Meet The Ebster: Indrek Hints
Today we welcome you to read about our first year BBA student Indrek. He will talk you through his study experience at EBS, ambitions for the future and where he gets his inspiration from.
Introduce yourself shortly
Good day to everybody reading! My name is Indrek, and I’m a first-year student in EBS, studying International Business Administration. If I had to describe myself in three words, I would say: impossible-optimistic, annoyingly creative and extraverted. Whenever I get the chance to meet new people, I take it as everyone has a story to tell and something to teach me. And when life goes sour, I look for the sweetness in it, as bad weather never lasts, and without it, we wouldn’t know what good weather is like.
Three most interesting facts about you:
I love to write surrealistic poetry.
I have now three years of experience in performing and in public speaking.
I will never shirk away from trying new things.
How did you find your way to EBS?
My journey to EBS was an interesting one. I would say it began when I got extremely interested in self-development, buying books, and taking part in courses at the beginning of high school. Slowly over time, this craze faded, leaving me with a new and more solid attitude towards life. The next big step happened during the middle of high school when my friend and I created a social media marketing course for student firms. This further solidified my interest in becoming an entrepreneur. I knew that I had two choices at the end of high school. One, go directly into the labour market with the knowledge I have gained while going through the courses and face the storm. Or two – build my skills and myself further to greater highs, so when finally, I go out into the wide world, I would be unstoppable.
You just finished your first uni semester. How do you feel, how did it differ from high school?
It does feel different from high school, but not in the way I expected, honestly. Besides the difference in topics, class times and overall structure, what surprised me was the people. Of course, you still have some slackers and some hard workers in class, but overall the feeling of the whole class is much more unified and mature. Any real childishness rather the negative parts of childishness are fully gone. As a high school student, this might seem not such a big deal, but when you're in class it changes almost the whole learning experience and group dynamics.
What would you say to a high schooler dreaming of studying at EBS? Do you have any tips for them for acing their school entrance interview?
The best thing to do is to know why you want to achieve the things you do and understand why you want to go to EBS. This can be done by asking "Why?" until one cannot go any further ,in my experience, seven times is usually enough. Now that you know your "why", you can harness the emotion, that spark, that genuine passion for achieving something at the interview. It will give you the conviction and confidence to go through that interview with ease, like water flowing in a river. If you wish to bring your words to an even higher level, know your "how", thus infusing your answers with real substance and spirit.
Who is the biggest inspiration for you?
When it comes to the business mindset, I look up to the American business coach Dan Peña. Unlike most others so to say, "self-help gurus", his hard-ass attitude towards business gave me confidence and energy behind my actions. Though he is not for everyone, to be honest, you will most likely start to hate him at one stage, it's hard to deny the value of his teachings. Thanks to him I also discovered Toastmasters and improv, which have helped me reach new heights when it comes to public speaking, performing and self-confidence.
When it comes to more recent self-development, I would have to go with the late Alan Watts – the man who very much introduced eastern philosophy to the west during the 20th century. His ideas of really living in the present moment and valuing others, have helped me immensely improve my empathy, confidence, and overall love of life. It is truly hard to put into words the value of his teachings. In a way, he is very much the opposite of Dan Peña, being a Zen-Buddhist, but that does not mean he isn't valuable to people interested in business. On the contrary, I would say he is beyond vital as it’s essential to learn the secret of happiness before you get rich, for money does not bring happiness. It can only amplify what is already there.
What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
Without a doubt, the craziest thing would be skydiving. The fear, the rush and the adrenaline are like nothing else. And it taught me an important lesson. No matter how much you emotionally prepare yourself before getting on the plane, you will never be ready for the feeling that hits you when they open the plane door at 4000 meters in the sky. It doesn't matter how tough you might think yourself to be. When you jump out, the fear of death hits you and here I mean a REAL fear of death, almost a knowing that now you are going to die, which last for half a second.
Tell us about your ambitions and dreams. What would be the biggest thing you would like to accomplish within the next 15 years?
My ambition or life goal is to develop a company worth at least 50 million dollars. This money would give me the freedom to travel and perhaps at some point buy a mansion in the Italian Alps and retire there. In the foreseeable future, my goal is to have a personal net worth of about 5 million dollars. This will be achieved through a combination of investments and having sold my first company.
You seem to like photography. How did you get into it?
Now that I think about it, photography is one of those things that just happened - an instinct, one could say. While travelling, sometimes, an urge to take a photo came out of the blue. It wasn’t because I wanted to impress or because others said I should. As time passed, I started to see the value of capturing beautiful moments more consciously. Photography helped me crystalize more clearly in memory the emotions I felt in those moments. Nowadays I still take photographs for myself though try to focus more and more on capturing the ordinary and finding the hidden beauty in it.
If you could be a fictional character, who would you choose to be and why?
The first character that pops into my mind is a villain from the Superman comic book a character called – Lex Luthor. He is extremely wealthy, intelligent, and good looking. By some measures, he has everything one could wish for. But even though he has all of this, he doesn’t seem happy.
So I'll go with my next pick, a fantasy character that is the opposite of Lex Luthor in many ways, and that would be Master Oogway for Kung Fu Panda. Now, why Oogway? He's nothing like Lex Luthor. He doesn’t have a multibillion-dollar business empire. What he does have are peace and genuine joy. He knows how to truly live in the present and be happy if who he is. And in my eyes, that’s something truly valuable. Also, he has a cool temple.
Your favourite quote? Why is that your favourite?
"If you want to be happy, be" - Leo Tolstoy. I would say it perfectly captures the nature of happiness and peace, even more than I think Tolstoy intended.