# 0 -100: Riskle Yüksel! | Nazlı Bulum, Hasan Süel, Emre Sever & Zeynep Yalım Uzun | TEDxSaintMichelHS

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXtWNrAObw0
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/zXtWNrAObw0
Generated: 2025-12-12T16:36:24.925+00:00

---
## Quick Overview

TEDxSaintMichelHS's "0 -100: Riskle Yüksel!" conference featured speakers Emre Sever, Hasan Süel, Nazlı Bulum, and Zeynep Yalım Uzun, who shared personal stories emphasizing the necessity of taking calculated risks, defying expectations, seeking mentorship, and embracing challenges for significant personal and professional growth.

**Key Points:**
- Emre Sever highlighted the three 'things not done' for Pindrings: launching a sugar-free, additive-free drink with Barış Konca, successfully selling the beverage exclusively online despite warnings, and achieving 50,000 orders on the first day with only 500 units in stock, necessitating rapid scaling.
- Hasan Süel emphasized that 'every choice is a relinquishment' and advised attendees to 'know how to leave the crowd correctly and take risks,' noting his decision to work in public service over lucrative private sector jobs initially, and later transitioning to executive roles.
- Nazlı Bulum recounted rejecting the typical narrative of a difficult, lonely path in acting, stating that her most significant career investment was taking the risk to continue theater work despite her manager's concerns, which led to her iconic role in 'Sadakatsiz.'
- Zeynep Yalım Uzun framed courage as essential for self-discovery, recounting how being forced into sailing at age seven, despite her fear of embarrassing failure during docking, provided the foundation for later life risks like moving to the US alone at 17 for university.
- Sever stressed the third 'thing not done' is 'listening well,' advising young people to find mentors who offer solutions, not just point out problems, noting that 'advice is free, but experience is very expensive.'
- Süel pointed out that 'not everyone can be a big fish in a big pond; you can also be a big fish in small ponds that align with your competencies,' referencing his niche career focus on external relations rather than mainstream functions like finance or marketing.
- Bulum mentioned that her initial period of unemployment (one to one and a half years) allowed her to travel to Berlin to learn German and engage in screenwriting, a risk that ultimately led to subsequent acting opportunities upon her return.

**Context:** The TEDxSaintMichelHS event, titled "0 -100: Riskle Yüksel!," featured four speakers—Emre Sever, Hasan Süel, Nazlı Bulum, and Zeynep Yalım Uzun—who shared narratives centered on overcoming professional and personal hurdles by embracing risk and unconventional strategies. The conference aimed to inspire students by contrasting conventional career paths with stories of individuals who deliberately chose non-traditional routes, such as launching direct-to-consumer beverage brands, prioritizing niche career functions, or pursuing artistic integrity over perceived stability.

## Detailed Analysis

The conference centered on the theme of taking calculated risks, exemplified by the speakers' diverse journeys. Emre Sever detailed the founding of Pindrings, where he, a former math teacher, became CEO after an initial investment failed, leading him to defy advice and launch a healthy beverage line exclusively online, resulting in an initial surge of 50,000 orders against a 500-unit stock, which they managed by immediately hiring village women to hand-pack the products in a rented warehouse; he concluded that listening to good mentors is the third crucial step to success, alongside product innovation and e-commerce launch strategy. Hasan Süel advocated for leaving the crowd, describing his path from public service to becoming Vodafone Turkey's Executive Vice President, stressing that resilience comes from calculated risk-taking, pursuing deep hobbies, and focusing on core competencies rather than being a generalist. Nazlı Bulum discussed how prioritizing artistic integrity, such as insisting on continuing theater work while pursuing TV roles, proved to be her best investment, leading to complex roles like Nil in 'Sadakatsiz,' and she used her subsequent unemployment period to gain international experience in Berlin. Zeynep Yalım Uzun emphasized that courage is vital for self-knowledge, recalling instances like conquering her fear of sailing and moving to the US alone at 17 without internet access, asserting that taking the first scary step prevents future regret, regardless of the outcome. All speakers converged on the idea that defying norms, seeking guidance, and embracing challenges are prerequisites for achieving success that aligns with one's true self, rather than following societal expectations.

### Emre Sever's Pindrings Strategy

- Launching zero-sugar, additive-free drinks
- Pivoting to 100% e-commerce sales model against advice
- Managing an initial 50,000 order surge with 500 stock
- Stressing the importance of mentorship and 'listening well'

### Hasan Süel's Path of Calculated Divergence

- Choosing public service over private sector trends after MBA
- Pursuing a PhD by age 30 while teaching part-time
- Transitioning to telecom director roles and ultimately becoming Vodafone EVP
- Achieving full Ironman status to build resilience and advising focus on core competencies

### Nazlı Bulum's Artistic Integrity

- Rejecting path of least resistance in acting to prioritize theater work
- Securing the complex role of Nil in 'Sadakatsiz' due to empathetic understanding
- Using unemployment periods to gain international experience in Berlin and finance short films

### Zeynep Yalım Uzun on Courage and Self-Discovery

- Overcoming fear of failure in sailing competitions as a child
- Moving to the US alone at 17 without modern communication
- Defining courage as the means to know oneself and avoid future regret
- Emphasizing that taking the initial step is crucial to avoid the regret of inaction

### Conference Structure and Takeaways

- Program divided into two sessions with a 15-minute break
- Core message across all speakers: Success stems from calculated risk and rejecting conventional paths
- Final encouragement not to let education limit real-world pursuits