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Eyvah Girişimci Oldum

A book by Serhat Duyar

Eyvah Girişimci Oldum

Roughly: “Oh no, I’ve become an entrepreneur!” The book is in Turkish.

So that you never have to say “oh no”, it pays to know a few truths before you set out: motivation gets you started, discipline keeps you going; customers pay not for an idea but for a solution to their problem.

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Cover of Eyvah Girişimci Oldum: the title in yellow letters on blue and the author’s name, Serhat Duyar, above an illustration of an entrepreneur beside a screen ringed by rising arrows.

The book

This book is so you don’t have to say “oh no”.

Start-ups built with endless effort close, founders worn out by the struggle give up, brilliant teams fall apart — and most of it passes in silence. This book was written so as not to be part of that silence, and so that you never have to say “oh no” at the end of the road.

Speaking above all to young talent, to those leaving corporate life to become entrepreneurs, and to those who have not been able to take their venture where they aimed, this book was written to help you take firmer steps by learning from experience.

In this book, Serhat Duyar brings together what he learned over a 23-year journey in entrepreneurship as a founder, manager, investor, consultant and trainer. On entrepreneurship alone, 3,796 online and in-person meetings, 771 hours of training, hundreds of questions and answers and what he saw in the field showed him the same truth again and again: just as successful start-ups share common traits, failed start-ups repeat the same mistakes. The difference is preparation, discipline and the right positioning.

Details

Author
Serhat Duyar
Language
Turkish
Publisher
BKY-Babıali Kültür Yayıncılığı
First edition
October 2026
Pages
392
Genre
Business and economics

Where to buy

Serhat Duyar, smiling, in a navy jacket and a black T-shirt.

Author

Serhat Duyar

Entrepreneurship consultant · Founder of Tekno Girişim Akademisi

With more than 25 years of field and management experience in entrepreneurship, business development and SME consulting, Serhat Duyar has worked in sales, marketing, dealer and franchise networks and corporate communications, over a career that runs from traditional trade to technology entrepreneurship.

As the founder of Tekno Girişim Akademisi, Duyar provides training, mentoring and consulting for founders as they develop their business models, commercialise, raise funding and scale.

An accredited SME consultant, a TÜBİTAK mentor and an independent evaluator for KOSGEB, Duyar has held a range of roles at many technology development zones and TEKMER incubators, and has worked with hundreds of founders.

Within the Ministry of National Education’s ETKİM Project, he supports education-technology start-ups as a trainer and consultant. He also trains and advises in education and entrepreneurship programmes run by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Emlak Konut and KADEM.

A graduate of Anadolu University’s Department of Economics, Duyar completed his master’s degree in Business Administration at Yalova University. His academic work centres on entrepreneurship, the ethics of competition and the start-up ecosystem; his master’s thesis examined the difficulties start-ups in Türkiye face as they are founded and commercialised.

Duyar serves on the boards and high advisory councils of several associations, and writes for publications on entrepreneurship and the business ecosystem.

Focused on passing his knowledge and experience on to the growth of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, Duyar carries out his work with an approach of “learning, applying and sharing”.

Real entrepreneurship demands patience as much as excitement, calculation as much as courage, and discipline as much as dreams.

Dr. Alaattin Büyükkaya - Founder of Merkez Sigorta

From the book

  1. Think big, start small.

    In entrepreneurship the costliest mistakes are rarely the big wrong decisions; they are the steps taken in a hurry.

  2. The other half of the apple.

    If one half of the apple is making and developing the product, the other half is developing and commercialising the business. We cannot commercialise with half an apple.

  3. A solution for everyone is a solution for no one.

    If a start-up says it appeals to everyone, it most likely does not yet know whom it appeals to.

As a former sailor, I can say that this book is more than a compass: it is a lighthouse as well.

Nuri Murat Avcı - Licensed Angel Investor · Chair of the Board, TÜGİM
Serhat Duyar, smiling, a tablet in his hands, in front of a navy backdrop. Beside him, a chat with his digital twin, in Turkish: questions about investment programmes, product positioning and the founding team, and the twin’s answers.

Digital twin

Serhat Duyar’s
Digital Twin
for Your Questions

A gift with the book: a 20-question entrepreneurship consultation with Serhat Duyar’s AI-assisted digital twin. Your single-use password is inside the book.

Sample questions

  • Will this business work?
  • Where should I start?
  • Who should be on my founding team?

Open the chat with the button in the bottom-right corner.

How your personal data is processed: Digital Twin Privacy Notice · Digital Twin Explicit Consent

News

From the book’s journey

News and announcements about Eyvah Girişimci Oldum.

  • The Bookworms Have Chosen: Eyvah Girişimci Oldum!

    The poll Kitapyurdu ran on its WhatsApp channel, “Which book should be half its cover price?”, has closed.

    With your support, Eyvah Girişimci Oldum came first and earned the chance to reach its readers at 50% off.

    My heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted, shared our messages, passed them on to friends and stood behind the book along the way.

    Reaching its readers is a journey of its own, every bit as much as writing and publishing a book. What makes this result precious to me is the support and solidarity that have gathered behind the book.

    I am so glad you are here. Thank you very much for your support.

    Serhat DuyarEyvah Girişimci Oldum

    Kitapyurdu’s “WhatsApp discount poll results” graphic: “Kitapkurtları Seçti: Eyvah Girişimci Oldum” (“The bookworms have chosen”), the book’s cover and a “250.00 TL, half the list price” tag, with the terms of the discount below.Kitapyurdu’s WhatsApp discount poll poster: four candidate books under “Hangi kitap, etiket fiyatının yarısı olsun?” (“Which book should be half its cover price?”); the first is Eyvah Girişimci Oldum.

Events

Book signings and talks

Meet Serhat Duyar about the book, in person and online.

Event calendar

  • Talk and signing

    Talk and Book Signing at the İnegöl Book Days

    Sunday · 14:00–16:00

    Kültür Park İçi Fuar Alanı, İnegöl

    1. 14:00–15:00 · Talk

      Kültür Park İçi Fuar Alanı

    2. 15:00–16:00 · Book signing

      Babıali Kültür Yayıncılığı stand no. C-1

    Add to calendar

    On the last day of the 10th İnegöl Book Days (30 October – 8 November), we are in İnegöl with a vision of entrepreneurship and strategy. Two authors come together at the meeting: entrepreneurship consultant and author Serhat Duyar with “Eyvah Girişimci Oldum”, and academic, entrepreneur and author Dr. Hakan Aslan with “Adım Adım Strateji” (“Step by Step Strategy”).

    A talk comes first, then a book signing at the Babıali Kültür Yayıncılığı stand. We would be delighted to have you among us at our talk and signing.

    The event’s poster: under “Girişimcilik ve Strateji Vizyonuyla İnegöl’deyiz” (“We’re in İnegöl with a vision of entrepreneurship and strategy”), Serhat Duyar and Dr. Hakan Aslan smile side by side with their book covers. On the left, the meeting’s day, times and signing stand; in the lower corner, the logo of the 10th İnegöl Book Days.

Past events

Photos and notes from the events we took part in.

  • Talk and signing

    Talk and Book Signing at the Kocaeli Book Fair

    8 October 2026

    Kocaeli Kongre Merkezi, Kocaeli

    The talk in the Karamürsel Alp Salonu: Serhat Duyar speaking in front of the “Uluslararası Kocaeli Kitap Fuarı” screen, the hall full of listeners.Serhat Duyar on stage with a microphone; the screen behind him shows the fair’s name and dates, and the book and his name card stand on the table.Serhat Duyar speaking at the talk, with listeners in the foreground.Serhat Duyar signing a reader’s copy of Eyvah Girişimci Oldum.A group photograph on stage after the talk: Serhat Duyar with attendees, some of them holding the book.A group photograph behind the talk’s table: Serhat Duyar seated in the middle, attendees around him with their copies of the book.
    The First Talk and Book Signing for “Eyvah Girişimci Oldum” Took Place at the Kocaeli Book Fair

    Serhat Duyar’s first book, “Eyvah Girişimci Oldum”, met its readers at the Kocaeli Book Fair. The first talk and signing, held at the Kocaeli Kongre Merkezi on Thursday, 8 October 2026, drew a warm response. Readers who visited the book’s stand had the chance to talk with Duyar and get to know the book up close.

    The talk, held in the Karamürsel Alp Salonu under the title “From an Idea to a Real Venture”, was best summed up by the sentence that explains why the book was written: “I wrote this book so that no one has to say ‘eyvah’.” (“Eyvah” is Turkish for “oh no”.) Duyar spoke about the value of thinking through the problems an entrepreneurial journey can bring before they arrive, and of setting out prepared.

    Saying how glad he was at the interest the book had met in its first three days, Duyar thanked his readers. After the talk he signed readers’ copies at stand 42B in B Salonu, and the meeting carried on in conversations about entrepreneurship and the book.

    The event also introduced the AI-powered digital twin that comes as a gift with the book. Reached through the QR code on the back cover, it lets readers put their questions about entrepreneurship to Serhat Duyar’s digital twin. The one-time code inside the book opens a 20-question entrepreneurship consultation.

    During the talk a university student was given a copy of the book, and the digital twin was tried out live. Attendees could see how a question that comes up while reading can be put to the digital twin, and answered on the spot.

    While “Eyvah Girişimci Oldum” invites its readers to think about entrepreneurship, the digital twin lets them carry that thinking on with their own questions. The first meeting at the Kocaeli Book Fair was a special beginning: the book’s conversation with its readers, continued face to face.

  • Talk

    The Launch of Serhat Duyar’s Digital Twin

    8 October 2026

    Kocaeli Kongre Merkezi, Kocaeli

    Introducing the digital twin: a speaker with a microphone and the book addresses the hall while Serhat Duyar listens behind him.A university student is given a copy of Eyvah Girişimci Oldum at the talk, with Serhat Duyar beside them.The student, book in hand, tries the digital twin on a phone.The hall looks on as the student puts a question to the digital twin on a phone, with Serhat Duyar standing by.The live trial in front of the “Uluslararası Kocaeli Kitap Fuarı” screen: the student using the digital twin on a phone.
    A First in Türkiye: Serhat Duyar’s AI-Powered Digital Twin Launched at the Kocaeli Book Fair

    Entrepreneurship consultant and author Serhat Duyar brought his AI-powered app, which he presented as the first digital twin built for an author in Türkiye, to his readers at the Kocaeli Book Fair on 8 October 2026.

    Launched at the talk “From an Idea to a Real Venture” in the Karamürsel Alp Salonu, the digital twin brings together Duyar’s knowledge, experience and consulting approach in entrepreneurship with artificial intelligence.

    The most striking moment of the launch came when a university student tried the digital twin live. The student, who had been given a copy of “Eyvah Girişimci Oldum” during the talk, put questions about entrepreneurship to the digital twin and got answers on the spot, so the audience could see for themselves how the app works.

    The digital twin, which comes as a gift with “Eyvah Girişimci Oldum”, is reached through the QR code on the back of the book and the one-time code inside it. Readers can use it for a 20-question, AI-powered entrepreneurship consultation.

    Bringing publishing, entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence together, the app lets readers carry on, with their own questions, the learning journey the book begins.

From readers

In readers’ words

Notes, questions and the “oh no” moments of those who have read the book.

  • “Girişimciliğin gerçeklerini bir tokat gibi yüzümüze çarpan bir kitap. Okurken bir yandan ‘Tüm bunlar neden benim başıma geliyor?’ dediğiniz hemen hemen her konuda aslında yalnız olmadığınızı fark edip rahatlayacak, bir yandan da henüz karşılaşmadığınız durumlar için düşüncelere dalacaksınız. Gerçek ve üst düzey bir deneyim paylaşımı…”
    Dr. Hakan Aslan
  • “Kitabı merak ederek aldım ama satın alma kararımda dijital ikiz deneyiminin de etkisi oldu. Kitapla birlikte girişimcilikle ilgili 20 soru sorabileceğiniz yapay zekâ destekli bir danışmanlık deneyimi sunuluyor. Okuduklarınızı kendi sorularınızla devam ettirebilmek güzel düşünülmüş. Kitapla teknolojiyi bir araya getiren farklı ve yenilikçi bir çalışma olmuş.”
    Sevil Demirel
  • “‘Eyvah Girişimci Oldum’, pratik öğretilerle girişimciler ve girişimcilerin yolculuğuna ortak olan herkesin keyifle okuyacağı bir kitap. Bu alandaki kitap öneri listeme ekledim.”
    Dr. Tuğçe Aslan
  • “Girişim kurmak; fikrin belirlenmesinden olgunlaşmasına, güçlü yanları kadar eksikleri de iyi tanımaya kadar uzanan çok yönlü ve zorlu bir süreç. ‘Eyvah Girişimci Oldum’ kitabı; problem, pazar ve müşteri gibi kritik konuları ele alan, her girişimcinin okuması gereken değerli bir çalışma olmuş. Özellikle yeni başlayan girişimlerde dikkat edilmeyen ama ilerde sıkıntı olabilecek pek çok konuda farkındalık kazanmanızı sağlıyor. Başta yeni girişimciler ve girişimci olmayı düşünenler olmak üzere tüm girişimcilere tavsiye ederim. Kıymetli Hocam’a başarılarının devamını ve nice yeni eserler diliyorum.”
    Enver Yılmaz

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