Everybody can make a difference: Boyner

ISTANBUL-Hürriyet Daily News

Hanzade Doğan Boyner is the deputy chairwoman of Doğan Holding. DHA photo

Entrepreneurship is not just about creating something from scratch or earning billions, it is also about helping others, Doğan Holding Deputy Chairwoman Hanzade Doğan Boyner said at a recent workshop.

“Everybody can make a difference in somebody’s life,” Boyner said in a speech on the second day of the MIT Global Startup Workshop held in Istanbul.

Boyner said that as part of her entrepreneurial efforts, she was hoping to grow Doğan Online, find new investments and project ideas and educate young girls. Boyner is also the deputy chairwoman of the Doğan Media Group.

While people like the late Apple founder Steve Jobs comes to mind when thinking of the word “entrepreneur,” Boyner suggested more unconventional candidates. She highlighted the example of Mona Eltahway, who as both a journalist and activist, risked her life to expose the brutal crackdown in Egypt and fought for freedom in her country.

“I believe she is also an entrepreneur,” said Boyner. She also pointed to the case of Gülşen Şenova, an Anatolian woman with four children who began a successful milk production business under tough life conditions with just 500 Turkish Liras she obtained through microfinancing.