Turkey is still a closed country

The success stories of our fast-growing companies need to be made available in Turkey and in the world.

Turkey is still a closed country. When I look at it from the outside, I think that the country still looks like an introvert adolescent. Now immediately, “no, what makes you think that?” don't say anymore. True: the Turks learned in the early 1980s that they could be rich by opening out. Since then, our exports have increased tremendously if you look at them within themselves. Turkey has become a dynamic industrial country from a lethargic agricultural country. It's that good. But I still think that Turkey is not a country that is open enough. On the one hand, it's always about caring about ourselves and our own problems. We can't afford to worry about ourselves without the problems of the world. We don't give a damn about the world. 

From a business point of view, there is also a manifestation of this that we are sitting on the sidelines waiting to be discovered. We don't know how to highlight individual success and applaud it. It's like we're waiting for someone to come and praise us. I'il tell you, you'il wait longer. I see Turkey's foreign investment collection strategy in this context. We just grew up until we're stable such water to consumers, large domestic market such as we have or something we relate. But those who want to invest in Turkey, “we have companies like this, they grow so fast a year, the fastest growing sector is this,” blah blah, we do not tell a concrete Turkey Story. We weren't actually talking about it. Now, the Union of Chambers and commodity exchanges of Turkey is trying to assume this role. Last year, Turkey's fastest growing 25 companies were identified. Now, Turkey's fastest growing 100 companies will be determined.

Why? First of all, to compile. What do you think when you say companies in many sectors in Turkey? Let me tell you, whatever name came from forty years ago, it comes again. However, the founders of those old Companies Have Myths and success stories starting from the grocery store. However, in a world that is changing so rapidly, Turkey is now in need of new success stories. Success already exists. We have new companies growing fast. Don't what? There are no stories or stories of successful companies. The success stories of our fast-growing companies need to be made available in Turkey and in the world. Here I am very important in this frame of Turkey 100 competition.

Turkey 100 companies are chosen according to a very simple rule. Companies are listed according to the rate at which revenue flows grow in 2010-2012. Bringing companies on the list together with potential partners in the United States is an important part of the program. First enrolled in a program at Harvard University. They go to Harvard not only to study, but also to tell success stories. Yavuz Eroğlu, the owner of SEM Plastik, one of the Allworld Turkey companies, told him how his father branded his plastic business in a small workshop. Fast-growing companies then meet with potential partners in a series of events for themselves in Washington and New York.

When I look at Allworld's similar competitions in Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, I see that we are able to find a lot more companies that are growing rapidly. But this difference does not change our introversion. The other day I was looking at American visas for every 100,000 people. This number in Israel is around 1800. In the United Arab Emirates, 1100, 500 in Brazil, 302 in Jordan and 185 in South Korea. In Turkey, around 118. Of course, we are more open to the outside than 70 of Egypt, but look, we are behind many countries. If you think that there are students, tourists, there are very few of these American visas. If you ask me, Turkey needs to be reopened again.