Hello Gianni, it's a pleasure to have you here on Hotpot Italia. I'm really happy. Today we'll have a nice chat. I'll ask you some questions about your personal and professional journey, and also about your daily life, aspects that sometimes don't emerge from the many interviews you give. Are you ready?
Ready. My comfort food is tortellini with cream, not in broth. I love them, I cooked them the day before yesterday.
Going back to the past, let's talk about young Gianni. If you could go back and see yourself at 15, would he be proud of you? What would he say? What path did he want to take?
I was so lucky that at 15 I never imagined I would create what I have. I had my scooter, I was happy. I remember at 14 I went to buy my scooter with all my money. Honestly, I didn't think about the future, I just wanted to have fun. I never thought I'd be here today or have done all these interviews or built this group.
You're from Rome but live in Milan and travel a lot. If you could drop everything and do something else, what would you do and where?
I'm already doing it. A few years ago I bought a ruin near my house in Sardinia, rebuilt it, and during COVID I played foreman. I enjoyed it so much that I've bought and renovated more houses. If I had to dream of a life without work, it would be continuing that path in Sardinia. I love building; my grandfather wanted me to be an engineer. Now I design houses myself, copying from Pinterest. That, along with my family and work, makes me truly satisfied.
Let's get back to more finance-oriented questions. You are founder, president, and CEO of TIP, Tambour Investment Partner, an Italian industrial group. Your investment approach goes against the grain of classic finance and private equity. When you were in your first year of university, what job did you want to do?
I started working long before university. At 11 or 12 I sold cigarettes at a tobacconist during summer holidays, then ski boots at Christmas, and I started a small advertising agency with friends. I've always loved doing things. In my first year of university, I realized attending wasn't that useful, so I started working seriously in consulting. I understood that Italy has three pillars to play on: enormous savings, undercapitalized companies, and financial markets not worthy of today's Italy. I began dreaming of something that would combine these.
What did you learn from those early jobs?
Be simple, talk little, listen a lot, and be direct. One of the most useful things I learned is to look at a company's balance sheet with just three items: assets, liabilities, and income statement. No detailed analysis with percentages. Keep it simple.
Everyone talks about the secrets of success. What mistakes should one make?
The answer is the same: don't be complicated, don't get lost in chatter. We are 15 people in the office with 30 holdings, the group's value is about 3 billion. We created something relatively big for Italy with few people and few intuitions, always getting to the point. That's the secret: have ideas, right or wrong, and pursue them to the end.
You invest in many companies. Which are your favorites? And can you associate a fun episode?
At over 70, I've lived many things. My current wow project is DEX Clans. It was called Italian Design Brands, which meant nothing. We changed the name to something that immediately explains what's inside. Changing the name of a listed company is a big mess, but it was a courageous episode. I'm putting a lot of time and passion into it, driven by my love for houses, construction, and design. I also contributed to OVS's transformation into a multibrand, total look concept with 1,500 stores.
Let's move to the personal side. What is the most important lesson you wanted to share with your family, and what have they taught you?
Children give you a lot because they are a ruthless comparison. At work everyone tells you you're great, but children tell you the truth. They taught me to be more self-critical and attentive. The advice I try to give them is to be simple, direct, get to the point, waste little time on social media, and go do things. I believe doing is more important than talking. I write books and give interviews because I think those who have been lucky should contribute in every form.
Absolutely not. In Milan I can do 12-13 appointments a day. In Rome people arrive late, traffic is complicated, and the attitude is more relaxed. Rome has been rich for thousands of years and lives on inheritance. Milanese earn their life. A joke I often make with Alessandra: in Milan if you're invited at 9, you must be there at 9; in Rome if you arrive at 9, they're still in the shower. At 9:05 the Milanese has risotto on the table; the Roman is just getting out of the shower.
Have you ever received bad advice from mentors? And what good advice was fundamental?
