STYL
For Luck and Success in
Georgia
David Maceček, 24, was born in Ostrava and studied at the 1st International School of Ostrava from
2009-2017. He currently lives in Georgia, has his own company, STRATOS, which helps clients
with real estate investments, is launching the real estate portal NoAgent.ge and completing his
Master's degree in business administration at The University of Georgia.
Mr Maceček, why Georgia?
My first choice to study abroad was
Canada. I have loved the mountains since
I was a child and Canada is a promised
land for me. At the same time, however,
my father became interested in Georgia
through business. He has been traveling
to Georgia since 2010 and was always
excited about the visit. Therefore, when
he planned his business trip in 2017, he
asked me if I wanted to go with him. After
returning to the Czech Republic, I had two
choices — go to Canada, a country that is
economically advanced, graduate from
a university and get a lucrative job, or go
to Georgia, a country with an emerging
market that offers more chances to do
business. As you know, I chose the second
option. So I applied for a Bachelor's degree
in business administration at The University
of Georgia, was accepted, and moved to
Tbilisi on 20 August 2017.
What does this country mean to you?
Most Czechs don't know much about
Georgia. If someone had asked me what
I thought of when Georgia was named,
I would say shacks and an undeveloped
civilization. However, the opposite is true!
When I first arrived in Tbilisi, the capital
of Georgia, I was surprised. Beautiful
buildings, great infrastructure, luxury shops
and a rich history. It is surprising how little
information there is about this beautiful
country in the Czech Republic.
You are a graduate of the 1st International
School of Ostrava (ISO). How has this
school helped you achieve your life
success?
When I started ISO, I didn't know much
English and the idea of living abroad was
unthinkable for me. However, the daily
teaching of subjects in English, an emphasis
on presentations, project learning,
communication and opportunities to
actively participate in school events
changed everything. I would say that,
thanks to these aspects of education
at ISO, I learned to present in a foreign
language at the level of a native speaker
and to present myself confidently. For
96 ǀ POSITIV 1/2022
If anyone is considering
“studying
the Diploma
Programme, I personally
definitely recommend it.
It will make life
at university easier.
”
me, these are the two most important
competencies that a person can learn in
their youth. It gave me enough confidence
to try to study abroad.
I must also say that the decision to study
IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma
Programme) in the last two years at ISO
was the best I could take. Thanks to the IB,
Bachelor's studies were a breeze. Everything
we did here within the IB curriculum made
my life at the university easier and gave me
enough free time to come up with business
opportunities. Thanks to the extended essay,
writing a Bachelor's thesis was a pleasant
affair. Information retrieval, text formatting,
citation formatting, I already knew all that.
If anyone is considering studying
the Diploma Programme, I personally
definitely recommend it. It will make life
at university easier.
You are a successful businessman in
Georgia. How did you get into your
business in this area?
I spent the first half year in Georgia in
a rented room measuring 3x3 meters but
I quickly got tired of it so started exploring
the local real estate market. I found that
apartment prices are low and rents high,
which came to me as a very interesting
investment opportunity. I convinced my
father to lend me capital to buy my first
investment apartment. Thanks to this,
I went through the whole process of
buying real estate. Georgia is very ahead
in this regard; thanks to digitalization, a few
documents are enough, the transcription
of the property takes two hours and all
the information is searchable online. After
acquiring my first investment property,
I realized that I could offer these services
to clients who want to invest in real estate,
so I started my own company. STRATOS
offers services and advice on buying
investment property in Georgia. I help
clients choose the best real estate with
the possibility of an annual dividend of
up to 8% p.a. from the purchase price
of the property. Additionally, I also offer
property management, find clients' tenants,
take care of any problems or requirements
and the client can be at home and watch
how the rent goes to the account.
Is there an interest in your services?
The interest is getting bigger and bigger
every year, mostly the purchase of real
estate to own, but the interest in investment
real estate for rent is also growing.
I currently manage seven investment
properties and I hope to exceed ten by
the end of the year.
Mr Maceček, thank you for the interview.