Hotelier and former FC Barcelona president Joan Gaspart was the featured speaker at this month’s AIJEC Experience Luncheon, in a session marked by candor and lessons learned from his professional career. The event, held the day after the FC Barcelona elections, also touched on current events. Gaspart confessed that, despite not considering himself a “Laporta supporter,” he chose to back the current president because of his experience leading the institution, which he considers crucial in complex times.
With a long and distinguished career, Gaspart has firsthand experience of the challenges of family businesses, managing in highly competitive environments, and making decisions under pressure. These were the central themes of his presentation, in which he shared lessons learned and reflections with the fifty or so young entrepreneurs in attendance.
During the conversation, the entrepreneur shared his unique 20/80 rule as a formula for avoiding business failure: dedicate 20% of your time to activities that bring personal enjoyment, even if they aren’t profitable, and 80% to working passionately on the business project.
Gaspart also reflected on the importance of learning from the most difficult moments, asserting that the most challenging stages of his journey have allowed him to develop a stronger understanding of leadership, crisis management, and reputation.
Regarding reputation, he spoke frankly about the vanity and ego that often accompany media figures like himself, emphasizing the need to put personal prominence aside and focus on the project and its growth.
Passion was the common thread throughout his presentation, which concluded with a clear message for the new generation: “We shouldn’t just come here to explain our successes, but also our mistakes, because the new generation of entrepreneurs doesn’t make the same ones.”