Kong’s top clubs and restaurants, consulting for various establishments, and even meeting celebrities such as Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, and Michael Jordan! 

Her main role was leading the organization of parties and events. Soon later, she decided she wanted to establish her own business in the Operations & Events sector and now has a business in Social Media management (boosting accounts, gathering marketing materials, etc.) and a restaurant of her own. 

Her top advice for marketing: “Marketing is very broad,” your LOGO must be smart, and most importantly you must search for customer needs. Needs are the most attractive to consumers. 

Yasene’s advice for starting a business: “Look at what's available. What are the deficits, weaknesses of what we have currently? Your product needs to be better.” Following Yasene’s story, she shared that after spending many years studying, she wasn’t ready to give up her academic career. Instead, she asked herself, “How can I study and run a business at the same time?” Her interest lay particularly in Au Pair services, and she noticed that none of the existing platforms truly met the needs of parents. Motivated by this gap, Yasene decided to conduct her own research and take matters into her own hands. 

Question: What would be your main focus if you were to start a new business all over again? 

Mel: “Think about what you truly want. What is your passion? I love food and anything to do with entertainment, so, I started my own restaurant.” 

Walter: “You can only be successful if you really follow what your heart says, what you truly want to do.” 

Ultimately, passion serves as the foundation for establishing, maintaining, and guiding a successful business. 

Thank you to the passionate and enthusiastic entrepreneurs who took part in the DP1 Business Breakfast.