My commencement speech

Dear students,

It is a privilege to stand before you on such an important occasion. Graduation is an achievement worth celebrating. My name is Albi Zhulali, a former UET student, an entrepreneur, and someone who has walked the path that you are beginning today.

I have to be honest: I have failed far more than I have succeeded. Over the years, I have started several businesses. Most of them failed. Some had little success, and a few others were successful. But here is what’s most important: you only need to be right once. No matter how many failures you face, that one success can change everything. And this is the key lesson I want to share with you today: persistence is the most important quality you will need after you leave here.

Today marks the end of your formal education, but it is not the end of learning. In fact, true learning begins now. The world you are entering is tough, dynamic, and unpredictable. If you intend to start your own business, I want to tell you that it won’t be easy.

Starting a business, on the contrary, is hard. Very hard. There will be moments when you doubt everything, when doubt creeps in, and you’ll ask yourself: “Is this worth it?” I can tell you from my experience that there will be long periods where your employees will make much more money than you. As the leader of an enterprise, every day, the staff will come to you only with problems or bad news that need to be solved by you.

You will face judgment. People will talk about you. They will create stories in their minds about you. Some will doubt your decisions. Some will criticize your choices, and even your closest friends and family might not understand your journey. They will question why you are dedicating so much time to something that doesn’t seem to be working yet. My advice: don’t pay attention to the noise. Don’t get distracted by what others say or think. Stay focused on your vision, mission, and purpose. This clarity will be your guiding light, even in the hardest moments.

In pursuing your goals, you will lose friends. You will lose time with family. You may lose relationships. And there will be times when people around you will say: “I told you it wouldn’t work.” But every time you fail, every time you don’t succeed, you will learn something new. Something that will make you stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for the next challenge.

Let me give you a simple truth about entrepreneurship: it’s a lonely road. There will be times when you feel like no one understands the pressure you carry on your shoulders. Times when it feels like the world is against you. But even in those moments, especially in those moments, you must keep going. Keep pushing forward. When you feel like you’re ready to give up, when you feel like you can’t go on anymore, that’s when you are closer to success than you think.

I’m not saying this to scare you, but to prepare you. Because despite the challenges, the sacrifices, and the sleepless nights, the rewards of building something of your own are great. It’s not just about financial success, although that will come in time. It’s about the feeling of accomplishment, the knowledge that you built something from nothing, that you contributed to the world in a meaningful way.

You are graduating with the skills and knowledge to face the world. But I repeat, education does not end today. It is an ongoing process. The world changes quickly, especially in business. New technologies, new markets, and new challenges will always emerge. And if you want to succeed, you must always be learning, always adapting. The mindset of a student is something you should never lose.

For some of you, the future may be uncertain. You may not know exactly what you want to do next. Don’t worry. The path is not always clear from the start. But whatever you choose, whether it’s starting your own business or working for someone else, approach it with dedication, hard work, and persistence.

To conclude, I want to leave you with one final thought: believe in yourself. No matter how many obstacles you face, no matter how hard it gets, you have the power within you to achieve great things. You have the ability to impact the lives of others, to build businesses, and to create solutions for problems the world hasn’t even imagined yet.

So, to all of you, graduates, dreamers, future business leaders, take the first step with courage, and when you stumble, because you will, get back up again. Keep moving forward. Keep learning. And remember, you only need to be right once to change everything.

Congratulations to you all. I wish you nothing but success on the exciting journey that lies ahead.

Thank you.