Hi Koray!
1. Tell us the milestones you and Prana Chai achieved last year.
We implemented a new sales strategy and action plan which has proved to be hugely successful. We have also created an entirely new website from which to reach our consumers, and of course, received the Innovation Award!
As well as all of that, we have become closer as a team. This year was the start of a huge transformation that will define the future character of Prana Chai.
2. We've recently received an innovation award from the MBA. How do you feel about it, and what you want to focus on and put more energy into in the coming years?
I feel happy. It won't change a thing in the eyes of the consumers, so we still need to improve and get better every day, but the award (coming from a group of business experts and professionals) gave me a sense of achievement and made me feel like we, as a team, must have been doing something right.
In the coming years, I want to focus on business-to-business relationships. Our wholesale customers are a huge part of what we do and are growing every day!
As we continue to grow I want to make sure that we can still provide our customary level of care; I do not want to automate communication. This is a service industry above all, and coming from within the industry we know that we need to be there when people need us and work around their schedule, not ours.
3. Do you have personal goals for 2020?
I will definitely focus on my health and flexibility because I feel like a walking stick.
4. Tell us your favourite dish for the festive season! if you have a recipe, please share it with us.
Well, I really enjoy Turkey's Black Sea anchovies. But sadly, I can’t have it here, due to logistics. They are a species native to the Black Sea I guess! They are in season right now so that would be my number one dish. They are very easy to cook. You eat them whole and they best with cornbread.
5. What fictional character do you identify the most with, and why?
Can I say the Silver Surfer? Because it was so mind-bending and cool reading the comic in the 80s back in Turkey. This question immediately brought back those memories where I used to sit on my grandparent's verandah and read for endless hours on hot summer days.
6. If you could go to any country, where would you go and why?
My first choice would be Sweden. I was just there for a little while for business and I wanted to explore more. The culture is so up my alley (at least that's how I felt) and they have vast stretches of nature to explore.
