Gulf Elite # 3

gulf elite

The leading Magazine for the Gulf youth

Magazine

By the youth, For the youth!

ISSUE 3

DEREK KHAN

HOW TO KICK HARDER THAN LIFE 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR Corporate Matchmaking Eminem Do What He Did Not What He Says Dubai: The Capital of the Middle East ON THE BEAT On The Beat is a monthly music newsletter with track recommendations, concert reviews, and album reviews for the Gen-Y

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WELCOMEMESSAGE

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR ISSUE 3, NOVEMBER 2013

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t’s been quite an amazing journey since we started 2 months ago! A publication we thought would only be circulated among friends now reaches from than 30 thousands people a month and we’re still growing.

Gulf Elite would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone who contributed to make this brand and magazine stand for what it is now.

We made a bet, and that is that youth and generation-Y were looking for a publication that differentiates itself from all the conventional pieces they have been accustomed to. We made a bet that youth were genuinely interested in moving forward, creating a new dynamic and learnign from each other in order to make it to the top. We made a bet that education as it is now does not offer all what a student needs to thrive in life, that classrooms were not the only place where we could gain knowledge. We made a bet that the future will be determined by entrepreneurs and pro-active youth who want to create their own job instead of looking for one.

Our increasing readership, ever expanding partnerships and the enthusiastic reaction we received so far is the greatest confirmation that we made the right choice and took on the winning bet. We didn’t want to give you a publication to consume, we wanted you to learn and enjoy, to educate yourselves and get to know how the real world works out there. Not only that but we’re giving you tips and recommendations on how to fight life and make your way to the top. Bringing onboard startup CEOs, a Hedge Fund manager, Professional coaches on corporate leadership, seasoned writers from Forbes and YoungEntrepreneur, we didn’t spare an effort to give you the greatest reader experience. Why? Because we care, because you are our greatest asset and we believe in you. You have the potential to do amazing things, you are limitless, but if you don’t realize that, then you will spend your life thinkning that the best you can do is get an office and a car and a house and all the boring follow up. Having an average life might be good for you, but you know what’s cooler? Having an AMAZING life. Read our Magazine and articles, get pumped up, know how to get your way through and leave your room and make this world a better place.

Don’t think of Gulf Elite as a publication or a mere portal. We’re more than that. We’re a culture, a lifestyle, a brand that stands for the great things that you can accomplish. We want to be your gateway to success, entrepreneurial spirit, motivational attitudes, positive thinking so that at some point when you get in your Bentley or Maybach and get your phone out, the first thing you do is hit www.gulfelite.ae and get your daily deal of inspiration.

MOHAMED AMINE BELARBI - EDITOR

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issue 3 EMINEM: DO WHAT HE DID, NOT WHAT HE SAYS CORPORATE MATCHMAKING WHAT THEY DON’T TEACH YOU IN SCHOOL LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS ELITE PROFILE: DEREK KHAN 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR ON THE BEAT STRATEGIC LEARNING - MAKE IT A HABIT DUBAI: THE CAPITAL OF THE MIDDLE EAST

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life lessons DO WHAT HE DID, NOT WHAT HE SAYS

Slim Shady knows what it takes to make it to the top!

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was told a while ago that focusing my articles on famous artists was not a great idea, if my goal is to push people to achieve their potential. The argument was that these artists have a gift that most of us were not blessed with; and therefore they are not relatable subjects. However, even if talents vary a lot between individuals, what we do with it and how we take advantage of it are constants. So whether you look at a politician, an entrepreneur or an entertainer, you can always learn from their stories and their journey towards success. And success is, with no doubt, something that Eminem has achieved over the course of his career. While many people would think that he is not the best role model out here, Eminem’s story (good and bad aspects considered) gives us really relevant life lessons that could potentially give us some indications on what to do and what not to do as we climb the ladder of success.

You will have to face adversity; be prepared to deal with it If the road to success was free of obstacles, it would be an easy and eventless journey for everyone. (Un)fortunately, it is not and you have to fight in order to get it. Nobody will ever tell you that their success was achieved painlessly.

You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet; and Eminem broke more than a few eggs.

People often associate hip-hop and all its components to black culture. Although that view may be a tad simplistic, it is undeniable that black people are the predominant race in hiphop; that is a simple observation. Black people saw rapping as a tool of expression, a weapon to fight a system that was unfair to them. So when Eminem claimed a spot within this selecgulf elite magazine

tive circle, he was obviously rejected by those who believed he did not belong there (because of his skin color); although he shared most of their social and economical realities. At that point many people would have quitted; it was not a safe environment and there is no point in risking one’s physical integrity just because of music. But Eminem did not; he fought and established himself without giving up his identity. For a white person to enter this middle and be recognized as one of its more iconic member is an immense accomplishment in my opinion. Eminem broke down the stereotype that only black people could rap, the same way Tiger Woods, Barack Obama and many others changed the standards in their respective fields. Eminem’s performance is still relevant.

Even today, certain roles within our societies are assigned based on characteristics other than merit (gender, race, nationality…). What Eminem’s example shows us is that we must not be discouraged to fight for our goals because of such characteristics. You have to believe in your capacities and know that they will allow you to break down unfavorable pre-received ideas.

Do not let your private life drag you down Eminem has had rather chaotic private life and that had an undeniable effect on his career. His multiple misfortunes with his mother and his wife, combined with his drug problems, were a constant source of material for the press for many years. Eminem was caught up in this negative spiral that was destroying him and all he had ever worked for. However, he got himself together after a drug overdose almost killed

him in 2005. Realizing the dangerousness of his lifestyle, he put his career on hold and got his private matters sorted out. Since then, he has come back to making music and regained his status of an international star.

This episode of Eminem’s life is full of lessons. Your talent is like a flower: it needs a healthy and stable environment in order to flourish and thrive.

People often say how you should separate your private life from your professional one, but the truth is they are interconnected. Your professional life will be a failure if private matters keep holding you back; and your professional success will not matter as much without a satisfying private life. You must be able to eliminate anything that is keeping you from moving forward.

Eminem realized that. He may have loved his wife but it was obvious that their marriage was hurting them both and therefore they had to end it. More generally, there will always be people around you that are going to drag you down with them, even though they may not be aware of it.

It is critical that you identify them as fast as possible

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and take appropriate measures; you may have to cut them loose if necessary but you cannot let other people stand between you and your goals.

At last, the most important moral of this story is this: it is okay to get lost on the course of your journey as long as you are able to find your way back and get back on track. Life is made of ups and downs; we cannot control that. There will be more enjoyable and less enjoyable moments.

What we can/must do however, is to make sure we recognize the bad periods and get through them with minimum damages. The worst thing would be to have a fatalistic set of mind when you are in those moments of negativity; if you give up on yourself, be sure that no one can lift you up.

corporate CORPORATE MATCHMAKING

The Importance of Job Interviews

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arlier last week I participated in my very first focus group with the coordinators and members of the International Business Intern Program, of which I am part. The topic of discussion was the selection process we went through. The Business Employee Development team was interested in hearing any feedback we might have on the selection process, in hopes of refining it for future groups.

The selection process we went through was pretty straightforward. Firstly, we sent Boeing our résumés. That was the very first screening phase. Based on applicants’ previous leadership, work, and internship experiences, the company drafted a shortlist of potential candidates. Each one on the shortlist then took part in a fifteen minute phone interview, which was intended to primarily assess the candidate’s English language proficiency and familiarity with the corporation. The third and most crucial phase of selection was an in-person interview, which lasted for about an hour. This interview was structured primarily around the STAR case assessment methodology – Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Candidates were asked a series of questions on their past experiences and prompted to explain them using the STAR approach. Finally, the last step in the selection process was a thirty-minute timed essay, which was used primarily to assess written communication skills.

My fellow interns contributed with incredibly useful feedback on their individual experiences throughout the selection process. The most insightful and thought-provoking part of our discussion occurred when many of them shared about their previous interview expegulf elite magazine

riences as well as their take on the value of group exercises.

The Brazilian interns explained that in their countries interviewers seek to intimidate the candidates as much as possible. Blatant discouragement, such as telling candidates “you are not going to make it,” is pretty frequent.

Unorthodox mind-games also seem to be commonplace. One candidate told a humorous story, a borderline urban legend, about a

student at his business school in Rio who went through a job interview with an investment bank. The candidate bragged of his negoti-

ation skills, so the interviewers said, “Alright, why don’t you negotiate for your trousers? How much do you want for them?” The overly-confident candidate then said he would not give up his trousers for less than BRL 1,000 (about USD 450 or AED 1,700). The interviewers then proceeded to reach into their wallets, and then put down BRL 1,000 on the table. The candidate then faced a dilemma: the prestigious job or his dignity.

We then discussed the advantages and disadvantages of group exercises as assessment tools in interview processes. It seemed that we mostly all agreed that group exercises can be tricky for both the candidates and the evaluators, as often times one will find overly-aggressive candidates who take over the show. If the group exercise is the only shot candidates have in a given selection process then, well, it could be a bit unfair. One of the Turkish interns responded by making the case that giving candidates just one shot is the way to go, as the best candidate will make best use of his one shot.

Imagining such a situation, I couldn’t help but think of all the stories of job interviews at Wall Street and the City. It can be pretty brutal. I once read about a Brazilian investment banker at Credit Suisse who said their company culture was like that of a “shark with blood in its mouth.” That prompted me to think that if Boeing were to follow a similar Hunger Gamesstyle selection process, in which candidates are forced to go at each others’ throats during their “one shot,” the company would end up with a roster of investment bankers.

The fact of the matter is there are various selection methodologies and interviewing strategies out there with great merit; however, the crucial truth to be aware of is that each methodology or strategy screens out a different kind of person. Depending on the way the selection process is designed, different personalities will stand out as successful. You might have a group of excellent candidates that are all incredibly bright and talented, yet each one has specific strengths and weaknesses that serve best to different roles or groups. It is paramount to

ensure, therefore, that the screening process tests the skills and character qualities that are required for the job or organization in question.

The ability to effectively select the most appropriate candidates has been perfected in the military by special operations forces. There are

numerous crack units in various armed forces worldwide that are renowned for success in many famous and daring operations. Yet many of these units have very different selection processes. That doesn’t necessarily mean that one unit is harder to get into than another, or that a particular special forces is better than the others. Though most of these units share many capabilities – such as asymmetric warfare and counter-terrorism – their “bread and butter” skills and core responsibilities might be very different.

The Special Air Service, commonly known simply as the SAS, is the premier Special Forces regiment of the British military. They first gained world-wide attention in 1980, when the BBC broadcasted live footage of SAS troopers

rescuing hostages at the Iranian Embassy in Knightsbridge, central London. The US Navy SEALs is yet another elite military force, and has come to international recognition with the general public through Hollywood blockbusters. Even though both units are highly renowned for their extraordinary warriors, and both carried out hundreds of successful operations all over the world, they have very different selection processes - because at their core they are tasked with different roles.

In order to gain the right to commence basic training with the SAS, a candidate has to pass a gruelling selection process that begins with several weeks of long-distance marches over the unforgiving terrain of the Brecon Beacons, in Wales. After days without end of minimal sleep and food in miserable weather, the daring hopefuls must navigate across up to forty miles whilst carrying loads weighing over fifty-five pounds. These blistering-inducing and excruciating long-distance marches are done solo, and instructors provide neither positive nor negative feedback. The selection process is designed to weed out those who lack the necessary physical and mental endurance, and above all sheer willpower and self-motivation, to carry out special reconnaissance missions deep behind enemy lines. The SAS thus emphasizes the ability to infiltrate enemy territory on foot with all the gear necessary to conduct intelligence gathering operations that can last up to several weeks. That is the bread and butter of the unit.

Candidates wishing to join the US Navy SEALs face a rather different ordeal. BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) is the initial selection and training phase for SEAL hopefuls. It involves mainly four-mile timed runs up and down Coronado beach, endless swimming in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, never-ending push-ups and sit-ups, obstacles courses, and small boat handling through perilous breaking waves. The reason why the SEAL selection and training emphasizes skills such as strength, agility, and proficiency in the water is because the Navy primarily tasks these men with raiding coastlines, seizing ships, and conducting beach reconnaissance prior to amphibious assaults.

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In a similar way, companies must be able to utilize screening processes and interviewing techniques that test the fundamental character qualities and traits that are necessary for the job and business unit for which the candidate is applying to. Although Wall Street investment bankers might be exceptional and intelligent people, they might not have the personalities or skills necessary to succeed as advertisement professionals in Madison Avenue, for instance.

The importance of effective selection processes for corporations cannot be underestimated.

In a recent report from BBC News, journalist Leo Kelion analyzed the management culture of video-game developer Valve. The Valve corporate handbook contains a diagram resembling the solar system, with planets labeled as “designing games,” “writing code,” and “making art.” The sun, a huge circle right in the center of the diagram, is labeled as “hiring.”

Another key understanding to keep in mind about job interviews and selection processes is that they are meaningful opportunities for candidates to learn more about the organizations and job functions they are applying for, and thus assess whether the company is a good match or not. Job interviews should be thought of as dates, where employee and employer find out whether they can enter into a successful partnership.

Selection processes are also opportunities for “self-discoveries.” In the earlier examples from the military world, many recruits and candidates learnt throughout the challenging selection processes that they don’t actually want the job they are applying for. Being a member of a particular elite unit might not be worth the sacrifice; or many times one learns that the idea of having a full-time job where one is wet and cold and hungry and tired and miserable for most of time is not actually appealing.

So next time you go for a job interview, seek to be discerning, and weigh everything you experience and learn on the scales to determine if that is the career path that you will thrive and be happy in. And if you’re the one designing the job interviews, think through it well and make sure it will screen out the type of people you actually need.

The voice of generation Y

www.elitedaily.com

education WHAT THEY DON’T TEACH YOU AT SCHOOL

Formal Education Will Make You a Living, Self-Education Will Make you a Fortune

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ith unemployment rates averaging over 10% for college graduates in 2013, there is one clear conclusion I can come to. Formal education is failing to provide the skills required to excel in the modern day workforce. I mean if formal education cannot even earn you a living in today’s world, What are college grads left to do?

The only other reasonable option I see fit is to go out and learn it yourself. This type of self-education is called entrepreneurship. There is a reason the wealthiest people in the world are all entrepreneurs. They realized the shortcomings of traditional education and decided to give it a go on their own. This risk taking has led to a countless number of innovations we use every day. I mean look at your iPhone; last time I checked the university course catalog there was no course on how to build, engineer, and market an iPhone.

Developing great ideas and executing them stems from the passion and drive to succeed.

Encouraging this type of behavior is something I think the current education system fails to promote. America was built on entrepreneurship, and by not promoting it throughout our days in elementary, middle, high school, and college is almost unpatriotic. “The American Dream” was not built on popping aderall and passing down last year’s exams. The only way we can get back to encouraging risk taking and entrepreneurship is by establishing a system that better promotes it.

Currently colleges spend millions on athletic programs and fancy buildings to do what: call

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you the minute you graduate and ask you to donate to the alumni association. All this does for you is ask you for the only remaining money you have. Great, this is not the America I dreamed of when I was a kid.

Imagine where this country would be if all that money spent on athletics and fancy buildings went into a fund to promote student entrepreneurship. College students might actually learn some valuable real world knowledge. Even if they do fail, they probably will learn more trying to start their own venture than paying over $200,000 to shotgun beers for four years.

I know in my experience, trying to start my own business has taught me more real world practical knowledge than any textbook or lecture.

There is no supplement for getting out there and doing it your self.

Your time in college provides the perfect entrepreneurial incubator to continually test your ideas. Discover what you are passionate about and figure a way to make your passion a reality after college. Even if you do not figure it out right away, at least you discovered what you are passionate about.

Now since we´re already talking about education and entrepreneurship, location of that entrepreneurial spirit is essential. You can imagine how much inspiration and innovation you can find in a small college in the middle of nowhere.

And that’s one thing I noticed between my friends who went to college in a small college town versus those who went to school in a ma-

jor metropolitan area. The individuals who went to school in a city are much more connected, and their networks dwarf those of individuals in small college towns. Starting to network after you graduate already puts you behind the curve, and with all this talk in the news about how your network equals your net worth, it is imperative that college students start networking from day 1 as a freshman. If you were savvy enough, you would have started in high school.

Yes, you may have gone to a university in the middle of nowhere and scored that epic summer internship in a big city, but that only leaves you with the summer to network in the area where your position is. Imagine if you could network all year and develop those connections into relationships, you could almost guarantee yourself a job.

Considering the most common thing successful people have in common is the size of their vast

networks. Not only are their networks large, but they also know exactly who to contact in certain situations. Building a network like this takes time, and in my opinion is much harder to do in a small college town in the middle of nowhere.

Looking at the ultra competitive job environment we live in, your network is the biggest asset you have. I have read countless articles the past few weeks telling me how useless your GPA is and how no one cares where you went to school. In my short experience, this could never be truer. People want to see your experience, what value you will add to a company, and most importantly, if you can get the job done. In my opinion, the world has already shifted to a point where a traditional education is almost completely obsolete with a few exceptions concerning the more technical fields.

Yes college is an ideal place to develop social skills, but even more importantly it’s a breeding ground where you can build a top-notch

network. I suggest more students reach out to their classmates about their background and their career goals. Trust me you will quickly realize who has similar ambitions.

This may be an extreme point of view, but I think it is imperative for kids to pick a college located where a certain industry is located. This gives students the ability to easily attend the countless number of networking events held weekly in these areas. People are very receptive to talking to young students about their ideas and ambitions, and in most cases more than willing to help out. For example, students wanting to enter the tech space, it would be advantageous to go to school in San Francisco, finance in New York, hospitality in Las Vegas etc. The list goes on forever.

Taking from my own experience, I recently graduated from the University of San Diego, and I can honestly say I would not be in the position I am with my start up real estate tech company without the networking opportunities San Diego has offered. Not only has San Diego been a great place to grow my network, but also it has offered great insights to the industry I am in, connections throughout the country, and the ability to meet other like-minded college students.

I mean Southern California is one of the strongest consumer markets in the United States, if not the world. Not to be an advocate for Southern California, but it makes a lot of sense to go to school in an area where you could see yourself wanting to live and work. It is all about whom you know.

“Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there are no guarantees that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters.”

- Henry Callahan

will caldwell

College Dropouts Billionaires

Bill Gates Mark Zuckerberg Lawrence Ellison Eike Batista Michael Dell Marc Rich Ty Warner Gautam Adani Micky Jagtiani Shahid Balwa Subhash Chandra Vinod Goenka PNC Menon Roman Abramovich Sheldon Adelson Amancio Ortega Kirk Kerkorian Donald Newhouse François Pinault Jack Taylor Joaquín Guzmán Loera David Geffen David Murdock Ted Turner Henry Fok Ralph Lauren Mohammed Al Amoudi Stanley Ho Gabe Newell Dustin Moskovitz

relationships LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS

How and Why they Prevent Success in Life

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o you feel in love with your high school sweetheart, and now you’re about to live thousands of miles away from each other – what to do? Well at that point, you where probably too blinded by your love, that there was only one thing To do – break the odds and become that couple that actually made it through the long-distance relationship. Live thousands of miles away from each other and still have that same burning chemistry you had when you were together.

Done daydreaming?

Long-distance relationships require effort, dedication and endurance - nothing for the faint hearted. Now I’m not saying it´s impossible, if you’re actually both strong enough and have the same will of fighting for it, it can work. But you see, there are very few people out there who are willing to go through that mental, and even physical pain of long-distance relationships. I decided to break the whole thing down for you. Here are six reasons why you shouldn’t commit to a long distance relationship and how it affects the outcome of your future.

Time is the longest distance between two lovers First things first. You won’t feel the distance at first. Everything is going to feel like you have the world on a string. But as communication and arguments become a frequent problem, you’ll feel the detachment - it won’t be the same anymore. And as time passes by,

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month after month, the distance between you guys is going to seem much further. Now yes, some people may say that distance benefits the both of you and makes your relationship stronger, but it comes to a point where the distance and time gap becomes destructive.

Distance doesn’t make your heart grow fonder; it makes you forget about your partner.

You’re not having relationship problems, you’re having distance problems Believe it or not, in long-distance relationships most problems occur due to distance and not actual relationship problems. You were 15 minutes late for your Skype date, you’re spending way more time with your friends, you forgot to message the regular “good morning” message - I can go on forever. You’re probably going to notice how ridiculous your arguments are going to turn out to be. Now from experience, these arguments are long (they can go on for hours), tiring and mentally challenging. Imagine arguing over why you were 15 minutes late for your Skype “date” for two hours – then you’ll know what I mean. So instead of working on that essay that’s due tomorrow, you’re having a never-ending argument, that’s stalling you from doing what you have to do, the essential requirements that´ll establish your path to success. So a piece of advice: Hang up.

When you finally see your partner, it’s only for a limited time Happily enough, you will both find a time where your schedules are empty and are able to meet up. Even though these times are amazing, they won’t last that long. You’ll probably spend most of the time having sex, making up

for lost times. But again, it won’t last forever.

Soon enough you’re heading separate ways not knowing when you’re going to see each other again. To put it frankly, it sucks. Its going to turn, from wanting to see your partner because of the longing to not wanting to see them because of the consequential pain of saying goodbye again. Believe it or not, that longing or those constant daydreams will divert you from your goals and result in consequential academic and professional breakdowns.

Snuggling Snuggling, cuddling or whatever you want to call it, is definitely something you’re going to miss. Having his big arms wrapped around you or spooning her until she falls asleep – we can all admit it, we love it! But unfortunately, you won’t be doing much of that. Instead you’re going to be lying in bed wishing he was there to hold you or daydreaming about her hugging you again. We all are addicted to that physical intimacy, and not having it is just not going to cut it. So yet again, that longing desire of intimacy will distract you from what’s important, and may lead to unfaithfulness ……that’s why a lot of people cheat during long-distance relationships. So cut the cord and find someone else to snuggle, so that you can start thinking with the right head.

Temptations Yes temptations, they are everywhere! Whether it’s that girl you kind of have a spark with or that crazy party that had more half-naked guys than Baywatch. These are constant temptations that you have to fight against in order to resist.

You see, this is one of the main reasons why long-distance relationships don’t work. Cheating is way too easy. So save yourself the heartbreak and cut loose. Because if your sweetheart lived right next door or down the street, those constant temptations would disappear, and that mental struggle could be focused on that economics concept you couldn’t wrap your head around.

Mind Games It’s exactly what it sounds like. If you’re living apart from each other, you can’t really obtain the same attention as when you were together.

But again, you don’t want to seem desperate of his or her attention. So there is only one way to go. He messes with you by not answering your text message just to make you miss him. And of course this escalates, and you don’t talk to each other for days, to see who folds first and reaches out. Cut the crap and save yourself the bullshit. The partner that has the heart to play around with your emotions is not worth it. Mind games really mess with your head. Those con-

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stant paranoia questions that run through your mind “what if he´s with another girl”, “What if she doesn’t love me anymore” what if, what if, what if. I don’t think I have to explain the share scale this diverts your attention and energy of your “To Do List” and of your future. So unless you want to end up as the rest of the average 99%, cut loose and spend all that energy on what’s going to make you stand out on that job application.

So let’s be clear here, I’m not saying you should stop being with the one you love because of the distance. Being in love is an amazing feeling, and hats off to whoever is fighting through it right now. But there are essential factors you have to consider before jumping into a long-distance relationship. Because if you don’t, you’ll start to question the effort it takes to operate such a relationship, and if its even worth it. While it may seem great in the beginning – the longer you endure it, the more you realize the taxing effect this has on the mind and the body. Sometimes you just have to cut loose. Sometimes we must let go of the life we have planned, to accept the one that is waiting for us.

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elite

derek khan

HOW TO KICK HARDER THAN LIFE

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profile

t’s really rare to meet a person whose life is a Hollywood blockbuster, a person who has seen everything and done everything, a person who has been brought down by life’s’ hardship and who made it to the top through genius and hard work. Well, Gulf Elite turned the Gulf upside down to find that person: Derek Khan!

journey starts with a first step, Derek had to start with a shitty job at McDonalds in New York, a job he describes as “the worst job of my life. I was literally just taking garbage out”.

In Gulf Elite we always encourage our readers not to be afraid of change, to not spend life taking on shit believing it will get better sometimes later. Life is full of opportunities From a High School dropout in Trinidad who and you are limitless, so don’t waste your time served jail-time to prime stylist for the US doing something you don’t like. Derek Khan highest society, royalty designer and Network- is the pinnacle of this advice, because one er in the Gulf, this is the story of Derek as he day through in McDonalds he decided to quit tells it. and find something better. What’s better than taking out trash? Clerk at a Neiman Marcus Derek Khan is successful and on everyone’s boutique! radar, but he is far from being the kid who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Born Yes, this is how life rewards risk takers! Derek, in Trinidad, Derek experienced hardship and at the time, went for an interview, and given challenges early on. We all claim that high his “different taste for clothes and fashion” school was a challenge, but imagine havhe decided to go creative with his jeans and ing dyslexia and struggling with classes for shirts. “I had a weird outfit, they thought it years, without actually knowing about it. Now was an Italian design so I blew them away and throw in a little Trinidadian culture and pover- they hired me”! Moral of the story: be differty during the 70s and put yourself in Derek’s ent, stand out! shoes, because that’s where he was. He wasn’t known as mister social as he is today, Derek The grind at Neiman Marcus set Derek into a was living the days being different, thinking rush of accomplishments and accelerated his differently, and being pushed to the sidelines ascension in the fashion and couture world. as a result. While his peers were scribbling From NM, Derek moved on to work in Gucci, down letters and numbers in their books, Der- Louis Vuitton and Givenchy stores where luxek used to draw and come up with creative ury and high-end clients were as common as designs, a talent that will prove later on to be Big Macs in McDonald. The way Derek moved worth millions of dollars! from one brand to another helped him develop a refined sense for clothes and the fashion Trinidad was too small to contain the dreams culture, studying what clients loved and how Derek had for greatness, so it was obvious for the trends evolved. He didn’t only want to be him to get the hell out there and go run after good at his job; he wanted to be the best! Bethe American dream, an American dream he ing just good isn’t enough if you’re looking to didn’t realize he would shape for the rap and make it to the top. You can pull it off by being hip hop world in the 90s. But as every great average in school, you can get along being

good at work, but that will only make you wealthy enough to make ends meet and live a boring life. If you want to play with the giants and hang out with the big boys, being perfect is the norm!

Working in high-end couture helped Derek rub shoulders with the Kennedys and the Mellons who used to send out orders for Jacqueline Kennedy and JFK, putting him on a fast track to build a multibillion dollars network!

Derek recalls one of the clients he used to show around, and it is no less than Donald Trump! “Donald Trump used to come over, well that was before he became an asshole!” Talking about Bunny Mellon, Derek went on: “When she gets the invoice, she would send a check of half a million dollars with Mellon name on it made out to Hubert Givenchy and signed by Paul Mellon drawn from the Mellon Bank. This was the beauty of Upper Madison Avenue; all the elite society was in one place. It was a Networking heaven!”

Derek was not a fashion freak spending the whole day thinking about the next winter collection. He worked hard, yes, but he played even harder! Steaming off at Studio 54 and Paradise Garage where he used to hang out with Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Bianca. Derek wouldn’t pull all-nighters in clubs just for the fun of it; he saw these events as an opportunity to network and expand his pool of connections. CEOs, celebrities and VIPs do not live only in hotel suites and luxurious offices. They hang around in restaurants, clubs, galleries and cinemas as we do, so next time, think about where you´ll be spending the next night, because your next big client might just be there!

Indeed it was in Sound Factory club where Derek met Madonna’s future dancers. He helped them audition for her and styled them in amazing clothes, and next thing you know Derek is managing Madonna’s group clothing and styling, a time he looks back at as one of the best moments of his life. Talking about Madonna, Derek could only say “She was extraordinary!”

From then on Derek was the darling of everyone. “I used to charge 25.000 $ a day to style someone. I was becoming arrogant. That was the start of my downfall. Gianni Versace would send me amazing outfits when I was with Madonna. So did every other designer at that time from Chanel to Thierry Mugler. I had access to all shops, and they would fly dresses to me for my artists. Beverly Paige from Island Records saw what I was doing and wanted me to help Salt ‘n Pepa take it to the next level. They were looking for the next big thing in the Hip Hop World, and I had it!”

Anticipating the next moves in the Business world is crucial to your success.

Making millions of dollars out of an existing business is good. But you know

Do to m you eet want Gu Derek up wi t l tha f Elite Khan! h t p o wi l ssib l ma info le! ke M soo o n! re

what’s better? Making billions creating your own industry or changing an old one. Derek Khan had the genius to surf the wave of the popular hip hop and rap world, combining the popularity of the music, the big bucks and bling bling of the high end couture. “I got Dolce and Gabbana and Yves St Laurent to put their items on Salt ‘n Pepa, turning gangster singers into sexy beasts and fashion goddesses. I had Chanel provide all the clothing and styling for the Grammys performance, and even hired Jamie Fox to introduce Madonna’s concert producer and give the whole performance a dramatic touch! Everyone was talking about how I was changing the direction of the Hip Hop clothing including the New York Times. . I worked with the best sellers in the world, including Monica and Brandy who managed to make it to the top ranking for 13 weeks in US Billboard top 100, Mary J. Blige on Share My World and Lauryn Hill for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to name a few. I was introduced through Sony Records to Lauryn Hill, who I styled and worked with on her hit album. I was asked to do Michael Jackson clothing line. I got along with them very well. I mean how can’t you get along with people like 2Pac and Snoop Dog? I was Balling hard, carrying millions of dollars of jewels while shopping, spending money without paying much attention. I was living the life! I used to come across Angelina Jolie chatting with Julia Roberts in L’Ermitage Beverley Hills, and used to only stay in fabulous suites. I worked with Queen Latifa, Carlos Santana.

All the big shots today where at some point with me on the table or in the elevator.”

Derek Khan is the 1st and only stylist with five artists honored at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, Costume Institute’s Greatest Rock n’ Roll Exhibition (2000) in conjunction with Rock and Roll Museum in Cleveland.

At some point in life you’ll have to go through tough times. In the words of Rocky Balboa, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you’re hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

This was the philosophy of Derek when he hit the bottom. With all the luxurious lifestyles and excessive spending, he had to go broke at some point, and he did thanks to Napster and other Internet companies that screwed the Music industry. . At the same time, Derek was helping Tyra Banks create the hit TV show America’s Next Top Model where he starred as stylist and guest judge. Although flat broke, Derek kept on blowing money, borrowing

here and there until one day he couldn’t keep it going anymore. Long story short, Derek spent a while in prison, and as he puts it, “it was a life changing experience.”

Getting back down to Earth, seeing evil and trying not to get killed in prison, opened my eyes to what I have been missing on. Money blinded me, and prison shook me hard and got me back on the right track. “The funny part is that, while I was in prison, America’s Next Top Model was airing and I was one of the judges. You can imagine how weird it felt when the other convicts would look up to the TV and see me! It wasn’t a good thing to have too much attention, so I tried my best to find my way around and having my throat slit by a jealous red neck!”

Fast-forward two years, Derek was released and deported to Trinidad with only 20 $ in his pocket. The crazy life he had, as you might imagine, was far from being satisfied with the calm and slow pace of Trinidad.

After working with the government setting a couple of touristic promotional clips, Derek had his breakthrough when a former writer for Elle Magazine New York contacted him to write his life story. With enough help from Cheryl Lala, a childhood friend from Trinidad, he took a trip to Arabia to meet the writer who at that time was on an assignment in Dubai, and there with his Midas touch Derek started turning his introductions into one of the most extensive and high-end networks in the Middle East. Soon after arriving, Derek Khan is already live on Talk Shows in Dubai where he is greeted with open arms. “People here are so preoccupied with building their future that they don’t care about your past.”

Derek Khan didn’t have much in his bank account, but he had a priceless asset: networks. Capitalizing on the value of his connections, and leveraging his refined taste

for culture and fashion, Derek started a consultancy company and a high-end shopping service, numbering clients from the Royal families in the Gulf to celebrities and millionaires around.

Assisting in the introduction Bill Gates to the Sultan of Oman, preparing for Melinda Gates visit to the UAE, hosting dinners with Goldie Hawn or Salma Hayek… this is just a sneak peak at the glamorous and hectic life Derek is having in Dubai.

But Derek is not only involved in Fashion and Luxury retail. As any great investor and Businessman, he understood very well the importance of diversifying his portfolio. Derek now consults for multinationals including Tiffany and Dolce & Gabbana, trades in oil and gas, invests in luxury real estate, is reconsidering his very own jewelry collection and most of all helps promote philanthropic work across the region. Recently Derek has also been exploring major opportunities in foreign countries, notably Baku Azerbaija.

Derek Khan might come across as a fantasy character with an unbelievable story, but when you meet him and hang out with him, you realize how humble and inspirational he is. His life has been full of great lessons, and he will always shave an hour to spend with you advising and mentoring you when needed.

“I wish people understand this: I am Black and White, I have done good and bad. Life thought me that arrogance rimes with disaster. Negative events ended up having a great positive impact one me. I realized that your most valuable asset is the friends you make and the relationships you build. Money comes and goes, but true friendships survive regardless of the circumstances.”

mohamed amine belarbi

Dana Aghabi, Abu Dhabi, first year student at UWC-USA

UWC is looking for applicants from UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. If you are aged between 15 - 16, study in one of these countries and want to follow in Dana’s footsteps, to find out more visit www.uae.uwc.org or e-mail info@uae.uwc.org

e United World Colleges (International) is a company registered in England and Wales and limited by guarantee. Company Number 908758. Registered Charity No. 313690

“I applied to UWC because I wanted something that would challenge me academically, socially and physically. To me UWC is the ideal world every student my age should be living in – the sense of community and the cultural diversity, it is a representation of our generation.”

entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

1. Get your hands dirty

1 The future belongs to the few of us still willing to get our hands dirty.

-Unknown

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e all skim through self help books, read blogs and watch videos about Entrepreneurs all around the world and hope that one day, we will make it in life the same way they did. One day, we will make that first million dollars and distribute that kickass product.

Well, if you don’t get down to work and start getting your hands dirty, then that “One day” will never come.

Entrepreneurship is not about joining competitions and writing tons of Business plans. Entrepreneurship is not about reading and dreaming about the next big thing. If you don’t put your ideas to work, then all you’re doing is just fooling yourself. The best way to move towards an entrepreneurial spirit is to leave a trace and produce something. It doesn’t matter if you blog, make vid-

eos, launch demos, create code, 3D print that new gen pen or get a team together and start designing stuff, so long as you get something out to the open and label it with your name, you’re on the right track.

People will judge not based on how passionate you are, but based on how much you’ve already done. You will learn much more from practice than you will learn from listening to an audio file. Interacting with people, facing the frustration of rejection and working along with 4 people and managing them is the true entrepreneurial education you need, so don’t waste time and start being an entrepreneur instead of reading about it. Practice makes perfect, right?

entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

2. Work Smart, not Hard

2 “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

-Bill Gates

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azy you said? I am sure this is not the advice you learned in school or at home, but believe it or not, Bill Gates is the one who said so. The morale is that in the life of an entrepreneur, we have too much to handle and so many commitments to attend to that if we decide to work hard on everything, we’ll just end up with a nervous breakdown and a bankruptcy document on our desk.

Entrepreneurs are smart, that’s why they understand that the best way to handle too much workload is by finding shortcuts. Never think you can be a perfectionist in everything, because you can’t. We’re only able to excel in one thing at a time, so instead of working hard, it is big time you start working smart. Try to think like a lazy person and think what they would do if they were in your situation. Remember the days when you would ask your brother to do the laundry instead of you?

Lazy people outsource a lot of their work, and so do entrepreneurs. If there is someone who can do it for you and you think it is financially viable, then go for it. No one has time to create a company, deal with the legal paperwork, design the website and look for clients. Be the lazy manager and oversee other people, be the ideas guy and sit back, get people to do the job and count the dollars. Too many emails to go through and keep track of? Get someone

who can read them, summarize them for you and put a brief on your desk: congrats, you just saved the time reading 100 emails and did that instead in 5 min.

You know what Tony Gaskin said?

“If you don’t build your dreams, someone will hire you to help build theirs”. So be the guy who hires other people to get his dream built. You only have 24 hours a day, and most likely around 7 hours only to spend on quality work, so invest those precious hours in making what you’re best at, and leave the rest for somebody else.

entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

3. Hire the best

3 “Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he’s hired to do.”

–

Malcolm Forbes

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our company or startup is not the name you put in that label, it’s not the product you make and it definitely isn’t that bunch of legal papers that say MyCompany L.L.C.

py and keep them productive. If you have to put that new playstation in the lobby, do it.

If you have to give them a team retreat in the Caribbean, do it! If you have to pay them 1$ more than your competitors highest pay, do it!

Your startup is the people who Never spare an effort into surroundwork for you, because without them ing yourself with the best, because you’re nothing. The question now is: the best is what sells more; it is what Do you want to entrust your compa- attracts most clients. If you’re aiming ny’s future and success to someone for a couple of grands, then maybe who is not up to the task? Hell no, so getting your neighbor who is averyou better hire the best people out age at coding onboard is not much there who can take your work to the of a big deal. But if you’re the kind next level. of entrepreneur who aims for millions and billions, then there is no Bet on people, and always be ready room for mistake. Go to Stanford, to put a lot on the table to attract spend a week in Silicon Valley, hire a the brightest talent you can afford. headhunter, do whatever it takes to Your employees are an investment as find your next Wozniak or Sandberg, much as your latest purchase of that because it’s in a world where comstock or bond: you must be sure that panies like Google and Apple are they’re only going to go upwards around, standing out is almost misand that their performance at the sion impossible. If you want the odds highest level will be guaranteed. Do to be stacked in your favor, don’t whatever it takes to keep them hap- think twice and go all in.

entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

4.

Foster commitment through stakes and shares

4 Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.

- Vince Lombardi

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ost of you have seen “The Social Network”, right? Remember that scene when Mark hires new programmers and offers them shares in the company? Remember when he gives Eduardo 30% and his roommates who write code 5%? Guess what, he was not being generous but strategic.

Most companies today understand the power of offering employees a bite of the pie, and high executives in most multinationals and financial houses are shareholders in their respective companies.

find yourself kicked out of your own company.

Moreover, how can you ensure that your employees will work hard to help your company grow? Who can guarantee that they will work genuinely to boost your financial standing instead of just playing around and waiting for that check at the end of the month to come true? One answer: Make them part of it! If they are part of the company, if they are shareholders in your startup, then their success will be tied to the company’s performance. Nobody wants This strategy helps you on two to lose on money, and everyone will fronts: first it allows you to hire peo- do whatever it takes to add a couple ple even when you don’t have a of zeros to their paycheck. Capitalize startup capital and cash around, and on people’s selfishness and leverage second it allows you to foster the it for your own. It works wonders in commitment of your employees to Wall Street already, and the company’s success. Facebook even better in the startup offered shares in the company to the world. So don’t let painter who was supposed to decyour ego fool you and be orate Facebook HQ. In your case it ready to share your pie might not be the decorator but the with others, it will only new programmer, the new CFO, your make everyMarketing director or a potential one’s investor. Your company is an asset, it slice is money after all, so when most of bigus start their venture with just 500 ger. $ in the bank account, it becomes an imperative to find alternative payment methods to hire the best.

Shares are a great way to get people onboard without paying them in the early stages, but just make sure you are still a majority shareholder, you don’t want to wake up one day and

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entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

5.

Invest in your Marketing

5 “There’s no bigger growth engine than marketing, but at the moment it’s an under-leveraged asset.”

- Scott Davis

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egardless of how great your product is, how amazing your services are, you will not make the buzz until you get your Marketing operations going. Quality alone is not enough, and Apple is a great example for such claim. However amazing MacBooks are or iPhones appear to be, they are still investing heavily in making their products pop up in all screens and across all social media platforms. Marketing, as opposed to advertising, is more than just buying ad space in a Magazine or a TV cable.

Marketing is all what you do, what you say and how you behave as a company. It is about how you model your brand and how you build your visual identity. Don’t spend millions to be on a billboard, spend millions to create a culture around your product or service. Make people love your startup, because a one-time client is not much, but a loyal one is a constant stream of revenue pouring in your bank accounts. Don’t aim to sell, but aim to please. Offer your clients complimentary services, give them an experience they will be happy to pay for. Make them ask for more, and one way to do that is show them that you care!

Ask for your client’s feedback, and know what they think about your

company. Don’t turn your back once they put the money on the counter, but keep following up on them and offer them a quality customer support. An email sent asking about how they find your product, or whether they need help using it, or just thanking them for trusting your services costs only a minute or two, but the rewards you reap from it are priceless.

Success lies in the details, so the more peculiar you are about refining your brand, the better you will resonate with your clients. From the offices and how you decorate them, to the genuine smiles your employees put up every morning at work, everything matters in your Marketing and your brand culture.

One more thing: Don’t produce only products, but produce content as well. Give your clients and your audience something to consume when they’re not using your products.

Whether it is creating a short documentary, or blogging under your company’s name, or setting a great concert for the neighborhood, there is no shortage of how creative you can get with your content production. Once you start implementing this strategy, then people will realize that you care about something more than a dollar earned, you care about

the people putting those dollars in your pocket. After all, a company is nothing without its customers, so be careful how you treat them and how you project your brand to them.

Go on social media, interact with users, answer their questions, invite them to your offices, get together with them over a cup of coffee, send your employees to serve a good cause every Thursday night, contribute to good causes, put your name next to things that people associate with positivity. Don’t pass as the arrogant and greedy corporate monster that runs after people’s pockets. Why? Because if you do so, people will leave you the moment you fall or make a wrong step. But if you build a culture of loyalty, the people will stick around you in times of success and failures. You’ll be sure that when times go rough, your clients will sacrifice a bit to help you recover.

Make your clients your biggest allies, and your greatest asset.

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entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

6.

Sacrifice Now for Later

6 Live some of your life like nobody won’t so that you can spend the rest of your life like nobody can.

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ou’re an Entrepreneur, you’re just starting and you don’t have enough money to make ends meet? You have a huge college workload and countless assignments to finish? You cannot spend an hour working on your startup without falling back on your course load? You have to pull all-nighters so that you can push your startup forward or Skype with your teammates across oceans? Your friends tell you that you are wasting your time and energy, and your parents ask you to focus on your studies instead of that gibberish you write on your computer?

Believe it or not, the life of an entrepreneur is not all party, money, success and fame. It is a tough ride, and if you’re not patient and willing to sacrifice today for tomorrow, then you’re not meant to be an entrepreneur.

As an entrepreneur, you pledge to live some of your life like nobody

won’t so that you can spend the rest of your life like nobody can.

As a startup owner, you can’t expect to reach your goals in the first few days or months, or even years.

A startup’s life is like a hockey cross: the progression at the beginning is slow, you don’t turn in much money and you almost burn all your capital, but then at some point you shoot up, you gain visibility, you attract big names, you make crazy sales and your startup can finally breathe.

You have to be able to survive that initial period of painful growth; you have to be willing to put in efforts without being rewarded, to inject money although you’re just going in the red. If you believe that your startup is the next big thing, they you should be able to wait until your vision unfolds. No pain No gain, remember? It’s like a workout; so don’t expect to grow muscles in the first week of hitting the gym!

entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

7.

Partner with Big names

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ave you launched your company or you have an idea for one? Well, as much as intellectual property is a coveted concept, you have to be willing to share the credit for your creations with others.

We all want to be the sole owners of our startups, we all want to make it to the top alone without reaching to anyone else, but the truth is, it is far more helpful to get people onboard and let them be part of it than running the marathon alone.

The African proverb goes like this: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

gain access to a wider audience if you choose to let them chip in, and that will help you get over the painful growth period much quicker than if you struggle alone.

Let me take it even further: Sometimes give your products and services for free to big names! Let me explain: you just launched a great magazine and you need an audience? Print it and distribute freely in high-end stores and hotel lobbies.

Give that Tech company free online copies so that they can share it in their newsletter with their customers. It costs you money, but it is a Don’t be too skeptical to reach out priceless investment because you to others who can help, whether it are having access to the biggest asis another startup or a big compaset a company can have: audience. ny. You might be good at something A big brand’s name stapled next to but there will always be someone your logo is an added value for your else better at it than you. Building reputation, so don’t be afraid of letcredibility, a reputation and a client ting them share the spotlight. What base is hard, so why not make use of strikes you better: an unknown startan established platform that has all up or a tech group with a twitter these assets and use it to your adendorsement? See my point! It can vantage. Big companies are driven help you build your brand, monetize by the innovations of their small de- your product and attract more attenpartments and the progress made by tion from VCs and sponsors. small startups. You have something they need and they own something you need. It is a win-win situation after all, and you don’t have to give up everything and let the bug fish swallow you. If they want an equity stake in your company, give it. If they want their name on your platforms as sponsor or partner, do it. You will

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entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

8. Keep your finances secret

8 “Don’t bargain yourself down before you get to the table.”

– Carol Frohlinger

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hey always teach it in high corporate circles but merely in college. Your finances are a representation of your negotiation margins. The more money people know you have, the more they are likely to ask for when negotiating with you. Keeping your finances secret helps you gain leverage with potential partners and it gives you the upper hand in discussions with contractors. Don’t give them the chance to think of you as the golden chicken. You may have golden eggs, but if they know it, then they’ll all want a piece of it.

When hiring new people or working with sub contractors, tell them you’re on a tight budget since you’re just a startup, that way they will always charge you their lower boundary minimum. Tell them you have millions sitting in your account and next thing you know they just doubled the price.

Services are not priced based on their intrinsic value, but on the consumer’s willingess to pay (Basic economics). Keep your books tight and on check, and let the CFO be either you or someone you would trust with your life.

One word out and you lose your leverage in the market. Hide you cards when you play Business, it’s a wild poker party out there!

entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

9.

Reach to the top guy

9

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hey told me I cannot get an answer from James Altucher, a millionaire Hedge Fund manager, serial entrepreneur and best seller because apparently a kid in college like me can’t get the attention of someone like James. Guess what? I decided to go ahead and shoot him an email, and 5 minutes later I got an answer. In the life of an entrepreneur, assuming is a sin. Never think that you cannot get to the top guy, never stand back because you’re not worthy of a Billionaire’s attention. If they say you can’t and you listen to them, the odds are that they’re right, 100% of the time. But if you go ahead and don’t care whether he or she is the president of the USA or the founder of Facebook, you can be sure that there is a possibility for you to get an answer and potentially a breakthrough. VIPs and celebrities are not god figures. They as well understand the importance of reaching out to others and helping whenever possible. There are some who would go out of their way to help a student get his startup off the ground simply because he was brave enough to send them an email or a letter. If most people think that it is not possible to get an audience with the bi shots, then the odds are in your favor if you do so because there are not many to compete with. Entrepreneurs are risk takers, adventurers, bold players, so getting yourself together and tracking down that VC or

CEO you want to talk to and trying all means to reach him is a trait that will make you part of the entrepreneurship exclusive club.

The story doesn’t end here. Even when you get to reach the big shots, don’t celebrate yet. You have to make an impression and show them that you are not there to joke or waste their time. Don’t be the shy guy who mumbles when he sits in a fancy office or meets someone who makes 8 figures. Show them that you are their equal, give them a reason to see you as a reflection of who they were when they were your age. Don’t underestimate the power of looking and sounding mature and professional in your 20s when you meet high execs. That’s something I learned when I spoke at the age of 18 in the European parliament.

Grown ups will show admiration and awe when a kid projects the image of a seasoned 40 years old whether through his public speaking skills, his talents or his sharpness. Maintain eye contact, have a firm handshake, don’t let them look down on you.

Make them understand that they just met the next Steve jobs or the next Zuckerberg, and don’t let them look away, because you’re the main product and they are your clients.

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entrepreneurship 10 POINTS TO MAKE IT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hear it From a Serial Entrepreneur

10. Don’t be afraid of change or failure

10 Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.

- Lance Armstrong

I

n the life of an enterprise, there will be ups and downs, successes and failures, times where you are on top of the world and times when you feel like you’re about to hit the bottom. An entrepreneur understands that you cannot have it all the time the way you want, and so you have to be ready when things turn sour.

avoid crashing down. Don’t panic if the beta of your software failed miserably. Don’t despair if your sales are in the one digit for weeks. What you have to do instead is to understand what doesn’t work, why didn’t clients respond the way you supposed they would, why isn’t your app a success among mobile users. Sometimes failures are the greatest sources of Always have a plan B by diversifying inspiration, and they are an opporyour finances and your clients. Nevtunity for you to understand what er rely on one stream of income and doesn’t work and how to improve it. never bind the reputation and name You get to understand your audience of your company to one single prod- better and the chance to react acuct. In entrepreneurship, you have cordingly. Identify what parts of your to be ready to change your vision product are not working and cut and strategy, and adapt to the needs them off. Single out the feature that and dynamics of the market. Every people found interesting and spend entrepreneur at one point in his life the next few weeks building on that will encounter that moment when he USP (Unique Selling Point) that your needs to pivot, change the direction product has. and the nature of his company to

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Look up to the pharmaceutical industry: they spend billions on R&D, sometimes their products are not even allowed to go on sale, and yet the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most successful sectors you could encounter.

They understand that failure and trials are a necessity for success, and that’s what keeps them going. You may lose money, energy and enthusiasm when you don’t quite get where you want, but once you do, all those grumpy days become history.

The success that comes out of a failure is usually so great it eclipses all the previous losses you’ve made.

Entrepreneurship is not a science, so treat it that way. If you didn’t fail, then you didn’t succeed. Celebrate failure because of the learning experiences it offers. Don’t fail for the sake of failing and fitting the cliché of an entrepreneur. Fail to learn, fail to find the way to success. Don’t be afraid of shifting and changing your focus and your product’s features, a dynamic startup is a healthy startup.

Failure is a temporary pain, and as Lance Armstrong puts it, pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.

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M=success BECOMING SMARTER

The Way Forward to Keep Yourself Sharp and Successful So becoming smarter sounds crazy doesn’t it? But there are simple and pragmatic way to becoming smarter. Now becoming smarter might not be a goal in itself -but it becomes a goal because it will enhance your life in an enlightening way due to the major benefits it brings along with it, if applied correctly. Now usually, I really don’t follow social norms, but since we´re constantly surrounded by them, you might as well play along. Society loves knowledge, and to play along and use it to your benefit, so should you. Being smart is a step on your way to becoming successful and successful implies getting the career and that stunning beauty you want. So if you like what you’re reading, keep on going and good luck utilizing your brain to achieve your goals for you!

thing, anything, give that simple task a twist, so the brain’s everyday work doesn’t become too monotone. If you are chopping wood, try and find the perfect place to land the axe and then go for that same spot every time, or if you have some trash don’t just put it in the bin, try and aim for the bin and make a good throw (and I know we all do that, without

Keep your brain up to date in a simple and exciting ways How? Challenge yourself! All through life, take on challenges from the smallest scale, to the biggest. But don’t ever underestimate the small scales, its usually the smallest details that make a difference.

The primary purpose, of taking on these challenges in everyday life is not improving your skills in that particular area – that is a secondary benefit. No, the main purpose is to increase your brain activity (just like listening to classical music), and thereby keeping your brain fit and ready by sharpening it through small, self-invented challenges, or games if you’d like.

For example whenever you have to do somegulf elite magazine

having to mention it) . Every time you have to do something, think about how you can make that seemingly uninteresting task a bit more interesting by implementing some kind of rules to its execution - making it more difficult - but at the same time more rewarding for your mental as well as personal capacity.

Similar cliché-advices are: learn a new language, learn to play an instrument, draw or paint, eat breakfast and take a morning-walk.

magnus jorgensen However, there is a slight difference between the two! These other advices require you to do something entirely new, and chances are you will never even consider buying a flute or a canvas for the sake of “brain training”. Whereas, following this advice – implementing small rules to everyday activities – you´ll achieve the same amount of freshness and challenge that your brain demands to maintain and grow itself.

For example, imagine you have to walk through a crowded path, perhaps in the metro during rush hour. Now this time, instead of just walking through the mass of people as you always do, try to consciously walk in a way you think would look cool seen from the outside. We´ve all seen or played Hitman – put yourself in his shoes and make every step towards your goal more dramatic - passing the people and avoiding stumbling into them. The exercise isn’t about being perceived as weird, which is with no doubt possible, but about being creative and adapting the concept to your own situations and everyday activities in life.

cheated at some point), but winning the same game without having cheated feels amazing!

Having a wonderful relationship because you are being dishonest, and haven’t told your partner about your shaded past, doesn’t feel near as good as being honest and open with them, having told everything. Bottom line: try to be an honest, ethically-correct, good guy whenever you can, and the universe will hopefully repay you in infinite good karma. Now this might sounds like complete bullshit, but remem-

Use social norms and actions to your benefit It is very important to self-reflect on your behavior and actions. You need to analyze what reactions you get from applying certain stimuli to different individuals and being conscious about it. What reactions do you get from using a compliment as a stimulus on respectively a male and a female? Then keep in mind; your stimuli, gender and reaction – and use this newfound social knowledge to induce the reaction you want from someone in the future. Make up your own catalogue of registered/experienced patterns of actions caused by your behavior and hereby elaborate these skills, to become a master in social contexts – being able to elicit any emotion from any character.

Now we all know winning a game because you cheated might feel great (and yes we have all

ber there is something about the old quote, “what goes around comes around”. And if that doesn’t do the trick, remember, being ethically devoted will make you stand out, because nobody else is being nowadays.

Having understood why self-reflection is such an important part of developing the skills needed to be successful in your endeavors in life, now let us take a quick sneak peak on how. I

believe there are two great ways of reflecting on past and future. You either reflect about your “issue” 100 percent or you don’t. So when you’re committed to reflecting upon what ever is on your mind, day-dream! Fly to “never never land” and echo your questions. Now if you’re afraid of heights, monotone activity is perfect!

By doing a monotone activity everyday, you’re allowing your sub consciousness to work in the shadows. This method was largely used by Einstein – the year he wrote and published his four groundbreaking papers, including the theory of relativity and the E = MC2 equation, he was working at the patent office in Zürich – only after that did he start work at various educational institutions. Other examples of monotone/ not-brain-exhausting activities that we can relate to, and use, are: waiting, taking a run or even being bored.

When you ask people about these things, our pattern appears. Most people typically tell me that the moments that they recall having come to a greater understanding of something are usually: at night time before they can fall asleep, finally taking a break, lying in bed after

a long day at work taking a break from the hectic everyday life; before they have to do something again, midway through their run, when the body is just moving by itself.

The pattern being that whenever you take a break, you are actually taking a brain-break and allowing your thoughts to wander - to experience what you have on your mind. Now I’m trying to emphasize on the essentiality of boredom. Embrace the fact that you actually have nothing to do and take advantage of it, sometimes we all need some peace and quiet to get ourselves together. Now before I let you go, remember this is a practice, not some bullshit philosophy. If we know and understand that our minds play a decisive role in constructing our reality, then we can choose to live a far more creative and powerful life, by boosting our minds and thereby our realities.

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gulf DUBAI

THE CAPITAL OF THE MIDDLE EAST

A

s leisure time has increased dramatically since 1965, exotic new destinations have become the ultimate way to spend a holiday. Paris, Rome, London, Dubai.

Dubai? Lets be honest for a second, the media has been shitting all over the Middle Eastern cities except for Dubai because it has established itself as a great influential social and economic hub for the rest of the world. The long sandy seashores that reach down to the clear blue water of the Arabian Gulf, the spectacular shopping malls, landscapes and metropolitan atmosphere that has recognized Dubai as one of the greatest tourist as well as business destinations in the Middle East. A rising empire which presents you with the best of both worlds. A place where modern sophistication blends in with the historic core of the Middle East – the ultimate place where East meets West.

Now we´ve all seen or heard about the only Seven-star hotel or the world’s tallest skyscraper that are both located in Dubai. But I keep asking my self, “how in the hell did this desert turn into an urbanized cosmopolitan city of a GDP of over 82 billion dollars in the period of 20 years?” I honestly don’t get it!

So I looked it up, I was dying to know how this happened! You don’t just wake up one morning thinking, “I’m going to turn this desert into an astonishing empire with the most sophisticated technology and refined skylines”, or do you?

Let me bore you with some history; they found oil! I’m guessing you are not surprised, but here is what might; no other economy on earth took such an advantage gulf elite magazine

of its oil resources as Dubai did in the late 60s. Now you can only imagine how the investments started flowing in, with several billion-dollar corporations that started flirting with the idea of getting a piece of the projected action. A free-trade center that became a channel for much of the initial igniting trade and market. And this exploded over a period of 20 years, where remarkable infrastructures and businesses developed by the help of highly skilled expatriates.

Now this global economic hub has attracted hundreds of large foreign investors, putting their Foreign Direct Investments flows into the UAE around 8.9 billion dollars, with Dubai accounting for almost 90 percent of the flows due to its attractive life-style and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Multinationals such as Microsoft, Google and Coca Cola have outsourced their corporations into Dubai to have a piece of the big oily pie.

So alright, we get it. The Arabs invested a bunch of oil and liquefied it into Benjamins.

But still, money doesn’t necessarily result in efficiency, does it? Dubai, along with the majority of the UAEs cities, uses foreign expatriates to build astonishing constructions in crazy time-spans. I mean the Empire State Building could be rebuilt in the same time it took to build the Ferrari World – about 14 months.

As a result of the great business and academic resources that are available in Dubai, the native Emiratis are now outnumbered in their own country, but what wouldn’t you do for money? They are outnumbered at a ratio of 11 to 1, meaning they only make up of of

11 to 1, meaning they only make up 9% of the population! To put it frank, you’re more likely to speak English to a beautiful European hotty, than speak Arabic…to anyone. To a country that is surrounded by neighboring cities like Abu Dhabi and Oman, I honestly done know how they pulled it off.

They´ve got the money, resources and connections, question is, how long will it last? Dubai’s late emir Sheik said it best “My granddad used to ride a camel, my father did the same, I have been driving a Mercedes and my son uses a Land Rover. Perhaps his son will also do the same, but there is no guarantee down the lane that somebody will not be riding camels again.” If you’re an environmental freak, you should be understanding that he´s referring to the scarcity of their oil reserves. But as technology is blasting through the roof, renewable energy is not a problem.

Dubai won’t just survive, it will thrive – because it’s bursting with ambition and drive, all lead by ones man extraordinary vision and utter determination to turn this place into the best and most successful city in the world.

ibrahim naji

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