My First Business, with Naeem Parvez: Recent Episodes
Naeem Parvez
Naeem Parvez is a new, and sometimes clueless business owner. Join him on his journey of hardships and triumphs, as he brings on more experienced and successful business owners to guide him towards the right decisions. Each episode is like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Feeling stuck and need a push? Saahil Mehta, recognized as one of the Top 10 Rising Global Indian Influencers, shares powerful insights that could transform your personal and professional life. Don't miss this episode! 🌟
Saahil Mehta is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and peak performance coach. He is passionate about helping individuals and businesses reach their full potential and achieve success. 💪
Through his book "BREAK FREE" and motivational speeches, Saahil inspires leaders to achieve diamond-grade clarity and scale new summits of success every day. 🏔️
He has worked with global brands like P&G, Dell, HP, Silicon Valley Bank, Thomas Cook, TATA group to name a few; as well as entrepreneur-focused organizations like EO, YPO, TiE, and Corporate Connection. He also leads SCL training programs for Marshall Goldsmith in India and the Middle East and has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Rising Global Indian Influencers by India Today. 🌍
During my conversation with him, he recounts personal experiences and provides actionable advice for anyone seeking to improve their relationships or navigate the complexities of family businesses. 👨👩👧👦
In this conversation, Saahil and I delve into:
📝 Understanding ourselves and reflecting through journaling
💖 The importance of prioritizing oneself before others
😌 Overcoming the fear of judgment and seeking validation
👨👩👧👦 Building generational businesses and co-creating with family
🗣️ The value of coaching and mentoring
🧠 Navigating unsolicited advice and listening to intuition
🧩 Current challenges and mental models Saahil is facing and much more!
I'm warning you - this episode might really pump you up and make you do the things you've always wanted to do. 🚀
Tune in to this episode for valuable lessons on navigating family businesses, improving personal relationships, and living a life of clarity and purpose. Saahil Mehta's story is guaranteed to inspire and challenge you to rethink your own journey. 🎧✨
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – Dubai.
The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.
So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO Dubai Administrator adminsupport@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership:
https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/
Where to find the podcast:
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw
🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c
🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576
🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Saahil:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saahilmehta
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saahilmehtaofficial/
📸 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saahilmehtaofficial/
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaahilMehtaOfficial/
🌐 Business Website(s): https://www.saahilmehta.com, https://www.saahildmcc.com, https://www.resnetworld.com
Where to find me:
📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
Who knew that a Canadian Air Force helicopter mechanic with a well-worn copy of Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing could transform the swimwear fashion industry in Dubai? ✨Say hello to Maureen Hall - the Founder, CEO, and Head of Design for COÉGA Sunwear. Realizing a need for protective sunwear in Dubai (especially for her kids), she leveraged her sewing and design expertise to create the Pool Shoe, which marked the beginning of COÉGA's success. 🏊♀️👙After more than 19 years, COÉGA has become a highly commendable company in the fashion sector, collaborating with major international brands like Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros, and Masha & the Bear. 🌟In this episode, Maureen shares her insights as a business owner, emphasizing the importance of organization and time management. She discusses the role of templates and checklists in streamlining operations and offers tips on balancing rigidity and flexibility in business processes. Maureen also highlights the significance of meditation and mindfulness in maintaining a calm and focused mindset. 🧘♀️📋
Here are some of the key points Maureen and I talked about:- Experiences from hiring friends and having to let them go 🤝- Why streamlining processes is crucial and what happens if they're not followed 📈- Using creativity to make the business future-proof 🌍- Tips for planning an effective work week (how to prioritize tasks and set deadlines) 📅- Celebrating 20 years of success 🎉- And much more...
It was a pleasure meeting and nerding out about processes with Maureen. Her contagious laugh, energy, and genuine passion for what she does shine through in this episode. 😊
--
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – Dubai.
The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.
So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO Dubai Administrator adminsupport@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership:https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/
Where to find the podcast:
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw
🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c
🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576
🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Maureen:💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureen-coega/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maureen_coega_/📸 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maureen.hall.5205▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/wehneB3qPI0🌐 Business Website: http://www.coegawear.com/
Where to find me:
📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
Ever wondered how to seamlessly blend art and business? Tini Meyer's journey from artist to top contract furniture supplier in Dubai is a masterclass in creativity and entrepreneurship. 🎨
My guest for this conversation is Tini Meyer, who has found a way to mix art and business so aesthetically. What I learned from her during this conversation is how to set a good foundation first before trying to grow the business. She emphasized the need to "nail it before you scale it" and shared her approach to making strategic pivots and taking calculated risks.
In 2009, Tini moved to Abu Dhabi to establish an artist studio residency center. In 2012, she co-founded interior360 as a boutique home furnishing store, which then pivoted to contract furniture. She started her business by importing designer furniture and home objects. But with the one-off nature of the products and the customization requests from clients, she realized that her business model might not be sustainable. Instead of giving up and packing her bags, she pivoted the business to focus on supplying furniture to hotels and restaurants in 2015. 🏨
Now, interior360 has become one of the largest contract furniture suppliers in Dubai, having delivered over 900 restaurant and hotel projects throughout the GCC. Over the years, Tini has expanded her business to include in-house manufacturing and has recently gone vertical, now supplying cleaning materials made by a company that's been around for 100 years. 🛋️✨
In this episode, Tini and I discussed:
00:00 Introduction ▶️
05:25 How she juggles business responsibilities while raising a family 👩👧👦
31:49 The early mistakes she made and the lessons learned 📘
27:09 Strategies for building a strong workplace culture 🏢
34:29 Recognizing and seizing opportunities in diverse industries 🌐
1:07:52 Why there's no room for complacency in her team 🚫
1:21:29 The art of blending creativity with business acumen, and much more! 🎨💼
I've been so lucky to have found such humble superstars that should be heard about more, and Tini is definitely on that list! As always, there was no pretense, no academic business jargon, just pure passion for the way she molds her business and keeps it going and growing.
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Without much further ado, here’s Tini Meyer, on the EO Series of the My First Business Podcast. 🎙️
--
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – Dubai.
The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.
So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO Dubai Administrator adminsupport@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership:https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/
Where to find the podcast:
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw
🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c
🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576
🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Tini:💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tini-meyer-093470a1/ 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/interior360/📸 Facebook: https://facebook.com/interior360Dubai/🌐 Business Website: https://interior-360.com
Where to find me:
📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
Join me in this inspiring episode as Rajesh Sajnani, the Founder and CEO of the RVS Group, shares his remarkable journey from a young entrepreneur to a visionary leader in the fashion and technology industries. ⚙️
Discover how Rajesh founded the RVS Group at the age of 19 in 1989 and grew it into a thriving enterprise with four subsidiaries, including Rajesh Trading Co. LLC, Si Fashion Galerie, The Studio, and the innovative ecommerce platform, Olyoly.com. Rajesh's ventures extends beyond fashion, as he delves into the technology space with Cloudhost Technology, recognized as the Best Innovative Cloud service provider in the SME segment. 💼
In this captivating conversation, Rajesh reflects on his entrepreneurial experiences and offers valuable insights into various topics, including:
00:00 ▶️ Introduction
06:51 🤗 Taking risks and embracing change (like jumping off a ship without knowing how to swim)
12:52 👗 The evolution of the Dubai fashion landscape
14:28 🌐 Building a strong ecosystem in the global fashion industry
32:47 💭 Insights into his latest venture, #8, a brand incubator business
41:47 📈 Identifying market gaps and competing on value
01:16:51 🤔 Balancing business innovation with personal reflection
01:32:34 ✍️ Rapid 30-day brand launches and business conceptualization in hospital rooms and more!
Tune in to gain valuable perspectives from Rajesh as he shares his entrepreneurial wisdom and passion for creating innovative solutions. Learn how he navigates challenges, embraces opportunities, and remains committed to driving positive change in the fashion and technology sectors. 💻
And for someone who’s a serial entrepreneur, I haven’t met a humbler human being who doesn’t pretend to be perfect - in fact, sometimes he doesn’t even think of himself as an entrepreneur. 🙂
I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did! 🎙️
--
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – Dubai.
The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.
So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO Dubai Administrator adminsupport@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership:https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/
Where to find the podcast:
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw
🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c
🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576
🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Rajesh:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajesh-sajnani/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvsrajesh/
📸 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rajesh.sajnani.9
🌐 Business Website(s): https://rvsgroup.ae/, https://cloudhost.ae/, https://si-fashion.com/
Where to find me:
📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
Say hello to Shilpa, the heart and soul behind Apex Clinics Group, co-founded with her life partner, Ajoy. For the past seven years, they've been nurturing a space where dental care goes hand in hand with community warmth. 🤝
At Apex, it's all about offering comprehensive dental care—or as Shilpa likes to call it, "Community Friendly Dental Care." This isn't just a slogan; it's a family affair, with their young son playing a significant role in the clinic's day-to-day life. They're not just talking about community values; they're living them.
Shilpa's journey to this point is both diverse and rich. Armed with an MBA and a degree in Microbiology, she has a solid background in marketing, with more than a decade of experience across various fields like Telecom and Airlines. This eclectic mix of knowledge and experience has shaped her into a leader who sees beyond the balance sheet. 📝
But here's what truly makes Shilpa stand out: she's more than just a successful entrepreneur. She's someone who believes in the power of kindness and community. In a world where business can often be about the 'survival of the fittest,' Shilpa chooses a path less traveled. She's proof that success can be achieved by putting people and values first, making her business a platform for fostering community connections rather than just chasing profits. 💰
In this episode, Shilpa and I discussed:
00:00 ▶️ Introduction
08:28 🌟 The challenges of finding your IKIGAI
12:17 🤔 Knowing the right time to start your business
16:12 👨👩👦 Working with your spouse and kids in business
27:49 🗣 How communication can make or break you
43:52 🤝 Having long standing employees and keeping them
52:19 👭 Why community is a part of her USP
1:02:12 🫣 Taking on the right level of risk
1:12:06 🤗 The best way to use an accountability group
1:40:44 💼 The consequences of wanting to grow the business and much much more!
Dive into the heart of entrepreneurship and partnership in this episode. Explore the concept of Ikigai—your reason for being—and how it shapes your business journey, especially when working with your spouse.
Expect insights on growth, purpose, and the unique dynamics of sharing your professional and personal life with your partner. 💑
Loved putting this together and hope it inspires you. Share with those chasing dreams and making things happen! ✨
--
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – Dubai.
The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.
So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO Dubai Administrator adminsupport@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership:https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Shilpa:💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shilpa-kane-a4608830/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sh_kane📸 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShilpaKane📸 Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apexclinics/🌐 Business Website: https://www.apexmedicalclinics.com/
“You will at some point fall out of love with your business.” 😵
Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack. 😋
In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Rishi Kohli, Serial Entrepreneur, and CEO and Co-Founder of FIKA Mobility.🏍️
Hear from Rishi as he unveils firsthand experience being part of EO and the transformative power of being in the EO forum. He also highlights the invaluable peer-to-peer conversations, access to unique insights, and the sense of community that EO fosters. Discover the benefits of having a dedicated space for entrepreneurs to share, learn, and grow together!✨
This mini episode concludes with a powerful reflection on the essence of happiness over mere comfort in the entrepreneurial journey.
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Rishi Kohli on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet? 👀
Chapters:00:00 Introduction01:20 Impact of EO in life and business08:58 Falling out of love with the business
Link to Rishi's Full Episode Interview: https://youtu.be/HTWwUzuDZ6g—
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Rishi:💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishi-kohli-56abb423/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rishikohli1🌐 Business Website - https://fikamobility.com/, https://lemelighting.com/, https://www.waterwise.ae/
Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com/
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
“Your own self-belief is your investment.”
What I loved about Divakar the most is that I can safely say, he is on another level. His feet are firmly planted on the ground, yet his brain processes things from the view of a satellite orbiting the earth.
In 2007, Divakar was an esteemed banker and had one of the best jobs in India - but he felt his curiosity draining every single day. He felt like the walls of knowledge were closing on him. He couldn’t stand having his thoughts constrained by artificial barriers.
The banker turned ex-banker, and founded DVS Advisory group, which designs tax structures for entrepreneurs, SMEs & funded startups to enter India, expand globally from India or exit India, with zero penalties & 100% clarity.
Divakar uses his business as his laboratory: he uses it to ideate, experiment, and build new products, services and models.
You’ve probably seen him around - he’s a Forbes Advisor, has over 500 media publications and quotes and is also author of 15+ books on Direct & International Taxation.
In this captivating conversation, Divakar and I dive deep into the concept of thought capitalism – a revolutionary approach to understanding and navigating the complexities of the modern economic landscape.
We also explored other topics like:00:00 ▶️ Introduction06:14 🤔 Two kinds of capitalism: thought capitalism and currency based capitalism12:43 ✨ Difference between perceived and actual reality16:20 🧾 How to predict a country’s tax laws by just observing their traffic jams32:29 🇮🇳 Why everyone should pay attention in India1:00:02 👛 Enlarging your psychological wallet1:03:22⚡ How energy is currency1:05:25 ✍️ The compounding effect of intention1:08:50 💭 Why poverty is possibly just a state of mind1:21:24👫🏽 Working with your spouse 1:33:13 1️⃣ Keeping the main thing, the main thing and much, much more!
I can safely say, this was a life altering podcast for me. I had goosebumps throughout the conversation, and a few awakening moments as I listened to it again, and I think it will happen to you as well.
From discussing India's rise as a global economic powerhouse to exploring the opportunities and challenges facing entrepreneurs in the country, this episode is packed with invaluable wisdom and perspective. 🚀🌍
--
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – Dubai.
The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.
So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO Dubai Administrator adminsupport@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership:https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/--
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw 🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Divakar:💼 Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/divakarvijayasarathy/💼 Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dvs-advisors/🌐 Business Website: https://onedvs.com/
Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
“Will you always have a perfect product? No, probably not. Because you're always iterating, you're always wanting to improve. Why? Because your customer wants something better. You always have to listen to your customer.” 😌Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack. 😋In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Rishi Kohli, Serial Entrepreneur, and CEO and Co-Founder of FIKA Mobility.Rishi discusses the significance of customer feedback, and the pitfalls of shortcuts when building products. He also emphasizes the art of perfecting products, cautioning against the perils of copying competitors. Learn how FIKA embraced the mantra of staying true to core strengths. 💪This mini-episode is a distilled dose of entrepreneurial wisdom, reminding us all of the timeless principles that drive business excellence. If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Rishi Kohli on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet? 👀Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:37 Move fast, break things philosophy01:15 Customer’s safety first02:47 Advantage of taking your time04:25 Short-term thinking05:42 Keeping an eye on competitorsLink to Rishi's Full Episode Interview: https://youtu.be/HTWwUzuDZ6g—Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARACWhere to find Rishi:💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishi-kohli-56abb423/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rishikohli1🌐 Business Website - https://fikamobility.com/, https://lemelighting.com/, https://www.waterwise.ae/Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com/My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
What drives you to continue building and growing the business? What’s your calling? 🤗
Meet Nishan, CEO and Revenue Head of Bluestream, a design + manufacturing company based in Dubai, where he’s dedicated to creating and enhancing products and services that promote sustainable urban development. 🍃
He says it’s his calling to do so. 🫡
Nishan's narrative is one of personal conviction—a journey woven with threads of legacy, resilience, and unyielding determination. As a steward of his father's vision, he has not only steered Bluestream's trajectory but has sculpted it into a beacon of progress and ingenuity.
If you live in Dubai, you must have sat on one of their many park benches for sure, and hung out in the many public spaces they’ve built that we take for granted. 🪑
A biomedical engineer by education, Nishan has over 17 years of experience in Bluestream following in his father's footsteps - who founded the company. As a focused re-founder, he has been able to grow the company from 3 member trading organization to a full-fledged design and production facility now in Jebel Ali. 🏢
Nishan is also a member of the Entrepreneur's Organization and was a Founding Member of Vistage Worldwide Inc’s Dubai Chapter.
In this episode, here’s what Nishan and I talked about:
✍️ 10:41 Learnings from biographies of successful people
🏇 15:58 Takeaways from the movie “Seabiscuit”
🌟 22:49 Finding your North Star and your calling
😓 31:50 Failures while scaling a business
🤝 37:03 Advice on hiring senior executives
👨 48:11 How Jeff Bezos uses the ‘Regret Minimization Framework’
🎩 1:02:57 Manage time while wearing ALL the possible hats
💵 1:41:26 The mind-blowing take on the psychology behind pricing
🤔 1:50:21 What pathological obsession means to him and much, much more!
What I loved about Nishan the most is that not only is he a book nerd like me, but he’s got this uncanny ability to reference what he’s read and apply it to all the conversations we were having.
Nishan is one of the smartest dudes that’s come on the show, he’s a life long learner and has a pathological obsession with the truth & an obsession with optimism - and that’s exactly who is this podcast is for. 🎧
This conversation is fast paced, I think it’s just the nature of how quick Nishan thinks while maintaining serious depth in the topics that we explored - this will be an absolute treat for your ears. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. 🌟
--
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – Dubai.
The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.
So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO Dubai Administrator adminsupport@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership:https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/--
Where to find the podcast:
▶️ YouTube
🎙 Spotify
🎙 Apple Podcasts
🎙 Google Podcast
Where to find Nishan:
💼 Personal LinkedIn
🐤 Personal Twitter
🌐 Business Website
📷 Business Instagram
💼 Business Facebook
▶️ Business YouTube
🐤 Business Twitter
Where to find me:
📸 Podcast IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast
📸 Personal IG: @the.naeem.parvez
💼 LinkedIn
"We are trying to build a more sustainable, affordable electric motorbike, but a transport system for “boda bodas”.Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.😋In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Rishi Kohli, Serial Entrepreneur, and CEO and Co-Founder of FIKA Mobility. 🏍️Discover the genesis of FIKA as our guest shares the inspiration behind the venture, sparked during a cruise ship conversation with his brother. With a background in entrepreneurship and a fervor for electric vehicles, he set out to revolutionize the transportation system for the vital "boda bodas" in Kenya. The episode also sheds light on FIKA's innovative battery swapping technology, poised to reshape the electric motorbike scene across Africa. Don't miss out on this electrifying journey that combines passion, innovation, and a commitment to sustainability. 🍃If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Rishi Kohli on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet? 🤔Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:46 How FIKA started04:40 The idea of creating electric bikes09:00 Promoting the productLink to Rishi's Full Episode Interview: https://youtu.be/HTWwUzuDZ6g—Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARACWhere to find Rishi:💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishi-kohli-56abb423/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rishikohli1🌐 Business Website - https://fikamobility.com/, https://lemelighting.com/, https://www.waterwise.ae/Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com/My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
“You think education is expensive? Try ignorance. Education is the only thing they can never take away from you.”Peter, a man of multifaceted experiences, shares a glimpse into his life's journey. From dealing with family expectations to chasing his own dreams, Peter spills the beans on how he navigated the twists and turns of generational legacies and the pursuit of individual identity. ✨After working in the family business for six years, he realized he wanted to get out of his father’s shadow. So, he moved out to another continent and created his own path despite the disapproval from his father.🧔♂️From there, he founded Hale Education Group in 2012, a Dubai-based company who assists students in their university preparation, application and admissions journeys, with a particular focus on the USA. 🧑🏼🏫Peter wins the 🏆 ‘Most Enthusiastic & Energetic Guest Ever’ Award from me - he had me in fits with hilarious stories about his father, before switching to some real-life practical philosophies on how to become your best self. You’ll be left on the floor laughing one moment, and completely inspired the next. What a roller-coaster this conversation was!Aside from that, we talked about:▶️ 00:00 Introduction🧔♂️ 06:45 His father’s humble beginnings and moving to US↩️ 13:28 Choosing a different path and leaving his father’s shadow🤔 20:55 One person’s belief in him that changed the trajectory💪 32:16 Playing to his strengths and delegating his weaknesses🧅 40:45 Having multiple layers as part of his identity7️⃣ 49:20 His seven metrics for success💰 55:16 What “Money speaks, Wealth whispers” means🫡 01:00:24 Not selling your soul for anything🧑🎓 01:46:34 Why education should not be taken for grantedLearn how Peter took charge of his career and relationships by saying no to the expected norms. His story of bouncing back from tough financial times serves as a touching reminder of the power of belief, support, and unexpected twists that shape our lives.---This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – U.A.E.The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO UAE Administrator admin@eodubai.com.Details about the EO membership:https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/--Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw 🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARACWhere to find Peter:💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-y-davos-mst-oxon-mds-harvard-a0b90158/📷 Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleeducationgroup/▶️ Business YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCBw7fa_jQrk4OCRODONHyWw 💼 Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haleeducation/🌐 Business Website: https://www.haleeducation.com/Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
Curious to know how a business was transformed through funding? 🤔MC and her co-founders bootstrapped the business for four whole years. Then, between 2019 and 2020, they decided to get funding. 💵Why? Because they wanted to make their business much bigger and better! They needed more money to move to a bigger place and advertise more to companies. But guess what? 2020 came, and everything changed! They had to switch gears and start delivering to people's homes instead. It was tough, but guess what helped them through? Yep, that funding! 💰This business got its funding from lots of investors. And all the people who gave them money are like their cheerleaders now! They don't just have money; they have lots of support too.If you want to know more, you can check out the whole story on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Find out how this business bounced back, what big plans they've got, and how important it is to have people cheering you on when you're trying to make something awesome!__Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARACWhere to find MC:💼 Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-christine-luijckx-cfa-2a973838/💼 Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fruitful-day/🌐 Business Website: https://fruitfulday.com/📸 Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fruitfuldayuae/Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com__My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
What would you do on your first day at a new job? 🤔Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack. 😋In this quick chat, MC talks about starting a business development team, which sounds pretty tough. Scaling a team from 1 to 2 people can be tricky. But it's about setting up the right procedures and policies first.❗️She mentioned seeking advice from a mentor, which totally changed their game plan. With the mentor's help, they revamped their sales strategy, making meetings and metrics way better. MC didn't have much experience managing sales teams before but learned a lot from good and bad hires. She stressed the importance of hiring for culture fit, especially in sales. She talked about how salespeople, even if they ace interviews, might not always fit with a company's vibe. She even shared a neat interview trick, asking interviewees how they'd spend their first half-day on the job. This helped them spot the ones who get the big picture.And hey, even if you're not a sales whiz, as a business owner, you've gotta be the best at selling your own business! Being passionate about what you offer can make a huge difference.So, listen in for more insights on hiring salespeople, managing teams, and finding the right mentors for your business journey!Watch or listen to this mini episode of MC Luijckx on My First Business Podcast YouTube Channel, Spotify or Apple Podcasts!__Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARACWhere to find MC:💼 Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-christine-luijckx-cfa-2a973838/💼 Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fruitful-day/🌐 Business Website: https://fruitfulday.com/📸 Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fruitfuldayuae/Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com__My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
Ever wondered how a fruit delivery business did great during a tough time like the pandemic?🍓Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.😋In this quick episode, we're talking about MC Luijckx, who started Fruitful Day in Dubai.🐪She shares how things got really tough when they lost almost all their big customers because of the pandemic. But guess what? They didn't give up.Instead, they changed things up and began delivering fruits directly to people's homes. That made a big difference! People loved it, and their home delivery became popular.🤩What's cool is that they didn't spend forever planning this change. They just listened to what their customers needed and followed their instincts. MC learned that when tough times hit, it's super important to listen to what people want.👂This podcast episode tells us how Fruitful Day didn't just survive but did really well during a hard time. You can listen to the full story on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. 🎧Join us to learn how MC turned challenges into successes, proving that when you're open to changes, great things can happen! ✨__Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARACWhere to find MC:💼 Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-christine-luijckx-cfa-2a973838/💼 Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fruitful-day/🌐 Business Website: https://fruitfulday.com/📸 Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fruitfuldayuae/Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com__My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
How many business owners do you know that start a business because they wanted to be closer to their mother? 👩🦳That’s exactly what Diana did with her 3rd business, Land’s Edge, an eco-tourism and sustainability business focused on self-catering cottages and apartments which lie on the very edge of Africa in a little slow-town. 🏘But to get here, and to be able to do this, Diana first had to start, grow and acquire other businesses that are the furthest thing from eco-tourism. Diana pioneered HR technology in the Gulf by founding OPS in 2008, steering the business as the region’s specialist in the payroll outsourcing market. She then acquired the Gulf Solutions Group in 2011, with its flagship product gulfHR, where they interface technology and HR solutions, and is known as the preferred HR solution provider in the Middle East. She is undoubtedly the Queen of HR in the region.I had a lot of teasing the wisdom out of Diana, and as I do with all my guests, we travelled to many territories in our conversation. We talked about:00:00 ▶️ Introduction15:22 🔨 Early days of building a business and avoiding speeding fines on the way to client meetings17:05 👩💻Glorification of young entrepreneurs, and what that means for older entrepreneurs33:30 🤝 Diana’s succession plan, and how she is going about it45:30 🤗Turnabout that made her re-think her thoughts on wealth and happiness57:56 😩 Burning out and living a whole period of her journey in fear01:15:30 💼 How we weren’t raised around entrepreneurs, as middle class kids, and how that’s affected our journeys, and our feelings of being imposters1:46:53 ✨ Beautiful way to think about your legacyand much much more…Diana is an absolute sweetheart, sitting in the room and having a conversation with her felt like cool ocean breeze, and upon re-listening to this episode, I had a ton of goosebump moments as I thought deeper about some of the points she was making - I hope it does that same for you - so, without much further ado, here’s Diana Geldenhuys (KHULL-DAH_NICE) on the EO Series of the My First Business Podcast. Enjoy!---This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur’s Organization – U.A.E.The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO UAE Administrator admin@eodubai.com.Details about the EO membership:https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/--Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARACWhere to find Diana:💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-geldenhuys/💼 Business LinkedIn - gulfHR: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gulfhr-gcc💼 Business LinkedIn - OPS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ops-uae/📸 Business Facebook - LandsEdge: https://www.facebook.com/landsedgestruisbaai🌐 Business Website - gulfHR: https://gulfhr.ae/🌐 Business Website - OPS: https://ops.ae/🌐 Business Website - LandsEdge: https://www.landsedge.co.za/Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
“If you sell one, you can sell 10. If you can sell 10, you can sell 100. If you can sell 100, and it goes on. That's that has been my entrepreneurial philosophy. So to anyone listening to anyone who's interested about entrepreneurship, sell one. Don't be concerned about selling a million.” - Dr Sassan Dieter Khatib-Shahidi
Dr Sassan’s story in incredible. From fleeing a revolution, to searching for truth through politics, to becoming an Attorney at Law, and finally becoming an entrepreneur - the twists will leave you in awe.
He has managed to grow German Imaging Technologies (GIT) for 24 years, despite these stats being stacked against him:
The average age of a business: 14 years
The % of businesses that reach $1M in annual revenue: 5%
The % of business that exceed $5M: 0.6%
GIT has become a printing solutions powerhouse in the Middle East and in Africa, while facing challenges like a paperless economy, a pandemic that shut down offices and numerous low-priced competitors.
It’s not easy being in the top 0.6%.
As I do with my guests, Dr Sassan and I travelled across a wide variety of topics, but the most beneficial part of this interview is when he delivered a short masterclass on how to set OKRs, you wouldn’t want to miss that.
Apart from that, we talked about:
00:15:26 🤔 Identifying A players and C players
00:20:01 💖 Loving to solve the challenges of business
00:36:28 ❌ Failure is not an option (unless it’s a controlled experiment)
00:45:59 🤝 Importance of being transparent to your employees
01:01:11 💰 Focus on selling one first
01:09:10 😊 Leading people with a smile
01:16:15 💡 Setting the right vision and purpose
01:23:11 🌟 Understanding and defining the North Star
01:34:33 🪖 Revolution in 1978 that changed Dr. Sassan family’s life
What I love about Dr Sassan is that he's sharp in business, but yet works hard to remain spiritually grounded - I wish I'd recorded our coffee conversation after the interview for you guys to hear. He's got the German efficiency mixed in with Buddhist concept of accepting suffering - it's a real fun mix, he's really quite a treat to share a room with.
I don't think there was a single dull moment in the whole interview, and I can't wait for you to listen to it!
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur's Organization - U.A.E.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO UAE Administrator admin@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership: https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube🎙 Spotify🎙 Apple Podcasts🎙 Google PodcastWhere to find Dr. Sassan:
Where to find Dr. Sassan:💼 LinkedIn 📸 Instagram 💼 Business LinkedIn 📱 Business Facebook 📸 Business Instagram 🐣 Business Twitter ▶️ Business YouTube 🌐 Business Website
Where to find me:📸 Personal IG 📸 Podcast IG💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
Would you believe that the best traders in the world were those who trade other people’s money? 💵
Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.
In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Dhiren Harchandani, Serial Entrepreneur, Transformation Architect, and Founder of Inner Game Consulting, Embee Group and NYCREC (exited in September 2022). 🙌
Dhiren discusses the valuable lessons he learned from his experiences, including the importance of innovation and the challenges faced by big companies. He also shares how he discovered that the best traders were those who traded other people's money, rather than their own. 👀
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Dhiren Harchandani on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet?
Learn Dhiren’s journey growing up in an entrepreneurial family, and how this planted the seeds for his future career in business.
Chapters:0:00 Intro0:30 Growing up in an entrepreneurial family2:02 Career in the corporate world5:22 Lesson from the best traders6:28 Being a serial entrepreneur7:36 Time Management handling different businesses8:18 Fighting Fires
Link to Dhiren's Full Episode Interview: https://youtu.be/zh1A-p1qpdY
—
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube🎙 Spotify🎙 Apple Podcasts🎙 Google Podcast
Where to find Dhiren:💼 Personal LinkedIn🌐 Business Website - dhirenharchandani.com/🌐 Business Website - nycrec.io/🌐 Business Website - embeegroup.com/📸 Instagram▶️ YouTube🐣 Twitter
Where to find me:📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
Ever wondered just how tough it can be to take the entrepreneurial plunge? 🫣
From the challenging task of finding the right talents who jive with the company's values and culture to the inevitable hiccups in landing those big projects, she's seen her fair share of ups and downs.
Meet Jaya Maru, co-Founder and CEO of Rewardz Middle East, has been into HR digital transformation, incentives management and investment banking for 17+ years now. But she's not just your typical businessperson. She's an optimist, a hustler, a learner, and a self-proclaimed nerd. 🤓
Despite these challenges she experienced, she always goes back to the purpose of why she’s doing it: to build moments of joy in a world where people always feel valued. 🥰
During my chat with Jaya, we delved into discussions about:
00:00 🎬 Introduction09:23 👀 Managing C Players in business10:43 🤝 Hiring based on value alignment than skillset21:21 💼 How demotion is necessary for personal growth33:07 👎 Losing a major deal and learning from it35:09 💭 Sales process and mindset of enterprise clients48:15 🗣 Importance of user interaction and feedback for ideas58:55 💰 Setting realistic expectations and negotiating on pricing01:13:41 ✨ Aligning personal with business purpose01:51:57 🫂 How EO helped her during the toughest phase of her life01:52:40 👩🦳 Lessons learned from her late mother
We share stories, insights, and a few good laughs along the way, making this a podcast episode you won't want to miss. I hope you'll enjoy listening to our conversation as much as we enjoyed having it. ✨
This episode is brought to you by Entrepreneur's Organization - U.A.E.
EO U.A.E. is a community that provides an effective platform for networking, education, and support to business owners and entrepreneurs in the country.
Established in 1997, the organization currently has 119 members from a wide range of industries, including technology, healthcare, oil & gas, real estate, hospitality, jewelry, communications, logistics, travel, and more.
With an economy that changes on a dime, it can be hard to know what your next move should be. That's where EO comes in with their support.
Being a member of EO UAE provides access to:
-workshops
-social events
-learning opportunities
-networking
-learning from experts in different types of field
The organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.
So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone, and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.
To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eodubai.com/ or reach out to EO UAE Administrator admin@eodubai.com.
Details about the EO membership:
https://eodubai.com/member-benefits-new/apply-for-membership-new/
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube🎙 Spotify🎙 Apple Podcasts🎙 Google Podcast
Where to find Jaya:💼 LinkedIn📸 Instagram💼 Business LinkedIn – Rewardz📸 Business Instagram – Rewardz🌐 Business Website – Rewardz
Where to find me:📸 Personal IG 📸 Podcast IG💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
"The biggest problem that we're all facing right now is distraction. Everything is designed to hijack your attention." 👀
Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.
In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Dhiren Harchandani, Serial Entrepreneur, Transformation Architect, and Founder of Inner Game Consulting, Embee Group and NYCREC (exited in September 2022). 🙌
On this mini episode, Dhiren concludes by addressing the issue of distraction in today's world and how clarity on values and priorities can help overcome it. He also talks about the importance of being a good mentee and shares his insights on maximizing the benefits of mentorship.
He emphasizes the need for consistent follow-up and clear goal-setting to extract the most value from the mentor-mentee relationship. 🤝
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Dhiren Harchandani on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet?
Chapters:0:00 Intro0:29 How to be a good mentee1:04 Be clear on your goals2:21 Set up a mastermind4:49 Aligning of values
Link to Dhiren's Full Episode Interview: https://youtu.be/zh1A-p1qpdY
—
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube🎙 Spotify🎙 Apple Podcasts🎙 Google PodcastWhere to find Dhiren:💼 Personal LinkedIn🌐 Business Website - dhirenharchandani.com/🌐 Business Website - nycrec.io/🌐 Business Website - embeegroup.com/📸 Instagram▶️ YouTube🐣 TwitterWhere to find me:📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
New entrepreneurs should focus on proving their business concept first before seeking funding. But why? 🤔
Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.
In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Dhiren Harchandani, Serial Entrepreneur, Transformation Architect, and Founder of Inner Game Consulting, Embee Group and NYCREC (exited in September 2022). 🙌
Dhiren believes that too many entrepreneurs are spending too much time trying to raise capital instead of developing conviction around their ideas. He emphasizes the importance of bootstrapping and proving the business model before considering external funding.
He also discusses the role of risk-taking in entrepreneurship and shares his framework for evaluating risks. He suggests considering the worst-case scenario and being intimate with the fears and anxieties associated with it. 🤗
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Dhiren Harchandani on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet?
Chapters:0:00 Intro0:52 Ignore Fundraising Advice4:54 Taking Risks in Business5:58 What’s the worst case scenario?
Link to Dhiren's Full Episode Interview: https://youtu.be/zh1A-p1qpdY
—
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube🎙 Spotify🎙 Apple Podcasts🎙 Google Podcast
Where to find Dhiren:💼 Personal LinkedIn🌐 Business Website - dhirenharchandani.com/🌐 Business Website - nycrec.io/🌐 Business Website - embeegroup.com/📸 Instagram▶️ YouTube🐣 TwitterWhere to find me:📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
While various technologies and AI advancements are currently flourishing, how do you use it on your business to your benefit, and not perceiving it as a threat? 🤔
Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.
In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Roma Vora, EO Board Member, entrepreneur, and Co-Founder of Aranya Farms.🌱
She explains the impact of innovation while still having that ‘human touch’ on both industries of their business - agriculture and clothing. ✨
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Roma Vora on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet? Here’s Roma Vora with her story about having no ego and taking feedback.
--
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube🎧 Spotify🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Google PodcastsWhere to find Roma:💼 Personal LinkedIn💼 Business LinkedIn📸 Personal IGWhere to find me:📸 Personal IG 📸 Podcast IG💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
A little birdie told me about this...
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube🎧 Spotify🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Google PodcastsWhere to find me:📸 Personal IG 📸 Podcast IG💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
Want to make a successful business? Take constructive criticisms and learn to drop your ego. 💯Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack. In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Roma Vora, EO Board member, entrepreneur, and Co-Founder of Aranya Farms.🌱Being away in the family’s business and having her own job, she eventually come to realize she has no ego and takes feedback well. It was in this moment that everything fell into place – she achieved her goal of attaining self-awareness. 🤗If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Roma Vora on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet? Here’s Roma Vora with her story about having no ego and taking feedback.
--
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube🎧 Spotify🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Google PodcastsWhere to find Roma:💼 Personal LinkedIn💼 Business LinkedIn📸 Personal IGWhere to find me:📸 Personal IG 📸 Podcast IG💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
If you were given the opportunity, would you opt to jump into the family business or start your very own entrepreneurial journey? 🤔
Welcome back to the My First Business Podcast - this is a mini-episode, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.
In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Roma Vora, entrepreneur, and Co-Founder of Aranya Farms.🌱
Roma talks about the opportunity of working on their family’s business, but she figured she wants to explore, and create her own path - and she did it.
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Roma Vora on YouTube or Spotify or Apple, and oh, why haven’t you subscribed yet?
Discover Roma Vora's invaluable insights on venturing beyond the family business and carving a niche of her own.
--
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube🎧 Spotify🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Google PodcastsWhere to find Roma:💼 Personal LinkedIn💼 Business LinkedIn📸 Personal IGWhere to find me:📸 Personal IG 📸 Podcast IG💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
During my interviews with the incredible guests on MFBP, I always like to dig into what financial freedom means to them.
It's fascinating to hear their unique perspectives on this concept.
So, I ask them a simple question: 'What does financial freedom mean to you?' 🤔
Let's dive into what financial independence means to these awesome folks. 🤗
--
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube🎧 Spotify🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 Google PodcastsWhere to find me:📸 Personal IG 📸 Podcast IG💼 LinkedIn🖥 Website
Everyone wants to build a tech business, even if you’re not a techy. But how easy is it to do? And what happens when you fail miserably? 🤔
This is a mini-episode of the My First Business Podcast, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.
In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Maanav Sagar who’s currently a tech VC, currently a Partner at Bharat Founders Fund.💼
Maanav shares how he realized the amount of money they spent going out could have been saved to own a bar. He discusses the lack of oversight in restaurants to identify high spenders and proposes a solution using QR codes (this is back in 2017 - way before the pandemic).
Inspired by technology newsletters while sailing, Maanav receives a pitch deck from his friends and decides to start a business. They initially focus on digitizing restaurant orders but struggle with product-market fit. They pivot to digitizing invoices on WhatsApp, which gains traction until WhatsApp's policy changes disrupt their business. Maanav contemplates stepping down but expresses gratitude to his team and investors.🤗
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Maanav Sagar on YouTube or Spotify or Apple Podcasts. 🎧
How WhatsApp Killed His Business Mini Episode: https://youtu.be/-gkxs-_hg88Full Episode: https://youtu.be/yJ3w8NvMjbA
--Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naeemparvez🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==
Where to find Maanav:🖥 Business Website: https://bff.investopad.com/💼Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bharatfoundersfund/💼Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maanav-sagar/🐥Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/maanavsagar
Where to find me:📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
Financial freedom seems to the most talked about subject, and yet I think, it seems to be the least understood subject.🤷
This is a mini-episode of the My First Business Podcast, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.
In this bite-sized version, Naeem and Maanav discuss the concept of financial freedom and its importance in business. They explore the relationship between money, financial responsibility, and the journey towards financial independence.✨
Maanav shares insights on cash flow, different types of businesses, and the critical period in life where financial decisions have a significant impact. They discuss the idea of investing money strategically, taking into account risk levels and potential returns.🤑
The conversation emphasizes the importance of long-term planning and making smart financial choices (including using 10% of your money as ‘play money’!).
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Maanav Sagar on YouTube or Spotify or Apple.
The (Realistic) Blueprint to Financial Freedom Mini Episode: https://youtu.be/i7Uvh8umSiUMaanav's Full Episode: https://youtu.be/yJ3w8NvMjbA
--Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naeemparvez🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==
Where to find Maanav:🖥 Business Website: https://bff.investopad.com/💼Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bharatfoundersfund/💼Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maanav-sagar/🐥Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/maanavsagar
Where to find me:📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
In a world that’s seemingly full of serial entrepreneurs, how can first time entrepreneurs even think of competing with them and improving their chances of a lucky break?🍀
This is a mini-episode of the My First Business Podcast, where I take some the best parts of my interviews with phenomenal entrepreneurs and chop it up for you like a snack.🤗
In this bite sized version, you’ll be hearing from Maanav Sagar who happens to be an ex- entrepreneur and an excellent VC, currently a Partner at Bharat Founders Fund. 💼
Maanav talked about how VC’s think about funding serial entrepreneurs vs first time entrepreneurs - I really like his clear thinking on this topic, I won’t ruin his opinion here, I’ll let you listen to it yourself! 🎧
If you like this snack-sized version, be sure to check out the full episode with Maanav Sagar on YouTube or Spotify or Apple Podcasts!--Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naeemparvez🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==
Where to find Maanav:🖥 Business Website: https://bff.investopad.com/💼Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bharatfoundersfund/💼Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maanav-sagar/🐥Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/maanavsagar
Where to find me:📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
“Some people like big numbers. They want to make big money. They want to change the world in a certain way. What I realized is that those goalposts will always keep moving” - Ruchir Punjabi
Ruchir reminded me of the story of Sisyphus. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus is condemned to an eternal punishment, where he is forced to push a boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down, repeating the task for eternity. 😮
We related the story to our business endeavors and the cyclical nature of life's struggles, reminding us to find meaning and purpose in the journey itself, even when facing seemingly endless challenges. 🤗
Ruchir now finds his meaning and purpose not in reaching the top of the hill or achieving a grand goal, but in the very act of pushing the boulder itself. 💪
Ruchir Punjabi is the Co-Founder and CEO at Distributed Energy, which is an emerging market solar platform, that helps investors invest in solar as an asset class, and helps businesses of all kinds save money by transitioning to solar.
Before Distributed Energy, Ruchir had founded Langoor – one of APAC’s largest independent digital agencies that was later sold to Havas Group in 2019. Langoor started in his living room in Sydney, Australia before growing to a 200+ people behemoth. They had offices in Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangalore and Mumbai prior to the sale. Ruchir sold his balance stake in Langoor to a Private Equity group in 2022.
Ruchir is a Computer Science graduate from Sydney University and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is a Fellow of the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network and he is a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and has served on EO’s MEPA Regional Council. He serves as Director on a number of social impact organisations and business Boards, including investing in some of them.
You can tell he is busy man. 💼
Alongside building businesses out of thin air, Ruchir is passionate about social change, he has started a number of social impact organisations. After the International student crisis in Australia in 2010, Ruchir created the Australia India Youth Dialogue, a Track II diplomatic dialogue between the young leaders of Australia and India. Ruchir is the Founding Chair of the School of Policy and Governance (SPG). SPG is a graduate school focused on executive education for the global south, from the global south.
It would’ve been next to impossible to cover his entire journey, but I did manage to get him to shower me with his wisdom on a wide range of topics.
In this episode of the EO Series of the My First Business Podcast, Ruchir and I talked about:
00:00 ▶️ Introduction
09:56 🧠 How he learnt the art of business by osmosis
21:06 🤝 How to choose the right partners for your business (and why he doesn’t go into business with family)
33:59 🫀 Maturing when it comes to taking criticism, and the work he has done to raise his self awareness
47:49 🍃 How he transitioned from having strong expectations, to becoming comfortable with going with the flow
55:38 👀 How to spot new opportunities in the market, and how he ‘bulldozes’ his way into new opportunity
59:22 💼 Doing meaningful work that makes a difference, and how that’s become a focus on his entrepreneurial pursuits
01:07:00 🤫 The secrets of building APAC’s largest digital agency, and why he decided to get out
and much much more…
Ruchir is the kind of guy I want beside me on an 18-hour flight. He is an absolute dreamer, and go-getter and go-giver too. His humility in our conversation really touched my heart, and I think it’ll do the same for you - please enjoy my wide-ranging chat with Ruchir Punjabi, on the EO Series of the My First Business Podcast.
“We need to stop setting these unattainable precedents for what it means to be successful - happy in love, the perfect business, the ideal bank account. All of these things, they don't last. They are just stories.”
I won't lie, as I mentioned to Dana, preparing for this episode was quite challenging. The more I researched and learned about her, the more I realized how similar our wavelengths were - how much fun is a podcast interview where we just agree with each other?
But I was floored. Dana embodies so much more than I naively expected.
She has accomplished a lot, in a short amount of time. I was eager to learn how I can do the same, and she did not disappoint in inspiring me!
Dana has worked in the branding industry for nearly 14 years. She started in brand design, then shifted into strategy, and was later appointed to run a multinational agency's regional office. Seven years ago, she co-founded her creative firm, Beattie + Dane, in Kuwait. The firm has been globally recognized and has won awards at shows like Cannes Lions and Dubai Lynx. It was ranked as one of the top three independent agencies twice. In 2022, Dana sold her shares and left the company to pursue a new passion. She now resides in Dubai, where she runs a strategic consultancy for CEOs called Bark & Berg. Dana also hosts a podcast called ‘Something to Consider.’
Dana is a creative that wants to tell stories from her region. She wants to engage in deep conversations and create things that will push conversations and storytelling forward, as you’ll hear in this episode.
Here are some of the highlights from our conversation (EO Series #8 of the My First Business Podcast):▶️ Introduction ✨ The story behind the most viral campaign Dana has produced 🤔 How ‘wanting different’ contrasts with ‘wanting more’ ❌ Why it’s healthy to start saying NO to clients 💼 The art of working with partners 🎙️ The mission of her podcast called “Something To Consider” 👩💻 An interesting take on the 3 different types of entrepreneurs - the rational, the ambitious and the commander 😣 Burnout, and what it means to be in a constant chase and much much more!
Dana calls it like it is, and I love that we didn’t have to sugar coat ourselves in this conversation. She has a wonderful way with words - she makes you think for yourself without giving you step-by-step advice.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did, I was left with many things to consider after our chat! Please do share this episode with people you love.
Where to find the podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c 🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Dana:💼 LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/danaalhanbali📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dalhanbali/🎧 Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/something-to-consider/id1674861838▶️ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@danaalhanbali5621/about🌐 Business Website - https://barkandberg.com/Where to find me:📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez 📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
“I didn't know they existed, so I couldn't even imagine it - I wasn't capable of even thinking of doing this kind of business.”
Have you every collapsed at an event with over 500 people in attendance? Not because of fatigue, or dehydration - but because of inspiration?
Mazen has.
But let me back up, Mazen’s journey has taken many turns.
From humble beginnings in his grandfather's store - where he would argue pricing strategy at the age of 8 - to selling Polaroid pictures to pilgrims in Medina as a teenager, and finally becoming an entrepreneur by necessity after losing his job and having to pay a triple mortgage... it's been a rollercoaster ride!
Mazen Omair had been investing in and running franchises for over a decade (Subway Restaurants, and Sugarfield & Co) before he attended an event organized by EO. The theme of the event was "Purpose-driven Business.” Before this, he hadn’t put two and two together - CSR was just something large corporate did with leftover money, right? Charities were supposed to be non-profit only, right?
From that time on, Mazen’s entrepreneurial journey changed forever. Mazen and his wife Rana Batterjee would go on to found their first purpose-driven business → EduPloyment.
EduPloyment is a purpose-driven technology business that is helping to reimagine the ecosystem of blue-collar recruitment, on a global scale. The platform helps workers upskill their English language proficiency, and provides access to better job opportunities. Mazen and Rana have firsthand experience going through hiring cycles for their restaurants and stores. They understand the struggles of this segment of workers and want to give them a better chance at employment, so they can take care of their families.
I was really touched by Mazen’s passion, and his wisdom, throughout our conversation. Here are some of the highlights!
▶️ Introduction 🤔 The good, the bad and the ugly of franchise businesses 💼 The difference between parallel and serial entrepreneurship 👩❤️👨Running a business with your spouse 🤯 Launching their MVP, and waking up to 100 downloads on day 1 💵 The stories we tell ourselves about ‘financial stability’ ✨ What Mazen cherishes the most about being in business ❗ The dangers entrepreneurs face when they haven’t worked in a job before
I can’t believe I don’t have more people like him in my life. Mazen broke me, in a very good way, as you’ll hear in this episode.
If this is the first episode of My First Business that you’ll be listening to, you’ve picked well my friend! And if you’re coming back from hearing other episodes, you will not be disappointed.
Where to find the podcast: ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw 🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c 🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576 🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Mazen: 💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mazenomair/ 🌐 Business Website - https://www.eduployment.com/ 💼 Business LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/eduployment/
Where to find me: 📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez 📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez 🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
Becoming successful doesn’t just “happen.” 👀
There’s always forces moving against you that are outside your control. That’s what Hasan faced - just two years into his business journey, the 2008 financial crisis came knocking on his door. He was young, had a family to support and had left the corporate world behind - but opportunities were running dry. 🤷
Today, Hasan Fadlallah runs an award winning brand agency (Brand Lounge), launched a socially-driven incubator (Fullmoon Experiments), started an F&B venture (Against All Odds) and serves on the Board of Trout & Partners. If you knew Hasan in 2008, you would know that he’d be able to pull it off, solely because of the principles he lives by. 🙌
To get here, Hasan had to counter the external forces with those of his own - resilience, determination, and a dogged desire to improve his circumstances. The man doesn’t give up! When most of us are scrambling for the fastest fix, Hasan uses his setbacks as an opportunity for reflection and introspection, and gets stronger with every crisis. 💪
If you want to know how he has created this anti-fragility in his business, you will want to listen to this episode from the EO Series of the My First Business podcast. Here are some highlights from my conversation with Hasan:
🐥 His mini-business in his teenager years 💸 The importance of cash-flow in times of crisis 📈 Joy of meeting targets and building relationships ⚪ Impact of brand strategy and positioning in business (and why no one cares about your logo) 💼 The differences between an entrepreneur and a CEO 📉 Facing risks in starting Brand Lounge 🧑🤝🧑 Building a team, that ends up building your business (you’re not alone) ↪️ Pivoting the business model 💲Understanding value-based pricing and evolving pricing philosophy 👂The value of experience sharing with other entrepreneurs 🥤Landing Red Bull as a client and the importance of ethical behavior …and so much more!
If you’re in the place of uncertainty in your business, I do suggest hanging out with Hasan for the next hour or so, by listening to my latest episode of the EO series, on the My First Business podcast. Links in the comments below!
Where to find the podcast: ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw 🎙 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c 🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576 🎙 Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC
Where to find Hasan: 💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hasanfadlallah/ 📸Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hfadlallah/ 💼 Business LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-lounge/ 📸 Business Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/BrandLounge ▶️ Business YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Lj-ZyH3PqmxQMNsbqvBGw 🌐 Business Website - https://brandloungeme.com
Where to find me: 📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez 📸 IG: http://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez 🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
My First Business is a podcast based in Dubai, hosted by Naeem Parvez. In each episode, Naeem (co-founder of Digitalina) interviews successful, but under-the-radar entrepreneurs in the city. The guests share valuable lessons they've learned on their entrepreneurial journeys, making each episode feel like a conversation with a mentor you never had.
Love From My First Business, a Dubai Podcast.
In business, how do you balance seizing opportunities quickly, without risking failure?
From Dubai to California, you hear the popular chant of "move fast and break things". They don’t show you the graveyard of businesses that operated with that mentality - Zuck could do it, but the rest have moved fast and broken their companies (and their people) to pieces.
Rishi has a better approach - drawing from his experiences of founding 4 diversified businesses, has learned the importance of starting small, growing gradually, and prioritizing quality before chasing rapid scalability. And he’s managed to this is in the toughest of industries (sustainability and renewable energy), in two separate regions (Middle East and Africa).
This philosophy is evident in his successful venture, FIKA Mobility, which offers innovative electric vehicles (EVs) powered by efficient battery swapping technology reducing the cost and speed of recharging EVs.
In this episode of EO Series of the My First Business Podcast, Rishi and I discussed about:
🤑 The greed that plagues some entrepreneurs (the pie is big enough!)
🤝 Best way of retaining people (how to have generational employees)
💖 Transparency, empathy and vulnerability with employees
🏇 Betting on yourself
✍️ Lessons learned from his entrepreneurial family (his father, mother, brother, aunts & uncles)
🛵 Investing in a e-motorbike business in Kenya
🏗️ Starting small and taking calculated risks
⚡ Balancing iteration speed and perfectionism
Now, my dear audience, the one main reason you should listen to this episode is solely because of Rishi’s captivating storytelling - he was so humble throughout the conversation, that I couldn’t tell I was sitting with boss of all bosses, and his warmth is something that will be sure to light up your day.
Where to find the podcast:
▶️ YouTube
🎙 Spotify
🎙 Apple Podcasts
🎙 Google Podcast
Where to find Rishi:
📸 Instagram
🌐 Business Website - FiKA Mobility
🌐 Business Website - LEME Lighting
🌐 Business Website - WaterWise Car Washing
Where to find me:
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn
🖥 Website
Would you miss the birth of your child to attend an ‘important’ client meeting? How many personal sacrifices are you willing to make to become a ‘successful’ business owner?
This episode was a therapy session for me, with a man who has spent many years in darkest of places.
Meet Dhiren Harchandani, a serial entrepreneur with over two decades of successfully building, scaling and exited multiple ventures in five different industries.
But his journey wasn't without sacrifices. He made decisions that cost him dearly, and sent him spiraling to rock bottom, where he was trapped for several years.
A pivotal moment came when he discovered the power of essentialism, realizing that true transformation begins from within (he calls it the “inner game”).
His new life had begun, and he wanted to share blueprint of sustainable transformation with other entrepreneurs.
He has now coached and mentored entrepreneurs whose businesses have a combined revenue of over $2.3 billion under the SuperHuman Coaching brand, and has become an eternal student of transformation, leadership, and mindset.
And when he’s not helping businesses be more creative and productive, he’s training for ultra-running races, competing in Ironman races, and climbing mountains.
We climbed a few mountains in this conversation, here are some highlights from my interview with Dhiren:
👨👩👦 Realities of growing up in an entrepreneurial family
🧔♂️ Dhiren's exposure to the innovator's dilemma and how small startups innovate rapidly
📈 Important lessons from the best traders in the world
😔 Shutting down a failing business
💸 Why raising funds can become a liability
🧑🏫 Having 4 coaches and 2 mentors simultaneously
🧠 How to achieve maximum focus in a distracted world
🛑 How to set circuit breakers in risky ventures
⌛ Splitting time between multiple businesses and handling operational fires
💼 The switch approach to solving business problems
💪 Emotional resilience in zero to one business
❓ Knowing and having clarity with your “Why”
…and much more.
As always, I think you’ll find a ton of inspiration here, and I hope that you get to listen and re-listen to this episode just when you need it the most!
Resources: The Body Keeps the Score Book by Bessel-van-der-Kolk-M.D.
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself Book by Dr. Joe Dispenza
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
Where to find the podcast:
▶️ YouTube
🎙 Spotify
🎙 Apple Podcasts
🎙 Google Podcast
Where to find Dhiren:
💼 Personal LinkedIn
🌐 Business Website - dhirenharchandani.com/
🌐 Business Website - nycrec.io/
🌐 Business Website - embeegroup.com/
▶️ YouTube
Where to find me:
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast
🖥 Website
What would you do if you lost 60-80% of your revenue overnight?
For MC – the founder of Fruitful Day in Dubai - this wasn’t just a hypothetical question.
It was her reality.
When the pandemic hit and offices started shutting down, her B2B fruit delivery business took an immediate hit. Offices called her to pause contracts, deliveries were paused, and she still had overheads to pay.
And yet, Fruitful Day actually grew. Not just grew, but thrived.
So what saved MC while other businesses started closing their doors?
Her ability to react, and to react fast with a masterful pivot.
MC is an experimenter at heart, and an organized one at that. In fact, if I had to summarize who MC is as a business owner, I’d say she was the walking embodiment of the idiom, “Luck is what happens when opportunity meets preparedness.”
She opened my eyes to the importance continuous product experiments, setting up your business for a successful pivot at any time, and never being caught dead with all eggs in one basket.
Whether you have or haven’t planned for your worst case scenarios, this episode will inspire you to build that into how you run your day to day business.
In this episode of the EO Series, MC and I talked about how Fruitful Day cracked the code. 🧺 Sensing new opportunities and putting eggs in multiple baskets ✨ The ‘Aha’ moment that she knew she was on to something good 🧠 Making tough decisions in the midst of a hazy macro-economic environment 🫂 Finding her tribe via EO 💼 The most interesting way to hire salespeople 👩🏫 3 ways to be a good mentor 💵 Shift from bootstrapping to raising $1m from investors
I hope this story brings a smile to your face and inspires you, just like it did for me. Sometimes, even in difficult times, there's an opportunity to do something amazing.
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:
▶️ YouTube 🎙 Spotify 🎙 Apple Podcasts 🎙 Google Podcast
Where to find MC:
💼 Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-christine-luijckx-cfa-2a973838/
💼 Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fruitful-day/
🌐 Business Website: https://fruitfulday.com/
📸 Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fruitfuldayuae/
Where to find me:
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez 📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast 💼 LinkedIn 🖥 Website
How did you identify the opportunities that unintentionally gave rise to the creation of your own business?
One day, Maanav asked a restaurant owner if he knows who the biggest spender in the restaurant is, and he didn’t get an answer. This encounter sparked the idea of developing a tech product aimed at enhancing restaurant service to customers. Although his startup venture, like many others, had a limited lifespan, this experience fueled his fascination with delving further into entrepreneurship and eventually becoming a Venture Capitalist.
Maanav is now a Partner at Bharat Founders Fund (BFF), which is an early stage venture group, of the most successful Indian entrepreneurs globally, and they’ve got a great portfolio of some exciting companies.
In this episode, Maanav and I talked about:
💡 06:06 Finding opportunities everywhere
🛠️ 11:11 Solving the right problems (and truly understanding product market fit)
💔 12:54 Dealing with self-doubt and self-worth after shutting down his business
↪️ 14:21 His strange path to becoming a VC (from making money, to taking other people’s money)
👥 19:50 Choosing between serial and first time entrepreneurs
💸 01:00:56 Defining financial freedom
If you’ve been dreaming of being a full time investor like me, then you’ll be chewing up the golden nuggets from my conversation with Maanav Sagar of Bharat Founders Fund.
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:
▶️ YouTube
🎙️Spotify
🎙️Apple Podcasts
🎙️Google Podcasts
Where to find Maanav:
🖥 Business Website: https://bff.investopad.com/
💼Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bharatfoundersfund/
💼Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maanav-sagar/
🐥Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/maanavsagar
Where to find me:
📸 Instagram: @the.naeem.parvez
📸 Instagram: @myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez/
💻 Website: https://nparvez.com/
Looking for a dose of reality in the world of entrepreneurship? Look no further than Roma Vora of Aranya Farms. As a successful business owner, Roma knows that not every entrepreneur has a daily meditation practice or reads one book a month, but what they do have is the ability to learn from their failures and keep moving forward.In Part #2 of the EO Series, Roma and I talked about:💁🏽♀️Roma's self-awareness 🤔The challenges of being in a family business🍃Taking a break to gain perspective🤝Networking and relationship building👼Balancing work and motherhood 👩💻Innovation and business development✨Being present in the moment🤗Handling feedback🌾The joy of growing a farm businessShe is breath of fresh air - I almost want to bring Roma back every month for an episode, it is absolutely intoxicating being around her bubbly energy!Tune in for some real talk on entrepreneurship and a glimpse into the life of a successful businesswoman who isn't afraid to keep it real.--This episode is sponsored by Entrepreneurs’ Organization UAE. EO UAE is a community which provides an effective platform for networking, education, and support to business owners and entrepreneurs in the country.Established in 1997, the organization currently has 119 members from a wide range of industries, including technology, healthcare, oil & gas, real estate, hospitality, jewelry, communications, logistics, travel, and more.With an economy that changes on a dime, it can be hard to know what your next move should be. That's where EO comes in with their support.Being a member of EO UAE provides access to:-workshops-social events-learning opportunities-networking-learning from experts in different types of fieldThe organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eonetwork.ae/ or reach out to EO UAE Administrator admin@eonetwork.ae.Details about the EO membership:https://hub.eonetwork.org/Web/Apply/Web/Why-Join/Apply-for-Membership.aspxhttps://eonetwork.ae/member-podcast/--Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naeemparvez🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==Where to find Roma:💼 Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romavora/💼 Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aranya-farms/📸 Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/foreign.madam/Where to find me:📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
If you’re a solopreneur and you’re struggling to grow your practice or your business, this video is definitely for you.
You’re probably working 7 days a week, pulling in all-nighters, and you’re wondering if your life is gonna be like this forever…
You know what? You’re not alone.
Aliya and I had a session and we talked about:
🔥 Delegating
🔥 Finding time to do the things that we love
🔥 First potential hire
🔥 and much more!
Check the full episode of my interview with Aliya here:👇https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl483q18vHk
Chapters:
00:00 Start
00:55 Knowing what you’re good at and when to delegate
02:54 Scaling the personal brand
04:37 The ideal first hire
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7
🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4
🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==
Where to find Aliya:
📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/coach_aliya/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliya-rajah-0b72ba8a/
🖥 Website: https://aliyarajah.com/
Where to find me:
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
In this episode, we discuss the Six Principles as mentioned in the book "Influence" by Robert Cialdini. These principles include reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority, and scarcity.Murtaza Manji and I provide examples of how these principles can be used in marketing and sales to get people to say yes. We hope you find them helpful!We also want to emphasize the importance of reading the book "Influence" by Robert Cialdini. It's a must-read for anyone who interacts with people in a business context.Don't miss this episode and learn more about these principles!Chapters:00:00 Intro01:27 Robert Cialdini, author of the book Influence02:55 Who should read this book?05:02 Murtaza's key learnings from Influence07:39 Importance of saying “because” in a conversation10:32 Listening to your gut when making decision12:16 Six principles mentioned on the book13:45 Taking responsibility16:39 Reciprocation18:11 Commitment21:11 Social Proof25:49 Scarcity29:50 Closing ThoughtsFollow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naeemparvez🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==Where to find Murtaza:💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murtazamanji/💼 Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoachMRM🖥 Business Website: https://www.kaizen.ae/Where to find me:📸 IG: www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
I’m willing to bet that you’ve been daydreaming a lot about starting your own business, quitting your job, and becoming your own boss.
But I’m here to tell you a fact. Most of you watching this video will never ever end up starting your own business.
And no, it’s not always about the fear of money. The devil on your left side shoulder has a million different ways to convince you that it’s not the right path for you.
But I think there is a way out. As Robert Frost said, “Sometimes the only way out is through.”
So I’m gonna share a conversation with Aliya on the fears of starting her own coaching practice and she really got vulnerable with me so I hope that this becomes a tipping point for you to stop dreaming and get going.
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7
🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4
🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==
Where to find Aliya:
📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/coach_aliya/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliya-rajah-0b72ba8a/
🖥 Website: https://aliyarajah.com/
Where to find me:
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
”And that is a huge part of entrepreneurship. You feel alone sometimes. And when you’re in those moments of loneliness, self-doubt creeps in.”Building various businesses can be a lonely journey, and Saleh experienced this firsthand. However, he quickly learned that this is a common experience for entrepreneurs like him, and it's important to acknowledge this feeling.Joining EO has been a game-changer for Saleh. It has allowed him to connect with fellow entrepreneurs who share similar experiences. EO provides a platform for members to share real-life stories and personal experiences with others, which can be both comforting and empowering. Additionally, networking with other people has helped Saleh overcome feelings of loneliness and self-doubt.In this episode of My First Business, we talked about:👷Selling website services to mosques in California🫡Punctuality in business and in life❤️Falling in love with machines🧲The power of attraction🌊 Swimming only in blue oceans😟On loneliness and self-doubt💰Happiness and money🤝Intentionally building a business ‘crew’📏Falling in love with problems that you want to solveAnd more! --This episode is sponsored by Entrepreneurs’ Organization UAE. EO UAE is a community which provides an effective platform for networking, education, and support to business owners and entrepreneurs in the country.Established in 1997, the organization currently has 119 members from a wide range of industries, including technology, healthcare, oil & gas, real estate, hospitality, jewelry, communications, logistics, travel, and more.With an economy that changes on a dime, it can be hard to know what your next move should be. That's where EO comes in with their support.Being a member of EO UAE provides access to:-workshops-social events-learning opportunities-networking-learning from experts in different types of fieldThe organization also offers a mentorship program that pairs members with experienced business leaders who can provide guidance and support as they grow their businesses.So if you are a business owner, tired of taking on your challenges all alone and are looking for unique networking opportunities along with structured support through accountability groups and mentors, this community is for you.To learn more on how to become a member, visit https://eonetwork.ae/ or reach out to EO UAE Administrator admin@eonetwork.ae.Details about the EO membership:https://hub.eonetwork.org/Web/Apply/Web/Why-Join/Apply-for-Membership.aspx
---Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naeemparvez🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==Where to find Saleh:🖥 Business Website: https://www.orangehill.biz/🖥 Business Website: https://www.plantandequipment.com/💼 Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saleh-kuba-38721871/💼 Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/plantandequipment/📸 Business IG: https://www.instagram.com/plantandequipment/Where to find me:📸 IG: www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez📸 IG: www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
On this episode of My First Business Podcast, Murtaza provides three ideas to make reading more fun and match your learning style.
Follow these ideas so you can get through more content and make reading a more enjoyable experience!
Timestamp:
00:00 Start
00:20 Three ideas to make reading fun
02:12 Make reading a habit
02:29 Set a reading goal
02:47 Add reading to your schedule
04:40 Learn to speed read
07:56 Recommendations on where to find books online
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naeemparvez
Where to find Murtaza:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murtazamanji/
💼 Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoachMRM
🖥 Business Website: https://www.kaizen.ae/
Where to find me:
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
In this episode, Murtaza Manji and Naeem Parvez discuss why business owners should read books, emphasizing the importance of learning from others and acknowledging one's own limitations. They also touch on the idea that the number of books sold does not necessarily indicate their quality, and recommends starting with light and easy reads to develop the habit of reading.
Timestamps:
00:14 Books are mentors
00:53 Successful business people have an insatiable hunger to learn
01:59 Do you convince people to start reading?
03:45 What you don’t know you don’t know
06:15 How do these books end up as bestsellers?
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naeemparvez
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4🎧 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==
Where to find Murtaza:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murtazamanji/
💼 Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoachMRM
🖥 Business Website: https://www.kaizen.ae/
Where to find me:
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
Pricing your services can be extremely challenging especially if you're just getting started in business, right?
How would you know what the right amount is and if you're charging your worth?
Most of all, how do you convince your potential client to pay you that certain amount?
To talk about these things and discuss some mental models, I talked to my guest, Aliya Rajah from Episode 17 on My First Business Podcast about:
🔥Getting coaches
🔥Getting rejected
🔥Building up self confidence
🔥and much more!
Check full episode of my interview with Aliya here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl483q18vHk
Follow and subscribe to our Podcast:
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw
🎧Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7
🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576?uo=4
🎧Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw==
Where to find Aliya:
📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/coach_aliya/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliya-rajah-0b72ba8a/
🖥 Website: https://aliyarajah.com/
Where to find me:
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
“Your idea is shit. “
This is what Jadd’s family thinks about his “little” ideas every time he shares one.
It’s a brutally honest feedback, but he needed it.
After a stint in consulting, he believed he would create something bigger, which led to starting his own business - Pangaea X.
In this episode of My First Business Podcast, we talked about:
🧑💻 The new generation of entrepreneurs
😈 His devil’s advocate for starting a business
🙃 The naked truth about being a consultant
🧑🏫 How to treat your life like a professional
👨💼Being your own boss
🤑 Creating generational wealth
💵 True meaning of financial freedom
✨ Dealing with shiny object syndrome
📈 Backing up your decision with data
💻 Building a platform for world’s best data freelancers
✍️ The art of delegating
💭 Giving employees the ability to make decisions
And so much more!
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Episode links in the bio!
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
This episode is brought you to by: @digitalinamarketing
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot. DM me to find out how we do it!
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
“You will make money. You will make money. If you believe in it, you'll make money. Even if you're crap at sales, even if you’re rubbish at certain things as a business owner, or if you have no idea how to run a business. You will learn those things.
I think it's much more rewarding if you doing something that you love for yourself, for your family, for the people who you love.”
That’s Hannah Matthews of Couture Events. She knows what she wants, knows how to get it and knows how to create the right environment to achieve it all. When she was young, she told her mom that she’d be a millionaire - and she wasn’t joking.
In this episode of My First Business, we talked about:
🧯 The art of firefighting
📚 Why she quit business school
🔎 The ‘need-find’ method
🤑 Loving sales!
🕊️ Practicing altruism with her skills
⭐ Being sure of her destiny
🇵🇸 Perks of living in Dubai
💰 Wanting to be a millionaire at a young age
🗻 Having her car sliding backwards on a snowy mountain
❓ Why it matter to have a ‘why’
🥂 Not celebrating successes
🤝 Co-operating with competition
🥴 Why she finds it hard to work in the summer
🧒 Setting an example for her daughter
And much more!
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Episode links in the bio!
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
This episode is brought you to by: @digitalinamarketing
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot. DM me to find out how we do it!
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
Naeem: “When you come up with a business plan, what does it look like?”
Laura: “It’s like ‘War and Peace’ in one document!”
There is no easy way to summarize my interview with Laura Manning, founder of BRW Society. If you’re only going to listen to one episode of My First Business, make sure it’s this one!
Laura and I talked about:
⭐ Selling Avon products as a teenager
⭐ What Laura learnt from her mother (hint: keep going!)
⭐ Giving up the comforts and security of a salary
⭐ How to think about business plans
⭐ The importance of face-to-face research
⭐ Taking praise with a grain of salt from your biggest champions (friends, family)
⭐ How to start small, and test business ideas frugally
⭐ Being okay with failing!
⭐ The loneliness of running a business
⭐ Enjoying working on vacations
⭐ Dealing with disasters (actual floods!) and moving on from them
⭐ When to raise funding
⭐ Taking customer service seriously
⭐ Saying yes, then yes-but, then no
⭐ Why is delegation so hard?
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
(This is part 2 of the interview)
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say the journey and say it’s been easy because it’s been SO hard. Following your own path requires an insane amount of resilience, grit and patience as well as hard work (and way more hours than when you’re an employee). But would I change anything? Absolutely not.”
Meet Aliya - a personal+professional development coach, corporate trainer, entrepreneur, and founder of Coaching with Aliya.
Aliya shares strategies to help people stop standing in their own way, overcome their fears, and make their dreams a reality.
In Episode 17 of My First Business, Aliya and I talked about:
⭐ The price you pay for success ⭐ How she practices saying “no” ⭐ Doing things that no one would want to do ⭐ Being your own cheerleader (and thoughts on imposter syndrome) ⭐ Not wanting ‘millions of followers’ ⭐ Icky selling ⭐ Knowing your time’s worth ⭐ Learning how to sell ⭐ Her first win! ⭐ What super high achievers are doing wrong! ⭐ Detachment from your own business
Aliya’s journey → After studying Biomedical Science and then completing a Master’s in Public Health in the UK, Aliya quickly climbed the corporate career ladder.
It wasn’t long before she realized that the boxes she was ticking didn’t offer the fulfillment or sense of achievement she hoped.
Aliya got her life coaching and NLP accreditations while remaining in her job, before making the move into coaching full-time.
She initially focused on working with professional women in London, attracting a strong following at her workshops and group coaching sessions.
Aliya then moved to the UAE in 2018 and she is now one of the leading coaches in the UAE, working with male and female clients, including CEOs, public figures, celebrities, professors, lawyers, and healthcare professionals. She has conducted training sessions for ADNOC, the Ministry of Education, the Emirates Foundation, and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
This episode is brought you to by: @digitalinamarketing
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot. DM me to find out how we do it!
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
(This is part 1 of the interview)
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say the journey and say it’s been easy because it’s been SO hard. Following your own path requires an insane amount of resilience, grit and patience as well as hard work (and way more hours than when you’re an employee). But would I change anything? Absolutely not.”
Meet Aliya - a personal+professional development coach, corporate trainer, entrepreneur, and founder of Coaching with Aliya.
Aliya shares strategies to help people stop standing in their own way, overcome their fears, and make their dreams a reality.
In Episode 17 of My First Business, Aliya and I talked about:
⭐ The price you pay for success ⭐ How she practices saying “no” ⭐ Doing things that no one would want to do ⭐ Being your own cheerleader (and thoughts on imposter syndrome) ⭐ Not wanting ‘millions of followers’ ⭐ Icky selling ⭐ Knowing your time’s worth ⭐ Learning how to sell ⭐ Her first win! ⭐ What super high achievers are doing wrong! ⭐ Detachment from your own business
Aliya’s journey → After studying Biomedical Science and then completing a Master’s in Public Health in the UK, Aliya quickly climbed the corporate career ladder.
It wasn’t long before she realized that the boxes she was ticking didn’t offer the fulfillment or sense of achievement she hoped.
Aliya got her life coaching and NLP accreditations while remaining in her job, before making the move into coaching full-time.
She initially focused on working with professional women in London, attracting a strong following at her workshops and group coaching sessions.
Aliya then moved to the UAE in 2018 and she is now one of the leading coaches in the UAE, working with male and female clients, including CEOs, public figures, celebrities, professors, lawyers, and healthcare professionals. She has conducted training sessions for ADNOC, the Ministry of Education, the Emirates Foundation, and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
This episode is brought you to by: @digitalinamarketing
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot. DM me to find out how we do it!
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
Meet Ziad Tariq.
As a young boy, Ziad helped his father’s optical business after class every day where he learned the ins and outs of the field. Shortly after graduating, he started working in a Dubai bank to sharpen his finance and customer service skills while simultaneously helping with his father’s optical business.
⎯
Fast forward to today, Ziad has become an ambitious serial entrepreneur. He's dabbled in multiple businesses in different fields like real estate, marketing and e-commerce.
⎯
2011 - Co-founded bonavenue.com, selling designer clothing brands.
2015 - Opened Optoline Optics, which still stands today, selling eyewear and performing RTA eye tests.
2019 - Co-founded adasat.com.
2022 - And if that wasn’t enough, he has just opened up a gym in Dubai Marina - Sweat Dubai!
⎯
In Episode 16 of My First Business, Ziad and I talked about:
🔥 Working in his dad’s business as a teenager
🔥 (Almost) failing at his first business
🔥 His unique way of doing business research
🔥 Working ‘in’ the business vs ‘on’ the business
🔥 Why he says YES to everything!
🔥 Having unlimited patience
🔥 Being okay with not being the first
🔥 The importance of brilliant customer service
🔥 Following your REALISTIC dreams
⎯
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Episode links in the bio!
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
⎯
This episode is brought you to by: https://wwww.digitalina.io
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot. DM me to find out how we do it!
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
Shivaun’s advice for new (or soon to be) entrepreneurs:
- You’re never ‘too old’ to start a business
- Outsource as much as you can before you take on the responsibility of hiring people
- Don't spend money on an expensive marketing agencies in the beginning at first, if you don't know exactly what you need from them
- Live below your means
- Have fun in everything that you do
- Don't be obsessed with hitting your money goals
- Sales is the most important part of your business
I met Shivaun at a sales workshop that he hosted, and both Alina and I were blown away by his quick thinking, raw energy, charisma and his sales chops. He’s been coaching business owners and is busy doubling, tripling (sometimes quadrupling) their revenue.
In Episode 15 of My First Business, Shivaun and I talked about:
- How to not ‘oversell’
- Changing your life around when you realize all you do is work, work, work
- The 3 main elements of a sales pitch (Wow, How & Why Now)
- Choosing your tribe
- How to break-up in business, amicably
- ABQ - Always Be Qualifying
- Using stories to light people up
- How long meetings should actually be
- How to avoid groupthink
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Episode links in the bio!
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
This episode is brought you to by: @digitalinamarketing
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot. DM me to find out how we do it!
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
Shivaun’s advice for new (or soon to be) entrepreneurs:
- You’re never ‘too old’ to start a business
- Outsource as much as you can before you take on the responsibility of hiring people
- Don't spend money on an expensive marketing agencies in the beginning at first, if you don't know exactly what you need from them
- Live below your means
- Have fun in everything that you do
- Don't be obsessed with hitting your money goals
- Sales is the most important part of your business
I met Shivaun at a sales workshop that he hosted, and both Alina and I were blown away by his quick thinking, raw energy, charisma and his sales chops. He’s been coaching business owners and is busy doubling, tripling (sometimes quadrupling) their revenue.
In Episode 15 of My First Business, Shivaun and I talked about:
- How to not ‘oversell’
- Changing your life around when you realize all you do is work, work, work
- The 3 main elements of a sales pitch (Wow, How & Why Now)
- Choosing your tribe
- How to break-up in business, amicably
- ABQ - Always Be Qualifying
- Using stories to light people up
- How long meetings should actually be
- How to avoid groupthink
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Episode links in the bio!
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
This episode is brought you to by: @digitalinamarketing
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot. DM me to find out how we do it!
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
Hi folks, welcome to My First Business, where usually you’ll find me having conversations with my business mentors, that I borrow by the hour - just for you my dear listener!
This is shorter episode, not my usual 2 hour marathon - so it’s a highlights episode, where I share short clips from my interviews (~60 seconds a piece),
Today I’ve got Trisha Cadden for you - Trisha has notoriously been building business after business, after business in the fitness industry and my God I wish all of you could sit down with her for an hour.
The thing I loved most about Trisha is her maturity and clear mindedness, she’s optimistic but doesn’t have any toxic positivity traits, and I absolutely love that her dreams keep getting bigger and bigger, and she keeps developing her strength to take charge of her goals.
I hope you enjoy the highlights of our conversation, if you like what you hear, go check out the full episode, great listening for your commutes!
Enjoy!
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
*This episode is split into 2 parts. You are currently playing part 2.
Naeem: “So if you were to stop running your current businesses, what would you be doing?”
Varun: “I think I'd be a business person”
Naeem: “If I had a gun to your head - and I said ‘you can never, ever run a business’…
Varun: “Um, yeah, I'd be running an NGO - so it wouldn't be a business - but it would still be my own thing.”
What do you do when you meet someone who earned their chops at PwC, has hit revenue targets crossing $4 million annually, but insists on sharing his stories on all the failures and mistakes of his entrepreneurial life?
Meet Varun Malik, founder of Konsalidon, which is a network of 200+ senior consulting teams, ready to be deployed with the least overheads the consulting industry has ever seen.
In this episode, Varun and I talked about:
🔥 ’Failing’ miserably
🔥 Bias for action
🔥 Doctors make the worst patients (and consultants make the worst businesspeople)
🔥 Are you running a business or a ponzi scheme?
🔥 Pivoting out of pivots
🔥 The difference between mentors, coaches and advisors
🔥 Saying no to time-tracking
🔥 What branding has to do with premium pricing
🔥 Going over, then above and then beyond
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
This episode is brought you to by: @digitalinamarketing
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot.
—————————
My First Business, a Dubai Podcast
dubai #dubaibusiness #dubailife #dubaipodcast #dubaicity
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
Naeem: “So if you were to stop running your current businesses, what would you be doing?”
Varun: “I think I'd be a business person”
Naeem: “If I had a gun to your head - and I said ‘you can never, ever run a business’…
Varun: “Um, yeah, I'd be running an NGO - so it wouldn't be a business - but it would still be my own thing.”
What do you do when you meet someone who earned their chops at PwC, has hit revenue targets crossing $4 million annually, but insists on sharing his stories on all the failures and mistakes of his entrepreneurial life?
Meet Varun Malik, founder of Konsalidon, which is a network of 200+ senior consulting teams, ready to be deployed with the least overheads the consulting industry has ever seen.
In this episode, Varun and I talked about:
🔥 ’Failing’ miserably
🔥 Bias for action
🔥 Doctors make the worst patients (and consultants make the worst businesspeople)
🔥 Are you running a business or a ponzi scheme?
🔥 Pivoting out of pivots
🔥 The difference between mentors, coaches and advisors
🔥 Saying no to time-tracking
🔥 What branding has to do with premium pricing
🔥 Going over, then above and then beyond
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
Follow @myfirstbusinesspodcast!
This episode is brought you to by: @digitalinamarketing
Digitalina generates new, high quality leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot.
—————————
My First Business, a Dubai Podcast
dubai #dubaibusiness #dubailife #dubaipodcast #dubaicity
——————
Where to find the podcast
▶️ YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw]
🎙 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkAWrGSd927rZquJz7?si=4802c936a51f418c]
🎙 iTunes[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/my-first-business-with-naeem-parvez/id1615535576]
🎙 Google Podcast [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xOTE1MjA1LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk_8SnuPD5AhUBGRoKHZ-DAxMQ9sEGegQIARAC]
——————
Where to find me
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
You could put Trisha anywhere in the world, and she’d be opening and running successful businesses.
“People say this to us ‘Please, on the opening days, please take a couple hours out, take the weekend to yourself, try and enjoy the moment.’
And you really honestly can't because that's when the work starts. And you're so aware of it, that you're like ‘there's nothing to celebrate…’
I know it's an accomplishment. It absolutely is.
But in our mindset, it's 10% of the accomplishment. We're still nowhere near where our intentions are, where we want to be.” - Trisha Cadden
If only I had met Trisha 10 years ago, I would’ve saved a lot of years of hemming and hawing, and gotten off my butt much sooner. The energy and optimism she puts into her businesses is truly inspiring. The fearlessness to go ahead with grand plans is contagious.
She is the creator and co-owner of three gyms and a healthy cafe, alongside a multitude of entrepreneurial projects such as fitness holidays, speaking and hosting events. She's completed professionally with Muay Thai boxing, bodybuilding and endurance sports for over a decade before making a switch from the corporate world into the business of fitness and nutrition.
She is currently building Chalk Training Ground and The Daily Grind.
In episode 13 of My First Business, Trish and I talked about:
⭐ Failing forward
⭐ Selling flowers!
⭐ Going from zero to one
⭐ ‘You are the creator of your own tomorrow’
⭐ The doer versus the orchestrator
⭐ Letting go (or being okay with 80%)
⭐ What she loves most about building businesses
⭐ What we’ve learnt from Richard Branson
⭐ Downplaying small wins, knowing that the work has just begun
⭐ Business as a vehicle to get closer to your family
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
--
This episode is brought you by:
Digitalina - Get Leads On Autopilot! (https://www.digitalina.io)
--
Where to find the podcast:
🎙 Spotify
🎙 iTunes
🎙 Google Podcasts
▶️ YouTube
Where to find me:
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
Where to find Trisha Cadden:📸 IG: @trishacaddenfitness
📸 IG: @chalktrainingground
🤔 What do you do when you go through a traumatic medical procedure, that takes away your voice and your sense of smell?
You start a business called “The Party” of course, like Melissa Orkamo did!
You can’t find much about Melissa online. And that’s by design - she wanted her products to sell themselves. That has worked out really well for them. This interview was a rare opportunity for me to dig into behind the scenes of how she is building a creativity fuelled business, after leaving a comfortable and secure career in Risk Management & Compliance.
The Party’s signature products are customized cake toppers - and we explore how she is going about creating a long term, sustainable business out of these, one Scandinavian wood plank at a time!
Here are the most interesting things Melissa and I touched on in Episode 12 of My First Business:
⭐ Abandoning the comfort of a monthly salary
⭐ Understand your market early on
⭐ Realizing which business owner hat gives her the most joy
⭐ Running a business with her husband and sister-in-law
⭐ Protecting her downtime
⭐ Working in AND on the business
⭐ Pulling all the rabbits, out of all the hats (or how to survive the 11th hour chaos)
⭐ Lessons from her partnerships
⭐ Balancing risk-adverseness with risk-taking
⭐ Being an extroverted introvert
⭐ Taking that first step!
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
❤️ This episode is brought you by
@Digitalina
Digitalina gets service business high quality leads on auto-pilot! [https://www.digitalina.io]
🎙 Spotify
🎙 Apple Podcasts
🎙 Google Podcasts
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn
🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
▶️ YouTube
“I knew I was going to make it work, one way or another. I resigned from my job even before I had my first client.” - The Dubai Matchmaker
When I was preparing and researching for this interview, I knew one thing for sure - Christiana’s empire building journey is going to be one to closely follow and learn from. The moves she has made in such a short period of time are nothing short of fantastic ⚡. The confidence that she puts in herself is astronomical. As she says, she is rewriting the blueprint of the Dubai dating verse, one match at a time!
But how do you build an empire out of a matchmaking business with Dubai being your launch pad?
In Episode #11 of My First Business, Christiana and I talked about:
⭐ Her relationship with money
⭐ ‘Working’ 24/7 on your business
⭐ Abundance mindset and never doubting yourself
⭐ Christiana’s crew and influences
⭐ “You’re A Badass At Making Money”
⭐ Having ‘commission breath’
⭐ Building someone else’s business
⭐ Being valued properly by your customers
⭐ The power of framing the right questions
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
This episode is brought you by @Digitalina
Digitalina helps service based businesses generate leads on autopilot!
https://www.digitalina.io
Where to find the podcast:
🎙 Spotify
🎙 iTunes
🎙 Google Podcasts
▶️ YouTube
Where to find me:
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn
🖥 Website
Where to find Christiana:
📸 IG: @christiana.maxion.matchmaker
🖥 Website: https://christianamaxion.com/
🎙 Podcast: Dating In Dubai: An Expat Expose
💌 Email: info@christianamaxion.com
All Christiana links: Linktee
Mentioned in the episode:
@Jen Sincero - You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth (Website)
@Kelly Lundberg Official - Personal Branding Coach (Website)
Helen Pleic - RTT Specialist - The Hundred Wellness Centre Dubai (Website)
Natasha Hatherall - TishTash Marketing and Public Relations (Website)
@Patti Stanger - Millionaire’s Club (Website)
Me: "What’s the ONE book every business owner should read, according to you?"
Natasha: "I'm going to say something you're probably not going to expect - I think everyone should read Five Love Languages (by Gary Chapman). And I think everybody in the world should read that book. Not just people in business."
I keep hearing about ‘people first’ businesses, and I thought I was building one too. But in just one conversation with Natasha, I learnt what it means to wholeheartedly practice it at Tish Tash.
I learnt that her business came about quite accidentally. Like Alina, all Tash wanted was - to be a freelancer, do some yoga and travel the world. A decade or so later, she’s won the hearts of her clients (The Body Shop, Sukin, Neal’s Yard and more), has grabbed up some neat PRCA awards and looks after a team of 40 bright people.
I sat down with Natasha to discuss:
🖋 Being entrepreneurial from a young age
🖋 Knowing when she was on to something good
🖋 Sacrifices she has made along the way
🖋 Imposter syndrome
🖋 How she manages to maintain meaningful relationships with her team
🖋 Falling in love with people that are right for your business (hi Polly!)
🖋 Working on the business AND in the business
🖋 Sleepless nights are for ideation
🖋 Inbox zero!
🖋 Financial realities and lifestyle of being a business owner
🖋 Starting and seeing projects through (including Raemona!)
🖋 Keeping a check on ethics and morality in business
🖋 Her upcoming book!
I have so much more to talk to her about, and hoping to bring her back for a round 2 very soon!
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
This episode is brought you by:
Digitalina (https://www.digitalina.io). Digitalina generate new leads and customers for service based businesses, on autopilot. Book a discovery call to see if they are a good fit for your business
--Where to find me--
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
🖥 Website: https://www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrbr87_ZSPICaDoTcCebyw
--Where to find Natasha--
🖥 Personal Website: https://tashhatherall.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
📸 IG: @tashhatherall: https://www.instagram.com/tashhatherall/
🖥 Agency Website: https://tishtash.com
--Special mention: https://5lovelanguages.com
How many entrepreneurs knew they had to go ALL IN after attending a concert?
Upasana’s life experiences - including being the first in her family to get on a plane, and the first one to study abroad - built her confidence to start her neurofeedback clinic - Evolve Brain Training.
She is by the far one of most fearless humans I know!
Couple that with her own experience of neurofeedback therapy to treat her insomnia, and a ton of trials she ran in her husband’s office - she knew she was on to something good.
In Episode 09 of My First Business, I got together with Upasana hoping to glean lessons on starting a business from scratch, and I wasn’t disappointed!
We talked about:
🔥 replacing yourself
🔥 hiring mistakes
🔥 self care routines for business owners
🔥 (not) celebrating successes
🔥 faster decision making
🔥 lessons from mentors (including “it’s okay to be mediocre”)
🔥 your business is your baby
🔥 improving your inner salesperson
🔥 retreats and vision days with your teams
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
This episode is brought you by Digitalina - https://www.digitalina.io
--Where to find the podcast--
🎙 Spotify
🎙 iTunes
🎙 Google Podcasts
--Where to find me--
📸 IG: @the.naeem.parvez
📸 IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast
💼 LinkedIn
🖥 Website: https://www.nparvez.com
--About me--
I am a new (and sometimes utterly clueless) business owner. My full time entrepreneurial journey only spans a couple of years, and I realize I could use all the help that I can get.
Not coming from a family of business minded people, and being surrounded by friends that are climbing the corporate ladder, I’ve lacked inspiration (for which I’ve usually turned to books, podcasts, etc). I’ve lacked the wisdom that I need to face the day-to-day, month-to-month, eon-to-eon challenges of running a business.
I learn best from people and their stories. So I started seeking out mentors that can guide me, and to unlock something inside me. That’s what this podcast is about - I am squeezing out the stories and the wisdom of those that come on the show. These are entrepreneurs that have been-there-done-that, and have battle scars to prove it.
I figure I can learn from their successes, and avoid the mistakes that they’ve made, so that I may build a business that I’m proud of.
What does it feel like to be at the helm of a 50-year family business?
Ritesh’s grandfather was probably one of the first private Indian ship owners in the world - he started Transworld Group in 1977. Today, they employ ~850 people on land, have about 600 crew that work on their ships. No small feat - for someone who was 100% blind in his left eye, and 75% blind in his right.
Ritesh was 22 when he joined the business, and had to learn the ropes in the heat of the 2008-09 recession. It’s been 14 years since then, I got together with him to learn about how he’s steering the ship.
We talked about:
🔥 Making the decision to join the family business
🔥 Balancing impatience and patience
🔥 Celebrating wins (especially the small ones)
🔥 Lessons from Richard Branson and MS Dhoni
🔥 Future-proofing his business (what planning looks like for a 50 year old business)
🔥 The triggers that get him going from 0 to 100, real quick
🔥 Making decision quickly (not overthinking & over analyzing)
🔥 Being content
🔥 Learning from his grandmother → The One Woman Army
Ritesh is one of the most humbling hustlers I’ve ever talked to. I didn’t expect him to be this down to earth, given that he runs a whale of a business group. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
Where to find the podcast:
- Spotify: [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkA...]
- iTunes: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...]
- Google Podcasts: [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...]
- IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
- IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
- Website: https://www.nparvez.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
Back when he worked at a consultancy, Kareem had a moment of introspection. He saw a predictable path - Associate, to Sr Associate, to Manager, to Sr Manager, to finally a partner in a few decades.
“It was too predictable. I just wanted to start something where there were no boundaries with what I could achieve”.
And @School of Yalla was born!
In this episode, Kareem and I get together as newbies into the business world, and jam on:
🔥 Transitioning out of the corporate life
🔥 Learning to stop listening to the gut so much
🔥 Getting feedback from the market to evolve your business
🔥 How to do ‘deep work’ and experiences with isolation
🔥 The reason he keeps going even though success seems further out
🔥 Pay attention to results, the importance of performance data
🔥 The path to getting 200 students in the School of Yalla
This is a very enjoyable episode for anyone in the early stages of building a productized service!
Where to find the podcast:
- Spotify: [https://open.spotify.com/show/6B5JdkA...]
- iTunes: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...]
- Google Podcasts: [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...]
- IG: @the.naeem.parvez [www.instagram.com/the.naeem.parvez]
- IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast [www.instagram.com/myfirstbusinesspodcast]
- Website: https://www.nparvez.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nparvez
Imagine growing up in Yugoslavia (it wasn’t that long ago!), where socialism flourished for a while.
Picture a little boy, Ivan Zeljkovic, who was told “work or no work, the radio will still be playing” → basically a softer version of communism, you could say.
This boy would end up loving the radio, the mic and the cameras. From working in radio shows, to becoming the ‘most popular man in Serbia’ (as the host of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"), this man left everything behind to become an entrepreneur in Dubai. He understands the media world inside out, and on top of that, understands the world of business in a very unique way. He echoes Gary V’s sentiment → “Every business is a media business”.
Today, Ivan currently spend most of his time running Castvio (which is growing like mad) and Evans Media, and is always dabbling in other entrepreneurial ventures.
I got together with Ivan to talk about:
🔥 Starting his first business in the 90’s (burning CDs)
🔥 His inability to feel inspired by a corporate career
🔥 The gift and curse of having the entrepreneurial zest
🔥 His philosophy on pivoting
🔥 Loving Mondays!
🔥 Hiring fast, firing fast and finding ‘nice’ people
🔥 His belief in ‘being useful’
🔥 Why you shouldn’t start a business without a consultant (he changed my mind on this!)
🔥 His advice on pricing (if you don’t charge a retainer or subscription, don’t do business)
🔥 His learnings about oppo-threats & lessons from the Spartans on how to manage challenges
🔥 How to treat new ideas with the respect they deserve
When I first met Ivan, I just remember being hit with a gigantic force of positive energy - and I’m sure you will too.
ENJOY!
Resources mentioned:
- [Castvio.com]
- [Satya Nadella - Hit Refresh]
- [E-Myth Revisited - Michael Gerber]
- [The Fourth Industrial Revolution]
James’ story starts when we was a teenager.
At 17, James taught himself how to code
Built a website
Learned the principles of design
Marketed his website
And started to monetize it
While his friends were at university and yet to experience ‘the real world’, James had managed to teach himself how to run a business from his bedroom.
Somewhere in between he also sold stick insects and built a computer game.
Founded in a basement in 2012 and now spanning three continents, James is the CEO and Co-Founder of Grow – a consulting firm with an impressive global client roster including Google, Four Seasons, Casio DP World, and WeWork. Today, James lives in Sri Lanka with his wife and 3 kids, focused on creating his dream lifestyle.
In this episode of My First Business, James & I discuss:
- Realities of entrepreneurship no one tells you
- How to make your business work for you and your lifestyle
- The importance of emotional detachment from your business
- Costly startup mistakes to avoid
- The opportunity cost of keeping and selling your business
- Developing a mindset for the long-run
- Cultivating a culture of growth and happiness
- The intersection of mental health and business
- Leveraging agency masterminds and mentorship
James is a goddamn sweetheart, he’s a capitalist with a conscience, and like me, he is also runs his business with his spouse so we had a lot to talk about. Without further ado, enjoy my wide ranging conversation with James
Murtaza talks about the different kinds of 'patience' - the one you need to have, and the one you don't.
Vuk talks about how he wishes he had the courage to abandon a failing project and start over more often.
Murtaza talks about the importance of the words we use for ourselves, and against ourselves.
Vuk talks about the time that him and his business partner alamo chose to live on a boat instead of renting an apartment in Dubai.
Wahaj talks about how to battle the everyday anxieties and fears of running a business.
At the age of 23, Vuk left Serbia to start a business in Dubai
He didn’t have a clear plan
He simply wanted his life to be an adventure
10 years later, he’s the owner of Creitive, a global Digital Product agency with offices in Dubai, Singapore and Serbia, and a one-of-a-kind video podcast production company, Poddster.
In this episode of My First Business, Vuk & I discuss:
How to know if you’re an entrepreneur
The magic of thinking big and how to actualize your vision
Huge bootstrapping mistakes to avoid
How to work alongside business partners
Leveraging impatience
The power of quitting at the right time
His driving force and what pushes him forward
What it’s like to run a business in Dubai
I got to know Vuk because, well he was my boss, in fact, he was the one that I submitted my resignation to start my own business because what can I say, he inspired me so much everyday that I wanted to do what he was doing. So without further ado, please enjoy my therapeutic conversation with Vuk Zlatarov.
--
WEB: www.myfirstbusinesspodcast.com
IG: @myfirstbusinesspodcast
First, let me describe the old Michelle:
Struggling with confidence
Gaining weight
Feeling lost
Trapped in her own business
Michelle found herself caught in a ‘Dubai lifestyle’ she didn’t really want.
…until she discovered boxing.
For the first time in her life, Michelle felt
Confident
Mentally sharp
Motivated
On fire
With zero handouts and zero experience in running a gym, Michelle decided to kiss goodbye to PR and started Real Boxing Only, Dubai’s first female owned boxing gym. Today, Michelle has two thriving locations, and is up at 4am every day, chasing her vision to build 250 franchises worldwide. Michelle is Dubai’s very own girl on fire, who’s got a no holds barred tough love approach, and is constantly inspiring others to live life at their maximum effort.
In this episode of My First Business, Michelle & I discuss:
Living life at 100%
Losing AED 700,000 and coming back from it
Her insane backstory as a Plain Brethren
Why Every entrepreneur needs to be a salesperson
How competition breeds confidence
Taking the time to define what you (actually) sell
The dark side of praise and criticism
Keeping your menu limited
Being intentional about customer experience
The downside of treating employees like family
Creating momentum with action
Why everything in moderation never works
I met Michelle a couple of years ago, we sat down on a table next to boxing ring, and was blown away by her energy and passion for her business - and to see her put into action what she was dreaming of then is truly inspiring. Get ready for a few laughs, and lot of moments of inspiration for yourself. Without further ado - enjoy my punch-in-the-face conversation with Michelle.
A few ways to describe Murtaza before he started his first business:
-Unable to take instructions, because he had a different vision
-Marching to his own beat, because his beat was better
-Never taking anyone’s permission, because
To most people, Murtaza appeared to be ‘unemployable’
But to Murtaza, this was a sign that he was meant to lead, not follow.
Fast forward to a decade after quitting his job, Murtaza has started three businesses, oversees fifteen family businesses, and spearheads one of the best business coaching firms in the Middle East. Kaizen Consulting Group . Kaizen has helped over 700 companies worldwide, resulting in average revenue growth of 41% and 840 new jobs created.
In this episode of My First Business, Murtaza & I discuss:
How to uncover an applicants true personality outside the interview
Leveraging coaches to get to your goals faster
Three strike rule for firing clients
The importance of healthy impatience
Being intentional with internal dialogue
The difference between building a business vs. a trap
Books every entrepreneur should read
How to avoid resenting the business you’ve built
I met Murtaza because his email newsletters are bangers, and I wanted to meet the man behind them. He was humble enough to respond and just on our first lunch together, he casually gave me advice that changed the course of my business and massively improved my mindset. I hope he can do that for you too in this episode. Without further ado, please enjoy my eye opening conversation Murtaza.
So picture this, you’re at the famous Exit Cafe in Dubai at 2am.
In the corner, you’d see a skinny, unassuming Pakistani man with wire framed glasses, busily typing away on his laptop.
You think he’s probably a gamer.
In fact, he’s the CEO of Oblique Consult, one of the fastest growing Financial Advisory firms in the MENA Region and former Head of Indirect Tax at Emirates Airlines.
What started as one man on his laptop in a shisha cafe, is now a 7-figure business headquartered in Downtown Dubai, servicing the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia with a 100% client retention rate.
Calm, humble and positive, listening to Wahaj is part podcast, part meditation.
In this episode of My First Business, Wahaj & I discuss:
Maximizing the value from a 9-5 job
How to know when to take the leap
Making wisdom exponential with networking
Aggressive decision making
Hiring and incentivising employees the right way
When to let go – giving up operational control to grow
How to deal with nightmare situations
Two secrets to never losing a client
Leaning into positivity and intuition
I’ve known Wahaj since we were teenagers, and we all have that friend we knew would never stop hustling. I’ve had the pleasure of not only being friends, but also colleagues as he hired me as one of his first employees in his first business - so it only makes sense he is one of my first guests on this podcast. Without further ado, enjoy my meditative conversation with Wahaj.