At a time when most Albanians think that it is difficult to identify the field that can be considered as the business of the future, one of the region’s greatest entrepreneurs seems to have clear ideas about it. According to Samir Mane, this industry is tourism.

The president of BALFIN Group revealed in a media interview that his journey from student to entrepreneur was filled with challenges, bold choices, a great deal of dedication, and, above all, a drive and vision to advance and make a positive impact on society outside the business world.

“There will always be people who want to travel and have vacations that meet high standards, so we at BALFIN have this sector in focus. What distinguishes us is the fact that we conduct thorough market research and make well-thought-out decisions about where to invest. For instance, Green Coast is one of the projects in which we are currently investing 1 billion euro. This is one of the greatest projects in the Western Balkans, and simultaneously, the most elite project in Albania” Mane stated for Business Magazine.

Samir Mane unfolds one of the challenges that he encountered when he decided to return.

“Actually, since the beginning I have encountered a significant challenge; the establishment of QTU. Having founded a company in Austria, where I have worked for almost 14 years, I had to return to build the first commercial center in Albania and I had to be here. All market research indicated that it was an investment risk, due to the fact that Albanians were not accustomed to commercial centers, since there are supermarkets and markets everywhere. My friends were skeptical about it, and among them my father, who told me to not take this step, because people are not going shopping in commercial centers. They were all against it, but I trusted my intuition and it was an extraordinary success. 200 thousand people crowded QTU on its grand opening. It was incredible”, said Mane.

Mane said that he has always wanted to run a business. “I do believe that I have had business intuition since I was a little kid, when I used to help my mom, who worked in a store. Later on, when I saw the opportunity to do business, I grabbed it. Of course, I didn’t expect to have this level of success. And I don’t believe that talent or intuition played a vital role in my success.

Talent is 10 percent, but be sure that the rest is commitment, work day after day, and faith that we can make it, with the mission of doing twice as good every year. If it was called talent, then I would say that I have the talent to always challenge myself. It is a never-ending challenge.”, says Mane, as he adds that success is not achieved in a day, but through systematic work every day. “I work 10-12 hours a day with a lunch break, mostly in the office. I have come this far working each day and I know that this is the only way I can achieve the objectives.”, Mane said in his interview.