“If you manage to connect people together and they do business, they’re going to come back.” That’s Eman Pulis’s “not so secret sauce.” 🤝
I sat down with Eman Pulis, founder of SiGMA, one of the biggest conferences in the iGaming industry, at his show in Dubai, where I was also a speaker. 🎙️
He shared how SiGMA grew from 1,000 to 25,000 attendees, his regrets, ikigai, hiring and the worst advice he ever got. 🚀
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 🎉 From parties to conferences
- 🌍 How SiGMA expanded to six regions
- 😔 His biggest regret
- 👨👩👧👦 Family and ikigai
- 💼 Culture, hiring and money advice
- 👣 Best and worst advice
🎥 Watch the full episode:
🎉 From Parties to Conferences
“Events are in my DNA.” Eman used to organize parties, stopped enjoying it, and switched to conferences. 🎉
His first conference was in 2014 with about 1,000 people. The last one in Malta had 25,000, and I was there as a speaker. 📈
His secret: curate events so people meet and end up doing business together. Then they come back. 🤝
🌍 How SiGMA Expanded to Six Regions
SiGMA now runs shows in six regions:
- 🇰🇪 Africa: Nairobi, Kenya (March)
- 🇦🇪 Eurasia: Dubai (June)
- 🇧🇷 Americas: São Paulo, Brazil (July)
- 🇵🇭 Asia: Manila, Philippines (September)
- 🇨🇾 Limassol, Cyprus
- 🇲🇹 Malta (November)
Gaming is truly global and isn’t brick and mortar, so it’s easy to enter new markets. Many clients want to expand, and SiGMA helps them. 🌍
The Dubai show was expecting over 12,000 registrations. For another view on running conferences, read Andreas of the European Summit. 🔗
😔 His Biggest Regret
Eman says he still loves the grind. You’ll find him checking booths in the expo hall, chatting with speakers and helping attendees register. 💪
From Malta, he lived in the Philippines for a while until COVID forced him to close the office there. He now lives in Cyprus. He launched SiGMA alone, though he has partners in his VC fund. 🧳
His biggest regret is not seeking help. He never had a job and was sometimes broke and starving at the end of the month, but that meant he didn’t understand how companies work, like what HR or marketing do. He learned everything by trial and error. 😔
👨👩👧👦 Family and Ikigai
He’s married with two kids and takes them on about 70% of his flights, so he balances family and work fairly well. 👨👩👧👦
If he won a jackpot, he’d start a charity foundation. What truly makes him happy is ikigai, the Japanese philosophy his VC fund is named after. It has four elements:
- ❤️ You love what you do
- 🎯 You’re good at it
- 💰 It pays you
- 🌍 It’s good for society
If one is missing, you’ll likely lose motivation. 🧭
💼 Culture, Hiring and Money Advice
- 💸 Financial advice: be resourceful. Don’t celebrate raising money, because it’s investors’ money and you have to return it
- 🏢 Culture: he expects 100% from his team and gives 100% back, including helping with personal or financial issues
- 🔥 Hiring: he asks “What makes you angry?” He wants people with fire and a mission
- 📧 Bad habit: checking emails first thing in the morning. He’d rather start with a workout
For another founder’s take on culture and sacrifice, read Udit Verma of Trackier. 🔗
👣 Best and Worst Advice
His biggest lesson, learned through mistakes: you don’t need to know how to get there. Take the first step, and there will be enough light to learn the journey. 👣
The worst advice: delayed perfection, waiting until it’s perfect. Nothing is perfect. Launch, keep improving and don’t be afraid of risk. 🚫
To attend, visit the SiGMA or AIBC websites, or reach Eman on social media. For more from industry leaders, read Shawn Collins of Affiliate Summit. 🔗
📝 Key Takeaways From the Eman Pulis Interview
- 🤝 Connect people so they do business, and they’ll return
- 🌍 Global, digital industries make expansion easier
- 🙋 Seek help early, especially if you never had a job
- 🧭 Use ikigai to stay motivated
- 💸 Don’t celebrate raising money, celebrate returns
- 👣 Take the first step, skip delayed perfection
❓ FAQs About Eman Pulis
Who is Eman Pulis?
The founder of SiGMA, one of the biggest iGaming conference brands, which he launched on his own. His first conference was in 2014.
How big are SiGMA events?
The first had about 1,000 people. The Malta show had 25,000, and the Dubai show expected over 12,000.
What is ikigai according to Eman Pulis?
A Japanese philosophy: doing what you love, what you’re good at, what pays you and what’s good for society. His VC fund is named after it.
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- Shawn Collins CEO of Affiliate Summit : How To Became Super Affiliate
What’s the first step you’ve been delaying? Share this with a founder waiting for perfect. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.