Be nice to the rich and famous. One negative — must begin to curl around people hankering for your money. It is not even a tax, but the enterprising fellow citizens who believe they have developed a formula for success. What is missing is the initial investment. Your investment.

By David Yakobashvili, co-owner of the largest juice and dairy company, business proposal from unfamiliar people are dense flow — one or two a day. Most e—mail. Although sometimes people dialing into the chairman’s “Wimm-Bill-Dann” (WBD), breaking through the waiting room. Or do him fit — at conferences, concerts and ceremonies, where it is Yakobashvili. “I am ready to consider any suggestions — says the businessman. — But you have to at least hearing it seemed interesting. And there are — one out of ten, but the majority — “the children of Lieutenant Schmidt.”

Once, for instance, to get through Yakobashvili person employed taxi driver. He offered “a unique distribution system,” which, apparently, and bribed the secretariat businessman. But after 15 minutes of conversation it became clear that we are talking about elementary delivers the goods, taking into account traffic jams (such routes calculates the logistics department). The conversation was over. The driver was lucky he managed to explain the idea. If the answer to what the sentence answer: “It’s not a phone conversation” — Yakobashvili usually hangs up. But if the idea in the first statement of it seems sensible, he always calls back: “Suddenly people something to really know.”

If you feel that the project perspective, giving him his Yakobashvili professionals. They begin to delve into the details. Recently, for example, some entrepreneurs offered to invest in the invention of the installation against the Colorado potato beetle. But when the question began to study managers Yakobashvili, it turned out that the invention, firstly, is not unique, and, secondly, the technology is not refined and not tested — just to complete the pilot plant was required to add $ 1 million invested in their $ 10 000. David Yakobashvili invest in the project did not.

He refused to invest in and develop the world’s only deposits of rhenium, a rare metal used in special alloys, usually produced by military orders. It is the military component and spooked. “We decided not to mess” — says Yakobashvili. In addition, there was no guarantee that will get the stated amount of the metal.

And if you are satisfied with the businessman and he’s ready to give money to? Then he discusses the project with partners. For example, the largest shareholder in WBD Gabriel Yushvaev with it invested in the production of grain and bread in the Volgograd region, a dairy farm near Moscow and development projects. If the project does not inspire partners, Iakobashvili prepared to act alone. So he invested 250 million rubles in the production of mortar and gypsum in Kabardino—Balkaria. On Yakobashvili once went Kabardian entrepreneur — suggested kiln gypsum own design. He promised that the company will pay for the year. “The idea seemed interesting — we’ve seen unfolded in Russia Knauf, — recalls Yakobashvili. — If the plant was in Moscow, I would long ago have been in profit. But we are there for six years have not seen a dime. ” What is it? Having problems with a stove, and with the staff and the local administration. To correct technical flaws in the plant to invest another $ 2 million, but Yakobashvili refrains — “as long as the President of the Republic of safeguards do not agree.”

In general, examples of successful investments in the projects proposed by the, not so much, and those are mostly associated with the purchase of land or real estate. Farm near Moscow Makarovo or flour mill № 4 in Moscow, which is now in place will build a business center and housing project “City 2”. “Since the end of construction projects without turning, but offer what sites have what we can find themselves”, — complains Yakobashvili. Or have recently come to offer: roundwood export unprofitable, it is interesting to process the wood. “That I already know, — said a businessman. — If I could have sent the draft, writing, from raw materials to take, much more profitable to transport goods, which are taxes on what stage of the project … ”

But they still come across the treatment worked less than good ideas — one in a hundred. For Yakobashvili also important that the author himself was willing to engage in the project, rather than move to a third party. Businessman recalls just one example, when the initiators of the project themselves and realized it — is the production of protective hoods (masks) “Phoenix”.

Over the past 15 years, co-owner of IAP was featured on the money — at least a little — more than 200 projects. Most often, time and money has been wasted, it is recognized Yakobashvili. So, 10 years ago he invested $ 240 000 in the detection system to a certain point in the city (there were not GPS) — with the help of this system could look for stolen cars. The developers have demonstrated records of success stories. But in practice the system was not as accurate as would an investor: not “see” the car, standing in the garage, and gave a hundred meters of deviation. “We just zamorochili head,” — says an investor.

However, it remains ready to explore the coming proposals: “The door is always open.” After all, the idea of pouring the juice in the early 1990s also was not born with him. Two young entrepreneurs, Michael Dubinin and Sergey Plastinin, then rented a small production line, but they lacked the money for development. Yakobashvili Yushvaev and expressed interest. The result? The current capitalization of “Wimm-Bill-Dann” — $ 3.66 billion.