Last year, the Russian edition of Forbes included Sergei Galitsky in the list of the most influential Russian centuries. There is for that. Galitsky is the brightest example of a self-made businessman who did not participate in privatization, but built a huge company from scratch. In 1998, he opened the first store in Krasnodar, from which the Magnit chain grew, with the largest number of stores across the country and marginality, which forced competitors to bite their elbows. Since 2015, Magnit has been on the list of the world's most innovative companies by the Forbes version.

This year the company was not included in the rating. But Galitsky is no longer headed by Magnit. In February, the businessman shocked both employees of the retailer and outside observers, when, with difficulty holding back tears, he said that he was selling most of his stake in Magnit for VTB for 138 billion rubles. After leaving big business, Galitsky focused on football: in Krasnodar (the billionaire never moved to the capital and lives in his native Kuban) he owns the eponymous football club, he built a stadium in the city worth $ 460 million. Forbes remembered the most vivid statements of Sergei Galitsky.

Better a dirty store with full shelves than beautiful floors and two days without a car [with goods] ... Let the floors be dirty, but there will be products.
 
Friedman formed our complex of losers. We were always the second, they ran after them [X5 Retail Group - Forbes], and now they are close, but here they have another deal to buy a new network and again we have some crazy distance between us. We knew that the chase would be long, but we were too angry to get out. We saw their mistakes, understood that we have chances.

They believe that in Russia you can become successful only with the help of some behind-the-scenes games. We have never been affiliated with anyone, because our business does not require this. Affiliation is an incredible loss of energy: you have to go somewhere, talk with someone.

People are not used to the fact that there is a business. He was never in Russia, and successful people arouse suspicion. Why is socialism good? Because there is no one better than you, you are as poor as everyone, and it's nice.

In business, you can and need to say what you think.

Frequent change of the team of top managers is a big problem. When employees see a strong leader, they start differently at the distance, and when there is constant rotation, managers lose motivation, do not understand for whose sake they work.

I'm not a hero, and if they hit me on the head with a stick, it will hurt me, and I'll say: "Guys, it hurts!" But I'm not an ape, I have to fight my fears.

I let my managers make mistakes. First, then it's nice to jump on them, and secondly, you have to give them the right to make a mistake. It's stupid to learn from other people's mistakes!

I'm from an ordinary family, after the army I worked as a loader for a year, the student was poor. When we began to make "Magnet", I well felt and understood what drives ordinary people.

I just accidentally began to do what was useful in the future, that's all. Two things. First - my father put in me incredible diligence. He mocked me, there was no vacation, I worked all weekend. The second - when I quit football, I took up chess, thanks to which I learned to count quickly. I just slept and played chess. After a year and a half I could play blindly on ten boards. In the seventh and eighth grade, I only dealt with them, I have nothing else in life.

I now caught myself thinking that I did not have breakfast at home on the weekend for the last twenty years. And everyone thinks that businessmen are planes, girls and Cote d'Azur.

I earn money to spend it. I find it strange when people do not like good things. This is a deviation.

Changing the world is definitely not for me, but for Batman.

I thank God ... Though I do not believe in God ... I do not know whom to thank, that I was born at this time in this country. It's an incredible country and an incredible time!

You can not give your money to anyone. If you want to spend money - you spend it yourself, you want to give it to charity - start the Vasi Petechkin Foundation and control it yourself, do it yourself. I will spend all my money during my life.

The main thing is not to invest in what everyone sees. You will never have a better restaurant, the best car wash, tire fitting, because there is incredible competition. You need to look for those niches that are hidden, invisible

In general, the role of people in business is exaggerated. If the system is created correctly, it generates the desire to achieve results.

I am always skeptical about the boards of directors. People come who do not do this business at all and will tell me what to do ?! Well, let me now go to the doctor and tell him how to operate. Boards of directors work where owners do not run a business.

In business there is no question of successor. I'm not interested in what will happen after me. Why should I care?

In business, one should not be afraid to go out every day with an open visor and have a chance to lose everything. When you are afraid of losing everything, you must admit that you already do not have the will that was. We must respect ourselves. We must believe in ourselves.

You will laugh, but I try to do business honestly. Basically, we must be honest and do honest business. Because it's more pleasant.

Why constantly be a coolie? I do not understand high in a business where you can not defeat your competitor's intellect.

I do not relate to the claim to this state. Do not demand more from this state than it can give. We always compare ourselves with old democracies. Many admire the English queen, but let's remember how she distributed the English lands to her closest associates and what her ancestors in India, for example, did in the eighteenth century. That is, we are just as young a state [as then England. - Forbes]. Our state does exactly what is peculiar to the state at this stage of development.

I was born a businessman. Would be an artist - would be unhappy. Would be a journalist - would be unhappy. If he were a politician, he would be unhappy. Everyone must learn to live up to their craft. We in Russia are all specialists of a wide range. But exactly what we have to do, we do badly. When they say to me: "Perhaps your next goal is politics," it insults me incredibly. Because I believe that there is nothing higher than my craft.

I live in Krasnodar, and I do not like Soviet architecture in the city. But I can hide it with the right gardening. It will cost $ 4-5 billion. I want to build a good university in Krasnodar, a good school in Krasnodar, so that the rich do not send their children abroad - it will cost half a billion more. At the same time, I should not lose control of the company. I do not have enough money, I'm terrified all the time!

You need to be calm and patient, trying every day to improve this country a little. This way is more correct, albeit slow, but there are no other ways. We are the next century in a series of centuries. We should not care what will be written about us in history textbooks. We should be interested in today's quality of life of our people. With such natural resources, with such intellectually developed people, we deserve a better life. That's what we all need to strive for.

I live in Russia, it has its own characteristics, and I do not want to look blissful. If you think that Jesus Christ is sitting before you, you went into that office. I'm an ordinary person with a bunch of mistakes. We take hundreds of decisions every day, of them, probably, 49 erroneous. Then we pay for these mistakes, we break our heads, how to fix everything.