"Ahmet Zorlu started out selling textiles at 15. Today he’s Turkey’s most succesful exporter. By David O’Byrne
Ahmet Nazif Zorlu’s story of the creation of his business empire over the past 50 years is like a potted history of the Turkish economy over the same period – only far more entertaining.
And his rags to riches tale of how he became Turkey’s biggest exporter serves as a lesson to would-be entrepreneurs everywhere in the importance of understanding the market.
Zorlu’s early success came through the country’s nascent textile sector. Later, his empire grew to span home electronics, white goods, banking and financial services, as well as energy production."
More:European Business: July 2005