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Meet Ridvan Ayyildiz, owner of Top Luxury Car Showroom in Dubai

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Ridvan Ayyildiz is a businessman and the Vice president of Alpago Group. He holds a master’s degree in International Trade and Logistics from the University of Wollongong, Dubai. He started his career in gold and jewellery through his family’s business, Milad Gold. The company then expanded to London and other parts of Europe as time went on and established a strong position in the sector in terms of both production and design. 

As Milad Gold became a household name, they started venturing into other industries, such as real estate. They began building properties in Turkey, London and Dubai, which steered them into establishing Alpago Group, which is a Dubai-based conglomerate specialising in the ultra-high-end segment in the Middle East and Europe. Its subsidiaries Alpago Properties, Alpago Contracting and Alpago Homes operate within the high-end real estate industry. At the same time, F1rst Motors is a luxury cars showroom, and Milad operates within the Jewellery industry. The group maintains the trust of multinational investors across the world – from London to Turkey and all the way to Dubai through its alliances with leading global brands within the industries it operates.

As far as the vision of the group is concerned, it is to create new global benchmarks within the luxury industry by creating a new ultra-high-end segment. They believe living life is an art, and they aim to redefine luxury living, highlighting the slogan of Alpago Group – ‘The art of living.’  

With the success of the group, Ridvan Ayyildiz wanted to explore new horizons; hence he thought of transitioning into the automotive industry due to his passion for cars. This led him to establish his top luxury car showroom – F1rst Motors. Located in the heart of Dubai in the centre of Sheikh Zayed Road, F1rst Motors are well placed to meet the demands of both business and residential users – be it tourists looking for something different or locals searching for excitement. F1rst Motors showroom displays a collection of the most sophisticated and exclusive cars in the world. From unique car models to customised cars and restored cars, F1rst Motors proposes a wide range of specked cars available in the market at competitive prices.

Talking about the showroom, Ridvan Ayyildiz shares, “We have some limited cars edition like the fastest supercar in the world. There are some cars that you can find only in our showroom in the Middle East and among only a few showrooms in the world.”

Dubai is the centre of innovation and competition, and being the biggest and best in all aspects was why F1rst Motors first opened its doors there. What started as a passion then arose to meet the growing demand of the automobile industry in the region.

The idea was to establish itself as a global reference among luxury car showrooms while standing out from the competition in the Middle East region. And this is what sets F1rst Motors apart as they provide a wide range of cars (luxury, super and hyper cars) and a more sophisticated collection of cars (new/pre-owned, unique models and restored cars) at competitive prices with an emphasis on outstanding customer service.

Ridvan’s mantra for success is simple: always remember why you started and work hard to know what you don’t know. “Every time you acknowledge what you want or believe, you are the first to hear it. You need to believe in order to achieve. The biggest challenges that I had to get through along my journey was to overcome the pessimism that I sometimes faced. But the idea is to rise through the pessimism and embrace optimism as the key to succeed,” he says.  

F1rst Motors has some of the most exotic cars available around the world today. From Lamborghini Aventador to Enzo Ferrari and Mercedes Benz C63 S AMG E Performance, they have a wide range of vehicles for every car enthusiast in the world. 

Ridvan Ayyildiz understands the nitty-gritty of the business industry and how it works. He has been associated with it since a very young age and has made a name for himself in different sectors before stepping into the business of his passion – cars. He knew it would not be an easy task, but with hard work, determination and the demand for luxury cars in a region like the Middle East, he knew the sky would be the limit. 

He believes in trying new things, believing in himself, keeping the learning process alive and never stopping dreaming. It’s only through these motivational factors and constant urge to grow that he has been able to succeed as an entrepreneur and encourages others to do the same. 

“The only way to avoid making mistakes is not trying to do anything at all. And that will be the ultimate mistake of all,” concludes Ridvan Ayyildiz. 

Getting To Know The Church Secret Shopper, Greg Atkinson, and His Unconventional Community-building Approach

In 2018, a study was conducted in a school to enhance students’ learning experience. As per the results, they found out that when teachers deliberately foster a sense of belonging by greeting each student at the door of the class, they see significant improvements in academic engagement time and reduced disruptive behavior. The key is to make each student feel special and wanted in the class for them to show their best behavior. In fact, we have seen similar videos on social media in which teachers can be seen waiting outside the class to welcome their students with a high five, a hug, or a handshake. And then they let them enter the classroom. This allows the teachers to gauge and set the mood of the class. 

Though it might seem like a small step, it can create a huge difference in someone’s day. Greg Atkinson is of the same view, and in fact, he has been implementing a similar idea in communities globally for years now. He is an entrepreneur, speaker, leadership coach, consultant, and member of the Forbes Coaching Council. What is even more interesting is that he’s been using his unconventional yet effective approach to help leaders develop strong communities. 

Greg has worked with different churches, including some of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the country, as well as with businesses, non-profits, and organizations such as Josh McDowell Ministries.  

Besides being a motivational speaker and leadership coach, he is a bestselling author. Greg has four successful books to his credit. Moreover, he has authored numerous e-books and articles. But one thing Greg is most passionate about is hospitality. He speaks and writes about hospitality and encourages church leaders to be more welcoming and accessible. He puts it as a Biblical mandate, where they are to ‘welcome the stranger.’ 

Building a strong and connected community requires acceptance and tolerance; when someone feels loved and wanted in a place, he is bound to be inclined towards its offerings too. The idea is simple; if you don’t greet the guests at your house well, they will not return to you or probably would even cut off ties after some time. On the contrary, if you are warm towards others and make them feel welcomed, they will enjoy spending time with you, and in turn, this will strengthen your relationship with each other. A similar formula applies to churches, institutes, and organizations as well. 

Greg has been speaking, writing, and teaching for nearly three decades, as well as running a global leadership conference, First Impressions, which encourages all churches to be more inclusive and welcoming. Having hosted hundreds of speakers from around the world till now, the First Impressions Conference organizes both virtual and in-person events. It is essential that people feel at home in their local churches, and that’s where you build a strong bond with your community, making them a part of your bigger family. 

It was in 2009 that Greg also started his church secret shopper company called Worship Impressions. It primarily works with large churches in order to create welcoming environments and be prepared for the guests each weekend. Greg visits churches unannounced as a secret shopper and evaluates everything that happens on the weekend. He then presents a report and provides his feedback on the services, which helps the churches get enlightened and improve themselves.

Being a people person, Greg Atkinson loves to be around them, learn from them and teach them something new through his own experiences. He imparts his knowledge as a coach and secret shopper to the people he meets daily. In fact, he strives every day to touch people’s lives around him, which in turn helps build a better society. He makes sure to instill kindness and compassion in people. His approach, though unconventional, develops a feeling of belonging to their community and owning it. 

Greg is a very ambitious and driven individual. He gets excited every time he sees someone post a picture of one of his books on social media. Greg gets thrilled walking into a bookstore and finding his book on the shelf. He even gets driven by those around him, whether they are his mentors or friends. With every book, with every mentorship program, and with every coaching session, he learns something new and tries to teach others as well. His work has shaped him as a person and made him a better husband, father, leader, coach, and inspirational speaker over the span of thirty years. And he wants to use that knowledge to make the world a better, more accepting, and peaceful place to live in.