(The story of my first real business)

When we were around 21, most people were figuring out what they were going to drink on Friday.
I was figuring out where to get €15,000. And not to buy a car or a new watch. But so that my friend Miš and I could start selling RC models – helicopters and drones in shopping malls all over Slovakia.

We didn’t have an investor. We didn’t have an “uncle from America”. All we had was our heads, the will to work and a plan.

💸 When the bank sees that you really want to pay it back

I remember the moment when I was sitting in the bank and asked the clerk how much I would overpay that loan if I paid it back in 2-3 months.
She raised an eyebrow. Most people take out a loan for years, not a few months. But I knew one thing – either we give it up and fast, or we fall. And I wasn’t planning to fall.

We have ordered hundreds of items from China. My area was the east, Mish’s was the west.
Christmas season was our Super Bowl.

And the results came.

At peak times we were making €3000 a day.
There was nothing left of our first big purchase – everything sold out. And we paid off the loan in January with a bundle of money on a bed in a sublet. No Instagram, just real cash.

💥 In what ways has it shaped me?

• I’ve learned that success is not about what you have – but what you can do with it.
  
• I’ve learned that being an entrepreneur means being able to take risks – and being willing to face them.
  
• And most importantly: real results will only come through a good dose of courage and work.
  

Today I have a company that operates in 5 countries and employs hundreds of people. But the mindset that got me there, I already set when I did those RC models.Not every business has to be for life. But every business has something to teach you.