Talks with T

Bilal Ballout is the Co-founder of BMB Group which has a global portfolio of confectionery and healthy food brands & was acquired by Agthia, a UAE state owned FMCG company. Bilal discusses how he hustled to build the company while using no external capital. Over and over again, he challenged the status quo in a traditional industry & leveraged technology to scale the business rapidly. Bilal's story is one of managing uncertainty and constant resilience.

I heard Bilal say:

• The less you have in life, the less you have to lose

• When you’re constrained in capital you manage the business to survive

• Understanding the legal side of business helps you avoid trouble in the future - they should teach this at school!

• Think about what the world will look like in 5 years & work backwards to understand how the "new world" impacts your business

• Bet small & be agile to scale the business

Ihsan Jawad is the founder of Zawya which was acquired by Thomson Reuters and one of the first exits in the MENA tech ecosystem. Today, Ihsan is General Partner at STV, a leading Saudi venture capital firm.

Ihsan is one of the few people in MENA who has transitioned from building & scaling a tech company to now becoming a leading investor in the region.

I heard Ihsan say a couple of important things in this conversation:

• Entrepreneurs who have a conviction to solve a problem that’s bigger than just making money are in it for the right reasons

• Founders have to find the right balance between listening / humility and stubbornness / persistence

• Take as much capital as you can, when you can

• Finding inner peace is the ultimate success

• Having a mentor is a great tool to develop and grow yourself

Ghizlan Guenez is Founder of The Modist, the leading online destination for luxury modest fashion, and Co-founder of Queen Mode, a mission driven and community centered utility NFT collection.

After being forced to shut down her first startup, Ghizlan used that experience to find meaning in helping aspiring entrepreneurs and come back for a second act! Ghizlan's determination to keep going is infectious and her ability to build and engage purpose-driven communities is inspiring.

Ramy has spent the majority of his life being an entrepreneur and openly discusses the failures associated with each business that didn't succeed. Having spent some time as an investor at a VC, Ramy also had the benefit of studying business models and entrepreneurs from the outside before going back to start Zbooni.

Ramy has a knack for seeing the future early and talks about how he has used this to his advantage.

Mazen is the Founder & Group CEO of Carma, a leading global company with 550 employees that delivers data-driven global media intelligence to over 1,200 clients, including Emirates, TikTok & many more.

Mazen started in the news and media industry after university, eventually seeing the tech bubble burst in the nineties. He had the foresight to understand that the internet would change media forever. That led him to create his first company, News Watch, and eventually build a global powerhouse in media intelligence and insights for customers.

Mazen is a visionary leader and shares insights around developing technology products that clients need and discusses the importance of timing when it comes to new product launches.

Martin has always been an unconventional thinker in business & life. When his brother passed away suddenly, it put life into perspective. He pursued the road less traveled & eventually started Infomineo, a company focusing on brain-shoring.

Martin talks about how trusting his gut allowed him to take leaps of faith, the importance of having a master plan on where he was going and how understanding life is short allowed him to put "risk" into perspective.

Anis Harb is the GM of Deliveroo Middle East, one of the biggest food delivery startups globally. Deliveroo operates in the UAE & other GCC markets.

Anis discusses the origins of how Deliveroo started in the Middle East after he left Amazon to address his startup "itch" ... spoiler alert: it was all by chance.

I loved how Anis talks at length about how he focuses on what's his control as a way to manage his stress levels and the techniques he uses. He also delves into how he makes decisions & why understanding yourself is the key to managing people in your team.

Steve Sosebee is the Founder & President of the Palestine Children Relief Fund, an NGO focused on bringing injured and sick children to developed countries for free medical care they could not get locally.

Steve discusses the early days of observing injustice and how it became his life's mission. He was drawn to the Palestinian cause at an early age and stumbled onto an opportunity to help injured children in need of medical attention. From there, the Palestine Children Relief Fund (PCRF) was born.

Steve's had to navigate challenges in his personal life and humanitarian work. In moments of darkness, he discusses how he greater forces were at play to help him find the strength to carry on. Steve's a one-of-a-kind soul and we're lucky to have such an amazing person focused on helping children in need across MENA.

Talal Bayaa is the Co-founder & CEO of Bayzat (www.bayzat.com), the leading HR administration & benefits platform in MENA.

He's had to navigate tough times in his professional career & re-pivot Bayzat's business model a few times. He's led Bayzat to become the largest player in its space in MENA, 300+ employees and through multiple fundraises.

Talal discusses his views on fundraising, philosophies about managing your own mental state as a founder & growing into bigger roles as the company evolves.

Ayah Tabari is a Middle Eastern fashion designer and founder of Mochi (https://allthingsmochi.com). Over the course of the past 10 years, she has gone from building her brand in her parents' house in Dubai, to building a women's clothing line that is globally unique and stocked by the largest online and physical stores in the world. Ayah talks about her experiences building the brand, motherhood, moving countries, overcoming countless obstacles and not taking life too seriously.