Michael Bievetski is an entrepreneur from Dubai who was born in Moscow and was living 20 years in Germany. He is a real estate investor and owner of two marketing companies in the UAE and Europe. Among other things, we was with HYGH AG as Interim CMO, which is basically an airbnb of outdoor advertising, and advised the COO at Joyn GmbH, which offers a streaming service and live television, in growing the company to more than 350 employees. In addition, he holds a large real estate portfolio and manages most of it himself. He also invests in start-ups as a Business Angel.
Can you please introduce yourself?
My name is Michael Bievetski, I’m born in Moscow, but grew up mostly in Germany. I’m an Entrepreneur who turned out to be a Consultant, as I want to leverage my knowledge. I help other people growing their businesses in the fields of Marketing + Operations.
How did the idea for your business come about?
My first business was an Automotive + Lifestyle Magazine which later became my marketing agency, as we’ve had lots of cooperations with different Influencers and produced lots of campaigns, mostly in automotive.
What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?
Back in the days, when I was in a trainee program for a bank in Germany, I’ve encountered the issue, that I can’t work for other people. This is mostly driven by the event, that my manager asked me to develop a new program for the other trainees in the area and to lead this project. After a while, I’ve noticed that my manager had no idea what I was doing there and took all the credit after it was successful. Th at was the turning point for my entrepreneurial career which I decided to pursue.
How did you raise funding for your venture?
I’ve raised the first funding for my tech company, after I’ve sold my marketing agency. It was overwhelming as I’ve had no idea what I was doing. Back then, I didn’t know what difference it would make, to take venture capital vs. Business Angel money. Luckily, I’ve figured out very quickly after my first Business Angel was a little too „hands-on“. My entire focus had to shift to investor relations, rather than the operational business, which was kinda weird. After all, I would encourage other entrepreneurs to think which type of funds you want to raise, as money is not equally money.
How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?
In the end, it’s all about delivering value and solving problems. As soon as you understand, which specific problem you’re solving and who you’re solving it for, you’ll attract exactly the customers your want. Unfortunately, the latter is the most underestimated. People are building products without understanding who they build it for. We live in a time where you don’t need to build a product to figure out if it would sell well.
What kind of culture exists in your organization, and how did you establish it?
People first, product second. If you have a decent team which understands the vision and mission of your company, you’ll have a good product. It’s all about giving your team enough freedom to work on a set direction, instead of micromanaging teams. Why would you hire good people and tell them what to do, right?
How important social media for business?
Social media is one of the most valuable tools we have to operate a business. It’s one of the few possibilities to get in touch with your audience instantly. The only thing you need to bear in mind, that it’s all about the right communication. You can win and ruin everything within seconds in social media. That’s why it is very important to be transparent and fair with your audience.
Why you choose to move to Dubai?
Dubai is one of the fastest moving environments and I appreciate having the chance to meet interesting people every day as the vibes of this city are phenomenal. You can attend great summits, masterminds and events without the need to travel that much, as I’ve did in the past. After spending years with over 150 flights, I’ve decided to focus on a region and I see big opportunities in the UAE.
What the best advice your give any entrepreneur building a new startup?
Resilience is a very critical feature of an entrepreneur. Things are not always going the direction you want them to be. That’s why you need to focus on your long-term strategy and pursue it – without distractions.
