David Yakobashvili on the draft law on the circulation of cultural property: “I hope that our colleagues got excited. David Yakobashvili's advice

(2) One of the founders of Wimm-Bill-Dann. Vice President of the RSPP, Chairman of the Committee for Corporate social responsibility and demographic policy of the RSPP. Independent member of the Board of Directors of PJSC AFK Sistema. Member of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. Chairman of the Board of Directors of NP "Commonwealth of manufacturers of branded trademarks" Rusbrand ". Head of the Russian-American Business Cooperation Council. Member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Construction and Public Utilities of the Russian Federation. Member of the General Council of OOO Delovaya Rossiya. Member of the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Business 20 (B20). Member of the Franco-Russian Dialogue Association. Member of the New York University Presidential International Council. Member of the Board of Trustees: high school economy; RSPP Business Schools; French University College in Russia; The Mstislav Rostropovich Personal Scholarship Fund, the State Hermitage Museum, the Maria Charitable Society, the Family Education Boarding House, the Fund for Supporting Children in Difficult Life Situations.

"A family"

David Yakobashvili: Deoffshorization is worse for the Russian economy than any Western sanctions

There are still opportunities for investment in Russia, but business is not sufficiently protected; but Yakobashvili intends to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Georgia

David Yakobashvili withdrew from the construction project of Mill No. 4

David Yakobashvili became a banker

David Yakobashvili changed yoghurts for oil

The ex-co-owner of Wimm-Bill-Dann, David Yakobashvili, after parting with the dairy business, decided to go into the oil business. He acquired a controlling stake in Petrocas Energy Group, which is engaged in oil trading in Georgia and Kazakhstan. The company plans to take its place in Russia. Mr. Yakobashvili's experience on the boards of Bashneft and AFK Sistema could make Petrocas Energy Group's plans realistic.
link:http://rbcdaily.ru/tek/562949985549074

Yakobashvili owns almost 2% of AFK Sistema

"Hunger, cold and one idea"

Businessman David Yakobashvili successful projects, patrons for talented people and energy that keeps others awake
The ex-co-owner of the Wimm-Bill-Dann company, David Yakobashvili, cannot be called a low-income person.
link: http://magazine.rbc.ru

Yakobashvili's income tax provided a fifth of Kalmykia's income

The expanded territory of the capital will be replenished with new thousands of hectares

As it became known to Vedomosti, Moscow will include a territory that does not adjoin it - thousands of hectares belonging to VTB, Akron and David Yakobashvili with a partner
Read on.

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 bandits, but lost to Berezovsky, and also about how two private planes suddenly turned out to be superfluous.

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. Once he was a laborer, and 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 waiting room. "Time is running out". David Mikhailovich's phone is constantly ringing. Or rather, telephones. There are several. During the interview, he took out three old "Motorolas" - clamshells from his pockets in turn - turned off the sound, put it aside. As he himself says, a continuous whirlwind ...

Many successful businessmen it is often said that they just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Probably flirting. And yet, David Mikhailovich, where and when did you end up? Or was it a completely different story?

Time - restructuring. Location - Moscow. But the story is different, of course.

There were many opportunities back then. Boom, incessant activity. But I didn't get bored even before I got to Russia. Life didn't let me relax. I had a good secondary education - I studied at the physical school. In the mid-70s, he entered the Tbilisi Polytechnic Institute without any problems, at the Faculty of Industrial and Civil Engineering. He studied well again, but he had to leave the institute and urgently look for a job. My father was imprisoned, we had to sell all the property, including our family house. I had to help my family. father was business man. He was engaged in the production of knitwear - clothes, scarves - in Checheno-Ingushetia. Tsekhovik. For this, they were imprisoned. Such were the times ... He served eight years. There he died. In general, he spent 18 years in prisons - under a variety of articles. 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 they periodically imprisoned him, then released him. This story was not only in our family. Entrepreneurial people sooner or later found themselves on the bunk. My childhood was nervous. It is known how gifts were worn 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 ended up in jail anyway.

Leaving the institute, I got a job as a laborer at the metro construction - 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, began to take private orders. Then it was illegal: it was allowed to work only in the studio, and not handicraft. Earnings were pennies. I was into 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, fixed the simplest technique.

In 1982, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were allowed to take piglets for rearing, so that later, by returning them to the state, they would receive money for the difference in weight. I took part in this program. It was the first entrepreneurial experience. I took 200 piglets - for a year. I took them out of town to a friend. They built a small farm. I took food to them every day - I collected food leftovers in restaurants, from friends. I had to work constantly. Some of the piglets died - they sometimes got dubious food. Another survived, the third multiplied. Then he passed them by live weight - 3.5 rubles per kilogram. Earned.

- Did you want to repeat the pig-breeding experiment?

No. One time was enough. In addition, I decided to leave the country. I understood that nothing bright was waiting for me in Soviet Georgia ... I would have been engaged in underground repair of equipment, in the end I would have ended up in prison. Friends advised me to enter into a fictitious marriage. Found a Finnish laborer girl. Her name was Mario. She was three years younger than me. Deal. He promised to pay her for it. They played a good wedding - everything was real. We got warm with her, friendly relations. Then I waited a long time for her to issue an invitation and call me to Europe. Formed, called. I had to wander around Germany. Then I came to Maryo - in a small town in the north of Finland. She wanted to dissolve the marriage as soon as possible - after all, she had already received her money. I didn’t want to show my relatives so as not to tell them about how I had to earn money. I was even afraid to let her go outside. She rented a small student cell for me - two by two meters. And I sat there all week. He went out only at night, ate a sausage, a sandwich and came back ... I received a residence permit and immediately left.

Lived in Helsinki. Something washed, cleaned - so earned a living. Then he got a job as a driver - he drove Japanese filmmakers who filmed Finland. They fed me, they also paid me 200 Finnish marks. Not bad! There was happiness.

Then I went to Sweden. I took my sister there.

- What made you return to Russia?

Perestroika. As soon as the first echoes of change came, I immediately decided to return. It became clear that now in Russia you can do business. I consulted with friends, they confirmed everything, 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, to sell something. The next step was to find your niche.

I met Finns who urgently needed parts for euro pallets. My friends and I found a factory where these parts were made - they were taken to Finland and sold. This is how he earned his first big money. 22.5 thousand marks! Was happy. Before, this was unthinkable. I bought myself a Mercedes for 14,000 marks.

Old connections helped. Bill Lindvall, the founder of Cherry, believed in me. I met him when I lived in Sweden. With his support, he organized the delivery of the first slot machines to Moscow. For me it was a trip to great life. It helped that I had a passport - I could safely cross the border.

Computers were supplied from Germany. Then the car boom began. My friends and I began to import used jumbo cars from America: large cars, SUVs or mini-buses. Bought them at auctions for 300-500 dollars in the US. The ship was taken to Finland. Then - to Olgino, St. Petersburg. In the same place, not far from Olgino, a small hotel was being built. We were there in the share and parked cars with them. Then everything was transported to Moscow. There they were very popular. They also did 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 - stood at number 14. I joined them. Entered into share. Then they organized "Trinity", and most of the projects were already implemented within the framework of this group.

Did the bandits bother you?

Worried. But somehow we managed. There were also problems with the transportation of cars. If the cars broke down on the road - and this happened, because they were not in the best condition - then we lost them forever. Left on the sidelines, they quickly disappeared.

All sorts of people came to us ... But then it was easier. It is clear who is who and how to talk to whom. The cops took their side. Blatnye - their own. Now thieves and bandits have mixed with law enforcement officers, and it is not always clear how and with whom to speak. Here, after all, either you force yourself to be respected, or they will use you. Like in prison.

How was your communication?

By concepts. There is no reception against scrap. Strength is strength. What can they do? Basically, there was no blood. More often than not, everything was limited to talking in raised tones. They understood that a serious rebuff awaited them here, and left. There was never a shootout, but at these negotiations we sat ready for everything. 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 there was no fear. The hands didn't tremble. But it was hard. That's life. This is a chance. Someone lost their nerve - and the end. You can lose everything in one moment.

- And you were ready to shoot the man?

I was ready to defend myself. Nobody shot at me, but they shot at the friends with whom I led general business. We fought. It was so. They did not 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 did not share a share in some bar with the guys from Kurgan. I helped him out of friendship. Risked, 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. Do not take a business that belongs to someone. Everyone started from scratch, kept within the law. It happened that thieves came to us, they wanted to take something away. They said that some director promised them back in Soviet times to transfer this land, this house ... Weak arguments. Everything was in order with our documents - we were not afraid of the court, but according to the concepts we could explain that it was better not to interfere with us.

By 1992 we were into juices. The first concentrate was brought from Germany. They continued to install slot machines. The first of them were delivered to St. Petersburg, then they mastered other cities of Russia, even went to Kazakhstan, Georgia, Estonia. Soviet Union ended. Explosion! There was, of course, a mess, but at the same time, for the first time, it became possible to move forward. There were no administrative barriers. Anyone could make good money. You just had to work tirelessly. Day and night. Get to know everyone, communicate, work. Don't deceive people. This is the main thing.

We have a good active team. Each worked in his own direction. St. Petersburg and Moscow guys. We were lucky, we did not have traitors. We were not afraid because we relied on each other. They worked for pleasure. We sat in our office on Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya, discussed plans, projects - non-stop. They took on a variety of jobs. Fortunately, they did not deal with Chechen advice notes... We focused on the applied sphere. Received the first dealership from General Motors. Then they bought wood - placed orders for the manufacture of all kinds of parts, took 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, here we had a small share. Highly profitable business. Continuing to juice. We rented a production line from the Lianozovsky Dairy Plant. Meanwhile, step by step, they bought out the plant in Ramenskoye. Milk then occupied a small part of production - it was still undeveloped. It was most profitable to produce juices - marginality reached 150 percent! Subsequently, we also bought out the Lianozovo 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. They tried themselves in the business of special sensors (antennas) that helped to find a stolen car. They opened a Super Rifle store selling jeans. On Tverskaya - the store "Gifts". Traded women's underwear, Swedish kitchens, office furniture. They opened their own medical production - pills shone.

We were spinning. Spinning non-stop. They took on any part-time job from which they expected profit. Then the Metropol Hotel was renovated, after which it turned out that the furniture they had put was bad. We undertook to replace it. They completely changed the decoration in the hotel, even changed the curtains. At the same time, a store was opened, in which they sold both furniture and curtains - for private apartments. They built the first beer restaurant - "Angara", a health-improving complex on Chistye Prudy - with a restaurant "White Swan", - then sold it to Deripaska's structures. I indicate only the main projects, and there were many - hundreds! The business was versatile - every time I had to learn everything. If you don't truly understand how this system works, you won't reap the benefits of it. You will be too easily deceived. My job is continuous learning.

- Is it possible to take into account all the nuances if you work on many different projects at once? Mistakes are inevitable.

Of course. There were mistakes and failures. Someone lied to us, someone robbed us. Often, theft began in stores, which meant the end of trade - profits immediately fell. I am still being deceived. Some Gavrik appears, paints his wonderful project, takes money for it and then disappears. It happened, and more than once. They threw. I'm a very trusting person. People take advantage of this.

With unsuccessful projects, we tried to quickly part. 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 were actively selling 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 the Georgian surname complicate the work in those years?

Complicated ... Every time I had to prove that I was not a swindler, not a swindler, especially to officials. There are always problems with the Georgian surname. Too many Georgian thieves in law. But when talking, everything became clear.

Some publications call your business a family one, 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 mattered. Yushvaev has many nephews, so there is no need to look for something special in this. In addition, now Gavril Abramovich has his own separate business. We did not think to involve relatives in our business. We have always cooperated according to ability.

- Did you want to go into politics?

No never. What for? It's completely uninteresting to me. I know it was fashionable back then. But I didn't even have that thought.

- Have you tried to go into the commodity business?

Tried. 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 this, of course, remained secondary projects. Although plans are still alive to mine rhenium - a very rare, one of the heaviest and most refractory metals - on the Kuril island of Iturup.

- Is it possible to modern Russia just as quickly to create a business from scratch?

It used to be easier. There was no casuistry. Everything was clearer. Even at customs, they didn’t particularly find fault when, in fact, we suddenly had fewer cars than stated. Well, we didn't eat them! Broke, left. Nobody cared. There was no such pressure from the authorities, as in our days.

Today there are many administrative barriers. More risks. If the bandits do not come, then the power will come. Difficult. In the 90s, despite the fact that we sometimes sat in tension, everything was fairer. Then the entrepreneur had a chance to win. The methods now used by bandits in law 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 head will be able to earn.

You have to follow the rules of the game. All the time to look - to invent something new. Our country is huge. Someone says that now all the niches are occupied, that there is nowhere to break through. All this is not true. Chatter. In fact, we haven't really started anything yet. There are many undeveloped areas in Russia. Stick it in and it will grow. Two conditions for success: knowledge and desire. Need to poke. Constantly learn, improve, explore new areas, read the press. If you get up at eight in the morning, return home at six in the evening, and then lie on the stove, watch TV, then you cannot build a business. You have to do your job around the clock. There should be no separation between work and leisure. It's all one life.

How much has your life changed since you became a successful businessman?

Changed, of course, but not fundamentally. Yes, I do not deny myself anything, but I have never had any special whims. I drive the same cars. Few changes in life. I don't have a yacht. There used to be two planes - I fly a lot, more than 500 hours a year, and the time in my work is expensive - but now there is none. I think it's better to just rent them, it's more convenient. I'm not looking for any extras. It's just not interesting to me.

- Have you thought about buying some sports club?

No. However, now I am finishing the construction of my private museum of self-playing musical instruments. I will make a small contribution to the education of future generations ... Bill Lindvall, who helped me with the supply of slot machines in the early 1990s, remained my friend. It was he who owned the first collection of instruments. He collected them for many years. Really interested in this area. I must say - an unusual direction. In Stockholm, he had his own exposition, located in a small room. About 400 items. Lindvall was a rich man, but this did not prevent him from going out into the city center on a sunny day and playing something for passers-by on his hurdy-gurdy. Sometimes he performed at weddings, birthdays. At the next celebration of the Cherry company, he offered me to buy this collection. He was aged and did not want to leave her children - he was afraid that they would sell everything. I agreed. I liked this idea, it must have been influenced by childhood memories. I well remembered how barrel-organs and gramophones played in the streets in Georgia. Plus, I've 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, Holland. Together we visited various auctions - I bought new instruments, replenished 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. Achieved. The building is already ready. I rebuilt it from scratch - before there was a glass barbecue. Now we need to finish finishing. The area is 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, it will be a private museum, not a state one, the attitude of people can be appropriate ...

In addition, I became interested in Russian applied arts. Now I collect these items. I started making good money, I can afford it. In total, I have more than 10 thousand exhibits in my collection. Music boxes, automatons, clocks, paintings, sculptures, snuff boxes, crockery and more. There is no particular favorite exhibit. I love everything I have collected. Each item has its own story. Something belonged to the royal families. Something - governors, 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 just select from what is in the auction lists. Sometimes they bring me interesting little things - they know that I collect them.

- Have you yourself tried to walk along the streets of Moscow, playing the hurdy-gurdy?

No, of course, I didn’t go out into the streets, but I know how to play the barrel organ; nothing special.

- Is it possible to say that now you pay less attention to business than in previous years?

Not! You can't stop. I do not work in order to suddenly leave everything for rest one day. I enjoy the process itself. This is my life. If I stop, then - everything ... And life will end. Sometimes you make mistakes, you miss, sometimes you make successful steps. It has its own passion. I do not revel in success, I move on. Misses sad, but not for long. Everything passes. Both good and bad. ultimate goal not in all of this. 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 RSPP, 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 Council of Business Cooperation, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bioenergy Corporation and other, other … No fatigue?

- Not. After all, I do not keep everything that was. I forget what has passed. It was and it was. Gone, gone, lost. I go further. Therefore, freshness is preserved for everything that is happening now, in the present moment. I'm interested. I work, I collect antiques, I ride a motorcycle... I wouldn't look for anything else, even if I lost everything now. I have a good stock of knowledge, experience - I can start from scratch at any time. Many of my former colleagues have retired. We now have different interests. Our original team, of course, disbanded, but the process does not stop. There are young people around me. I share my experience, I help - the benefit is both financial and administrative opportunities. There are still many projects. Now I have at least 20 businesses in different countries. An interesting direction is being developed for the processing of peat, which can be used as an alternative energy source. I am engaged in the banking business ... I am sure that I will be in business until my strength runs out. Until old age. If I suddenly stop, then both atherosclerosis and anemia will certainly begin. Why do I need it?

- And the family?

I have very few relatives. It just so happened. Many died, others left. It was necessary to flee from Georgia, Gamsakhurdia came to power - a terrible time began. Nationalism, banditry. People were stolen and raped. Many of my relatives and friends were killed… It was a hard time… My uncle lives in the USA. He is 88 years old, he is a member of the Great Patriotic War. Son Michael is now studying in New York, at the Liberal Arts College. Wife is in France. I visit her whenever possible on the weekend. I like being on the road. In addition, in Europe I have my own real estate business ...

I don't feel lonely. We are talking. Now there are many electronic devices for this. In these twenty years, I have become accustomed to this. 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 main thing in my life.

Dossier

David Mikhailovich Yakobashvili

Born March 2, 1957 in Tbilisi (Georgia).
In 1992, he became a co-founder of the Metelitsa casino, one of the founders of the Wimm-Bill-Dann food company (from 2001 to 2010 - Chairman of the Board of Directors).
Since 2000 - Member of the Board of the RSPP, since June 2004 - Member of the Bureau of the Board.
In April 2001 he joined public association entrepreneurs "Business Russia".
Since April 2001 - Member of the Board of Directors of OAO Rosneft-Krasnodarneftegaz.
Since April 2001, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of OAO Ufamolagroprom.
Since May 2001 - Member of the Bureau of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC).
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 commonwealth of manufacturers of branded trademarks "RusBrand", the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the Russian-American Council of Business Cooperation.
It is a shareholder of Petrocas Energy Group, AFK Sistema, Bashneft.
The 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 RSPP. Head of the Russian-American Business Cooperation Council

Vice President of the RSPP. 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 Personal Scholarship Fund, the Maria Charitable Society, the Family Education Boarding House, the Fund for Supporting Children in Difficult Life Situations, the Higher School of Economics, Business RSPP School, 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 intellectual property. Member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Construction of Russia.

Fluent in English, French, Georgian. Speaks Swedish.

Successful financier and entrepreneur.

Chronology

• In 1991, together with partners, he founded Trinity Motors, which became the first official dealer of General Motors.
• In 1992, he became one of the founders of the Wimm-Bill-Dann food company (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 he was 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 dealing with alternative energy.
• In the same year, he was elected to the board of directors of AFK Sistema.
• 2013 - Elected Chairman of the Task Force B20 (Business-20) "Job Creation, Employment and Investment in Human Capital".

The main players of the Russian art market gathered on February 4, 2016 at the TASS press center to get ahead of the submission of a bill on the circulation of cultural property to the State Duma. Gathered at the invitation of the International Confederation of Antiquaries and Art Dealers, collectors, experts, directors of museums, antique galleries and auction houses criticized the draft law. Antiquarus publishes the direct speech of each participant and the general discussion.

David Mikhailovich Yakobashvili, collector, member of the boards of trustees of the State Hermitage Museum, the All-Russian Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts, founder of the private Museum Collection

- Thanks friends! I am very glad that we all responded so quickly when we learned that such an interesting innovation is planned in Russia. Thanks to the huge number of people who have gathered here.

I am very concerned about this issue, because there was an incentive to bring valuables into the country, which were exported from the country in the 1930s and in general for all the time. I have more than 15,000 items in my collection, 80 percent of which I purchased abroad and brought here, not counting the media of music - that's another 40,000 items. And imagine, for each thing it will be necessary to get an examination, and then it will also be evaluated! If we take a certain area, then such experts as, for example, Andrei Akimovich Gilodo [head of the metal department of the All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Art - ed. ed.], in his area there are two or three people for the whole country. God grant him many years of life, but even when working 24 hours a day, he will be able to describe only a small part of my collection.

We are talking about import substitution. We want to repeat what our American friends are doing. The American fiscal system wants to crawl into your bed, understand what you do and what's under your pillow. We want to do the same. First of all, we will describe how many values ​​we have. Tomorrow - how much furniture we have, and we will get a passport for each item. Then - how many duvet covers, how many pots - we can agree even before that, in order to understand the whole essence of each person.

Maybe they want to distract us from the worries that we have today? We need more tomatoes, cucumbers, so that our cauliflower costs not 2,000 rubles in the store, but at least 300-400. Maybe first we will provide ourselves with something to eat, instead of describing every thing that we have at home during this difficult time?

I have had experience in my life. At the age of 18, I was left without a livelihood, and there were two people on my neck. I was saved by the fact that I had several antiques that I was able to quickly sell and extend the life of these people. Maybe this was the incentive for me to start collecting antiques, and, hoping for a bright future for our country, I didn’t hide the collection, but brought it here and I want to show people to raise their cultural level. I will not be able to raise the material, but they want to transfer me to the material - so that I raise the level of some people who will be interested in this.

Firstly, I will not be able to show my exhibition to anyone, although I have already built the building and invested so much money. Secondly, I will not be able to invite anyone to show exhibitions at my place - how will I make him go to make a passport for every thing? I’m not talking about selling yet, but what if you need to sell or exchange? In all this we will be limited.

Valuable things remain from grandparents, and people keep them as a memory and part with them only if someone has an illness, or needs to be buried, or some other important business. Imagine, a person needs to be operated on urgently, the doctor tells him that he has one week left. And now he needs to go to the center where there is an expert, an appraiser, a passport officer, he must go through all this with a little thing, and then go under the doctor's knife. How long will it take?

We must think of each other. Our demographics are going down. People are dying of uncertainty and disbelief in tomorrow. The main mortality among men is 58-62 years old, because they are not sure about tomorrow. Today is one thing, tomorrow is completely different, the rules of the game are completely changing. It is necessary to establish rules and not change them for a certain time, and then we will achieve stability in at least life expectancy. We have a neighbor - one and a half billion, we - only 140 million, and the demographics are going down. In this situation, of course, the Chinese will occupy our territory if there is no one to live on it and protect it.

I hope our colleagues got excited. It happens. I think that everything will fall into place and the Ministry of Culture will fully support us. Thank you.

Good day, friends. Today we continue to publish articles as part of our permanent column. Those who constantly read us are already well aware of what will be discussed, but for those who first opened an article from this series, we want to say that they were not mistaken and will definitely learn a lot of new things for themselves.
Previously, the richest man on the planet and his closest pursuer, and young billionaires and Sergey Brin became the heroes of our articles. We also told and cited the best thoughts, and many others famous people world of business and finance.

Today we will talk about a fairly well-known and influential Russian entrepreneur David Yakobashvili, who started his business path back in the early 80s of the last century. As Yakobashvili himself notes, his first business was raising piglets. Back in 1982, he received 200 piglets for growth, which he fattened on the farm of his friend and successfully handed over to state enterprise. Thus, David earned the first thousand rubles, which in those days was considered a good amount. Then the business began to develop in a slightly different area. From raising and trading pigs, Yakobashvili moves on to the auto business. Together with his partners, he delivers and sells cars from the United States. And in the early 90s, this business brought in excess profits, because then only a few people could afford foreign cars, and those who bought did not spare money.
In 1993, he founded the company "Wim Bil Dan", the sale of whose shares in the future brought him about 600 million dollars.
At the moment, he owns 80% of the shares of Petrocas Energy Group, which owns a network of 135 gas stations in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and two oil terminals in Georgia - in Poti and Batumi.

David Yakobashvili: best quotes and sayings

Almost always it starts with intuition. Four years ago we entered the coal business and bought several mines in the Kemerovo region. When they bought it, it was a loss-making business: a ton of coal was sold for $11 at a cost of $26. Now the price of a ton has risen to $74. Can analysts calculate this?

The biggest trick is the truth. That's what my dad told me.

Any business is very important to me, I approach it with all my heart. After all, it is impossible that you have your own children or other people's children. All theirs. And we need to take care of it. And approach everything exactly and equally. There is a business that needs more attention, where less attention needs to be paid.

Moscow is a small city. I still maintain the contacts I made in the 1970s.

It was not necessary to conduct business in such a way [as Berezovsky and Abramovich] - there would be nothing to repent of. It's disgusting to listen to, I don't even want to follow this process - disgusting. It's not true or half true. But even this half-truth is enough to make people lose faith in Russia. It will come back to haunt us all, I'm sure.

You need to live in such a way that you can walk freely, go out into the street, go on your own without protection, so that you are not afraid that someone is always waiting for you from behind. To live in fear - in FIG you need! Most importantly, your decency is your defense.

When a person deceived me once, I can’t continue to work with him calmly: I will “eat” it until I part with him.

I think now we already have some kind of name, recognition, attitude as towards normal people - but we don’t need more. Because, you understand, with my last name ... All the time, all the years that I have been doing business, I need to prove to everyone that I am not a camel. Everything is clear: out of 320 thieves in law, 260 were Georgians. Now, by the way, there is not a single one in Georgia. Such a law is harsh: if a thief in law, he is imprisoned. And if a normal person needs an hour to work through the issue, then I need a day. Any official immediately dismisses: “Drive him away, why do we need this crime?” That's all the relationship with the authorities.

I feel ashamed - a young specialist comes and talks about things in which I do not understand anything. I feel like a "loon". How is coal mined open way? How does a milking machine work? Basic principles of marketing? All this I must know. Of course, it is impossible to study everything in depth, but I must master the elementary concepts.

I am ready to consider any proposals [on investments in new projects]. But you need to at least hear the case seemed interesting. And these are one out of ten, the majority are "children of Lieutenant Schmidt."

In the 1990s [bribes] were definitely taken less, they took them mostly according to rank. Again, if you gave, then economically you sat down in your framework. And now if you give it, it will be unprofitable to conduct business. I do not give myself, but I know that it is. Where are we going like this? If there are no feathers from a goose, what to take from it? Just cut out the liver for the last time.

You won't lift the country by checks alone. You can rake in the money now and run away, but you have to think that your children will live in this country. It is necessary to build a country, if you do not build, nothing will work.

I have a good attitude towards Prokhorov, but I would not go into this business [politics] if I were him. One must either be born an official, or not be born one. We have a different nature, we do not fit there.

Sometimes you are happy from half a penny. Billions - not in the same happiness. Happiness is in what you do, in what you achieve. And when you can say to others: "Here I did."