‘UP ON THE LADDER OF SUCCESS’ WITH NEBI HOXHA: FROM A BAZAAR APPRENTICE TO A REGIONAL BUSINESS LEADER

Tradition, education and professionalism seasoned with patience, intelligence and honesty. This is the electrical engineer’s success recipe that was said on the presentation of his master’s thesis while showing respect to his family, friends and the commission: “I have completed my hobby, now I am ready to devote myself to my real work.”

Nebi Hoxha, these days, has gained the trust of his colleagues and partners and is starting his second mandate as Head of the Northwest Macedonia Chamber of Commerce. He stands firm that even in this small country anyone who truly wants to work can succeed. This is his story on the ladder of success.

He spent his childhood with very little playing. He was an excellent student, raised in a large family where everyone had to earn for themselves from a young age.

– Workshop-home-school and vice versa. That was my relation. We were swimming in Vardar on Sunday at the city beach above the Stone Bridge. As I grew older, I was able to better organize my time for the weekends. The rest of the time was the same. Compared to today’s childhood, it is quite different. The children socialize mostly through social networks, which is really worrying – says Hoxha.

He studied at “Zef Ljush Marku” High School. He says that great students who had no vision of a career, by default would go on to Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and girls to Faculty of Medicine. He applied for Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Zagreb.

– Unfortunately, the train got stuck in the middle of the road and I missed the entrance exam. I had submitted documents both in Skopje and Prishtina. Finally, I passed the admission to Pristina, hoping to move to Zagreb. As the years went by, I stayed to the end and finished my studies master studies in Pristina. I was supposed to give a speech at the master degree celebration, and I didn’t know what to say. I said: “Dear professors and my loved ones, thank you all, but I must explain to you that I graduated from college as a hobby. My vision is to continue the family business, there I am needed the most”. Everyone was amazed that after six years of hard work as an electrical engineer, the diploma will serve as a decoration on my wall and I will not continue in my profession – Hoxha says.

The Craft Men Code of Ethics

During his studies he solved hundreds of thousands of mathematical tasks. He still uses that in his everyday life. He solves problems with mathematical formulas.

– It is very important for success to think differently as an intellectual. To be more innovative. Then you have no need to copy from anyone. In communicating with foreign companies, you are at a higher level and you do not have the thought of ​​inferiority. And so, I paved my way to success with creativity and a lot of analytics. When it comes to ethics and trust, I followed the family foundation – explains Hoxha.

It all started in 1969 when his father with a little savings-a little loan, along with his two brothers, Hetem and Avdul, who worked as craft men, made the smartest move – buying a shop with only 6 square meters in the Old Bazaar in Skopje. This was the starting point for today’s success of the Emerald Jewelry Workshop.

“We did not succeed because we were stronger or wiser, but because we were together, dedicated and with great and good will,” Hoxha says.

He is the seventh child in the family and bears the name of his grandfather Nebi. He says that in addition to the family hierarchy, as an apprentice in the Bazaar he had to learn the craft men code of ethics – respect for customers, especially the elderly, serving tea or coffee, maintaining personal and ambient hygiene, manner of speech, quality service, good neighborly relations with everyone, regardless nationality or religion.

– When I finished my studies, I was thinking what to do as an intellectual to modernize the traditional craft into something more interesting and profitable. Slowly but surely, we have grown and achieved success, which is difficult to achieve in such intense competition and in such circumstances. Tradition, education and professionalism – this is the foundation of self-confidence as a sacred trinity of success. On the long run, in reality, the three pillars must be respected. I would add that for anyone who wants to start or is already engaged in jewelry, patience, intelligence and honesty are needed. In the end, as a manager with the vision of “Emerald” I managed to make the development from a family-owned craft business into an international company – Hoxha says.

If you fall asleep today, tomorrow you are gone

The competition in Skopje is so great that if you “fall asleep” a little, you are gone the next day. After completing his master’s degree, he regularly visited the most renowned gold fairs in Italy, Turkey, India, Dubai, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia – world leaders in gold jewelry production, to keep up to date with the latest developments in the field. He brought some of those experiences and models back home, adapted to our mentality and economic power.

– The world today invests a lot in gold and gold coins because gold is in a limited amount on Earth. On the other hand, the world’s population is growing, and as a result of the market economy, of course, gold prices will only rise. So, I was convinced that I would succeed – Hoxha is decisive.

There were many challenges in life. The biggest challenge for him was the process from family-owned traditional craft to growing and teaming up into an international company. There have been downturns in his business career, but he says:

– A man who has fallen once in a lifetime and rises up again has learned from his own mistakes. In 2008, due to the global crisis, the price of gold rose so much that the whole business stopped. And in that difficult moment, I made the biggest turning point in my career, which was crucial. I invested in real estate and so I multiplied the value of the investment. Today we have successful businesses in construction, hotel, manufacturing (furniture factory), opening schools and expanding even further. The latest investment is the shopping center in Kosovo, Ferizaj Retail Village, as one of the most innovative in the Balkans. All of these companies are part of the OXA Group, most of them family owned. In your life, and when you find it most difficult, resourcefulness can bring a positive outcome.

We must stimulate the young

As President of the Chamber of Commerce of Northwest Macedonia, he has many responsibilities – supporting, promoting, networking the business community not only in our country, but beyond. It involves a good organization of the whole team and the leadership of the Chamber so that they are always present everywhere, when needed.

– We need to be partners, adjusters and policymakers in the country. The government should be very careful with our recommendations and the guidelines we propose, all with an interest in growth and development of the economy and thus the general well-being of the citizens. We are in excellent communication with the chambers of the region, where we jointly solve the problems that companies faced during import and export to those countries. Our goal is to move with fewer barriers to generate higher and faster profits and thus contribute to the country’s economic growth through taxes and customs payments – explains Hoxha.

When asked how he commented on the business climate in Macedonia, he said that our economy needs a transformation that with innovation and high capacity, so the enterprises could move the economy upwards. Access to finance for domestic SMEs through lower interest rates must be improved and the various grants used to grow our businesses and be more competitive in regional and global markets. We need a women entrepreneurship program. Young people need funds to start new businesses – Hoxha is categorical.

China is an example that we should follow

He advises young people to move forward with innovative and creative things because the future is there. He says that the state should invest a lot more in this area for talented young people who have ambitions and who will demonstrate their personal success at their best. The future and general well-being of the citizens of this country will depend on that.

– We are a small country and if we are well organized, we can raise the economic standard very quickly. There are many talented young people who need to be stimulated, supported and encouraged to contribute to a better future. Thinking about going abroad is easy, but there as well nothing is simple and easy to earn.

Anyone who wants to work and earn money can do that here. Long-term consideration should be given to more youth support, with various forms of stimulation. Education must be fundamentally reformed. If we act on such a strategic plan, then the future is secured. China is a fresh example. Twenty years ago, no one could have imagined that China would have such economic growth. That growth is only a result of investing and reforming the education system – Hoxha says.

He has reached professional heights, now things are naturally developing. He’s been healthy, feeling good, and has recently become a grandfather. Now he sets his desires to be fulfilled while he is still alive.

– In order to fulfill them, I have to work without thinking about the years that are passing by and experiencing things as if it is the last day of my life. My next challenge is to get a PhD. My personal wishes are to climb the seven peaks of the world, to fly with a parachute, to visit the Brazilian Carnival, to visit the ancient Andean civilizations of South America, Chile, Machu Picchu, to visit icy Antarctica. I hope that by the end of my life these wishes will come true – says Hoxha.