Selim Şankaya, CEO of Jade Textile: Each week, My Morning Routine looks at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions just for fun. Speaking to us this week is Selim Şankaya, CEO of Jade Textile (LinkedIn). Edited excerpts from our conversation:

I'm Selim Şankaya. CEO of Jade Textile. I’m from Turkey. I studied at an American high school in Istanbul and then went to Bocconi University in Italy, where I lived for five years. After graduating, I started a company with two friends in Milan. We established a new payment system that enables people to pay for many things — including mobile bills and utilities — using pay box machines instead of going to the post office. It was one of my first business experiences. After that, I sold my shares in the company and returned to Turkey to join my family business.

We produce sportswear apparel for some of the world's leading brands, such as Nike and Under Armour, and premium brands, like Tommy Hilfiger and Lacoste. My father started operations in Egypt in 2008, and I could see the potential for our business and how much more it could grow in Egypt, so I decided to come and lead our company here. We expanded the business and increased our capacity six times in eight years with the help of our strong team here.

We ship our goods from Egypt to the world, and that’s actually our company's motto: From Egypt to the world. We have gone through quite a nice journey, and we still see big potential here. Hopefully, we'll be growing more. I’m the third generation of my family's company, and I’m also acting as the co-CEO of the mother company, Yeşim Textile.

My grandfather started the business, and his story goes back to 1958 when he first moved from the Greek border to Bursa in Turkey, my hometown. He started working in a fabric store in the Grand Bazaar, then slowly set up his own store and then went into production. He began by producing fabric and home textiles. Then we became a bigger brand and started exporting. But, as the second generation, my father was the one who transitioned the company from home textiles to apparel.

He started doing polo shirts, then moved on to a wider range of products, and Turkey was booming in textiles at the time, so we grew with that. Then we saw an opportunity in Egypt to supply the American market while also having a large workforce and manpower.

My responsibility extends to most parts of the business. I’m responsible for all our operations — our manufacturing, sales, marketing, and finance, as well as our strategic five-year plan. Currently, Jade Textiles is the biggest ready-to-wear exporter in Egypt.

I’m definitely a morning person. I love to wake up early no matter when I go to bed, and I love to start my day with sports. I exercise five out of seven days a week. I start my day with a workout session, depending on my location. If I’m in Egypt, I begin with a gym session, and when I’m in Turkey, I run. In the summertime, I swim. I also love playing tennis.

After that, I start by writing my three intentions for the day. This was something I took from a training I had with Nike. Writing my three intentions or three must-dos for the day keeps me more concentrated and allows me to stick to my purpose. Your intention could be a feeling you want to have, a task you want to complete, or a message you want to give to a certain person. They should be the three things you want to take from that day, accomplish, or give to the world.

I always have breakfast, even if I don't have any time. I have to have coffee or a small biscuit before starting my day. Another thing I do is start with the most difficult or challenging task and get it out of the way. Maybe that's why I do sports first, too (laughs).

I usually go to the office around 8:30-9am, and go through the day's schedule with my assistant. My target is to have at most four meetings in one day, so I can also take some time to complete personal goals and tasks, which is difficult in today’s rapidly changing world, amid customer expectations, surprises, and macroeconomic conditions, especially after covid.

In the evening, I love spending time with my family. When I’m here in Egypt, I love spending time with my friends, and occasionally, we have customer visits or team dinners.

Going through my emails is the one constant in my workday. Playing sports is a constant in my personal life, and staying in touch with friends and family to share my experiences and emotions is a constant in my social life.

I stay focused and organized by writing my daily tasks. That keeps me focused and disciplined in balancing my time and helps me stay in touch with my purpose.

The most important thing is to have a light mind and get things out of your system. Sometimes you do that through sports or socializing; sometimes, you do this just by being direct. Just throw it out of your system, and be honest; that helps you stay focused.

I come from a very happy family, and I'm a family person. Even though I'm social and like to spend time with my friends, my family is always my anchor. So hopefully, soon, I would love to start my own family — inshallah, as you say here in Egypt.

When work is done, I love eating good food — all kinds, from street food to family cooking. One of my all-time favorite dishes is koshari. My favorite cuisine is Turkish food, but in Egypt, it’s koshari.

And I like to read before going to bed. I always go to sleep by reading a book that makes me relaxed. In the summertime, I love to be in nature. I love to be in the desert or by the sea — wherever it is open air.

One of the best books I read in the last three years was Shoe Dog, the memoir by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Maybe I particularly enjoyed it because of my business. He talks about Nike's journey, the challenges he went through, and how life can bring you opportunities in the form of challenges.

Another book I enjoyed is Kaizen. It's about continuously improving yourself every day, one step at a time, and how you should always have a big purpose and goal. I'm currently reading The Four Agreements, which is also a great book.

My father and grandfather are my biggest role models in life. They always told me that reputation is everything. So be honest at all times, in both business and social settings, and be kind to everyone. My grandfather also gave me another piece of advice that I'll never forget. He would say the hand that gives is the hand that receives. So always be the giver. Life is not about material things, it's about feelings and sharing your heart with people.