Interview: The story of Zaya Younan and El Septimo. A living proof that anything is possible

In our Western world, we take the luxuries we have for granted. Our children run free in the streets, play in their rooms, have a school that is a safe environment, opportunities for world-class education and healthcare. A luxury that parts of the world lack and not all too often the future of these children is more tragic than we dare to accept and admit.
What I am about to tell you is a story that I hope you will take to heart, a story powerful enough to change your life if you choose to take to heart the wisdom it conveyes. You have a chance to change your future and if you choose not to read on, I can only say, blame yourself, it is your loss. Why I say it is your loss, because it is one of the most powerful stories I have had the honor of writing about, a story that has the power to give you the future you deserve and want. A story that could have ended tragically but ended up like a fairy tale taken from a Walt Disney movie.

That different religions clash is something that has accompanied us humans since ancient times. Unfortunately, the differences have been so strong that they have affected innocent people, especially children. That children are affected is something I will never be able to understand. Raising children in the home to believe in a specific religion is almost a part of the home. But that innocent children instead of getting a positive image of religions, where they can find hope, peace and comfort, get an abstract understanding of what different beliefs can do to life is something I will never be able to understand.

This difference I wrote about was an everyday life that affected Zaya Younan as a child. Everyday life was filled with fights at school, daily abuse and almost attempted murder when they tried to stab him with pencils more than 10 times. He rarely left school without being bloody and wounded. If the fights had been with boys his own age, it would have been a little easier to understand, but there he stood as a 12-year-old boy trying to defend himself against men aged 19-25. Now we will come to something that is even worse than what you just read. Unfortunately, I will have to add one thing to the story from above. What you just read is a fate you do not wish for any child to experience, what I hid from writing was that Zaya had had polio and unfortunately not the mild variant. Polio had affected Zaya’s nervous system and paralyzed his right leg during early childhood. Now imagine a 12 year old child being abused by an adult male and unable to try to run away from the threat. I want to paint a little mental picture for you to understand better. Imagine you are walking down the street and out of nowhere you see a grown man standing there abusing a small child who also has a disability that prevents the child from running away. This was Zaya’s childhood.

I want to emphasize one thing. Coming from such a strong background where you are the object of hatred can cause a child to end up in a bad way in life. Today you can see how children who have been exposed to violence and abuse become objects of manipulation and are lured into the wrong circles that are often violent and criminal. I want to give you a little thought here before I continue. Daily abuse breaks an adult woman or man mentally. A feeling of hopelessness would creep into you and a feeling that the world is against you would eat away at your nights and a recurring nightmare. Anxiety and fear would fill your evening instead of watching TV and the joy of having a loving family. That we have a really good standard of living in our Western world cannot be ignored. Most, almost all children have their own room to lie down in, be able to play, gather their thoughts and have the opportunity to generally be a child. You as an adult can feel suffocated in a small room with too many people, you need your own time for thoughts and relaxation. Imagine never being able to have it? How would that have affected you and your life?

Zaya, who lived in one of Tehran’s worst areas with his family, went home from school to a small one-room apartment that he shared with his 5 sisters, mother and father. The space to gather his thoughts was minimal and he was, if not all too often, outdoors instead of in the safe presence of home. Poverty was at such a level that if there was a fruit at home, he would wait for his mother to divide the fruit and divide it equal among everyone in the family. Opportunities to play in the quiet corner of the home were nonexistent. During the day, he ran around the streets and ended up in more fights than those he alreddy had at school.

An unexpected meeting that influenced the future

At the age of 12, Zaya met an American who had gotten lost in the worst areas of Tehran, the area where the Younan family lived. The American and his wife asked for a toilet. In his curiosity about America, Zaya invited the American couple to his home. Once home, despite the prevailing poverty, Zayas mother showed hospitality and gave the unknown quests food to eat.

A hospitality that is rare in Scandinavian countries even among the wealthy if you don’t know someone well. In Europe, most families are quite well off. In the part of Europe where I live, if children visit a friend, they are often sent up to the friend’s room while the family eats. A hospitality that is almost as cold as ice. I will probably never really understand this attitude. Even though the Younan family had an incredibly tough time, she certainly made them feel welcome. I don’t know if this is where it all started, but I can’t help but think that Zaya’s view of human equality has something to do with his parents, if not a little bit. When your children have friends visiting, will that extra piece of bread make any difference to you? If it didn’t for Zaya’s mother in that poverty, then it won’t do it for you in the world we live in today. Show your guests that they are welcome and take care of them almost like they are part of the family, you never know who might change your life in the future.

Zaya’s first encounter with entrepreneurship

The man Zaya invited home was Father Hood who was the principal of a Catholic school in Chicago USA. Mr Hood told Zaya that if managed to get to the USA he would make sure that he could get a place at St Viator School and live there for free 1 year while he waited for the rest of his family to arrive. It was here at the age of 12 Zaya decided to change his fate. He knew that his family could not afford to pay or help with his ticket to the USA and had to find his own way to pay for the ticket. He also knew that his mother would say no if she found out about his plan to move. Where he lived, all the bicycles were black which gave him an idea, he went to a local shop that used to throw away the paints they didn’t use, took the paint and offered his friends to repaint their bicycles for less than 5 dollars. We will probably never know how many bicycles he repainted, but 1 years later he could afford to buy his plane ticket to Chicago USA. The night before his departure, Zaya packed his clothes and it was only then that his parents found out that he was moving to the US from Iran.

Zaya’s desire for change was so great that hard work was no obstacle and the fear of failure did not stop him. The desire for change from his life in Tehran was greater than the fear that change could bring. The desire and desperation for change had led him to what one could say was his first encounter with entrepreneurship and innovative thinking.

During those years that Zaya was working for her ticket, Zaya and Father Hood had correspondence. I don’t know if that’s what sometimes gave Zaya the energy or not to get through times when it felt tough, but you should never underestimate a person’s words and kindness. They can do wonders in someone’s life. I think the meeting with Father Hood in the streets of Teheran changed Zayas future and might be the reason we all know about Zaya today.

Father Hood and Zaya showed, It doesn’t matter how old you are, if your dream is strong enough and you have the will to fight for it, you can achieve things you never thought possible. The fear of failure is one thing that stops most adults today from achieving their dreams and realizing themselves. If a child is not afraid to leave their family to change their future, what’s stopping you from changing your daily routines to realize your dreams? Another important thing I want to point out here, you too often see people looking down on those who are less fortunate and worse off. You should never take people for granted. They have more inside them than you think, it’s just that they haven’t managed to get it out yet. One day maybe the person you looked down on is standing on top of a mountain and is reach out to help you in though times. When you se a person les fortuned then your seld, Ask instead, is there any way I can help? Even if it’s just a conversation. Words can do magic in peoples life.

Welcome to America

At the age of 13 with only $25 in his pocket, Zaya arrived in Chicago with the dream of a better life. He barely knew English and was sent to live with his aunt who luckily lived in Chicago where Father Hood’s school was located. He did not prioritize friends and free time, spending all his time learning the language, studying and working. During his first year, his desire for change and the work ethic he had brought with him from working with bicycles continued. The same year he arrived in Chicago, it snowed more than in many years and the community and neighbors were worried that the roofs would collapse due to the heavy snow. The idea he had was that he and his uncle would remove snow from all the neighbors’ roofs for a fee. The work paid off and it did not take long before Zaya, his uncle and his uncle’s sons together earned $18,000 in a week during the snowy chaos in Chicago.

Instead of seeing things as problems, try to see them as opportunities and challenges to move forward in life, like the then 13-year-old boy did. Life does not present problems, but challenges that need a solution. It’s all about how you choose to look at it. If you see problems, then you have a downward spiral in life, if you see things as challenges, then the steps up are ahead of you and you will have a happier life.

Studying can sometimes be difficult, doing it with less language skills makes it almost impossible if you don’t have a will of steel and a dream. With pride, the rest of his family arrived a year after Zaya to the United States from Iran to see him graduate. During his time as a youth, his will to work continued, at the age of 16 he worked, among other things, delivering goods to restaurants such as CO2 tubes heavier than himself. Time passed and his iron will for change continued. The 13-year-old boy who went to the United States had now graduated from college at the age of 19 and become an engineer. What no one knew or had believed about him was that when his studies were completed, he would be involved in revolutionizing the automobile industry many years later.

Did you have any childhood after you came to America?

“No, I started working right away and it’s not something I miss. You should never look back on life and what you didn’t have. Every minute you look back on life is a minute of your life you lose”

Get to work part 1.

Time passed and the energy Zaya had brought with him from the streets of Iran followed him into his working life. His coworkers worked their usual 8-hour days. Zaya, who saw work as a gift to life, clocked in in the morning and stayed in the office long after everyone had left. His evenings were filled with work and a passion to make a difference.

A tragic period shakes Zaya’s life and turns everything upside down (before he became famous and rich)

Just the thought of this part sinks deep into me and fills my emotions with anxiety and anger. I find it hard to understand that society hasn’t come any further. I think it’s sick and shouldn’t have to be this way.

Early in Zaya’s career, Zaya’s sister was diagnosed with cancer. I don’t know what type of cancer, we never went into it. He watched as she suffered, lost hair, weight and passed away. Most people probably know that cancer treatment is very expensive. He worked day and night, skipping meals for many days to save money to try to save his sister’s life, but he never managed to raise the money needed to save her. He told me that the cancer she had could have been cured if they had managed to raise the money.

I’ll be brutally honest with you, that a woman should have to pass away because of finances is beyond my comprehension. To have to lie there, suffer, and have her future disappear for the sake of a little money is absurd and beyond my comprehension. This is something that happens to many women in the world.

I’ll give you a thought-provoking question that I myself don’t really understand about today’s society.

What would happen if

– Your house was on fire and a firefighter asked for money before putting out the fire and saving your life? If you don’t pay, you’ll burn in the flames.

– A robber is standing with a gun to your head, a police officer shouts from his car, do you have cash or can you transfer us money ? You don’t have money, you’ll be shot.

Neither the firefighter nor the police officer asks for money and goes in with their lives as an effort to save you. So what’s the difference when a woman needs care to survive? Is the value of a person who is sick less than someone who risks their life through fire and shooting? I don’t think you can put a value on a life and it’s grotesque that people still make this kind of difference between lives in today’s society.

I may have a strange way of thinking, that a man should get by is one thing, but when women and children have to suffer I have a hard time controlling my emotions and get quite angry. I think it’s sick and hypocritical especially when you compare the three different ways of saving lives. She suffered, and passed away long before her time, leaving a family behind just because society thought it was too expensive to save. Do you think that’s right? Ask yourself, why should we save people from fire and violence, when we don’t want to save them from life-threatening diseases?

The next time you see a woman or child suffering, if you have a few coins to spare, donate them. If everyone does that, then those small coins can become big sums that can save families and let children keep their mothers.

At this moment when Zaya’s sister passed away, Even though he did everything he could to save his sister, he would never let anyone close to him pass away again because of finances.

Get to work part 2

Zayas, if he had managed to get a job at GM, was one of the engineers who helped develop the airbag and the GPS system. If we think about it a little, from being bullied at school and hated as a child to becoming one of the engineers who developed one of the products that has saved more lives than we can imagine, what an achievement. The years passed and his work paid off. His passion for work and innovative thinking had led him to sit in GM’s boardroom and was the person they had trusted to buy out the German Opel. Zaya, who was not afraid to think outside the box even as a child, decided to start Younan properties in 2002, which took on underperforming properties and made them profitable.

How did Zaya and Sherry meet? Was that the beginning of El Septimo cigars?

In today’s society, it feels a bit like people get married with the belief in love is a status symbol and not the understanding that love is something that you have to work on daily and should not be taken for granted. When you see how many people are getting divorced today, it is easy to lose faith in true love, but then there are stories like the one between Zaya and Sherry that show what marriage is all about and that true love does not only exist on the Hollywood screen, but in real life. Like everything else in Zaya’s life, love was not a gamble but devotion and passion. A devotion and passion that was also shared by Sherry.

I want to spoil a little now, The love between Zaya and Sherry was the beginning of what we know as El Septimo cigars without them even knowing it.

Zaya, who has faith in his heart, used to visit his church whenever he had the chance between his work trips. One day, his pastor came up to him and told him that he knew a girl he should meet. He kindly declined and time passed. Time passed and Zaya went to church as usual when he was home from his work trips. The pastor once insisted that Zaya meet the girl he had mentioned earlier, it was as if he had a strong feeling that the two of them would meet, it was as if he knew inside that it was written in their future, he just needed to make them understand it for themselves. Time passed and Zaya finally took the pastor’s advice, the girl he met was none other than Sherry herself.

Viva Las Vegas

Like all other couples, Zaya and Sherry dated for a while. Zaya, who must have felt he had found the love of his life, not only went the extra mile for Sherry, but also showed respect and appreciation for her mother. When he bought Sherry a bag, it was almost a given that he would also do the same for her mother. When it feels right, it feels right and after 6 months Zaya decided to propose, but the moment took got a unexpected twist. Zaya, who had shown respect for Sherry’s mother from day one, asked her mother for permission to marry here daughter. The answer he received shocked him, No. With his determination, he gave here mother two options, either to give them permission to marry or that they would still do it and never see each other again. In short, Sherry made a sacrifice that is rarely heard of, they went to Las Vegas and got married. That day, Sherry chose to follow heart and has not spoken to her mother since. At the time of writing, Mr. and Mrs. Younan have been married for a glorious 34 years and have created a family with 1 daughter and 4 sons.

I want to point out an important thing in today’s society, something that is seen far too often. It feels like couples get married for the wrong reasons, in some way it often feels like marriage has become a status symbol and not a symbol of devotion, passion and love. Today, more couples get divorced than necessary because it has become too easy to give up. I think people have become too egocentric, thinking too much about themselves instead of thinking in terms of us and building the whole for the better. People take the easy way out instead of the right way and realizing their shortcomings to improve them. I’m not saying that you should live with something you don’t like, but I think far too many people give up for the wrong reasons.

The reason I mention this is because there is a lot to learn from Sherry and Zaya’s 34 years.

It takes dedication, passion, understanding and love to make a marriage last were some of the pieces of advice they mentioned during our interview.

Just a housewife?

I know what most of you are thinking right now, you most likely have that classic image you have from some house wife series where they sunbathe all day and decorate the living room with a drink in their hand and let a nanny take care of the house. Those of you who have children probably know that a child can be as much work as a full-time job and taking care of the house at the same time is almost an achievement at moments. (unless you are the classic new modern parent who uses the phone as a babysitter and lets the kids sit on the couch all day).

While Zaya was away working, Sherry was at home taking care of the five siblings and the home without ever having a nanny to help tell them, Food had to be cooked, cleaning up after five children, upbringing, if the children were sick they needed a little more time and the time had to be balanced even so that everyone would feel seen and dinner would be cooked. These are just a few pieces that I have put a dent in many parents and relationships in today’s society. I want to go a little deeper here because I know there are many critics out there who think, today you need two salaries to get by. It does many times, But Zaya also worked almost double shifts (if you see it as work days). Instead of working stamped hours with 8 hours a day Monday to Friday, Zaya instead worked 12-13 hours Monday to Sunday to support the family while Sherry took care of the children.

You could hear in Zayas and Sherry’s voice as they spoke with pride about their children and the individuals they had become as adults.

Before I go into Zaya and Sherry’s family, I want to highlight something that I feel is incredibly important to highlight. Children have become a bit of a status symbol for family in today’s society, it feels like, instead of something sacred and appreciated. Far too many children today are raised by YouTube and social media instead of their parents. They learn their values from a screen that is all too often also a babysitter. They learn their rights from influencers and all too rarely do they learn to dare to be themselves, follow their dreams, work ethic and obligations. If you ask me, this has become a bit of a societal disease that will lead to more young people becoming depressed, unemployment will increase because children today do not learn work ethic and receive support from home, crime will increase because young people want quick money to achieve a certain social status that they have learned to achieve thanks to not learning to distinguish facts from social media and how to achieve real happiness. I strongly believe all of this can be prevented if you take your honor as a parent seriously instead of a job you can take for granted. Children are the future and they are rarely less than a copy of what we have taught them. The work ethic they have is what we show, the self-confidence and self-esteem they get is what we teach them, the love they get is the love they will give, the love they see at home is also the love they will look for.

You wonder why I bring this up in the text about El Septimo, Zaya and Sherry? Quite simply explained, Zaya and Sherry probably have more money in their account than most people will ever earn in their lives, they could undoubtedly have had a nanny and spoiled their children to the limit that no one else could, let them be those spoiled children who never work and glide through life in a way you only see on Youtube. But then the 5 siblings would never have learned to appreciate life the way they do today, looked for thrue love and hand the work etcic as they have. I bring this up with raising children is because despite the “luxury” Mr. and Mrs. Younan could have had with a nanny, the couple chose to raise their children without extra helping hands, they chose, if you ask me, to raise their children in the way the children deserve. Something that most parents in today’s society can but unfortunately too few do. The new nanny they use is often the phone and TV as a babysitter instead of getting involved in their childrens lives.

With pride, Zaya and Sherry talked about their children and what individuals they had become in adulthood.

I’ll give you a small example, as a guy at a young age it’s easy to get swept up in a woman’s beauty. When a mother had been a little nagging their son William about going on a date with her daughter and that they would be a good couple, he looked up the girl’s social media and it turned out that the woman he saw had taken a little too many pictures that he felt indicated poor self-respect. He kindly declined with a post via social media (without mentioning her name) and wrote that before you try to pair your child with someone, you first have to know your child. Zaya and Sherry’s family life had clearly rubbed off on the children and that they are looking for more than the exterior and more the true family value. In addition to their outlook on life, the children have also inherited their parents’ work ethic and are hard workers.

“If life is too easy for the children and they don’t learn from us, then they will never make it the day we pass away” were some of the orders I heard from Zaya. While they were learning what love and family mean, they were also taught how to stand on their own two feet. Zaya and Sherry prepared them for the circle of life, you could say. To make it on their own the day their mother and father pass away.

To dare to be yourself

There is a clip online where Zaya tells how he had guests at his house and when they left his home, they saw his cross on the way out. Zaya usually stops at the cross and says a prayer when he leaves home. The criticism he received for the cross was incredible. Instead of taking the criticism personally, Zaya chose to buy a large statue, put a golden cross in the hand of the statue so that it would be visible from the outside. He showed that no one can judge him and should not.

This part is an incredibly important lesson for children and adults out there today. Zaya didn’t let anyone influence him and who he is with a mark. Today, fewer and fewer people out there in society are themselves. We are influenced by social media on what is right and wrong. There is a fear that I almost feel has become a social disease. A fear of not daring to be yourself thanks to what others tell us about how we should be. Less and less often we ask ourselves, who we are and what we stand for, more and more often we seek a social status that confirms who we are, which means that we are not ourselves. Instead of enjoying life and ourselves, we look more and more often at people on YouTube and their lives, instead of being the main character in our own story. We want to be like others to the point that we have stopped being ourselves. Thanks to this phenomenon, others have also started to judge us. Now the question I have for you is. Why are you afraid of being judged and seeking confirmation from others and not doing what Zaya did with the cross? To put it bluntly, the only person who can judge you is yourself, the only person who knows what you want is yourself. The day you stop trying to show the “perfect” image and show who you are, that day you will find your happiness and see who is fundamentally really by your side.

The faster you understand this, the faster you can also teach your children to become independent individuals who trust themselves and dare to be themselves. Considering how much children sit in front of their phones, computers and TV today, this is one of the most important lessons you can teach them. Do you want your children to listen to others and be shaped by social media or do you want them to one day be proud adults and dare to do what Zaya did, stand up for themselves and be them selfs. Do you want others to decide their beliefs and happiness or should they dare to go inside themselves and find out what makes them happy? Don’t let your children be shaped by social media, let them shape their own future and show them the way.

Now for the part I guess you’ve been waiting for. The story of El Septimo.

You haven’t heard much about El Septimo yet in terms of cigars, but the fact is that you have already taken in a large part of El Septimo’s history without even knowing it. Without even Zaya and Sherry knowing it at the time, the day Zaya and Sherry went to Las Vegas to get married and start a family was the foundation that we know today of El Septimo cigars as a brand that can be purchased by the general public and not just royalty. The foundation that led Zaya to acquire El Septimo was his desire for change when he was 12 years old and traveled to the United States from Iran.

How did Zaya come into contact with El Septimo cigars?

One year on New Year’s, the Younan family was in Prague on New Year’s Day, where it snows every year, except for the year they were there, it never snowed. Wanting to have snow on New Year’s Eve, they decided to go to Berlin by train and celebrate there. After breakfast, Zaya decided to take a few puffs of a cigar as usual and by chance met King Abdul at the elevator. Zaya tried to hide his cigar out of respect for the king, even though he knew the king smoked cigars himself. The king made sure that one of his staff took the cigar and gave him two El Septomo cigars to try. Lightly dressed because he didn’t think he would be out for long, he was shocked by the cigar and stood out longer than intended. Like all wives who care about their husbands, Sherry finally came out and gave Zaya a scolding for standing outside and should have gone inside.

Wanting to have more, Zaya went to a special cigar shop and said he wanted a few boxes of the cigars. It turned out that it was not available for purchase, only royalty had access to El Septimo. Once back at the hotel, he was met by Sherry who told him that someone had left him some boxes of cigars. It turned out that King Abdul himself had made sure that he received a personal delivery of 10 boxes of El Septimo cigars.

I would like to add a little here, that since the day Zaya and Sherry met, they have smoked cigars together. You could say that the moment they smoked cigars with each other was a moment where the world stopped, where they could talk about heaven and earth, a moment to just be Zaya and Sherry.

Time passed and finally the cigars ran out. Zaya came to Sherry one evening as usual with two cigars, although now it was no longer El Septimo. She asked him to get El Septimo and found out that they were out of stock and refused the cigar. At that moment, Zaya knew that there was something special about El Septimo cigars. Zaya tried to order the cigars without success. (now imagine, this is the man who was part of the airbag, managed to buy Opel for GM and was by now a billionaire) El Septomo was pre-ordered by royalty around the world for years to come and was unavailable.

One day in Paris

During a business trip to Paris, Zaya called Sherry and asked if she wanted anything from there. Sherry who never asked for anything and I guess just wanted her husband to come home surprisingly asked for something.

– If you’re going to buy anything, bring some El Septimo cigars.
Thoughts ran through Zaya,
– Again talking about these cigars.

Zaya who knew Sherry rarely asked for anything got an idea! On the way from Paris he told the Pilot to go to Geneva where El Septimo’s headquarters was located, However there was a problem, without special permission you are not allowed to land in Geneva. He talked the pilot into making an emergency landing. As it was said and done, Zaya had given his word that he would take care of all the fees and pay his salary if he lost his pilot’s license and stayed home. They “emergency landed” in Geneva and Zaya was on her way to El Septimo’s headquarters. It was a December day and the snow was like a blanket on the ground. Zaya went to a two-star Michelin restaurant located outside the El Septimo office, asked them to set up a table outside the restaurant and waited for the owner of El Septimo to come out of his office. Once the owner had come out, he asked one of his staff to invite him to his table where he gave him a piece of paper and asked him to write down the amount he was willing to sell the brand for. At that moment Zaya became the new owner of El Septimo and the money was transferred the next day. Not only did he own El Septimo, but that moment was also the beginning of the public having the opportunity to smoke El Septimo cigars.

You might think that Zaya and the Younan family make a lot of money from cigars, but in fact it is one of their businesses that make the least money from but spend most of their time on. They chould spend their time on other businesses that make more money, but still choose to follow their passion in cigars.

When I hear their story, I can’t help but build a definition and the feeling I get from El Septimo. When I look at El Septimo and know their story, it feels like it is a brand that stands for dreams, faith, hope, love and that everything happens for a reason. A brand that reminds me that all dreams are possible and that difficult moments in life are just challenges that need to be solved. A brand that shows that everything in life is possible as long as you dare to be yourself, believe in your ability and strength.

I believe that everything in life happens for a reason and I think El Septimo cigars show it. I will explain in what way. Zayas move from Iran, worked like he did, Sherry choosing her husband over her mother, that they were in Prague or Zaya going on a business trip to Paris. Take one part out of the equation and we would have probably never been able to smoke El Septimo cigars today. The next time something happens in your life, good or bad, try to see it as part of your future. The only thing that determines how it ends is how you choose to deal with that moment and what the future will be like.

Hear parts of our interview here

What defines Zaya in my eyes?

Zaya has said that you are defined by your actions and how people view you.

I have heard many stories in life but this one is deeply rooted in me thanks to everything he has been through and how despite all his tough periods he is a humble person. In business he is probably the worst lion you can meet and you don’t want him as an opponent, but in real life where business is put aside he is one of the humblest people I have had the honor of meeting. Everyone who knows Zaya knows that his faith is not only a part of who he is, but a definition of who he is. Despite being abused throughout his childhood thanks to his faith, he spoke well about all religions (something that others had not done, but were more hateful). His willingness to teach showed that selfishness was not on the map, but a willingness to teach so that fellow human beings can have a better life. He was not arrogant and showed himself to be better than others thanks to his economy (As you see many in the world do), we are equal and had the same value. I want to take another example that really defines Zaya, In a podcast I heard with Zaya as they talked about war, he didn’t take sides, but he saw the suffering of the soldiers on both sides, what I want to say is that he sees the value of people and not unnecessary reasons for the fighting. A man with a straight back and who wants everyone well.

There is a saying in the language, give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life. What I want to say is, take the opportunity to learn now and work to have a better life, because this story shows that anything in life can become a reality, the only thing stopping you is your own mental attitude.

A word of wisdom from Zaya.

– Every day I work to become a better version of myself, for myself, for my family and for society.

I want to thank you Zaya for the time you gave me and the opportunity to write about you and your family. Your story tells the world that anything in life is possible. You may be a rock-hard businessman, but one of the few out there who truly has your heart in the right place. I hope with my hand on my heart, more people will take advantage of your story, lessons and wisdom. Then I know that the world will be a better place for children and adults around the world.