Egypt’s
IDEANEURS Talents Worth Celebrating
Hisham Kharma Unconventional superman
Gihan Soliman Fighting clay rocks of poor education
20 trending startups to keep an eye on
Mariam ElQuessny
Embracing the right to selfexpression
lI ssu e
May / June Issue - www.ideaneurs.com - NO. 0
Promotiona
Ahmed AbdelRahman 17-year-old Egyptian scientist
Creativity in times of recession The buck stops where? Back to the future
10-hurdle journey of entrepreneur Market Radar: Reading the pulse of the market
coming soon ...
www.invenst-ventures.biz
From Behind the Scenes A letter from the Ideaneurs behind Ideaneurs Why entrepreneurs? A new magazine? A printed one as well! You have While Egypt has many talented people who have a huge got to be kidding me... Don’t you watch news, lispotential for becoming remarkable entrepreneurs, it ten to the radio, or walk across the streets like the also has people holding those innovators back. Through rest of the people? We are going down man! Ideaneurs, we shed the light on the different ideas and Plus, who buys magazines these days? And how ventures of those talents, giving them much is your magazine?... FREE! “We are out there to the support they need to go along with You are out of your mind dude! provide our readers their passionate entrepreneurial spirit. This is a typical conversation between a with enlightening Our aim is to help those innovators overperson who has a new innovative idea come the fear barrier, knowing they are news on emerging and another who keeps on holding him not alone in this and that there are other back. It is not only about Ideaneurs, this entrepreneurial trends, dreamers who did something for making conversation took place, will take place, exciting local talents their dreams come true. and is taking place between many Egypand lots of creative tians as you are reading those lines. aspirations! “ It is true that we might be facing many difficulties, struggles, and setbacks. However, it is also true that no one on earth, and maybe on other planets too, enjoy a challenge-free life. Challenge, oh yes. It is the broken step of a ladder that holds some people from reaching their dreams and keeps them at the bottom. Other passionate resilient individuals manage to surpass this step and go beyond, towards reaching their aims. Through Ideaneurs, we give those ambitious innovators a helping hand, to make it possible for them to reach the top of the ladder, and this is our mission.
Who we are
A group of entrepreneurship enthusiasts, youth believers, community servers and dynamic change makers. Our collective experiences of business, start-ups, editorial writing, market research, graphic designs and photography enable us to establish a solid ground for paradigm shift in the society that nurtures and cultivates more game-changing entrepreneurs.
What we do
In each issue of Ideaneurs, we will feature a number of entrepreneurs that are not necessarily known to all the public, to help them in introducing themselves to the market, getting public support and recognition, and in some cases inviting investors to their franchise. In a nutshell, we give the brightest entrepreneurs a “Celebrity-like” media coverage treatment.
6
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
What Do We Have?
Skimming through our various sections, you will find stories celebrating creative entrepreneurs, who deserve to come to the fore for their ideas to flourish and yield into actual outcomes. Enlightening articles will come across your way to help you overcome the common challenges you often face when trying to establish a new venture, or even when trying to pave your way for studying or doing your work. The Market Radar will inform you about the hottest ventures in the market and about different job opportunities you may find of interest. Idea-o-scope puts one project under the microscope, describing its concept, goals, and the cool features of the services or products this project offers. You will also have the chance to read notes by mentors on how to prepare yourself and kick-start an impactful business or project. Finally yet importantly, our Infographs provide handy, eye-catching hints that you can follow to develop your capabilities further, and then tear down to stick on your desk or share with your loved ones. Throughout several months, we exerted huge efforts for this idea to become a reality, for this issue to be within your hands, and for those talents to be celebrated, because Talents Are Worth Celebrating.
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
0 Issue
Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Essa Articles Mohammed El Soukkary Feature Editorials Fady Salah Market Radar Jaylan Salah El Din Art Direction AbdelAzim Saafan Photography Ahmed Tahoun Admin & Ops Walaa Younis Owner InveNst Ventures LLC. ONLINE http://www.ideaneurs.com/ /Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag Copyright
Reproduction as a whole or partial without prior permission is prohibited To book an Ad or for any inquiry, drop us a note to info@ideaneurs.com or call 010 26 916 516
Scan me May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
7
Contents
100 Find a job
National Net Ventures • Linux Administrator http://n2v.com/ar/
Bavarian Auto Group • Purchasing Specialist • Budgeting Accountant www.bag-eg.com/
Bayt.com- Cairo, Egypt • Field Sales Manager • Online Advertising Sales Specialist • SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) Hunter http://www.bayt.com/en/egypt Xceed Contact Center • Technical Support Representative www.xceedcc.com/
SADKO Group • Whole Sales Representative (Alexandria) http://www.sadko-group.com/ AMECO Egypt • Supply Chain Manager http://www.amecoegypt.com/ Ameco_Egypt/Company.html
L’Oreal - Egypt • Management Trainee Program Finance • Management Trainee Program Marketing http://www.loreal.com/DD/loreal/ default.html
16 24 32 40 49 56 64 72 82 88 8
94 Your account
AUC New Cairo • E-Learning and Multimedia Developer hr4@aucegypt.edu • Associate Director for Stewardship and Donor Relations hr1@aucegypt.edu • Secretary, Office of the Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance hr2@aucegypt.edu
International Finance Corporation - Cairo (Egypt) • Finance Analyst • Procurement Assistant • Results Measurement Specialist • Senior Operations Officer http://www.ifc.org Microsoft - Egypt • Technical Account Manager • Senior Research Software Development Engineer • Sales Solutions Professional http://www.microsoft.com/ Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Sharm El Sheikh • Food & Beverage Assistant Manager http://www.fourseasons.com/
About us!
Souq.com • Assistant Category Manager • Junior Graphic Web Designer http://egypt.souq.com/eg-ar/
WECANCITY • Sales Outdoor Specialist http://www.wecancity.com/
Vodafone - Egypt • Testing Manager http://www.vodafone.com/
Zewail City of Science and Technology • Housing Operation Officer • Financial Aid –Specialist http://www.zewailcity.edu.eg/ Raya Corp - Egypt • Sales representative hr_distribution@rayacorp.com Abbott - Cairo • NATIONAL SALES MANAGER http://www.abbott.com Alex Eye Center • Head of Nurses http://alexeyecenter.com/ Paradigm Solutions (Cairo office) • Software Sales Representative www.paradigmegypt.com/
EVA Pharma / EVA Cosmetics Cairo, Egypt • Autocad Drafter www.evapharma.com
Talaat Moustafa Group Holding Company • IT Supervisor http://new.talaatmoustafa.com/
Ernst & Young - Egypt • Valuation Senior http://www.ey.com
Spinneys Egypt • Customer Service Agent http://www.spinneys.com/Egypt/
Andalusia Group For Medical Services - Cairo, Egypt • Orthodontic consultant http://www.andalusiagroup. net/home.asp
What can you say about yourself? ‘Human by heart, broke by choice, innovator by design and entrepreneur by force’ What are your main hobbies or interests? Handcrafting, venture making, business modeling, innovation and entrepreneurship What do you do for Ideaneurs? I lead the Idea-O-scope, Infographics, Mentor’s Note, on top of the general management of all things
Mohammed El Soukkary
What can you say about yourself? ‘A bureaucrat by day, a little more interesting by evening.’ What are your main hobbies or interests? Reading, video games and martial arts. What do you do for Ideaneurs? I lead the writing of all the subject articles that I hope readers will enjoy reading as much as I did writing them
“Ideaneurs to me is the physical embodiment of true love, respect and appreciation for all the amazing people we have here”
Search
M B for engineering • SWITCHGEAR DESIGN ENGINEER http://mb-egypt.com/
IDEANEURS May 2013
12 20 28 36 44 52 60 68 76 84
12
“Ideaneurs to me is a window to different perspectives”
Etisalat - Egypt • Roaming Analyst http://www.etisalat.ae IBM • Product Support Services Specialist http://www.ibm.com
Servier Egypt • Clinical Research Associate http://www.servier.com/ Abtechinternational • ERP and marketing consultant hr@abtechinternational.com
PlaNet Finance Egypt • Regional Project Manager contactegypt@planetfinance.org
Berlitz Egypt • English Language Instructor http://www.berlitz-egypt.com/
PepsiCo Inc. - Egypt • Sales Training Manager http://www.pepsico.com
Contact
May 2013 IDEANEURS
Sitemap
91
Privacy Policy
Hisham Kharma Laila Sedky
Waleed Fahmy
Mariam El-Quessny
47 79
wow Presentation- Infograph
10-Hurdle Journey of Entrepreneur- Infograph
Emad Mutter Alaa Magdy Ahmed Abdel Rahman Shaymaa El-Gammal
94
Mohamed Aglan Gihan Soliman
Articles Back to the future
96 98
Tomorrow Never Dies Determine Your Reality Projecting Your Vision Buck Stops Where Creativity in Times of Recession Visionary Juxtaposing your vision onto reality Fueling Success With Frustration Population Density and the Mind of the Entrepreneur
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
AbdelAzim Saafan
Fady Salah
A.L.D.R • school admin http://www.aldr.org/
56 Feature Editorials 68 Tear & Share Sellgate - Egypt • Telesales Executive http://www.sellgate.ag/en/ standorte/kairo/
90
Your CV
20
Crew
Ahmed Essa
82
Idea-o-scope LadiezCorner.com
Mentor’s Note Setting your Sails
Market Radar
What can you say about yourself? I am a writer, journalist, political analyst, and published author. I hold a bachelor of political science from Cairo University where I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in EuroMediterranean studies. I initiated some ventures myself, which is why I aim to push other potential entrepreneurs toward success. What are your main hobbies or interests? Writing, politics, history, entrepreneurship, travel. What do you do for Ideaneurs? I lead the writing of all the feature editorials for now and may take on other areas as well - let’s see “Ideaneurs to me is a breathtaking enjoyable experience, aiming at a better Egypt by the hands of Egyptians, and a better world through the hands of humans”
What can you say about yourself? I am an experienced graphic designer despite my agricultural engineering background. Why I took design as a career? because it has always helped unleash the hidden creativity within me. What are your main hobbies or interests? Reading, swimming, Horseback riding and Cooking. What do you do for Ideaneurs? I lead all the graphic, artistic and layout-related work “Ideaneurs to me is like raising a child. I want to witness its growth and success, just like my children’s”
Ahmed Tahoun
What can you say about yourself? I am a 24 years old photographer, owner of Berwaz - The Street Studio. I have been working as a photographer for the past 4 years. What are your main hobbies or interests? Not only is photography my job, it is one of my hobbies beside music and travel What do you do for Ideaneurs? I lead all the photography work for the feature editorials. So, I am the one giving the Ideaneurs hard time doing all the poses I request “Ideaneurs to me is one of the awesome things that happened to me in 2013”
Jaylan Salah El Din
WalaaYounis
What can you say about yourself? I am a young professional with a background in commerce and accounting. I am also a budding writer in classic Arabic with a few interesting attempts. What are your main hobbies or interests? Reading, writing, fashion and make-up arts. What do you do for Ideaneurs? I handle all the responsibilities related to Admin, finance & accounting and operations “Ideaneurs to me is an inspiring storybook; running from one chapter to another impatiently”
What can you say about yourself? I am a published editor and copywriter with a considerable experience in media, broadcasting and online journalism. I hold a degree in Pharmacy and Drug manufacturing. What are your main hobbies or interests? singing, meditation and learning foreign languages. What do you do for Ideaneurs? I lead the market radar research work, including what’s hot and job postings. So, I am the one sniffing around for all the cool startups and opportunities for our reader entrepreneurs “Ideaneurs to me is finding my passion in a team spirit, working myself towards a defined goal while achieving success with fruitful outcomes” May / June 2013 IDEANEURS 9
Hisham Kharma Unconventional Superman
9-Year-Old-Musician
Growing up as the elder child of his parents, Kharma was always attracted to arts, new explorations, and music. At the age of nine, he composed his first musical piece, which was released 20 years later in his album produced by Sony Music. Kharma’s father recognized the talents of his young son and supported him in all his decisions. He believed in his capabilities and strengthened the young boy’s self-confidence at a very young age.
Getting into Business
Personal
Law 3andak Dam
Stimulated by his talent and his father’s support, the young Kharma grew up to be a prominent creative entrepreneur, a role model for many Egyptians at his age. Kharma’s talent was enhanced by his educational background, as he obtained a bachelor of Computer Science from the American University in Cairo (AUC). He also obtained an Art Direction Diploma from Miami Ad School. Kharma is now working on transferring his knowledge to others, as he is currently in process of acquiring a Creative Coaching Certificate (CCA). His exceptional creativity, unconventional thinking, and problem solving skills have granted him prestigious positions in well-known organizations such as Raya, where he worked as a Business Consultant, Germany‘s Jung Vont Matt , BBDO, and Fortune Promoseven, Dentsu where he worked as a Creative Director, before he utilized his skills in founding his own projects. One of Kharma’s first projects was thinkk Inc. It focused on producing Interactive ideas that take youth to a new level of creativity and social engagement. Kharma kept on employing his ideas to serve his country when he initiated Law3andakDam.com, an online service that matches blood donors and patients based on their location and blood type.
Influenced by his childhood hero Superman, 30-year old Hisham Kharma flew through the fields of Computer Science, Music, arts, and entrepreneurship, achieving significant contributions in the Egyptian society through his unconventional works. Kharma is a clear example of success, a goal targeted by many while achieved by few.
Multi-Talented Savvy
Kharma was always attracted to technological innovations and digital gadgets, which facilitate the achievement of the plans and goals of young entrepreneurs. Whenever he is free, Kharma works on music composition, photography, directing, meeting new people, and reading. He loves to travel and to read about mediation, creativity coaching, and human potential. He pointed out Richard Branson’s ‘Screw it let’s do it’ and Osho’s ‘Creativity: unleashing the forces within’ as examples of his favorite books.
Advices, for the Greater Good
Speaking of his country, Kharma summarized his hopes for a better Egypt in a single phrase. “I really urge everyone to listen, think, act, and focus on their full potential rather than on failures of others. There is no more time to waste.” said Kharma. Kharma had some advice for those who want to play a role in developing their country. “We are facing a difficult time and having minimal resources. If we abide to a one-way-approach and refrain from using our resources and minds creatively while searching May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
13
for solutions, it would be difficult to pass this phase successfully. Or so I believe.” explained Kharma. The young prominent entrepreneur explained that the human mind is a gift that can make wonders if utilized in the right way. Kharma encouraged people to support their country by giving back and helping people in their personal affairs as well as charity, sports and business. “Apart from all our differences, giving and caring for others should be one of the main purposes in life; its reward is unexplainable.” As for his vision for the world, Kharma is convinced that peace, compassion, and tolerance are what the main indispensable needs of today’s world. According to him, the top vice that turned the world into its current structure was greed. “The top three vices are greed, three times.”
Egypt’s
IDEANEURS Talents Worth Celebrating
Great Announcement
“Music is my main passion. I see it as a way of communication regardless of one’s language, race, or religion”
Looking Ahead
educAtion Book this area now
14
ad@ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
www.ideaneurs.com
@IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
During the upcoming 5 years, Kharma wants to innovate new ideas in his discipline, which would inspire people and help in pushing our society forward. He said that business ideas should be of purpose and ethical structure. Kharma also wants his music to reach the world during the next five years. In 10 years, Kharma sees himself as a creative entrepreneur, which is an old dream of his that he never gave up. Kharma summarized the difficulties he faced during his journey with entrepreneurship in three main points; namely limited resources, bureaucracy, and getting things done during market stagnancies. Kharma explained that the previous points are the main factors that slow down entrepreneurs’ velocity and progress, in addition to young entrepreneurs’ lack of persistence. “Taking no as an answer when attempting to initiate a promising project could easily kill it even before it comes to life.” Finally, Kharma had two final messages to deliver, one for Egypt and the other for Egyptians. “Stay strong. We love you. This is how life goes, ups and downs. So keep going” was his message to Egypt. As for Egyptians, he called them to never take no for an answer, go with gut feeling, and think unconventionally for their ideas to fly away, just like his childhood hero, Superman.
www.ideaneurs.com
Chat with one of our business mentors and Consultants about anything related to your ideas, projects or startups and let them help you with FREE advice as of
1st JUNE 2013
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
Cai r eve o tim e (fr ry SA om T 8:0 , MO 0- Na 10 nd :00 WE pm D )
W
ho would not leap at the opportunity to jump into a Delorean, take it up to 88 miles per hour or, for all of us who have adopted the metric system, 142 kilometers per hour blazing a trail of flames and materializing years earlier, grabbing our younger selves and yelling at them to get their act together. In this mental image, few of us imagine being the younger version, on the receiving end of the yelling. It is worth taking the time to think this through though, because no matter what you do to adjust the decision you went back to fix, a version of you even further into the future who has access to more information, and 16
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Back to the Future
with a little more wisdom can always find something wrong with what you did and come back and fix your adjustment. In this scenario, you would end up being stuck in a loop, constantly returning to the point you believe should be fixed, and fixing another detail with every return. If you could observe this physical manifestation, it would not be difficult to identify the problem, yet many of us perform this repetitive exercise; we fixate on an event we believe we could have handled better, and keep returning to it in our minds. Because we tend to play out these scenarios in our head, with all elements of the situation firmly within our mental control (it is our imagination after all), we tend to
design the consequences to be to our satisfaction, often unconsciously. These scenarios, in our minds, always work out perfectly, and we end up with the oft repeated phrase: if only I had done that, this would have happened. This is where we get the erroneous notion that hindsight is 20/20 (or the metric equivalent 6/6); it is only 20/20 because it all takes place in our minds. The unfortunate consequence is that instead of taking the opportunity to review our decisions and actions, it creates a self perpetuating cycle of false superiority that remains unexposed to reality and thus untested and therefore of very little use in developing our decision making and planning abilities.
It is imperative to develop appropriate mechanisms for evaluating our past decisions, effectively harnessing our hindsight in service to the improvement of our
present and future decision making skills; the lack of an objective evaluation mechanism creates a distorted view of past decisionmaking abilities and harsher evaluation of past selves in comparison to an often unconsciously idealized view of our current self. The first of the core elements necessary for an objective evaluation of our past decisions and action are the proper identification of what information was available to us at the time; we often fail to take into account the fact that we did not have access to the information in the past that we have now, and judge our decisions in light of currently accessible information rather than
what was available to us at the time. This inevitably makes our evaluation of our decision making ability distorted, and is therefore one of the most important things that needs to be taken into consideration when engaging in this exercise. A difference in the access to information is not the only variable that needs to be taken into consideration; your current goals are not necessarily aligned with the goals you had in the past, and an objective evaluation of your decisions needs to ensure an appropriate inclusion of your goals at the time the decision was made in order to perform an accurate assessment of how relevant the decision you
Partner with us ... make a difference
partner@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
17
took was to achieving your desired goal. Attempting to evaluate a past decision in light of a current goal will inevitably lead to an inaccurate assessment of your ability to align decisions with the goals you wish to fulfill. When considering past decisions, we often do so from a position of relative comfort, and we usually fail to integrate the pressures present during the decision making process, and therefore fail to take into consideration the intellectual regression that sometimes accompanies high pressure situations. Taking these elements into consideration is a step towards a more objective assessment of your abilities, and hones your hindsight into a sharp tool that can aid you in assessing your strengths and weaknesses in decision making, instead of retaining it as a reminiscing mechanism that inflates your ego without giving you useful information to how to improve your decision making skills. Hindsight is useful, but while developing it will make you an excellent chronicler of past events, 18
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
and an excellent assessor of abilities, depending on it too heavily to the exclusion of other factors will leave you lacking on the planning and execution front; hindsight without foresight does not sufficiently nudge the odds of success in your favor. Adding foresight to your arsenal will provide the necessary balance to your overall view of your decisions and actions; the application of the
knowledge gained from accurate hindsight and objective evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses to your planning and preparation will grant you the adaptability necessary to cope with the dynamic changes that are a hallmark of the modern world. Foresight is not innate, we are more likely to be reactive than proactive, and we tend towards instant gratification more often than delaying it. Developing foresight revolves around a few key elements which, when coupled with the knowledge garnered from the development of an accurate hindsight mechanism, should result in an ability to accurately assess realizable goals, and draw the necessary roadmaps to achieving them while maintaining the necessary level of adaptability. Wield your past to create your future.
Share your story .... get published Apply now apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
Giving back to one’s community is essential for developing both his community and his personality. The way you respond to failures and setbacks is what determines who you are going to be in future. Never taking ‘No’ as an answer is how you can turn failures into remarkable successes. This is what Laila Sedky believes in, and the following is how she rolls...
A Joyful Child
The elder of two siblings, Laila was always excited by Disney cartoons. Like any child, she loved candy. This love yielded into something children would definitely love, although it would be beyond their imagination. Despite being a child, Laila had a notable ability to communicate with people and have positive relations with them, a characteristic she might have inherited from her father who always influenced her by his joyous love of life.
Different Cultures, Lots of Memories
Laila Sedky Success and Giving Back Through NOLA
Laila had a multi-cultural school education since she lived in several Middle Eastern countries, in North America, and in Egypt. Her significant communication skills allowed her to adapt to the different environments she lived in. As she moved to new schools, she carried beautiful memories from the previous schools she attended and the unforgettable friends she met at each of them. Graduating with an American Diploma, Laila understood the meaning of teamwork and learnt how to execute projects successfully, regardless of any challenges she might face. At that time, she feared growing up, but she conquered those fears with the help of her supportive father, to become one of the most successful Ideaneurs of her generation. Laila finally landed in Canada,
where she obtained her bachelor’s of finance from Concordia University. Laila’s studies developed her skills and assisted her, alongside her talents, to start giving back to her society through ‘NOLA’...
“My love for all the
people and my desire to understand and relate to them is my ultimate driving force
”
NOLA Cupcakes
NOLA Cupcakes is Egypt’s first cupcake store. Laila and her brother Adel founded NOLA in 2010, despite being warned by many that opening a cupcake store in Egypt would be too risky and would not be successful. Laila’s resilient personality perceived those warnings as a stimulus to go for her goal. She relied on her educational background, different skills, in addition to the support of her family and closest friends and established NOLA. Laila was challenged by her lack of experience, but few months after establishing the store NOLA became a model of success in creative stores, producing mouthwatering products that satisfy wide range of customers. May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
21
Time to Give Back
country.” said Laila. A beautiful, Healthy World Laila believes that today world needs education, beauty and mutual respect, in addition to getting rid of greed, illiteracy, and corruption. She has ideal hopes of living in an ethical world, where people are surrounded by beautiful sights. She also hopes that Egyptians would regain their pride for being Egyptians. For Laila, healthcare is the most basic component of human rights that needs enhancements, and maybe that’s why NOLA produces healthy cupcakes. The story of the joyful child who grew up to own a unique store does not end here, as Laila still has more to contribute.
For Laila, NOLA is not merely a cupcake store, rather it is a mean to give back to the community; a thing Laila believes to be essential for developing Egypt. Laila initiated ‘NOLA Gives Back’, where NOLA donates unsold cupcakes to orphanages across Egypt. Additionally, the money coming from selling ‘NOLA Charity Cupcakes’ are fully donated to several charity organizations. Giving back does not necessarily come through money, as NOLA is now offering training and internship programs for students to get a glimpse of the working life. “The youth are a responsibility of ours as we believe they are the driving force to develop our
“Nothing should slow you down,
but what gives you momentum and keeps you driven is the right team that shares your vision and is working just as hard as you to get you there.
”
Messages of Happiness
gourmet Book this area now
22
ad@ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
www.ideaneurs.com
@IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
In the next years, Laila wants to establish several international branches for NOLA, to spread her successful vision and perfect products globally. Ten years from now, she imagines herself to be a mother of four children running NOLA together with a network of employees at all ends of the globe, contributing to their communities and spreading a message of happiness, regardless of the services they offer. Finally, Laila had a message that she wanted to deliver to every potential Ideaneur: “Nothing should slow you down and never take no as an answer. You can do anything if you have enough desire and resilience to do whatever it takes to get there. So get there!”
Join our team
Graphic Designer with enormous creative talents apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
?
@IdeaneursMag
Tomorrow Never Dies…
T
omorrow is the fabled land of opportunity and productivity. Tomorrow is when you start that long awaited diet that you have been putting off for several years, and it is also when you will finally start work on that ultimate project that will make you rich and maybe even famous. Tomorrow is when you finally change all those bad habits, and begin a new page and a better life. Except it isn’t. We promise ourselves that we will begin, tomorrow, and we begin developing plans on how we will move from one stage to the next with great determination. What we are really doing though is just moving things from today 24
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
to tomorrow, cluttering a day already potentially filled with things to do with some extra activities without justification. The assumption is that between now and then, your personality will somehow transform and become more action oriented. This assumption generally has no basis; if you were action oriented you would not be putting things off now. We also tend to overestimate our future determination compared to our current motivation; for example we will convince ourselves that tomorrow we will begin a rigorous diet that will help us lose 5 kilograms, and we will do this even as we sit there enjoying three scoops of ice cream.
There are many justifications for engaging in this behavior, despite the fact that it is widely recognizable and we can easily identify it within our own patterns. Sometimes we will write it off as the wrong moment to begin a particular project, or that we will have developed greater ability or willpower. The most outrageous reasons for delaying the beginning of a project are often the funniest; some people refuse to begin diets except on the first day of the week, and others will not begin projects except on the first of the month, while others yet will postpone starting their workout program to the weekend, because they have convinced themselves
that it doesn’t make sense to do so on a Wednesday. All these reasons boil down to one thing: laziness. We simply do not want to get up and engage in activity that does not provide us with immediate reward; delayed gratification is one of the most difficult concepts for us as human beings to truly internalize on multiple levels. What complicates matters further is that the laziness results in a direct gratification: you can continue to laze about on your couch instead of getting up and making an effort. But why does it matter? You have a job, you are getting by, why does it matter if you don’t
follow through with your plans? We all have that one person in our lives. The one who is always
talking about the huge project they are just about to begin. The one that they never actually begin,
Automotive Book this area now www.egyptiancurebank.com
ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
25
because they are waiting for the perfect moment, for the right time to begin the project and for the circumstances to be just right for their project to launch smoothly. When they are asked what they are doing to smooth the way for their project, they usually allude to some vague hope that things will work out, without referencing any real steps they took. In the 2004 movie ‘Collateral,’ Jaime Foxx’s character, Max the cab driver, dreams of owning a limousine company. He visualized his success and thinks wistfully to that moment when he will own the company. He never actually does anything about it though, and Vincent (Tom Cruise’s hitman character) says “Someday? Someday my dream will come? One night you will wake up and discover it never happened.” He proceeds to state “All it ever took was a down payment on a Lincoln town car.” Vincent may have been an amoral character who has no problem with shooting people in the face, but he does have a point.
26
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Procrastination is habit forming, and procrastination which includes visualization of success is even more detrimental; to your mind imagined success and actual success become interchangeable. The problem is that a part of your mind believes that it has already accomplished the goal, and therefore it reduces our drive to
actually go out and accomplish it. This is different from maintaining a positive attitude towards achieving your goals; being positive is different from reducing your motivation by imagining success without thinking on the road that must be taken to get there. There is only one way to counter this phenomenon: stop imagining and start realizing; you have to take the first step on the road, and the second and the thousandth. Procrastinating will make you slower, and weaker, and eventually more complacent. There is a popular German saying states that “if you rest, you rust” (rastich, rostich). If you do, your visions will remain fantasies, and eventually they will fade away into memory. Dreams do not come true if you don’t make them come true.
Share your story ... inspire so many Apply now apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
Top Ranked Brainy
Maintaining the first ranking among all his colleagues throughout the five years of primary education, citing Waleed as a smart child was certainly not a compliment. As a child, Waleed was obsessed with brain-teasing games such as Meccano and strategy games. He was moved by challenge and human desire to win, and those were the most special things that attracted him to the Nobel Prize and the Olympics games during his childhood. Adding to those global events, Waleed was influenced by his mother, who lived a very rough childhood and witnessed some very hard challenges. However, she survived everything and came out strong and optimistic, strengthening Waleed’s diligent personality.
Challenge: Bring it on!
Waleed Fahmy Challenging to Improve Life
During his school time, Waleed’s math book contained a puzzle. The puzzle was very challenging that it had a printed phrase beneath it saying: “if you managed to solve it, you can take a day off school”. Certainly, Waleed accepted that challenge and solved the puzzle, but the school administration refused to give him a day off. They awarded him a symbolic prize instead! In addition to his excellence in math and science subjects, Waleed was part of his school’s gymnastic team where he participated in many contests. The young Waleed grew up to join the school of engineering at Ain Shams University. He obtained a Bachelor of Science before he worked as a media director and graphic designer for a number of companies. Waleed’s technical background and work experience sharpened his analytical skills and introduced him to different projects, which provided him with what he needed to come out with his best.
Contribution, for Easier Life
The talents and ambitions of Waleed materialized when he established webkeyz, a software studio that helps software houses, web firms and IT departments to create user-friendly software that people would love to use. The concept of webkeyz is providing Arab users with Arab-made software to decrease the reliance on foreign software, which might fail to reflect Arabs’ lifestyle and respond to their needs. For that reason, webkeyz focused on the clients’ preferences to produce software that satisfy them
and fulfill their demands. It is true that Waleed might not be able to solve every problem we face in our complicated life, but he made sure his creative contributions would make our lives easier, and much more fun! Waleed has also created a funny game called Tree Topper; a Christmas family game where players compete to decorate Christmas tree in the shortest time. The winner of the game gets to put the Tree Topper. He is now working on a new iPad interactive book, which presents Sphinx from several perspectives using videos, 3D animations, photos. Waleed decided to name the book ‘Zahi Hawwas - The Sphinx’.
May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
29
Less Politicians, More Justice
Dreaming of a better world, Waleed wishes that people would unite, respect the surrounding ecological system, and co-exist before it is too late! He believes politicians should not lead the world any more, as they imbalanced it. For Waleed, injustice, greed, and misconception of the word ‘liberty’ are the top vices the world is witnessing right now. If he had the power to change the world he would change the United Nations into a more just institution, enforce the International Court of Justice, and establish a global taxation system, that would eliminate famine.
Despite he does not have such incredible power, Waleed has a simple plan to develop any society. The plan relies on spotting the points of strength of this given society. These points are then enhanced by focusing on them through strengthening the collective teamwork spirit, which would result in developing the society’s economic level. Waleed believes that everything turns grey when people lose their humanity. He is convinced that getting in touch with our humanity would revive our life and develop Egypt. Justice is also necessary area now for Egypt to prosper. In Waleed’s opinion, a slow /Ideaneurs justice is not jus@IdeaneursMag tice.
oFFice Furniture Book this ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
30
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Never-Ending Ambitions
Waleed sees Egyptian youth as the driving force that would take Egypt back to its deserved position. He is certain that it is only a matter of time before those youth recover the glories of their forefathers. As a young man, he aims to contribute to this mission through webkeyz, which was initially founded to improve the software products in the MENA region, not only in Egypt. Waleed loves the starting steps of everything, as they are always the most challenging and accordingly, the most interesting for him. Since webkeyz has already accomplished its starting stages, Waleed now faces a new challenge to manage the different tasks of his project effectively. However, he relies on his everlasting persistency to overcome this challenge. During the next years, Waleed aims to grow webkeyz to be a unique software studio having perfect developers that would raise the bar of the MENA software products. He plans to tour the Far East, learn more about their culture and languages before returning home to establish the first Digital Art Faculty in Egypt. And the challenges continue...
Share your story ... fly to New heights
apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
Determine Your
A
significant percentage of us live under the illusion of self-awareness, and yet when it comes to the assessment of our abilities, our ability to do so is haphazard at best. To engage in self-development, you must first determine who you are. Self recognition is dependent on a myriad of factors including physical characteristics, intellectual inclinations, moral and ethical values and behavioral tendencies; you can look in the mirror and recognize your appearance without the need for any context or behavior, and you can confidently state that you lack the ability to attempt the resolution of an unsolved mathematical problem, and that you would never set a kitten on fire (if you cannot confidently confirm 32
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Reality
that last one, please proceed to your nearest mental institution and check yourself in for symptoms of anti-social personality disorder and severe lack of empathy). The physical self , is at its core, a manifestation of your intellectual and moral inclinations reflected through your behavioral patterns; for example placing high value on strength and behaving accordingly via a consistent training regimen will inevitably result in a stronger body. Nevertheless, this manifestation, while it does represent your thoughts/beliefs as reflected through your behavior, is not the true self; an injury resulting in damage to a limb, or the reduced physical strength that occurs with age will not reduce your belief in the importance of strength, rather
it will more likely result in seeking alternative sources of strength. Adherence to a particular belief system shapes thought and behavioral patterns and is a key element in describing the self; the thought patterns that dictate behavior are the ones that ultimately shape the reality for the thinker; Descartes summarized it very succinctly in the phrase “ cogito ergo sum” ( I think, therefore I am). The combination of the moral or ethical code with the thought and behavior patterns that describe the core being of a person are not the only elements that need to be taken into consideration when attempting an exercise in self-assessment. The skills acquired through education, professional experience, and life experience need to be evaluated
objectively within the context wherein the person exists. One of the most common causes for poor self-development over a period of time is an over estimation of one’s abilities despite any lack of evidence to support this estimation; very few things are less appealing than someone exhibiting an undeserved sense of entitlement, whether in a professional or other context. One of the dangers of over estimating your abilities is that being under this illusion entails a poor estimation of the starting point of selfdevelopment; an attempt to begin this journey from an incorrectly assessed starting point will result in a poorly crafted developmental plan unsuited to your needs and abilities.
real advancement or development, leading to feelings of exasperation. Therefore, the importance of correct and accurate self-assessment before taking the first step on the journey of self-development cannot be overstated. Once that has been established, the second factor that needs to be identified is the motivator for self-development within the chosen context because not all people share the same motivations, and the correct identification of your primary motivation makes it easier to pursue your developmental path; the identification of a primary motivation as opposed to a secondary one makes your development progress with relative ease. While no motivating factor is in
The dangers stemming from this are a cumulative effect of repeatedly building upon a poor foundation which will inevitably result in a shaky edifice, and in a worst case scenario lead to an eventual collapse. On the other hand, underestimating your abilities and skills is also detrimental to self-development; it creates a situation of diminished self-confidence, and perpetuates a feeling of inadequacy despite evidence to the contrary . The instilled sense of inferiority arising from this under estimation will result in an unjustified focus on attempting to secure a foundation that doesn’t need strengthening, which will result in a waste of effort and resources without any
distributor with nationwide reach & network
?
Get in touch info@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
33
and of itself superior to another, identifying the appropriate one for each context will save a lot of effort; the skill sets necessary for advancement within a corporate environment are not the same as those required for advancement within an academic one, and it is important to differentiate between one and the other in order apply the correct pressure at the correct points. Failure to do so will result in the exertion of extra effort without reaping any rewards to justify it. Story tellers often state that it is useful to have an ending first and work your way back, and in the same vein, it is also important to determine what you expect to achieve before you set out. Although a journey without a destination often leads to interesting discoveries about our own nature, the absence of the destination for extended periods of time leads to the development of wandering as a habit and a tendency towards tangential endeavors; the journey itself becomes the destination and the achievement of development becomes a secondary concern instead of the goal. There is an abundant collection of literature available in this field , a vast majority of which agrees with the concept that excellence, achievement, development and advancement are all habits which form through repetition; with every success you achieve, it becomes easier to be successful. It also creates an increased desire for success in the individual psyche. Stagnation 34
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Share your story ...
reach destination faster
is also a habit, and existing within a rut for extended periods of time makes it increasingly difficult to clamber out and experiment with new directions. It is therefore imperative to create the desire for development within the core of the self, and having identified the motivator that will drive this advancement forward with the minimal exertion of effort (out of respect for the principle of conservation of energy), and the end goal that you seek to achieve, it becomes necessary to impress upon your psyche the habit of development, success and the achievement of goals. One of the ways this can be achieved is the repeated completion of simple tasks, and internalizing the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies it, coupled with
the determination not to leave tasks unfinished, with the understanding that these are tasks that add value and that this is not an exercise in repetitive ‘busywork’ that serves no purpose. To put it shortly, find out who you are, what you can do, what you want to do, and go out there and do it. (Endnotes) •
For an extensive study on this matter, consider the Jungian archetype of the self.
•
The Dunnig-Kruger effect describes this cognitive bias as an illusion of superiority compared to others despite a lack of skill.
•
See ‘Imposter syndrome.’
•
One of the most useful references in this field include ‘7 Habits of Highly Successful People” by Stephen Covey.
apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
MariamEl-Quessny Embracing the Right to Self-Expression
An Expressive Childhood
The oldest of her three siblings, Mariam had a passion for life. She loved her family gatherings, her grandmother, dogs and fruits, playing with sand and mud, and receiving people at the airport. As a child, she simply loved life! Mariam’s parents gave her the space to express herself, the dream she grew up to seek for everyone. They gave her the chance to discover her dreams, before encouraging her to work on achieving them.
The Creativity Within
During school time, Mariam loved the art class where her creativity and talents were fullfilled. She overcame the traditional educational system and prevented it from affecting her talents. Out of every subject she studied, Mariam learnt a few things that remained in her mind forever. Being in love with drawing and arts, Mariam obtained a bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in New York in 2009. Mariam then worked as a designer for several firms, but she managed to devote enough time for the sake of planning and establishing her own initiative, Mashrou3 Al Mareekh.
Mashrou3 Al Mareekh
Having a strong belief that people are beautifully different and that they should have the ability to speak their mind and have others listen to them, Mariam founded her Open Mic. initiative ‘Mashrou3 Al Mareekh’ (The Mars Project). Mashrou3 Al Mareekh believes that everyone deserves a chance to experience freedom, respect, and love. It aims to encourage self-expression by organizing Open Mic. sessions that give everyone five minutes to say or do anything they have in mind.
In pre-revolution Egypt, the space for self-expression was relatively restricted. Mariam had no funds and no legal support to start her initiative, but she successfully founded Mashrou3 Al Mareekh in 2009, which was initially named ‘Project Yourself’ at that time. Although the shortage of funds can kill any initiative even before it starts, Mariam used her creativity to find innovative methods to run her initiative. And guess what!? Mashrou3 Al Mareekh functioned for the 18 months with no funds; it was only funded by the power of creativity and the willingness to succeed! The initiative hosted more than 60
Open Mic. sessions in six governorates and two countries. Through Mashrou3 Al Mareekh, Mariam allowed more than 3000 people to express themselves freely in front of thousands of people, and yet she still aims for more! Mashrou3 Al Mareekh puts no limitations on the participants of its Open Mic. sessions. “There is no censorship, no judgment, and no hierarchy. We are full of love, and we love you already,” reads Mashrou3 Al Mareekh Facebook page. ‘Qafilat Al Mareekh’ (The Caravan of Mars) is another part of Mariam’s initiative, which tours Egypt to encourage self-expression throughout the country. May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
37
Advices for a Better Life
No matter how they look, what they love, or how their minds work, Mariam believes that people should know themselves better and be okay
with who they are. Only this way this would grow better and achieve their dreams. Mariam has the belief that everyone is suffering and blessed at the same time, which is why they should understand their personal-
ity and then find solutions for their problems. In order to enhance her quality of life, Mariam smiles, chats, and hangout with the people she loves, and this is her advice for everyone.
Share your story ...
get Thrusted
People for a Better Egypt
hotels & leisure Book this area now ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
38
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Just like any Egyptian, Mariam wants to see Egypt in a better place. Connecting people together, enabling them to be self-confident, and allowing them to see the beauty of each other through one another is how Mariam wants to develop Egypt. Mariam wishes that people would consider living outside Cairo. She wants to enjoy the clean air and soil, and to enhance Egypt’s development prospects. Mariam has one more wish: “ I wish that men would feel their manliness without aggressively begging females to acknowledge it through harassment.” During the next years, Mariam wants to burnish her skills, and she plans to give more people the chance to express themselves through Mashrou3 Al Mareekh. Finally, Mariam had a piece of advice that she wanted to deliver to everyone: “You are the most important person in your life. Do what makes you happy, and your happiness is bound to make the people around you happy as well.”
apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
Show Me the Money…
Projecting Your Vision “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” - Albert Einstein
Y
ou lay awake at night, trying to fall asleep. You toss and turn but sleep won’t come. Your mind is zooming left and right with a thousand thoughts and you are barely in control. Suddenly, one of those thoughts takes center stage, and you are helpless to stop yourself from exploring it. Without realizing it, you are up, a mug of coffee in hand and you have managed to scrounge a pen and some scruffy looking papers and have scribbled the night away. You hold in your hands the seeds of a vision. In an ideal world this vision would soon see the light, accompanied by a montage, at the end of which you will be smiling at your accomplishment. Unfortunately, reality requires a little more 40
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
effort than that. Unless you are financially endowed, you will have to find a source funding for your project to see the light, and then convince them that your project is worth developing and investing in. Enter the project pitch. After identifying a potential investor, your first task will be to attract their attention enough with your potential project that they will be interested in seeing more. It is therefore one of the most important aspects of your pitch to be able to summarize your project goal and expected outcomes in a short paragraph, which will serve as the first introduction to your project. This blurb must be captivating right from the start, or it will end up in the slush pile. If you cannot do it yourself, engage the help of those who can, because without this step, you could have the most astonishing project of the year, yet fail to get it launched because you have failed to even
catch the interest of the potential investors from the get go. While the short description may be broad and generalized, the next step needs to be tailor-made for each investor you present to; many projects include multidisciplinary activities, and this kind of cross sectoral project may be presented to investors from different backgrounds. In this situation, proper understanding of your target audience is essential, because although your vision is clear in your own mind, and its fulfillment rewarding in and of itself, the investors are looking out for their own interests, which are more often than not summarized in these three words “return on investment” (ROI). With that understanding in mind, there are three key issues that you need to include in your pitch to a potential investor in order to guarantee yourself a chance at success (success is never guaranteed):
The first element that you need to make clear to the potential investor is the profitability of your project; you should be able to explain why this project in particular should be expected to do well in the market you are targeting. In this segment, it should also be possible to discuss the longevity of the project; if it is a service, how long are people expected to need it for and whether or not it is possible to adapt it to changing circumstances; some of the most successful projects started out small but contained within themselves their own seeds for potential growth.
This segment is cited first because it is the core around which everything else revolves for a profit oriented investor, but it does not need to be the first item in your pitch, it just has to be properly and sufficiently studied and prepared in order to properly answer any queries in its regard. This may appear to be a concept so clear that it requires no explanation, but it is surprisingly common to find entrepreneurs pitching their projects to potential investors as if they were in it for the joy of success instead of the profit. The investor’s role is to invest, not to fulfill your vision. He is not interested if you have been planning this project for months,
or if you have always dreamed of seeing it fulfilled. They care about its potential revenue generation and what its potential risks are.
Know Thyself and Thy Project… If you have successfully captured the attention of the potential investor, and you have given them something to think about, then you should expect questions on the details of the project, including details on how you expect to implement it and develop it, and problems you expect along the way, and how you expect to counter them. If the investor is asking questions, consider it a welcome sign of interest. Any
May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
41
fumbling at this stage will plant a seed of doubt in your ability to undertake the project profitably; which is why you must know your project inside out, and how you plan to highlight its strengths and weaknesses. This does not mean that you should memorize your project details and rehearse them, rather you should internalize them and be able to present them from different perspectives and to suit different needs; this is not an exam where you can forget what you learned when you walk out the door, on the contrary, you are expected to know more about the project with every passing day. You must be able to answer questions that cover the subject of potential failure, and even more importantly potential success. Projected confidence is essential at this stage, because without confidence in yourself, how could you expect an investor to have confidence in you? In this context, you can also expect the investor to request information about the relevance of your abilities to the project and therefore it is advisable to be prepared with a segment on this matter.
Trim the Fat‌ Do not include useless information; keep your presentation lean and to the point; trivial information will not serve to make you look more professional, rather it is an extra opportunity for you to make a mistake. If you give the impression that you are trying to 42
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
www.poorpeoplebank.com
pad your pitch with irrelevant information in order to make it more appealing, it sends the message that you are lack confidence in your project, and that you are not professional in your preparation. This kind of negative message is precisely what you are trying to avoid, and they would be severely detrimental to your efforts in securing the investment you need to make your project a reality. A lean, well trimmed, well presented project is what you are targeting here, and that is what will help send the message that you are professional, confident and know what you are doing, making you an attractive prospect for an investor.
Broaden Your Horizons Now you have tried once, twice, a hundred times and yet no investors seem to be biting. You have perfected your pitch, and you know every detail of your project inside out. You are one step from giving up. Except, there is an
entire world of opportunities out there; and traditional investors are not the only key to moving a project forward. The one thing that investors are interested in, i.e. profit, may not be immediately apparent or your project may carry with it an inherent risk that makes it unappealing to investors. That does not however mean that your project will not see the light, because there are alternative ways to make a project a reality. If you target those who would potentially share your vision instead of those who would potentially profit from it, you may end up gathering around you a group of people who could become its foundation. With a broader base, the possibilities multiply exponentially because each person involved brings with them a wealth of experience, and if they believe in it, people will stand by a project and take more risks to ensure its success than would be the case if they simply wanted to profit from it.
0% Interest Loans Microfinance
DONATE ONLINE
Emad Mutter
Once upon a time, filmmaking industry was the third largest industry in Egypt. Our country was producing almost as many films as the United States, with all its funds and Hollywood fame. Emad Mutter ditched the secure corporate life and devoted his talents for the sake of regaining Egypt’s leading position in the filmmaking sector.
Reviving the filmmaking industry Talented and Bright, yet Rebellious
Emad’s artistic talents were obvious since his was a child. His parents supported and helped him to burnish and grow his talents, while his uncle was his childhood role model. “He was the kind of entrepreneur that knows everything about every field. He always influenced me and he remains a great mentor for me till today.” said Emad about his uncle Yassin. Emad loved football, cinema, and business, before he grew up to reach remarkable achievements in two out of the three fields. As a school student, Emad went through two phases: One where he was a punctual bright student, during the elementary school, while the other began when he started to be a rebellious student, rejecting mainstream education and seeking what he really wants to do.
Corporate Life VS Entrepreneurship
At the age of 17, Emad’s uncle started investing in him. He trusted Emad enough to allow him to manage his music store in Alexandria, which was Emad’s first actual business experience. Emad’s biggest fear was being forced to attend a university that he is not interested in. Scoring 66% in the first
year of high school, Emad surprised everyone and scored 95% in the next year. Emad then studied business administration at Alexandria University and Filmmaking at the French University in Cairo. Having an educational background in business and filmmaking, Emad realized the gap between both fields in Egypt and worked on reducing it. His enthusiasm, determination, and talents empowered him to ditch the well-established corporate life, where guidelines are defined and wages are secure, to start a risky entrepreneurial route. Although Emad’s family and friends opposed his decision for being risky and uncharted, he proved the correctness of the decision, which yielded into the establishment of Castpace.
the assistance of Flat6Labs, which incubated Castpace and supported it since its early stages. “Castpace’s mission is to be a major catalyst in pushing the filmmaking industry forward, whether amateurs or professionals and whether independent or commercial. This is achieved through matching resources together and adding value through creating an online community, as well as pushing the multinational production forward.” explained Emad.
Castpace!
Castpace is a platform welcoming everyone interested in filmmaking, TV, and media industry from across the globe. It is the first platform in the MENA region, focusing on helping individuals and entities to hire, plan, and produce projects in the media industry. The startup capital for Castpace was $12,000, a large amount of money that Emad could not secure without May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
45
Tear & Share
PRESENTATION
SIMPLE STEPS TO CAPTURE THE
MAKING A ‘WOW’
According to Emad, greed and exploiting weak and developing countries are the main vices that made the world as it is today. He wishes there could be more equality in the world, where the gap between wealthy and poor countries would be minimized. He dreams of a peaceful world, where tolerance prevails and cooperation between different states increase, especially in all forms of arts. The majority of inhabitants of this world are suffering on different levels. Emad believes that enhancing the lives of those inhabitants comes from proper education and working with them on cultural and humanitarian sides to push the world towards more cooperation, coexistence, and tolerance.
AUDIENCE
Helping the Suffering
The Journey of Revival
electronics Book this area now ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
46
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Emad affirms that Egypt has all the capabilities to become a truly developed country. He believes that the only things Egypt needs to reach this target is having a qualified government that is able to utilize its resources in an efficient manner. As for his role in its development, Emad aims to revive Egypt’s leading position in the filmmaking industry through Castpace. This revival would result from establishing an alternative to the mainstream filmmaking industries by making use of all the available resources and employing them to produce unique, high quality, and meaningful films. In the upcoming years, Emad plans to lead Castpace to become one of the leading platforms in the MENA region, and the main platform for filmmakers worldwide. Emad plans to direct a series of feature films in the upcoming 10 years, a plan that it is line with his ambitions to revive the filmmaking industry, currently suffering in Egypt. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step and ends with a tireless will to complete the journey. We took our first steps, and we will complete the journey.” said Emad.
Created by:
IDEANEURS.COM
May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
47
The Buck Stops ‌ Where?
Y Volunteer wanting to boost our reach in your city
?
Join our volunteers team and make a difference apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
ou tell yourself that you are tired of making money for someone else, and of feeling trapped in a situation that you are not entirely in control of. You think that if only your ideas were taken more seriously by the higher ups, then the issues that face your firm would resolve more efficiently. You believe that if you were in charge, things would be very different. In this case, it might be worth considering venturing a little out of your comfort zone and taking a few steps into new territory. You can explore the thrill of accomplishment when you make your first profits, and fend of the risk of loss through quick thinking and adaptability. It is a dynamic environment, especially if you are investing on a micro level.
Why Should I Start a Business? While the primary purpose of a business is to generate revenue and realize profits, it is important to realize that a successful company will become an important economic driver in any community in which it is located. A successful business will pay taxes, create employment opportunities, and keep money in circulation. Owning your own business also gives you a chance to explore your skills and abilities in hitherto unprecedented ways; when you are in charge, you are free to explore ideas and concepts that may otherwise have not had a chance to see the light. Flexing your creative muscles and driving your own business forward will help you identify your own points of personal strength
and weakness, as well as contribute to your ability to assess risks and preempt potential problems and counter unexpected turns. Even if you do not find yourself motivated to remain in charge, you will find that you have developed a particular set of skills that are useful in a variety of other contexts.
You Reap What You Sow. Owning, running and managing a business are not easy tasks, and they must be juggled well in order to keep your business afloat to ensure an acceptable return on investment and eventual profit. The amount of effort you will invest into your business will reflect on the results you reap from it. If you try to take short cuts and try to find workarounds instead of May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
49
addressing issues and solving the root causes of problems, you will find that these problems tend to come back in more complex and damaging forms later on. The most important part is laying the groundwork and the foundation from which you will launch the business; if that is performed correctly (the details are too many to include in an exhaustive list in this article), then even if the business faces recessions or slowdowns in the future, it will be able to weather them without too much trouble.
Employer vs. Employee Being an employee, you have an allotted number of hours and
more often than not a specific salary that you expect to make at the end of every month (plus or minus some commissions). You sign a contract, and at five o’clock, or whenever your shift ends, you can leave and not have to think about
work till the next day. As an employer, and a business owner you have no rights and no vacations; you will be constantly thinking on how to improve one aspect or another of your business venture, and you will find yourself
unable to stop yourself from doing it. You also have no guarantee as to how much you can expect to profit from your venture, particularly in fluctuating markets. Your mindset as a business owner is much more firmly attached to the business than that of an employee, and how this reflects on you and your life will depend in large part on your approach to the matter; if you are taking a positive approach, and one that proactively seeks development and adaptability, owning a business will become a vehicle for both material profit and selfdevelopment. If however you tend to take the added stimuli negatively, they will inevitably become a source of cumulative stress that could have potentially adverse effects on your health and well being.
Calculated Risks Business is a venture, it is not a guaranteed success, and taking the plunge into investing into a business needs to be done so on the basis of calculated risk. You need to account for the worst case scenario before venturing into a business in order to assess how a potentially negative outcome would affect your lifestyle. Hope is not a strategy. While your vision might be a great one, and the potential for success great, without the proper real world basis, even the greatest ideas will find themselves failing; an inability to translate visions and ideas into real profitable projects or businesses capable of generating 50
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
revenue is one of the major setbacks behind the phenomenon of rapidly appearing and disappearing businesses. You can observe a venture after the other going out of business, falling into the same patterns of their predecessors and failing for the same reasons; some of the most common reasons that new startups fail is the inability or unwillingness to invest in a proper pre-launch study to determine longevity and projected demand within the economy in which they are working, a factor critical for any business at launch. Furthermore, a large number of
businesses fail due to a reluctance to invest in marketing, whether financially or in terms of time and effort; they fail because they were not able to inform their potential customers that they existed.
Is it for me? Not everyone is designed for owning and running a business, but it is worthwhile to explore how well you would fare in that context; at best, you will find that you will profit immensely from your projects, and at worst it will be a journey to self discovery. Either way, you win. May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
51
Alaa Magdy The Art of Crochet, The Passion for Life
Any child is born with a certain talent, but usually the bureaucratic educational system weakens those diverse talents and yields into a group of students with similar capabilities and limited innovative skills. However, some exceptionally creative talents come out of this educational system more innovative and more talented. Their mothers are the ones to thank for this, and Alaa Magdy’s mother is the one to thank for supporting her exceptional talent.
The Talent, Embraced
The second of her siblings, Alaa was always inspired by fabrics and yarns during her childhood. Finding a leftover piece of textile was enough to ensure Alaa’s maximum excitement during those years. She loved everything about fabrics; the texture, the nesting strings, and certainly the colors. Alaa’s mother embraced her childhood excitement, supported her talent, and made sure education does not turn her into an ordinary person. She was her role model, for her enthusiasm and cheerfulness, and for her continuous support to every step she took on the long route to burnish her talents. Attending school, Alaa was in love with the art class. Alaa’s drawings and paintings showed how much her mother’s support developed her talents. The talented Alaa then grew up to join the school of Fine Arts. At the school, she studied color theories and proportions and was introduced to different types of arts. Her studies improved her skills more and more and developed her talents signif-
icantly. She graduated with a bachelor of mural and stained glass, before she started her entrepreneurial career.
Crochet and Craft, with Love
A creative talent, supported by a careful mother, and strengthened by solid education materialized in Alaa’s ‘Crochet and Craft with Love’. The appealing name is what Alaa chose for her home-based project,
specializing in designing crochet products and crafts. Alaa’s understanding of color proportions, excitement for arts, and great passion for life turned her small project that was initiated with a startup capital of EGP 100 into a remarkable project representing a true model for talentoriented success. “Welcome to my little corner, where I spread my great passion for crochet and crafts.” With these words, Alaa May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
53
welcomes her clients at Crochet and Craft with Love Facebook page, where clients can find a wide variety of Alaa’s products, order their preferred ones, and even order special products that Alaa can design specially for them.
Advising the Talented out There
Alaa’s successful experience encouraged her to advice all talented people to fear nothing and start their entrepreneurial route. She believes that everyone is talented in a certain field and that he/she should believe in their abilities and start surprising the world with creative products showing their talents. She also believes that talented housewives can establish great home-based projects that could be
an initial step towards their expansion into larger projects having many branches across Egypt, and even across the globe! Those projects could specialize in, but should not be limited to, jewelry, artworks, and clothing. “Commitment, faith, and patience are the magical factors of success of any project” says Alaa.
Wishes, for Life
BAnking Book this area now ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
54
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Alaa wishes that Egypt would be a more productive country, as she believes it has more than enough human resources to reach that aim. She has hopes for a complete democratic life within Egypt, where people are treated equally, fairly, and where poverty and diseases are seriously combated. “The main hurdles depriving potential entrepreneurs from achieving their aims are their lack of experience and absence of guidance from the surrounding community.” explains Alaa. For that reason, she wishes that Egypt would invest more in small enterprises, and would support small projects and undiscovered talents. In the forthcoming years, Alaa wishes to grow up Crochet and Craft with Love to be an outdoor project, having several branches and a network of enthusiastic employees, spreading her creative full-of-life products that started with a small home-based project.
Editor with highly expressive writing skills apply@ideaneurs.com
Join our team
?
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
Creativity in Times of Recession
W
hen the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ Economic recessions are a cyclical fact of life; no economy is free from them because sooner or later, stagnation sets in. If nothing is done to counter that stagnation, and conventional methods are used in an attempt to revive the economy, it will inevitably continue to regress. It is in this context that creative and pioneering problem solving at both micro and macro 56
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
levels become the cogs for the new cycle of economic development; the most adaptable are the ones who will weather the storm and become the drivers of success. It is therefore important for entrepreneurs at every level to adapt to the circumstances, and develop techniques relevant to the current economic situation; there are many opportunities to be discovered that can become seeds of the new economy, but these must be approached with creativity and inventiveness.
Where traditional approaches have resulted in a recession, the logical step would be to employ unconventional methods in order to achieve success where other approaches have failed. If a country experiencing an economic slowdown can be compared to a darkening room, then creativity would be the light that it needs to become bright again. Each successful project becomes a ray of light that helps fight off the gloom, and when enough projects succeed they will eventually gain enough momentum to shift the tide towards progress. Creativity in the context of business development should not be removed from reality; while in the fields of art, imagination can be given free reign, in business, failure to consider the realities of the market will most likely result in real world losses. Where convention has failed, creativity becomes akin to survival for the enterprise.
Creative solutions to unconventional economic problems will entail research and exploration into precedents that have been set by other enterprises in similar market situations and adapting them to the particular economic circumstances commonly found in a recessive economy; this is important not only to learn what to do , but also what not to do. The foundation upon which this kind of solution needs to be built is information; you need to acquire as much accurate information as possible, with emphasis on accurate because in this age of internet, and easy media access, almost anyone can broadcast their opinions
regardless of their qualifications or the validity of these opinions. This means that extra care needs to be taken in the filtering and
analysis of available information in order to properly assess the reality of the situation on the ground.
sPonsor us
... grow together
sponsor@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
57
With a solid foundation of information, enterprises should be able to brainstorm as broadly as possible, even considering fringe solutions to their problems in order to open themselves to a greater variety of potential solutions; it is important to be flexible at this stage of the process, and understand that elements of different ideas can be combined and taken together to form a unified solution. This approach will more often than not take us outside of our comfort zone, but the road to development is paved with hardship. To improve our abilities, we must challenge ourselves. Hellen Keller, published author, political activist during the 19th and 20th centuries and the first recorded deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor’s degree, stated that “the marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.� Allowing a broader input of ideas will lead to more comprehensive views on functional solutions, providing the enterprise with more options. Furthermore, by identifying potential problems in implementation, you might be able to improve your chances of preempting any expected losses or failures. One of the most effective ways to do this is to run simulations in stages, with the first stage being 58
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
broad and generic, and then getting progressively more specific. The first broad stage will include general conditions such as supply and demand, and the areas that can physically be serviced. If the simulation shows a high probability of success, the next stage is then taken to a higher level of complexity through the addition of more variables, such as market instability or interrupted communications. How well versed you are in your field will greatly affect the quality of your creativity; if you have a solid foundation, your innovative ideas will be far more effective in renewing the approach towards taking your
enterprise to new successes. Creativity in and of itself is an invaluable attribute, but it is not a standalone factor. Without significant knowledge or experience,it becomes a theoretical exercise rather than a practical problem solving one. A creative and adaptable enterprise, whatever its size, increases its durability and stamina, which are key elements to its continued profitability especially in times of turbulence and instability. Becoming creative and adaptable in times of recession could spell the difference between remaining afloat or drowning in the economic whirlpool.
Sales Executive with amazing selling skills
apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
?
Join our team @IdeaneursMag
Ahmed Abdel Rahman 17-year-old Egyptian scientist Physics and natural sciences might be boring for most students. For Ahmed Hany Abdel Rahman, who spent his childhood following the track of science and reached a solution to turn oil into a renewable source of energy at the age of 17, they certainly are not!
Unique Inspirations
Like any child, Ahmed was inspired by TV. However, cartoons and circus shows were not the source of his inspiration. Rather, science and natural sciences’ programs were the magic that attracted him to TV. As a primary school student, Ahmed had an extraordinary ability to solve complicated math problems, even without using a calculator. He always surprised his teachers as he discussed complicated scientific topics with them that were far more advanced for his very young age. Ahmed’s unique personality was shaped by his uncle, who has always been supportive for him. “He taught me the true meaning of self confidence and determination.” Said Ahmed. Science and math were not the only talents of Ahmed. He was also a gymnastic champion, winning 4 gold medals at a young age.
Ideaneur in the Making
Ahmed’s journey of becoming a true Ideaneur started during his school years. He participated in many school activities, which burnished his talents and introduced him to the world as a young Egyptian scientist. Ahmed was among the few Egyptians who participated in Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s biggest science and engineering fair, which was held in the United States in May 2012. During the fair, Ahmed was the first contender for NASA’s award for young scientists. Although he did not win any awards during the fair, but he received many scholarships offers for university studies from different universities in the US. Ahmed and his team won the 1st place award for chemistry in Intel Science Arab World Competition, which
was held in Dubai in 2012. Curricula are the worst part of the Egyptian educational system in Ahmed’s opinion. They limit one’s innovation and hinder his prospects of inventing new solutions to the world’s problems. As a senior high school student, Ahmed believes that his curricula are not helping
him in gaining any new skills or knowledge, especially on the fields of entrepreneurship and scientific research. He fears that these curricula might affect his overall grade, which could deprive him of his dream to join the school of science.
Oil: A Renewable Source of Energy
Over the past three years, Ahmed focused on proving a theory that could turn oil into a renewable source of energy. His theory seeks to turn cheap raw materials into hydrocarbons such as Solar, Octane, Diesel, and Benzene. At early stages of his theory, Ahmed discussed his findings with his school teacher, who told him his theory was wrong and needed more evidence. “ I researched the theory and found out that there was a weakness point within it. I fixed it through hard work and true determination. A true experience comes out from failures.” Explained Ahmed. Lately, Ahmed had proven his theory. Now he is seeking funding resources to support implementing the theory, but he does not seem to find a helping hand, yet! May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
61
Endless Theories, Endless Ambitions If you think that Ahmed’s ambitions are limited to his proven theory, think again! Ahmed is currently working on several new theories that he aims to prove. The theories include: ‘Photon is a living thing’: It aims to prove that photons are living substances that cannot survive without air and water. ‘Understanding animals’ sounds’: Aiming to invent a new device that changes the mechanical waves of animal sounds into codes that can be translated and understood by humans. ‘Live dreams’: Aiming to invent a new device that turns waves transmitted by the brain during sleep time into electromagnetic waves that can be seen. ‘Atoms pregnancy theory’: Aims to prove that atoms are living substances that can be bred and identified by gender. The extraordinary talents of Ahmed enabled him to be nominated for Anzisha Prize for Innovative Young African Entrepreneurs 2013, where he could win a prize of $75,000, alongside 12 finalists from across the black continent.
?
Artist
with mind-blowing drawing capabilities
Dreams of an Ideaneur
WAtches Book this area now ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
62
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Ahmed dreams of joining the school of science and obtaining a bachelor of physics. His dreams extend to obtaining a PhD in theoretical physics, winning the Nobel Prize in physics, which is Ahmed’s lifetime dream. For Ahmed, youth are true hope of Egypt to reassume its leading status. That’s why he hopes that Egypt would pay more attention to its youth, care for minds with clear potential for innovation, and support them until they turn into leading scientists helping Egypt throughout the challenging route of development and modernity. In the future, Ahmed aims to assist Egypt in this mission through establishing an institute that specializes in helping young scientists with bright minds and innovative ideas to become eminent scientists. He believes that ignoring potential talents and suffering from bureaucratic educational and administrative systems could kill those talents in their cradle. That’s why he had a piece of advice for all potential young scientists: “No one can prevent you of reaching your dreams. Once you catch it, never let it go.” said the 17-year-old Ahmed Hany Abdel Rahman.
Join our team
apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
at the finished work of art and see the potential gallery where it would be displayed, and businessmen see the potential mar-
Visionary?
L
ook at a blank piece of paper. Can you see everything it could become? Can you see it as a page in the annals of history? Or part of an epic story of adventure and conquest? Can you see it as a blueprint for a successful multimillion dollar corporation? To venture where no man has been before is one of the primeval instincts that has driven mankind from eons past; humans peered at the highest summits and saw themselves above them; they gazed at the skies and saw themselves sharing them with the birds. The horizon though never gets closer; with every new 64
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
conquest, a new goal comes into sight and keeps the desire for advancement alive, having taken to the skies, mankind has set its eye on space travel, where Captain Kirk stated that the Starship Enterprise’s goal was “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.� Stories of great visionaries who heralded the arrival of new inventions or drew out victorious strategies crowd historical records, but although most visionaries exist on a smaller scale, they are no less important by virtue of their cumulative contributions to
human progress; each idea that takes form becomes a brick in the edifice of human development. There is a key difference between sight and vision; anyone can see the world as it is, but it takes a little extra effort to ask yourself the question: what can this become? It is an important and overlooked aspect of our thought process that is drowned beneath a thousand other thoughts lumbering through our brains during the daily grind, and at the end of a long exhausting day, identifying creative thoughts becomes even harder. We share an innate desire to take something from its current state and transform it into something different; artists, for example, look at an empty canvas and see a vivid image, decorators look
kets that can be created around it. Vision, defined as re-imagining the present, requires harnessing imagination to the service of the
intended goal; a wild imagination, while more entertaining, if left to run rampant will not be effective in changing reality. When harnessed however, imagination can be a powerful tool in using the power of the mind to find solutions to real world questions. For a vision to exist, it must be envisioned by the mind of a visionary. The direction of the vision will depend on the visionary as well as the society in which they exist; a society at the forefront of technological development for example will be less likely to be interested in the development of technologies designed to alleviate problems caused by poor infrastructure (except in the context of
FAshion Book this area now ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
65
official development assistance), while a society lacking in basic needs would consider efforts geared towards upgrading the latest tablet to be a waste of valuable resources. A visionary’s ideas therefore must be contextually relevant, as well as being feasible and applicable. Visions that are left buried in our minds are lost potentials, and may turn out to be a loss to the community at large, or at the very least the loss of an enriching intellectual conversation. Being a visionary does not mean that success will automatically follow; visions in and of themselves do not determine success. Julius Caesar, when he came upon Zila, did not say “veni, vidi,” and stop there; without “vici” at the end, the phrase would have been more attributable to a tourist than a conquering general and it would not have been
66
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
nearly as famous as it currently is. Traditional success and vision are not necessarily tied together; success can be achieved through the application of someone else’s vision, and failure can occur despite having a vision of your own; persistence and adaptability are necessary accompaniments because the world is in a state of dynamic change at all times, and the ability to keep pace with that dynamism is an important part of maintaining the
relevance of your visions. Vision is an independent attribute, and while a visionary is hailed as someone who plans, takes risks, communicates, motivates, and manages, the absence of these qualities does not imply the absence of vision. The problem with tying so many qualities to being visionary is that it can be discouraging for those who have not yet accumulated those particular skills, and it is therefore important to make a clear distinction between vision, which is an offshoot of the cognitive process and therefore accessible to everyone, and other skills that complement it and can be gained through training. Being a visionary is having the discipline to pursue those thoughts that involve re-imagining reality, which is an innate ability accessible to all; remember that even the pawn on the chessboard can become anything it wants when it reaches the end of the board, so open your eyes to what is before you, and open your mind to what it could become.
Like us ... Stay tuned
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
A Child Readaholic Reading a whole novel at the age of eight is remarkable, but planning and establishing a successful project while raising twin infants and a six-year-old boy is simply extraordinary, and that’s what Shaymaa ElGammal does!
The little Shaymaa spent her childhood writing diaries, translating English songs into Arabic language, and reading books and novels. She was also excited by arts and crafts, but she spent most her childhood reading, as she learnt to read at a very young age. At the age of eight, Shaymaa was literally able to read a whole novel! Finding out that famous author and novelist Dr. Ahmed Khaled Tawfeq was Shaymaa’s childhood role model explains the reason behind her passion for reading. “I have grown up to love this man, wondering how he was able to read huge amount of books and amazed by his ability to manage his time, working as a doctor and writing at the same time.” explained Shaymaa.
Conquering Fears
The Motherhood Guru
Shaymaa El-Gammal
Fear could lead to either a total failure or a complete success. Shaymaa spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, where she did not have the opportunity to Study English language until she reached the age of 11. Shaymaa feared that her English would not be as good as her friends’, however she did not surrender to her fears. Shaymaa accepted the challenge and started learning English by herself. Furthermore, she started taking English courses one day after she was done with her high school exams! Shaymaa had a very busy school time. She participated in most student activities, including school broadcasts, acting club, choral team, different competitions, in addition to wall magazines where she displayed her talent in writing. During high school, Shaymaa taught her foreign teachers the Arabic language, which was her first paid job. Some might perceive education as a mere tool to pass exams or obtain a degree. However, this was not the case for Shaymaa, who studied what
she loved and what would benefit her throughout her life. Shaymaa earned a bachelor of arts from Ain Shams University, before obtaining several postgraduate studies. By then, Shaymaa’s education, talents, and resilient personality started to fruit.
Ana7amel
Being a mother of three children, Shaymaa had been through marriage, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and raising three children. She is fully aware of the
needs of every mother and the difficulties they usually face. Caring about current and future mothers, Shaymaa decided to take an action and offer those mothers a helping hand through ‘Ana7amel’. Ana7amel (I am pregnant) is an Egyptian maternity club, aiming to spread awareness among current and future mothers and help them to be happy and confident during the stages of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early motherhood. Ana7amel provides May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
69
its services through its website and social media channels, using Arabic language to fully-engage and serve the whole Arab community. Shaymaa also aims to organize sessions for future mothers through Ana7amel, to allow them to share their experiences and fears, in addition to meeting parental experts to guide them in early motherhood stages. The desire to help mothers did not stop Shaymaa from delighting us with her talents in writing. She published ‘Ta’ Marboota’, a book telling a mustread story of a woman in our society, detailing the situations she faces and her reactions and reflections regarding them. She also published ‘Zaghloul in the Kitchen’, a children book that comes as the first of a series called ‘The World of Zaghloul’. Shaymaa’s books are published in Arabic, and are currently available in all bookstores.
Reaching More Women, Achieving More Successes
sunglAsses Book this area now ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
70
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Ever since she was a little child, Shaymaa cherished education. She wishes that Egypt could mark a 0% illiteracy rate, where every citizen is truly educated. Shall this be attained; she believes that peace and justice would be achieved in Egypt. Realizing that not all Egyptian women use internet, Shaymaa plans to launch pregnancy, breastfeeding, raising-a-baby awareness campaigns for women who do not use internet by presenting posters and printouts, in cooperation with pharmacies and NGOs. She also wants to encourage mothers to start home-based projects that would help them financially and develop them to be better mothers, wives, and most importantly; better persons. In the future, Shaymaa plans to add more strength to her academic background and obtain more educational degrees. She dreams to be one of the most successful and influential entrepreneurs in Egypt. Shaymaa wishes for Ana7amel to be the most trustworthy guide for every pregnant woman and mother in the Middle East, a wish that would achieve her aim to be called ‘Egypt’s Pregnancy Guru’.
Follow us ... Stay tuned
www.ideaneurs.com
@IdeaneursMag
did not exist on the same scale as it did when Zuckerberg launched Facebook, but the frameworks and infrastructure needed to support it was all in place, and there was an unidentified need and a market hunger for it. If something like Facebook had been attempted in the early nineties, it would not have enjoyed anywhere near as much success as it had in this decade; it would have been failure not because the vision itself was a bad one, but because of contextual irrelevance. It is therefore important to have an idea that is worthy of developing, as well as contextually (geographically, socially and chronically) feasible.
between ideas, fantasies, and potential visions; while ideas can eventually become visions, fantasies often have a very weak connection to reality and are more often than not unrealizable. Ideas and visions are more connected to reality, but they differ in that a vision will be more comprehensive and developed; an idea that is worth developing into a vision is one that contains a core that is susceptible to growth and can be feasibly applied to the real context in which the person exists. This does not mean that this is an idea that has to have been tried before, it could be the identification (or creation) of a previously unaddressed need; social networking
Juxtaposing Your Vision Onto Reality
F
rom a mental image to reality, the realization of visions seldom take the paths that were originally intended for them; the visions that eventually become successful are the ones that are envisioned with sufficient dynamism and adaptability to survive the variables that will inevitably rain down on them in the real world. Before you launch out of your seat in a rush to force your vision on the world, it may be worth sitting back and reconfiguring your 72
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
mind to optimize it to fulfill that function; getting excited and jotting down a few ideas will give you the rush you crave and make you feel that you took a significant step towards whatever idea popped into your mind moments earlier. It did not. That note will most likely end up lost and eventually discarded, both physically and from your mental archives. It may pop up once or twice in the form of ‘I wonder whatever happened to that one idea I had that one time’ as you sip lazily on a cool
refreshing drink. First, Identify whether or not the idea that popped in your mind right before you finally slipped off to sleep that one night was an actual idea worth realizing, or even physically possible, before yelling out ‘eureka’ and rushing off. In order to do so, a mental filtering mechanism is a necessity; before even the smallest effort is applied towards developing an idea in the real world, it is critically important to differentiate
?
event Planner with unlimited energy info@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
Get in touch
@IdeaneursMag
May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
73
Then, Once you have ascertained that your idea falls within the realm of the possible, the next step is to decide how much you wish to invest in terms of time, effort, and money into realizing this vision and making it a reality; before you begin you should be able to state clearly to yourself at what point you will draw the line and state that this particular project will not be possible to realize at this particular stage. Failure to do so before setting out to realize the vision that you see on the inside of your eyes may lead to the project/vision running wild and taking on unintended directions beyond the original idea. Establishing this limit allows you to take control of the direction of the project on a mental level, translating this into control over the vision’s development is important as the project begins to take life; failure to do so may have you following in Dr. Frankenstein’s footsteps as he tried to run after his project as it took a life of its own and wandered down to the village, and the people of said village made their thoughts on this project known to the doctor by
74
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Share your story ...
get pushed up
gathering in a mob outside his door with torches and pitchforks. It is best to avoid this stage of societal reaction to your visions without an appropriate exit strategy. After Which, You should identify a timeframe within which this vision should expect to be materialized; if it is left without a clear deadline and clear benchmarks, the realization of the project will become vague, and will tend to draw out and may eventually drain your resources, both mental and physical.
A drawn out project without clear benchmarks will fail to materialize as envisioned; it will be akin to trying to scale a mountain in one leap instead of having a clear plan for scaling it. Establishing the timeframe prior to beginning will help make the vision more concrete in your mind before you begin, it will also play an important role in dividing the project into manageable goals instead of one large end goal that appears only at the horizon. But Remember, Adaptability and coping with failure will be key when translating your vision to reality; adhere to the general lines of your plan, never lose sight of the end goal, but keep the ability to develop and adapt the plan as you learn new information and skills relevant to your vision. So put on your thinking caps ladies and gentlemen, but not too tightly.
apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag
The fact that India grew up to be the leading Information Technology hub in the whole world in just a few years is undeniable. The Indians’ achievement raises an indispensable question: What should Egypt do to follow the Indian track? Mohamed Aglan tries to answer this question.
Electronics’ Savior
The youngest of his siblings, the child Mohamed loved computer since he got know how to use it. He was amazed by this magical device that connects the world together and stores millions of files in a compact design that could not even be imagined by his grandfathers. Computer games excited Mohamed, and he was literally addicted to them at this young age. Being influenced by the superpowers of Superman, Mohamed also had his own superpower. He did not fly or save human lives, no, but he managed to save the lives of electronic devices by fixing them and getting them to work again.
Smart, but Different
Attending school, Mohamed was super in answering tricky and challenging questions asked by his teachers. However, his exams’ grades did not reflect his qualities, as the educational system is based on memorizing the curriculum rather than encouraging creative
Mohamed Aglan Using IT for the Sake of Society 76
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
answers and thinking out of the box. Away from education, Mohamed’s intelligence and leadership skills improved significantly during his high school time. Mohamed focused on strengthening his personal skills and knowledge about computer and information technology. Mohamed developed his sensitive personality to become a more adaptive person, as he believes that the most successful people in today’s world are the most adaptable persons, rather than the strongest, richest, or smartest ones.
After high school, Mohamed joined the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport where he earned his bachelor in computer engineering. Indeed, this is what Mohamed was meant to study.
Entrepreneur, for the Society’s Wellbeing
Although entrepreneurial life is different from educational curricula, but Mohamed’s technical background provided him with the essential knowledge required for him to start an entrepreneurial route. Even before Mohamed was graduated, he grouped nine of his colleagues and started ‘AglanIT’, an information technology firm aiming at providing Egyptians with different computer solutions. He then became a partner in Venice, a supplies company focusing on information technology. Mohamed was a board member in ‘RWAD’, a community for young entrepreneurs, having many projects that support sustainable development and link information technology to society. Within RWAD, Mohamed acted as a mediator between entrepreneurs and the government for them to reach common vision and establish projects that respond to the needs of the Egyptian society. Mohamed is currently a Google Developer Group leader in Alexandria. May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
77
Tear & Share More Achievements, Better Society
Mohamed supported several NGOs and student organizations to attain their goals. He assisted Ashanek Ya Balady (AYB) NGO and Model Organization of Islamic Conference (MOIC) of Alexandria University in several IT-related tasks. Despite his achievements, Mohamed is only 26. In the years ahead, he plans to initiate several society-oriented projects aiming to enhance the quality of life for Egyptians through improving the education and health care they receive. Of course, this is to be achieved through linking information technology to business methodologies, and with Mohamed’s knowledge and persistence, it would definitely fruit soon. According to Mohamed, ideas and connections are the two things needed for an ordinary person to become an entrepreneur. He believes that most entrepreneurs have ideas, vision to implement them, but they always fail in finding connections and communicating with investors and media outlets to implement their ideas. He advices them to work on having many connections, because they would benefit them in achieving their entrepreneurial goals. In 10 years, Mohamed envisions himself to be a successful
entrepreneur, owning several companies that provide Egyptians with unique products. He imagines himself to be a billionaire owning many social projects that support Egypt’s growth and that motivates people and help them achieve their goals. Mohamed aims to reach financial freedom through his several to-be-established projects. He believes that at that time he would be able to push Egypt towards a leading position in the IT world, by devoting more time to new projects, without being stressed by financial burdens and responsibilities.
Egypt: An IT hub?
motorcycle Book this area now ad@ideaneurs.com www.ideaneurs.com
78
/Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Speaking about Egypt, Mohamed wishes that the government would give more priority to high technology, which would turn Egypt into a regional IT hub and would allow more investment to flow into its borders. Should this be achieved, poverty would diminish in Egypt and the whole Egyptian lifestyle would change. “Only then, people across the world would wish they were Egyptians.” said Mohamed. If Egypt was a person, Mohamed would advice it to look around and be inspired by other countries. He believes that Egypt should no longer be a consumer and should work hard to become the ‘guru of the world’, since it is the guru of the world’s civilizations. May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
79
CreaTed By : IDEANEURS.COM
IDEANEURS.COM
80
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
W
ake up. Turn on the computer. Look through the job listings. Create another cover letter. Look through your CV. Send it to another company. Rinse, and repeat. After you submit your CV for the thousandth time by smashing the enter button, you realize that frustration has taken hold. You grit your teeth and keep trying, because it is either that, or not getting out of bed in the morning. One day, you get the call. You get an interview, and you watch as a spectator, as if it is happening to someone else, and suddenly you have accepted the offer and now have a job. You can barely contain your happiness; you have accomplished something. Wake up. Dress up. Fight traffic. Have a coffee. Type a report. Prepare a presentation. Have lunch. Go back to work. Fight traffic. Go home. Watch TV. Go to sleep. Wake up and do it again. 82
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
Fueling Success With Frustration The feeling of accomplishment has long faded, and has been replaced with the familiar feelings of frustration. What was once a goal to be achieved has become mundane, repetitive and even tedious. You no longer feel accomplished. You have your eye on that promotion now, and nothing will do except having it; you have earned it and worked harder for it than anyone else, it should, by all rights be yours. And then, success! You have been promoted. You are satisfied at your accomplishment. You take on the new responsibilities with vigor. Yet once again, the now familiar feelings of frustration seep in. The euphoria of advancement has passed, and you find it easier to point out the flaws than the reasons you had wanted this job in the first place. You reminisce at how much simpler things used to be and smile derisively at the others now working so hard to get your job.
Dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs and the feeling of being prevented from accomplishing any given goal is the most common description of frustration; to be frustrated, you must have a goal you wish to accomplish. Frustration is found across the board of the human experience spectrum, from the unemployed seeking to hold down a job, to the person holding three jobs and seeking to retire. It is found among the richest and among the poorest, among the accomplished and the freshly graduated. Frustration is a state of mind, which if unchecked eventually overwhelms the psyche and may initiate a self-perpetuating cycle of increasingly pent up anger and aggression, leading to self-destructive behavior that sometimes runs contrary to the intended goal; it is not uncommon to hear of someone engaged in stress eating behavior even as they complain of their inability to lose weight.
It is essential to be able to identify the purpose of frustration as part of our psychological makeup in order to be able to use it to our advantage rather than be overwhelmed by it and devolve into a resigned state of perpetual anger and resignation. Regardless of the external causes of frustration, which in a great number of instances is entirely justified (examples include interminable bureaucratic procedures, inconsistent traffic flows, irregular delivery of services, etc.), It is more important to address how the feeling is internalized and dealt with; it is within that context that a person will either decide to identify the cause of dissatisfaction
and select the best tool to deal with it, or will allow the feelings of anger to take over and cause a regression in cognitive processing, leading to less than optimal courses of action; much as we would all like to leap over the desk and grab the petty official who refuses to do their simple job by the collar and break their own desk with their forehead, that course of action would most likely result in the delay in finalizing the paperwork under consideration. Frustration’s purpose is to make you strive for change; the absence of it as a negative reinforcement for our desire to progress would have resulted in a much slower rate of progress across the spectrum of human development; if
you were not frustrated at being unemployed, you would not search for a job, if you were not frustrated at your current job, you would not strive to achieve a promotion. It is an unpleasant feeling that nags persistently at your psyche until you do something to make it go away. If frustration is a wall in the middle of your road, then punching at it with your bare hands as you roar in anger will accomplish nothing, except maybe causing significant damage to your fists. If you find a wall on the way to progress, take a few moments to find a sledgehammer, take good aim, and swing with everything you’ve got.
students with some free time after college
? Join us
apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
@IdeaneursMag May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
83
A Multi-Talented Child
Gihan Soliman
Fighting Clay Rocks of Poor Education Helping others to enhance their lives might be a moral responsibility for some. For Gihan Soliman, it is a sacred duty! Excited by challenges during her childhood, Gihan grew up to devote her life for the sake of improving and enhancing education in Egypt. As a child, she was always known to be a smart multi-talented girl, and when she grew up, she decided to pave the road for a better education for the upcoming generations.
Being the eldest of her siblings, Gihan was influenced by her parents. She used to sit behind her father for hours, and while he drew comics on papers, she drew aims in her mind. Her mother sheltered her childhood dreams, and provided her with love that shaped her personality. Gihan was known among her school colleagues as a multi-talented girl. She had the talents of drawing, singing, sculpturing, and making artworks out of clay and wood. At the age of 10, Gihan started an artistic student activity, where she turned clay rocks into artistic shapes. She spent hours breaking the rocks and turning them into supple paste that she gave to her teacher. The scorns of her colleagues were perceived by her as a challenge that she successfully conquered to become the leader of the activity; teaching students how to make vases and raise funds through them.
Failure: Not an Option!
As she was a 5th grade student, Gihan’s family moved to UAE, where she joined a new school and had to catch up with the ongoing school year. She entered the monthly exam and got a failing grade of 15 out of 100. The next month, Gihan was called during the school queue to receive an honorary certificate, for getting 98 out of 100 in the monthly exam! As Gihan grew up, the status of education in Egypt was the most pressing issue that she sought to enhance. Working on the issue, she failed to find significant information regarding the educational system in Egypt, and that’s when she started to seek the help of experts. She shadowed many experts, coordinated with them, and followed international educational models to integrate different curricula and relate them to real life.
Taking Action
After acquiring a Bachelor of Arts and becoming a certified trainer from Ain Shams University, Gihan served as an educational consultant for several international schools, where she supervised their quality of education. Gihan’s achievements materialized when she founded International-Curricula Educators Association (ICEA), a nonprofit organization aiming at educational reform. Through ICEA, Gihan provides teacher trainings, consultancy for schools, research on several topics related to science & life, and methods of relating science to the everyday life. ICEA is an affiliate practitioner for the UNECSO World Heritage Center and a UN accredited group for participation in RIO +20. It also won the Educating Africa Award in 2011. Gihan also founded IPNAMME, an educational network aiming at networking the educational permaculture farms in Africa, Mediterranean region, and the Middle East. She founded three more educational reform projects: May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
85
Science Across Egypt: A program focusing on developing the curricula of science and social studies to relate them to the surrounding environment. Lazem 3alem: which means ‘Shadow an Egyptian’ and ‘A Scientist is Required’. Lazem 3alem is an educational program that depends on scientists’ leadership in education for sustainability and ecotourism. “I have initiated the program based on the idea of shadowing scientists.” siad Gihan. Egypt’s Got Talents: As the name shows, it is a competition that aims to discover Egyptian talents, especially talents with innovative methods of teaching and illustrating science. SSCC: a project aiming to provide sustainable education, based in Sinai. SSCC qualified as a semi-finalist for the MIT Arab business plan competition, for being one of the best 50 submitted projects in the competition from all over the Arab world.
Vision for the future
The ambitions of the multi-talented Gihan does not end here, as she still aims for more and more in the future. During the upcoming 5 years, Gihan wants to grow her projects. She dream of growing ICEA to become an umbrella covering several NGOs concerned with education, human rights, and sustainability, in 10 years from now.
Hopes for humanity
trAvel & holidAys Book this area now
86
ad@ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
www.ideaneurs.com
@IdeaneursMag
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
For Gihan, Entrepreneurs always have visions that others cannot see. They are always scorned by the surrounding community, like what happened with her, and they never gain support until they reach a certain level of achievement, where they no longer need support. Gihan believes in Entrepreneurs, especially young ones, she dreams of a world with no discrimination, and hopes for a better future for Egypt. Gihan Soliman insists on improving the quality of Egyptians’ lives and pushing Egypt towards prosperity through her expertise in educational reform and powered by her love of challenge, the one that started when she turned ugly rocks into spectacular pieces of art.
Population Density and the Mind of the Entrepreneur
I
t’s crowded. Really crowded, and while everybody thinks about how they wish things would quiet down a little, your average entrepreneur is thinking how to get all these people to buy her products. Profiting from your business relies on two key factors, that people know about your product and that they have a need for it. You would assume that in densely populated areas, getting your product noticed would be relatively simple, after all there are more people around, and therefore more potential buyers. You would be wrong. People who live in densely populated areas are consistently exposed to stimuli and develop a higher degree of tolerance to new stimuli than would otherwise be the case, which means that even if they look at your product, they might not actually see it. In a similar vein to our crafty entrepreneur from the first paragraph, businesspeople will tend be attracted to densely populated areas due to their potential profitability, and the high concentration of commercial outlets and the high levels of supply for good and 88
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
services create a highly competitive atmosphere where entrepreneurs and business owners work harder to attract the attention of the potential customers. When vying for the attention of a group of people with a very large number of other suppliers, some less than ethical businesspeople engage in illicit practices to give themselves a little edge over the competition. This is compounded when implementation of regulations is lax, a matter which contributes to the increased cynicism of potential consumers regarding the quality of the proffered goods and services because marketers will feel freer to bend the truth or
even lie outright about their product in order to secure a purchase. In areas such as these, there is an inevitable increase in the level of mistrust; the potential consumers that are repeatedly deceived will be less likely to respond positively by targeted marketing campaigns. For example, in the Middle East, people who follow satellite television channels have been bombarded by advertising campaigns that promise products with quasi miraculous effects far in excess of today’s scientific discoveries. Whether or not the consumers believe any of the drivel that is spawned by some of these campaigns (including campaigns
will be variables you will have to be able to predict and counter as they pop up. Without persistence, the challenges may prove too many, and eventually lead to shutting down the enterprise. While it may appear an attribute necessary for any business in any environment, in the particular circumstances characterized by high levels of competition, poorly framed implementation of regulations and legislation, and heightened levels of mistrust in business dealings, a particular kind of persistence is needed. Overcoming the hurdles presented by a densely populated, over stimulated and cynical environment requires a firmness of
for products that allegedly secure conception of male children, curing chronic diseases, and regulate almost every bodily and metabolic function), the question that insinuates itself onto the mind of the viewer is ‘what is to stop any business owner from lying to make a sale?’ What this entails for an owner of a startup enterprise is that a particular mindset needs to be developed, and from it the behavioral patterns necessary for success and profit will follow. The core concept that needs to be imprinted on the entrepreneur’s mind in the circumstances described above is persistence; in this kind of environment, there
advertising agency with an eye for excePtional growth
info@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
/Ideaneurs
?
Get in touch @IdeaneursMag
May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
89
position, patience and a belief in your ability, and an acceptance of the fact that until your brand becomes recognizable enough and its quality has been established marketwide, you will probably face these pressures on a daily basis. It’s not personal, and understanding that is the first step towards being able to face and counter the problem; the behavioral patterns described above came about as reactions to events that were repeated over the course of time, and as such have almost attained the status of a conditioned reflex. To break people out of these reflexive habits, you must first understand their causes, and identify the extent to which they are present in your own behavioral patterns. This introspection, the understanding that comes with it, and the solutions that you come up with will necessarily reflect positively on your business. It is also tempting to look at 90
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
markets where regulations are not strictly enforced, and where you can smooth over any violation through greasing some palms, and decide that you will not impose upon yourself unnecessary standards because it ends up costing you more money in the short run. This is a short sighted, albeit fairly common mistake
that startups make in order to minimize costs. Quite apart from the ethical and moral issues at stake, i.e. purposely reducing the quality of a product in favor of short term profits, the long term economic prospects tend to be negative. In a densely populated environment, word spreads fast, and people are more likely to voice negative experiences than positive ones. It is therefore important to keep the medium to long term profit goals well within your sights and avoid damaging them by targeting your short term goals. Developing and integrating this concept of delayed gratification into your mindset will play an important role if it reflects upon the direction of your business. Rule your mind, and it will rule what matters.
Photographer with exceptional creativity apply@ideaneurs.com
www.ideaneurs.com
?
/Ideaneurs
Join our team
@IdeaneursMag
Idea-o-scope
Putting an exciting idea under the microscope
LadiezCorner.com An entire women’s planet at a fingertip
The Identity
LadiezCorner.com is one of the most comprehensive women-centric web portals that has anything and everything women wish for or need for their empowerment. At LadiezCorner.com, women are empowered to socialize, express themselves and build their own network, make use of their talents, develop their own websites for free,receive online consultation from experts, and obtain useful information about parenting, décor, cooking, diet, shopping, beauty, relationships and house management and much more.
The Team
LadiezCorner.com is built and run by an exciting blend of professional women with a vision to reach out for every woman across the globe. The team behind LadiezCorner.com has deep passion for attending to the unspoken needs and demands of women. They embrace the commitment of empowering every woman to realize her full potential via a growing array of enabling services and products that every woman wishes for.
The Mission
300,000
600
followers
followers
registered users: 7000 ladies who created websites: 2500 submitted posts/articles/recipes: 4300 94
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
“To be the first and most inclusive portal for women, encouraging collaboration and interactivity and offering access to high quality information for every woman“ To achieve this, LadiezCorner.com embraces the state-of-the-art web technologies, web development standards and best practices that maximize users’ engagement, experience and convenience. The portal encourages collaboration, sharing, interactive discussions and networking between all users.
The Features • •
•
•
•
•
Bilingual website interface Open subscription for all women – serving now users from MENA, North America, Europe and Asia Open Forums for discussions on art, cooking, home innovation and general knowledge Point & Award system to entice collaboration, interactivity and engagement of all users Open Library encompassing rich content about art, politics, parenting, childcare, health and beauty, marriage and life, fitness and sports, recipes and cooking tips and much more. Online gallery for artists and artisans
The Services •
•
• •
•
Online health and fitness counseling by a team of highly skilled physicians and doctors Advice on interior design, décor and home improvements by a talented team of interior artists Advice on cooking and recipes by well-seasoned chefs Online mall featuring the very best of what the market has to offer, shipping right to the door Editorials and articles by an exciting group of bloggers, editors and writers
For further information, visit www.LadiezCorner.com May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
95
Mentor’s Note We are sharing this note with you not because we are smarter or more successful than you are, but because we might have begun our entrepreneurial journey earlier than you have and experienced most of the barriers, hurdles, pains and pitfalls in starting up a new business or developing an idea for the very first time. So, this note is all about sharing some insights out of all the struggle we have had that may make your journey –as an entrepreneur- a whole lot smoother and much more fun! Ahmed Essa
Serial entrepreneur, coach, mentor, independent business strategist and consultant, market research expert, systems engineer and entrepreneurship activist.
Setting your Sails Starting or venturing a new business is very similar to any living organism’s life cycle; think of humans for instance. We start off as infants, limited in physical and communication abilities but with instinctive intelligence, not fully aware of what is going on around or ahead of us, entirely dependent on our caretakers to take the critical decisions on our behalf. As we grow with utmost eagerness for discovery, our ability to connect, learn,understand our surroundings and foster opportunities develop as well, but maybe at a much faster rate to act like a magnet pulling us forward. Throughout this growth process, we make miscalculated moves (we all do!) that result in regrets sometimes but more importantly help us develop self-confidence as we learn how to deal with the consequences of our impulsive actions; we call this experience. It is then of no wonder that the word ‘experience’ and ‘experiment’ share common linguistic roots, as if to say “experimenting is the foremost pathway to developing experience”. To help you prepare for success in running your own dream business, it is essential that this preparation starts at the mental, emotional and psychological level. The following are a few pieces of advice I put together that you may find insightful and helpful in readying your mind for such a life-changing experience:
1. Remain always a grown-up child
Children are famous for enjoying little things we adults think of as silly. They rarely quit on something they wholeheartedly desire. They have all the energy in the world to keep on discovering and experimenting with everything on their way. In your business, be that curious child who is never afraid to discover and try new things and routes and above all, ensure you enjoy everything you do and any new step you take.
96
IDEANEURS May / June 2013
2.Don’t take every turn you face
As you step into being an entrepreneur, you will often times feel disoriented as options and possibilities begin to fly before your eyes. “Should I accept this offer or partner with X or borrow money from Y or apply for this program…?”, make sure you always remember what your goal is and where your destination is. Drive your entrepreneurial car toward the destination you set for yourself; ignoring all the turns or detours that will take you elsewhere.
3. Think big and universal
It is logically true that a person sitting in his room has fewer chances to make an impact on someone’s life than a person who is out there interacting directly with him. Not with the internet! Nowadays, the internet has made it true that a person with a laptop or mobile has the potential to not only impact someone’s life, but change the lives of so many millions (Think of Facebook). In your business, make sure you see the bigger picture of the potential of your business if you make it reach out for other potential customers across the globe that may be in need for your particular services or products.
4. Learn from rejections; don’t just take them
5. Extend your arms wide with a smile
7. Act your big heart
8. Build bridges with bricks thrown at you
Resistance to change is common in almost all living creatures including humans. So, it is very expected that you will face some resistance or rejections at times when you introduce your new service or product for the first time. Make sure you open up your mind and heart to analyze what is behind these rejections and what exactly made the audience reject your new idea. There could be some substantial lessons for you to turn things around and come back again to the audience with a proposition they can hardly say No to.
Being an entrepreneur should never turn you into a robotic machine with no feelings or emotions. You are part of a society that does not always offer an equal opportunity to all its members. So, make sure your kindness and pure-heartedness (through fair competitiveness, altruism and honesty) is embodied in all your business acts, interacting with the environment, customers, competitors, employees and the disadvantaged segments of the society. Play it smart, but more importantly, play it fair.
In business, so much like politics, it is all about establishing mutually-beneficial relationships. You need always to be open to welcome any new variables that come into play such as a new competitor or a supplier or even a newly emerged type of customers. The rule of thumb is ‘Think win-win’. For instance, instead of viewing competition as a threat needs to be eliminated, with this kind of win-win mindset, you may view them as opportunity; helping you further develop the category of your business and keeping you always on the innovative mode to secure your niche.
Humans are not all the same, so are businesses. While they are people who think positively and constructively about anything, there are other types of people who do exactly the opposite. In business, you may find some competitors or others who consider you as a threat -for some unknown reasons- to be eliminated. Take these negative destructive acts positively and try to use them for your benefit by a matter of counteracting. The worse they attempt to make you look or be, the harder you strive to satisfy who matter most to your business; your customers!
10. Build your own beehive
In our current time of limited financial resources, entrepreneurs must work at least twice as hard as any established business. It is all about productivity, effectiveness and efficiency. Get on board the best resources out of your friends, family and colleagues and turn your work scene into a beehive. Embracing the win-win mentality and your natural passion for your own idea will do all the convincing on your behalf. Think of unconventional compensation or rewarding options that you can give to all the bees in your hive in exchange for helping you out and making your dream a few steps closer to come true.
6. Make mistakes faster
It is very common that you will make some mistakes working on your new idea or business; everybody does! Make sure you always return to a checkpoint and think about what you did and what kind of effect it might have had on your business compared to what you initially expected as results. So, it is simple, when you make mistakes, correct them! In the early stage of your business, you will need multiple checkpoints, which can be considered as ‘steering guides’ in a way; ensuring you are always on the right track toward your goals. The number of checkpoints will get less as you develop more knowledge, experience and confidence in steering your business and as your business matures.
9. Hang on like a Koala
Starting up a business or a project is not an easy ride. It is a bumpy lumpy trip full of unforeseen obstacles. Whenever you feel you are losing control and barely letting go, it is that very moment you may be about making it through to a great success. As long as you are confident that your business has what it takes to prove its worthiness and earn its success, all what you need to do then is to hang on with all the power you have got.
Stay tuned for more helpful notes in the upcoming issues. If you have any questions concerning your business or in case you have recommendations as what topics you wish to know more about in this section in the future, I will be happy to receive your communications at: mentor.notes2013@gmail.com May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
97
Market Radar
ot
What’s H Electricity Egypt
ElectricityEG is a three months program that seeks to inspire Electrical Engineer and Engineering Students and entrepreneurs to innovate creative solutions to face the electricity crises. Website: http://electricity-eg. org/ Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/electricityEG
Sweet Heaven
On www.SweetyHeaven. com children (3 to 10) build their wishlist of toys. They get rewarded balloons for showing good behavior. They finally use their credit of balloons to redeem a toy from their wishlist, which gets delivered to their door steps. It’s a website for gathering family members in shared activities. Phone: 0100 072 3377 Website: http://sweetyheaven. com Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/SweetyHeavenLLC team@sweetyheaven.com
98
Karm Solar
KarmSolar is an Egyptian company working on introducing solar energy applications that are commercially competitive with conventional fuels. Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/KarmSolar Website: http://www.karmsolar.com
Radio Madinet El Bat
An online radio station presenting all kinds of music genres with themes from the Donald Duck Family Website: http://www.radio-mb. com/ Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/MadinatElBatt
Tamima Azza
Tamima Azza presents a varied collection of handmade accessories, watches and jewelry designed in the unique Egyptian style Phone: 01098272330 Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/pages/TamimaAzza/310139585771939
IDEANEURS May/ June 2013
Professional make-up, hair and veil design by Soha Abdallah Phone: 01009633187 archsue@live.com Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/pages/ Soha-Abdullah-MakeUp-artist/182446675137664
Jibi Shopper
The Choir Project
A week-long workshop of communal improvisation, lyric-writing, and composition culminates in a short performance. thechoirproject@gmail.com Website: http://www.thechoirproject.net Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/ thechoirprojectegypt?fref=ts
House of cooking House of cooking offers handson and inspiring cooking classes and catering services to places all over Egypt. Phone: 0100 680 0621 Website http://www.thehouseofcooking.com info@thehouseofcooking.com
El Aflamgeya
Kumpir
A three-day long cinematography workshop for free, prepared by three masterful screenwriters and directors in El Sawy Culture Wheel. Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/ELAFLAMGYA Aflamgeya@gmail.com
A restaurant specialized in Turkish baked potato recipes Website: http://www.kumpiregypt.com Info@kumpiregypt.com Phone: 0112 404 4303
Asamina
X-midea
X-Midea is a student activity movement in the faculty of mass communication which aims to qualify future media personals through media related workshops and build this community where creative people can work and develop themselves together. Xmidea013@gmail.com Website: https://twitter. com/X_Midea Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/XMidea/
The BOW
Asamina provides your name and the name of your lover on different forms of accessories.You could personalize your name in arabic , english or hieroglyphic. Phone: 01013514614 asamina.accessories@gmail. com Facebook: https://www. facebook.com/Asamina.Accessories/
Jibi Shopper is a personal shopper service located in Alexandria, to help women shop by providing them expert advice and making suggestions to customers regarding colors and trends. Phone: 0114 422 8622 Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/JibiShopper
CrossFit Stars Egypt
CrossFit Stars is more than just a fitness provider; they are a group of people that were brought together by a passion. Their mission is to change the way the community looks and goes about getting fit. Their focus is on workouts that are constantly varied, functional movements executed at high intensity and scalable to any fitness level. Functional movements are the normal movements your body goes through in life like running, lifting, squatting, shoving and pulling. Website: http://www.crossfitstars.com admin@crossfitstars.com Phone: +20-22687364 +2016-9401119
Hopeful Youth
The Hopeful Youth Team is a group of BISC year 11 students. Hopeful Youth is a charity they started with the aim of supporting an unprivileged orphanage in Giza. They organised a food drive, an items drive and 2 bake sales so far. The money, food and items raised from these events have allowed them to make 20 new beds with mattresses for the children of the orphanage and provided them with a large stock of food. Facebook page: http://www. facebook.com/HopefulYouthCarnival
100 Days Project Cairo Runners
A2B
Egyptian Hydrofarms
A2B is an initiative to discover, mentor and incubate start-ups based on scientific research and its applications. academiatobusiness@gmail. com Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/Academiatobusiness
At Egyptian Hydrofarms they grow the finest, freshest pesticide-free lettuce and herbs in Egypt using locally developed hydroponic growing technology and introducing them to the Egyptian market. Phone: 0128 321 8280 egyhydrofarms@outlook.com Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/EgyptianHydrofarms
Lassna Lage2at Bal Montegat
A home-based catering service by a group of Syrian women, serving all kinds of Syrian delicacies Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/freefamilys Phone: 035542439 01205782554
They are the first running troupe in Cairo. Their marathon program provides Cairenes with exhilarating running experiences every Friday 7 AM. Website: http://www.cairorunners.com info@cairorunners.com Phone: 01200009098 or 01224185739
100 days Project is an Egyptian developmental project aims to revive the idea of social responsibility, and foster the culture of volunteerism in order to rebuild our country. info@the100days.org Website: http://www.the100days.org Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/the100days
May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
Job postings
Find a job Pyramids Cosmetics Company • Admin Manager http://www.pyramidcosmetics.com/
BDO Esand - Call Center • Call Center Directory Agent http://www.esnad-bpo.com/
COVIDIEN - Cairo, Egypt • Regulatory Affairs Specialist http://www.covidien.com/covidien/ Radioshack Egypt • Junior Indoor Sales Representative http://www.radioshack.com.eg/ AlMansoori Specialized Engineering • Receptionist www.almansoori.biz/ Seif Pharmacies • Community pharmacist hr@seifgroup.com
Misr International For Plastic Co. (Mipco) • Production Manager http://www.mipco-plast.com/ Greenpeace Mediterranean • Communications Unit Head http://www.greenpeace.org/arabic/
Aga Khan Foundation - Cairo, Egypt • Early Childhood Development Training Consultant • Early Childhood Domain Economic Empowerment Research Consultant http://www.akdn.org/egypt
100 IDEANEURS
May 2013
Your CV British Council Egypt - Cairo, Egypt • Examinations Services Assistant British Council - Alexandria, Egypt • Examinations Services Assistant • Examinations Services Officer www.britishcouncil.org/egypt.htm Unicom Egypt • Translator • php, cms developer • Web designer http://www.saudiunicom.com/en/ unicom-egypt Elegant Care • Product Manager • Sales Supervisor • Product Specialist hr@elegantcaremed.com IWANgroup.org • Sales Coordinator http://iwangroup.org/
Living In Interiors - Egypt • Finishes Site Engineer http://www.livingin.com/
Alfursan-Group • Operations Manager http://www.alfursan-group.com/
Osman Group • User Interface Designer /Graphic Designer http://www.osman.net/ MasterCard - Egypt • Manager Customer Support http://www.mastercard.com
Your account
About us!
Elgabaly Architects • Senior Design Architect • Senior Site Architect • Junior Architect • Junior Architect 3D PRSENTATION www.elgabalyarchitects.com/ Delta Medical • Maintenance Coordinator www.deltamedcenter.com/ Al Rowad Group • Marketing Executive • HR Generalist • Public Relations officer www.alrowadgroup.com/
Cookieman - Alexandria, Egypt • Production Manager • Executive Director of Administrative Affairs hr@cookieman.com.eg Fawry for Banking and Payment Technology Services • Technical Support & Integration Engineer www.fawry-eg.com Procter & Gamble EG-Cairo • Human Resources Intern “6 month Internship” • Supply Network Operations Internship http://www.pg.com Premier Service & Recruitment • Contract Administrator • Senior Site (Electrical / Communication) Engineer www.premieregypt.com/
Search Worldwide Recruitment Solutions - Egypt • ROV Supervisor http://www.worldwide-rs.com/ Orientals For Urban Development [OUD] • Office Manager http://oud.com.eg/ ANA 7AMEL- I’m PREGNANT • intern Graphic Designer www.ana7amel.net Media Hatem Salem • Marketing Executive • Marketing Manager • Marketing Director http://www.mediahatemsalem. com/media.htm Teradata - Egypt-Cairo • Business Intelligence Consultant • ETL Consultant • Account Manager http://www.teradata.com Symrise - Egypt • HR Manager http://www.symrise.com
HR Source Consulting - Cairo (Egypt) • Marketing Manager http://www.hrsource.ae Creative Advertising Thinking (CAT) - Cairo, Egypt • Video Editor http://www.cat.com.eg/
Contact
May 2013 IDEANEURS
Sitemap
101
Privacy Policy
Find a job National Net Ventures • Linux Administrator http://n2v.com/ar/ Bavarian Auto Group • Purchasing Specialist • Budgeting Accountant www.bag-eg.com/ Bayt.com- Cairo, Egypt • Field Sales Manager • Online Advertising Sales Specialist • SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) Hunter http://www.bayt.com/en/egypt Xceed Contact Center • Technical Support Representative www.xceedcc.com/ SADKO Group • Whole Sales Representative (Alexandria) http://www.sadko-group.com/ AMECO Egypt • Supply Chain Manager http://www.amecoegypt.com/ Ameco_Egypt/Company.html Sellgate - Egypt • Telesales Executive http://www.sellgate.ag/en/ standorte/kairo/
L’Oreal - Egypt • Management Trainee Program Finance • Management Trainee Program Marketing http://www.loreal.com/DD/loreal/ default.html
102 IDEANEURS
May 2013
Your CV AUC New Cairo • E-Learning and Multimedia Developer hr4@aucegypt.edu • Associate Director for Stewardship and Donor Relations hr1@aucegypt.edu • Secretary, Office of the Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance hr2@aucegypt.edu International Finance Corporation - Cairo (Egypt) • Finance Analyst • Procurement Assistant • Results Measurement Specialist • Senior Operations Officer http://www.ifc.org Microsoft - Egypt • Technical Account Manager • Senior Research Software Development Engineer • Sales Solutions Professional http://www.microsoft.com/ Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Sharm El Sheikh • Food & Beverage Assistant Manager http://www.fourseasons.com/ EVA Pharma / EVA Cosmetics Cairo, Egypt • Autocad Drafter www.evapharma.com Talaat Moustafa Group Holding Company • IT Supervisor http://new.talaatmoustafa.com/ Spinneys Egypt • Customer Service Agent http://www.spinneys.com/Egypt/
Your account
About us!
Search
M B for engineering • SWITCHGEAR DESIGN ENGINEER http://mb-egypt.com/
Souq.com • Assistant Category Manager • Junior Graphic Web Designer http://egypt.souq.com/eg-ar/
WECANCITY • Sales Outdoor Specialist http://www.wecancity.com/
Vodafone - Egypt • Testing Manager http://www.vodafone.com/
Zewail City of Science and Technology • Housing Operation Officer • Financial Aid –Specialist http://www.zewailcity.edu.eg/ Raya Corp - Egypt • Sales representative hr_distribution@rayacorp.com Abbott - Cairo • NATIONAL SALES MANAGER http://www.abbott.com Alex Eye Center • Head of Nurses http://alexeyecenter.com/ Paradigm Solutions (Cairo office) • Software Sales Representative www.paradigmegypt.com/
Ernst & Young - Egypt • Valuation Senior http://www.ey.com
Andalusia Group For Medical Services - Cairo, Egypt • Orthodontic consultant http://www.andalusiagroup. net/home.asp
Etisalat - Egypt • Roaming Analyst http://www.etisalat.ae IBM • Product Support Services Specialist http://www.ibm.com A.L.D.R • school admin http://www.aldr.org/
Servier Egypt • Clinical Research Associate http://www.servier.com/ Abtechinternational • ERP and marketing consultant hr@abtechinternational.com PlaNet Finance Egypt • Regional Project Manager contactegypt@planetfinance.org Berlitz Egypt • English Language Instructor http://www.berlitz-egypt.com/
PepsiCo Inc. - Egypt • Sales Training Manager http://www.pepsico.com
Contact
May 2013 IDEANEURS103
Sitemap
Privacy Policy
Directory
302 Labs Address: 14 Ali Al Gendi St., Ahmed Fakhry behind The National Institute for Social Works, Nasr city, Egypt Tel: +201001741514 Email: info@302labs.com Website: http://www.302labs.com 7elm Coworking Address: 6th Floor - El-Bahiyy building - 19 Tera’a Street (University Side), Mansourah, Ad Daqahliyah, Egypt Tel: 050 2237398 Website: https://www.facebook. com/7elmCoworking
A Arab African International Bank Address: 5 Midan El Saray El Koubra, Garden City, Cairo Tel: 19555 Email: inquiry@aaib.com Website: http://www.aaib.com/ Alexandria Startup Weekend Address: Head-quartered in Alexandria, Egypt Email: alexandria@startupweekend.com Website: http://alexandria.startupweekend.org/
Tel: 19263 Email: egypt@amideast.org Website: http://www.amideast.org/egypt American Research Center in Egypt Address: 2 Midan Simón Bolívar Garden City Cairo 11461, Egypt Tel: 20 2 2794 8239 Email: cairo@arce.org Website: http://www.arce.org/ Alexandria Business Association Address: 52, El Horreya Avenue, Alexandria, Egypt Tel: 03-4874062 Website: http://www.aba-sme.com Ain Shams University Address: Al abbasia, Cairo, Egypt Tel: +20 2 6847818 Email: ainshamsuniv@ainshams.edu.eg Website: http://www.shams.edu.eg/ Alashanek ya Balady Association for Sustainable Development Address: Villa 20, Street 106, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 16649 Email: info@ayb-sd.org Website: http://www.ayb-sd.org
AlMaqarr Address: 20 ElShaheed Mahmoud Fouad st. between Tivoli & Dar ElEshara. Opposite to ElBarak SuperMarket Cairo, Egypt Tel: 0100 774 4121 Email: info@almaqarr.com Website: https://www.facebook.com/ AlMaqarr
Ashoka Address: 93A Abdel Aziz Al Saud Street, 7th floor, Apt. 1 Manial, Cairo, Egypt Tel: +2 02 25328586 Email: ibibars@ashoka.org Website: www.ashoka.org/egypt
Aflamnah Address: Head-quartered in Dubai Email: info@aflamnah.com Website: http://www.aflamnah.com
Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt Address: 21 Amer St., Messaha, Dokki, 12311, Giza, Egypt Tel: + (202) 33359717 Email: usteam@bfce.eun.eg Website: www.fulbright-egypt.org
AIESEC Address: Cairo, Egypt, 11431 Tel: 02 25203149 Email: egypt@aiesec.net Website: http://aiesec-eg.org/ Alexandria University Address: El Geish Road, Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt Tel: +2035921675 Email: au_portal@sci.alexu.edu.eg Website: http://www.alexu.edu.eg/ Arab Bank Address: 28, Talaat Harb Street - Down Town Tel: 19100 Website: http://www.arabbank.com.eg/en/ default.aspx AMIDEAST Address: 38 Mohe Elden Abo Elazz Street, El Dokki, Giza, Egypt
104
IDEANEURS May/ June 2013
B
Beirut Social Innovation Camp Website: https://www.ihjoz.com/events/1 Binary Egypt Address: 21 St Gamel Ramadan Kozzika Branch Cairo, Egypt Tel: (+2) 27005740 Email: info@binaryegypt.net Website: http://www.binaryegypt.net/
C Cairo Chamber of Commerce Address: 4 Bab El Looq, El Falaqy sq., Al Qahirah, Egypt Tel: 00202 27948491 Email: info@cairochamber.org.eg Website: http://www.cairochamber. org.eg
I
Cairo University Address: Cairo University Street, Gizeh, Egypt Tel: +20 2 5729584 Email: facebookcu@cu.edu.eg Website: http://cu.edu.eg
Egyptian Business Women Association (EBWA) Address: 14 Syria St., Mohandessin , Cairo, Egypt Tel: +202- 33368304 Email: info@ebwa.info Website: www.ebwa.info
Citibank Egypt Address: 2 Abdel Hakim El Refaie Abbass El Akkad Street, Nasr City Tel: 16644 Website: http://www.citibankegypt.com/ egypt/homepage/home.htm
Egyptian Incubator Association Address: El-Obour Bldgs, 4 Salah Salem Rd, nasr city, cairo, Egypt Tel: +20 2 4034690 Email: eia@starnet.com.eg Website: http://www.eia.org.eg/
Center for Surveys and Statistical Applications Address: Cairo University Street, Gizeh, Egypt Tel: +20 2 5729584 Email: facebookcu@cu.edu.eg Website: http://cu.edu.eg
Egypt Nahdet El Mahrousa Address: 4th floor 17 Kasr Al Nile, downtown, Cairo Governorate, Egypt Tel: +20 2 25751888 Website: http://www.nahdetmasr.org
Icecairo Address: 32 Sabri Abou Alam, Downtown, Cairo, Egypt Email: info@icecairo.com Website: http://icecairo.com/
Commercial Research & Studies Center Address: Cairo University Street, Gizeh, Egypt Tel: +20 2 5729584 Email: facebookcu@cu.edu.eg Website: http://cu.edu.eg
Endeavor Address: 22 Kamal el Taweel, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt Email: info@endeavoreg.org Website: http://www.endeavoreg.org
Innoventures Startup Circus Address: 124 Othman Ibn Afan Street, 3rd Floor, Apt. 33 (Behind Soor Koleya El Harbeya), Off Salah Salem St. Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 02 26390374 Email: info@innoventures.me Website: http://www.innoventures.me
Commercial International Bank of Egypt Address: Nile Tower Building, 21/23 Charles De Gaulle, Giza. P.O. Box 2430 Cairo, Egypt Tel: 19666 Email: cib.customercareunit@cibeg.com Website: http://cibeg.com/en/Pages/default.aspx
E El Badry Group for Development & Investment Address: 6 B 6th Of October St., Mansheyet El Sad El Aaly., Gesr El Suez -Cairo Tel: +20 2 22958530 Website: www.badrygroup.com Egypt IT Events Tel: +2 011 234 33 525 Email: info@egyptitevents.com Website: http://www.egyptitevents.com/ El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center Address: AUC Avenue, P.O. Box 74 , Cairo, Egypt Tel: 02 26153413 Email: kcc@aucegypt.edu Website: http://www.aucegypt.edu/ Business/kcc/pages/default.aspx EFG-Hermes Private Equity Address: Building No. B129, Phase 3, Smart Village, Km 28 Cairo Alexandria Desert Road, 6 October 12577, Egypt Tel: +20 (0)2 3535 6499 Email: corporate@efg-hermes.com Website: http://www.efg-hermes.com/ English/Home.aspx Eureeca Address: Head-quartered in the US Email: contactus@eureeca.com Website: http://www.eureeca.com
F Financial Services Company Address: 80A Mosaddak St., Dokki, Giza – Egypt Tel: + (202) 37 60 93 28 Email: info@fsc-egypt.com Website: http://www.fsc-eg.com/ Flat6Labs Address: 1 Dr. Mohamed Sobhy st., Giza, Egypt Tel: 02 35685856 Email: info@flat6labs.com Website: http://www.flat6labs.com
G General Authority For Investment & Free Zones Address: 3 Salah Salem Street, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 02 24055452 Email: gafi-fz@gafinet.org Website: http://www.gafinet.org Global Entrepreneurship Week Tel: +201005075071 Email: ahmedosman@projacs.com Website: http://eg.unleashingideas.org/
H HSBC Address: Abou El Feda Building, 3 Abou El Feda Street, Zamalek Tel: 16088 Website: http://www.hsbc.com.eg/1/2/eg/ home
Ideavelopers Address: 5 Farid St., From Al Thawra St., Suite 4, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt Email: info@ideavelopers.com Website: http://www.ideavelopers.com/ ITIDA Address: Bldg. B121, Cairo Alex Desert Rd., Smart Village Abou Rawash, Giza Tel: 16248 Website: http://www.itida.gov.eg
INJAZ Egypt Address: 819 Cornich El Maadi, Bostan El Nile Building 10th floor, apt 19, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 02 25264745 Email: injaz@injaz-egypt.org Website: http://www.injaz-egypt.org
K Key CDC Address: Dome Offices, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt Tel: 0109 878 6897 Website: http://www.ejb.org.eg/
L LIFT-OFF Address: (Institute of International Education Center for Leadership Excellence) main office: 71 Road 105, 3rd Floor, Hadayek El Maadi, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 02 25264745 Email: info@liftoffinitiative.net Website: http://www.liftoffintiative.net
M Ministry Of Local Development Address: 4 Nady El Seid St., Dokki, Giza Tel: 02-37497470 Website: http://www.mold.gov.eg Mobaderoon Masr Email: mobaderoon@etijah.org Website: http://www.etijah.org/ mobaderoon
Mesaha Address: 4 Kawalah St, ext. of Mohamed Mahmoud St. In front Of Abdeen Palace, Downtown, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 01210653344 Email: info@mesaha.org Website: http://www.mesaha.org/
N Nahdet el Mahrousa Address: 17 Kasr El Nil St., DOWNTOWN, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 02 23908083 Email: info@nahdetmasr.org Website: http://www.nahdetmasr.org Namaa’ Association for Sustainable Development Address: 18 Mahmoud Bassiouny St., Downtown, Cairo, Egypt Website: http://kherna.com/ngo/ مناء-namaaassociation-for-sustainable-development NEGMA Conference Email: info@egyptnegma.org Website: http://www.EgyptNEGMA.org National Bank of Egypt Address: 1187 Corneich El-Nil, Cairo Plaza, Boulak, Cairo, Egypt, P.O.Box 11611 Cairo, Egypt Tel: +219623 Email: ebanking@nbe.com.eg Website: http://www.nbe.com.eg National Société Générale Bank Address: 5, Champollion St., Downtown, 11111 Cairo Tel: 19700 Email: info.nsgb@nsgb.com.eg Website: http://www.nsgb.com.eg
P Presella.com Address: Head-quartered in Lebanon Tel: +961 70 488 170 Email: info@presella.com Website: http://www.presella.com
Q Qafeer Lab Address: 11th District, Mugawra .5, Block .66, Flat .2, 6 October City Tel: 0102 344 8483 Website: https://www.facebook.com/ QafeerLabs
R Rasheed22 Address: 22 Rasheed St. - #2 groundfloor and #16 3rd floor, Heliopolis, Al Qahirah, Egypt Tel: +20224154118 Email: coworasheed22@gmail.com Website: http://www.coworkingegypt.com May / June 2013 IDEANEURS
105
S Shekra Address: 4 Al-Sabbagh Street, 11757, El Korba, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 002 02 24146493 Email: info@shekra.com Website: http://www.shekra.com/en/index. php Sprowd.com Address: Head-quartered in Netherlands Email: info@sprowd.com Website: http://sprowd.com SEKEM Initiative Address: 3 Belbes Road, El-Kalag, Al Qalyubiyah, Egypt Tel: 19792 Email: cs@sekem.com Website: http://www.sekem.com Supreme Council of Culture Address: 1El Gabalaya St., Opera House, El Gezira, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 02 27353749 Email: scc1981@yahoo.com Website: http://www.scc.gov.eg/
T TEDA Address: Third Sector, North west of suez gulf, Ain el sokhna , Suez, Egypt Tel: 062371235 Email: egypt-teda@hotmail.com Website: http://www.eg-teda.com The District Address: 51B Misr Helwan Street, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt Tel: (+20 2) 23802120 Email: info@district-egypt.com Website: http://www.district-egypt.com/ Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC) Address: B5 building, Smart Village - Cairo Alexandria Desert Road Email: tiec@tiec.gov.eg Website: http://tiec.gov.eg The Economic and Business History Research Center Address: AUC Avenue, P.O. Box 74 , Cairo, Egypt Email: ebhrc@aucegypt.edu Website: http://www.aucegypt.edu/ research/ebhrc/Pages/default.aspx Tomoh Address: Ibn Sandar Square, Cairo, Egypt Tel: +9966540854425 Email: info@tomohat.com Website: http://www. tomohat.com/
106
IDEANEURS May/ June 2013
Tahrir2 Address: 1 Ameer Al Behar Mahmoud Hamza, Roushdy, Egypt Tel: +20 3 5227646 Website: http://www.tahrir2.com/
U USAID/Egypt Address: 1A Nady El Etisalat street, off ElLaselky street, New Maadi, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 2-02 2-2522-7000 Email: cairomedia@usaid.gov Website: http://egypt.usaid.gov U.S. Embassy Cairo Address: 5 Tawfik Diab Street, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 02 27973300 Email: pressinfoegypt@state.gov Website: http://egypt.usembassy.gov
W Watheeqa Address: Head-quartered in Kuwait Tel: (+965) 229 13 444 Email: info@watheeqa.com Website: http://www.watheeqa.com
Y Yomken Address: Mesaha Foundation, 4 Kawalah street (first floor), Abdeen, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 0112 166 6612 Email: info@yomken.com Website: http://yomken.com
Z Zoomaal Address: online website Website: http://www.zoomaal.com
IDEANEURS ONLINE http://www.ideaneurs.com /Ideaneurs @IdeaneursMag
General Inquiries info@ideaneurs.com
Ad Bookings ad@ideaneurs.com
Recruitment hr@ideaneurs.com
Sponsorship sponsor@ideaneurs.com
Partnership partner@ideaneurs.com
Volunteerism volunteer@ideaneurs.com
Top Management ceo@ideaneurs.com
Editorials edit@ideaneurs.com
Feature Application apply@ideaneurs.com
Technical Support technical@ideaneurs.com
Sales Operations ops@ideaneurs.com
Scan me
visualising
information
promoting
transparency
www.facebook.com/infotimes.eg
scan me