'Spending Time at Home Isn't My Thing. I Can't Live without Work'
If you think all women in leather chairs are heavy-handed Miranda Priestlys in Prada heels, you might find yourself looking for a job your entire life. Over the last 100 years of women’s emancipation, the world has changed beyond recognition; being a mother, heading a large company, and looking good are all absolute norms for the 21st century. Anastasia Karpova, the CEO of the pharmacy chain Doctor Stoletov, tells Success Builder how she built her first business with the help of Saddam and Che Guevara, why the humanities need mathematical analysis, and why her pharmacies sell permanganic acid.
'I Teach People How to Become the Best Versions of Themselves They Can Be'
What is the connection between the cockroaches in our homes and the ones in our head? According to the work of HSE alumna Alisa Simonenko, the founder of the Reforma project, the connection is direct. Simonenko first created a pest extermination company before realising how she could help people find the source of their personal happiness. Alisa tells Success Builder how she uses science to give people peace of mind, why her project Reforma is not like the company Secta, and how to eat whatever you want without gaining weight. HSE Day, which is one of the university’s biggest events that took place on September 9 this year, featured the Reforma Higher School of Fitness.
'I Use Questions and Answers to Introduce People to one Another'
It is sometimes necessary to take the less obvious route in order to succeed. HSE alumna Tonia Samsonova, the founder of the media startup The Question claims to have found a way to win over people’s attention. Samsonova tells Success Builder how to turn the practice of meeting people into a business, as well as how to avoid the word ‘advertising’ and how readers can avoid editors.
'I'm Creating a Community of Happy People'
Making money of insecurity is not actually a shameful endeavour, particularly if your business has an honourable mission. HSE alumnus Andrey Ruban, a psychologist and trainer, tells Success Builder how to gain entrepreneurial experience at the university, why creativity serves as the foundation of life, how word of mouth is becoming a marketing strategy, and what to do after you achieve personal happiness.
'HSE Is the Number One Supplier of Manpower for My Market'
HSE alumnus Pyotr Zhukov owns two investment funds which comes as a surprise from someone with a law degree. In Success Builder Pyotr talks about bankers having nervous breakdowns, who dictates the dollar exchange rate and why he doesn’t give money to hipsters.
'I Always Knew I Was Doing What’s Right for Me'
Any budding economist would dream of rising on the career ladder to the IMF and consulting different countries’ governments on economic policy. HSE alumnus Vadim Khramov tells Success Builder how to move towards new goals, make an impact on the European economy, and put his teaching experience to use in the world of investment banking.
'The State should be Run by Philosophers. I Control My Own Nation in My Business'
A degree in philosophy does not mean you have to remain a theoretician, and there’s a way to transform basic knowledge into not only a business, but money as well. HSE graduate Ilya Menzeleev, the co-founder of the hip-hop and soul label Hustle Flower, tells Success Builder how the Silver Age of Russian Poetry fits into rhythm and blues, why Russians should love ‘black’ music, and how Aristotle helps the music business.
'Having Your Own Business Is a Daily Source of Motivation'
Starting your own business is usually a good thing, but it’s very scary, especially for someone with an honours diploma and a promising future in finance. Ekaterina Frolova, an ICEF alumna and the founder of CitYkids, a chain of children's centres, tells Success Builder why she forewent a career as a bank clerk to work with children, how to provide young moms with leisure time, and what motivates happy people.
It's Important to Know What You're Better at and What You Can Be Successful at
Business is fashionable, but how do you know what your calling is? The ‘chocolate baron’ from the International College of Economics and Finance (ICEF), Oleg Guskov, told 'Success Builder' how to build a business around sweets, whether a luxurious lifestyle can motivate you to open your business, whether it’s possible to recoup investments in just a month, and why you should lure in workers from women’s magazines.
'In Business, Not Having Optimism Could Be the Death of You'
You don’t have to invent a new business model, but can simply take one and use it on an existing market with a smaller project that will work for the benefit of the Russian economy. This is what HSE alumnus Pavel Mokrushin, the owner of the café chain Brusnika (Lingonberry), did. He tells Success Builder why he studied at HSE after Moscow State, as well as how what he does is better than the warm chair of a clerk and how the small café is able to survive among the 66 restaurants on Maroseyka Street.
Deadline for abstract submission - November 15