Welcome back to another episode of "No Money But Dreams," our guest today is Mahdi Sheifi the founder of Trifid Media, a creative agency which he started in 2018 ! 

In this episode we discuss how Advertising & Marketing has gone from print & publishing to fully digital & online, as well as tips & tricks to stay ahead in this new digital age. 

Hope you enjoy this chat with Mahdi Sheifi !

00:01:13 The text discusses key points for starting and scaling a business, acknowledging that most people fail at entrepreneurship.

00:05:47 Competition in Abu Dhabi's coffee shop and burger joint market limits profitability and scalability, making franchising a more logical option.

00:08:54 Operating with fewer employees reduces drama and distractions for founders. Being relentless and passionate increases the chances of success.

00:12:24 To make money, create something people want and understand the market demand. Align your passion and knowledge with market opportunities. Large markets attract investment.

00:15:58 Misunderstanding wealth creation; wealth is abundant, not a zero-sum game. Steve Jobs improved lives with iPhone.

00:18:32 Celebrities with large audiences can promote products and help companies go to market faster.

00:22:13 To succeed in tech startups, consider making your product sticky by targeting regular activities or providing social proof.

00:25:34 Porsche and Louis Vuitton retain their value by making small, incremental changes to their products over time, keeping their shape and materials consistent. This strategy appeals to customers and benefits the companies.

00:29:47 Creating real wealth involves aiming for monopoly and escaping competition by finding unique solutions to problems, leading to successful businesses. Failed companies do not escape competition. Check out Paul Graham's essays and podcasts for more insights.

Marisa was a fantastic guest. We had an eye opening discussion on how Dubai is changing, how diversity impacts the bottom line and she's trying to build the next generation of leaders. 

Please like, share and subscribe and give her podcast a listen. You'll find it on Spotify under Marisa Kamall "You've got Game". 

00:00 - 01:52 Diversity in the Middle East
01:52 - 03:13 Why Marisa left her corporate job and started a consultancy
03:13 - 05:50 Wonders of Dubai: The lastest wave of Tech talent coming
05:51 - 11:02 The importance of diversity in Dubai
11:02 - 14:12 Exploring Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the UAE
14:12 - 15:34 How a tech entrepreneur transformed the UAE's economy?
15:34 - 17:52 Have You Got the Diversity You Need?
17:52 - 22:07 Have we reached a tipping point in leadership?
22:08 - 23:17 Mentoring at the Senior Director level
23:17 - 28:00 How to Build Trust in the Organization?
28:00 - 31:12 PODCAST: The passion of Dubai

Really enjoyed this conversation with Bassem Johar who is a dear friend of mine & the founder of Cali Poke, a QSR concept based in the UAE which does over 1,000 orders per day from 9 locations. 

This conversation dives into a bit of the history of Cali Poke, How Bassem started the business, how he views the restaurant industry in general & some key tips on how he plans to build & scale his brand into the future. 

0:00 - Introduction
0:32 - Challenges of operating in the F&B industry
2:49 - Importance of logistics and supply chain management
5:21 - Complexity of running a restaurant business
6:47 - Need for in-depth marketing skills
8:11 - Dealing with unexpected expenses and maintenance issues
9:41 - Hands-on approach to fit-outs and cost reduction
12:15 - Personal example of hands-on involvement in construction
15:30 - Benefits and flexibility of standalone structures
17:26 - Pitfalls of building out shell and core locations
19:32 - Lessons learned from a specific location in Al Barari
22:06 - The significance of consistency in customer satisfaction
24:12 - Managing customer expectations and quality control
27:19 - Balancing cost and quality in ingredient sourcing
30:23 - Factors influencing the cost of opening a restaurant in Dubai
32:52 - Importance of understanding your budget and options
35:25 - Maintaining a high rating on aggregators like Deliveroo
38:08 - Importance of consistency in all aspects of the business
40:01 - Addressing customer criticism on aggregator platforms

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Bassem Johar! 

In this insightful video, Ryan shares his remarkable journey from a life as a monk to pursuing an MBA and building a portfolio career. He provides an intimate account of his decision to become a monk, the transformative power of meditation, and the challenges of transitioning to civilian life. The guest discusses the value of an EMBA in expanding his skill set and fostering a sense of belonging within a new community. He navigates the intersection of spirituality and material aspirations, emphasizing the importance of maintaining personal values and achieving financial freedom. Join us as we delve into this inspiring story of self-discovery, growth, and the pursuit of dreams.

00:00 - 00:35 Introduction and Unlikely Connection 
00:35 - 01:43 From Monk to Executive Coach 
01:43 - 03:23 The Transformative Power of Silence 
03:23 - 07:44 Insights from 10 Years as a Monk 
07:44 - 11:36 The Practice of Reflection 
11:36 - 20:02 Starting the Meditation Journey 
22:04 - 26:39 Transitioning from Monastic Life to the Civilian World
26:29 - 30:59 Pursuing an MBA and Building a Portfolio Career
31:00 - 39:12 Integrating Spirituality and Material Goals
39:13 - 43:40 Conclusion and Future Aspirations

Please like, subscribe and share with your network.

We're discussing Naval Ravikant's transformative ideas around leverage. Each form of leverage is powerful on it's own but you'll see compounding effects once you start stacking leverages on top of each other. 

00:00 - 01:20 Naval Ravikant
01:21 - 08:52 Leverages: Labour, Capital, Code, Media
08:53 - 09:42 Pushing the Limits of Permissionless Media
15:05 - 19:04 Digital Real Estate

If you want to listen to more material about Naval check out The Knowledge Project with Shane Parish. In episode 18 of his podcast he interviews Naval. Another great resource is www.navalmanak.com and last but not least nav.al his website which links to his podcast. 

We hope you enjoyed this episode. Please like and subscribe to our channel for more interesting episodes.

We're so happy to have had Marwa on the show this week. I learnt a lot of how an Emirati views how Dubai is changing, misconceptions, appearances etc. Hope you enjoy this episode and follow us for more exciting stories. 

00:00 - Episode introduction 
01:15 - Marwa's background
04:20 - The exponential growth of Dubai 
10:50 - Safety in Dubai 
11:20 - Facing the stereotypes placed on Emirati's
16:05 - The way of work 
18:20 - Materialising your dreams 
24:46 - Common misconceptions
27:35 - Credit card debt 
29:27 - Pressures to keep up with appearances
32:27 - Meditation and spirituality

We’re extremely happy to have Patricia on the show today giving us an insight into how it is to live in Dubai, why she made the move over from London and how her first year looked like. She discusses her views on some of the strongest myths people have about Dubai. 

We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we have.


00:00 - Trish introduces herself
02:43 - Surviving in Dubai without a job is tough
05:55 - How is it working for a big tech over here?
08:02 - Happy to start from scratch after the move
08:54 - Everyone in Dubai becomes it’s ambassador 
14:17 - Haven’t locked my front door in a year
15:33 - The sun and what it does to you
17:00 - What’s the dating scene like in Dubai? 
24:51 - Is Dubai more expensive than London? 
29:32 - Supper clubs are a big thing in Dubai

Don’t forget to like and subscribe.

We're back with Season 2 of NMBD. This episode focuses on the various use cases ChatGPT has shown us so far, motivates you to get started and think about all the areas in can help in your life.

We started this podcast with the idea to share our learnings with the audience and introduce ourselves to similar-minded people from whom we can learn.

Learning has always been an incremental part of our path and that is why, in this episode of the No Money But Dreams podcast, we will focus on education.

The current education system is broken, that is what we can all agree on. New ways of educating yourself through online content have democratised the way of acquiring new skills.

Find out what is our take on the future of education in this very educational episode.

00:00-Intro
00:27–Schools of the next generation
06:58–Value of universities like Stanford
11:19–Learn with Podcasts
15:39–Finding what works for you