Ilnura Ospanova

RAIMBEK PEOPLE

A series of interviews with employees of the Raimbek Company dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the company.

"IN 25 YEARS WE NEVER PAID EMPLOYEES’ SALARIES LATE. THIS IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE! "

Ilnura Ospanova is the financial director of the Raimbek Company group. She also happens to be Raimbek Batalov’s aunt. 25 years ago she assisted her nephew in starting the business, and to this day she is in charge of the company’s finances. Responsible, hardworking, attentive to people: these are qualities that characterize Ilnur Nigmatovna. For us, among other things, she is also a very valuable interview subject – who else can reveal the details of the very beginning of the “Raimbek” business?

- Ilnura Nigmatovna, could you please tell us how it all began?

- Raimbek (Batalov - approx.) was about 22 years old. It was the time of “perestroika”, when private firms just started appearing. I worked in a large company, in the Republic-wide association of health resorts, which included 11 sanatoria. I led the economic, planning, and accounting departments.  It was a big job. One day Raimbek came home and said: "You know, Ilya (he has called me that since childhood), I'm starting a company and I need a chief accountant. I'd like you to work for me."

It was difficult to make a decision right away. I asked him: what do you want to start with? He replied: "I need to get a lemon* from the bank!" I wondered what this "lemon" might be. At that time there were not enough lemons in the markets. I didn’t say anything...

I thought about it later when I was alone. On one hand, I was working in a large state company, in a good position and for a decent wage.  On the other hand, I had known Raimbek since he was an infant. I had babysat him when I was just 16 years old, and loved him so much... The latter considerations prevailed and I agreed!

(*“lemon” – Russian slang word for “million”)

- In other words, you’ve been with the Company since the very beginning...

- We started in 1992. SP "Raimbek" was registered on February 4^th. It was the birthday of Eleonora Nigmatovna, my elder sister and the mother of Raimbek Anvarovich. Upon receiving registration we immediately signed a contract with Olivetti Company to supply household and office equipment. Apparently, that firm was the one that received the elusive "lemon" - that is, a million rubles. This deal was followed by contracts with French firms Tefal and Moulinex. We rented a large office, and that was the beginning of the Raimbek business.

- Where did he get his drive?

- I think it comes from his parents. His father, Anvar Kasymovich was working for the government. His mother, Eleonora Nigmatovna, had experience in the publishing business. They decided not to protect their children from the realities of the world around them: they would tell their son how things were done, how they were built. I think if there had been a different atmosphere in the family, their sons would probably not have become businessmen.

In addition to the fact that Raimbek always sought the advice of elder, experienced people, he has always listened and continues to do so. Well, of course, he also read a lot.  He has never stopped working on personal growth. It wasn’t as if he said “here I am, I’m starting my own business.” No. He came to this gradually, and constant self-education, in my opinion, helped a lot... Now you can see what kind of a person he grew up to become, our Raimbek Anvarovich! (laughs) He loves his company dearly. Even though he was invited to take a position in government on several occasions he never left us.

- What explains the success of Raimbek Batalov? After all, many other businesses were founded at the same time, yet not many have survived to celebrate their 25th anniversary...

- The secret is in Raimbek himself. He is a very trustworthy, honest, proper man. Typically, after successfully launching a business beginning to turn a profit, entrepreneurs begin to dip into the money to cover personal needs.  People begin to “live it up.”  By contrast, he put his profits back into the business. We signed a contract with the furniture company Valentino, then with the German cosmetics manufacturer Henkel. We built a furniture store and began working on a national scale. I want to note that he was already helping people back then, sponsoring many people. Raimbek personally selected a reliable team, people who worked closely with him. Many of the people with whom we started in the 90's are working for the company to this day.

- Raimbek is a family business...

- Yes, there are many of us, relatives, working together. I would love to see our children and grandchildren work for the benefit of the company in the future. Just recently my eldest grandson turned 16, and I asked him: "Dias, what do you hope to do with your life? What do you dream about?" The first thing he said was "I want to be like Uncle Raimbek because he knows how to work, he knows how to love and appreciate his children. It doesn’t matter to him whether you’re elder or younger, he treats everyone equally and helps people a lot."

- And what is your main managerial secret?

- The main one... Probably it is always planning for the future while attending to current business. It is important for a business to be friendly, because that enhances its competitiveness. There are many other companies today with similar work profile, both in production and trade. We must react quickly, follow the laws, and meet our tax obligations. It’s not rocket science! You see, we were brought up this way: first you need to start with yourself, your own discipline, your knowledge, your sense of responsibility. There’s no need to copy others. We must build our own line, our own strategy. It is crucial to analyze your progress.

I’ve developed a habit. I always wake up at 5 am to reflect and plan: thinking about things I’ve done correctly, where I went wrong, what needs to be done, things I can assist others with, and things I need help with. For example, even with my work experience, I’m never embarrassed about asking younger employees for their opinions. If they say that some changes should be made, I think the right thing to do is to listen attentively. I would never impose my opinions on something. One person in a battlefield is not a warrior. In business it’s the same. You need to be working with the team.

The team we have today is strong and competent. We have many experienced people, many young people. I would say that we are forging new specialists in the industry: many of our former employees now work in other large companies. Having “worked at Raimbek" is considered a good line to have on one’s CV.

- What is it you like about your work?

- Results! I am the head of the finance department, where results are summarized at the end of the year. You work the whole year maintaining spreadsheets, optimizing budgets, tracking financial flows - all for the sake of a positive financial result at the end of the year.

But the main pleasure I have is knowing that our company never delays wages. I really love my co-workers. All employees are working to support their families, their children, to provide for their education. Not getting your salary on time affects the family. Therefore, compensating our employees on time is crucial to me! I have a large circle of friends and sometimes they say: “Well, we have delayed salaries for 10 days, for 15 days, for a month, especially now, after all we’re in a crisis...” Fortunately, I can’t remember ever delaying paying wages in all the time that we’ve been operating.

 - What is the most difficult part of your job?

- We easily overcome difficulties.  I guess really we never focus on them. The work we’re doing is never easy! (Laughs) If you plan your work, then the difficulties with the work are easily overcome. 25 years have passed; I can recollect them all in my mind. We had difficulties, of course, but I never dwelled on them!

 - How do you envision the company in 25 years?

- In 25 years ... I think, considering there are 15-20 companies in the holding company right now, that in 25 years’ time we will be twice as big! Raimbek has been launching many projects lately. These are projects related to production, trade, and public activities. He’s also providing a lot of philanthropy. I think that we will not stop at what we have achieved to this day!