Abdo's Blog

While everyone is wondering, debating and claiming about the perfect model of an Egyptian lady, a few ladies can clearly demonstrate that through their passion, actions and commitment. I had the pleasure to meet one of them, Sally Fetouh.

I first met Sally when I was recruiting volunteers for Egypreneur Crew back in April last year. I was lucky enough to run by Sally with experience and track record that was impressive enough to join our crew as a main player of how and what we’d communicate to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs rebuilding the country after a glorious revolution that gave us the chance to put our passion into action while building the New Egypt.

Beside our work on Egypreneur, I get to know a role model demonstrating a rare combination of passion, resilience and endurance. From a stable career path, Sally discovered a need and passion for combining her strong IT background with law, as technology is progressing very fast and with the startup industry starting to show-up in the MENA region. There is an ever increasing gap between law and technology. Sally discovered her passion for this rare, needed speciality and wanted to fulfill her passion by studying law.

In a beautiful pieces written on Egypreneur blog, Sally expressed how she sees pursuing career goals and conceives risks of leaving a stable path into an entrepreneurial direction you discovered a passion for. In Be Who you Want to be Sally wrote:

The cynics out there might frown and wag their fingers. Impulse can be risky business but so can an unfulfilled life; living to be only half the person that you are.

While we’re talking about a bright New Egypt we should not only praise the example of Sally, but we should closely study and educate it to give the chance to millions of Egyptians finding what they’re truly passionate about and what they can give their best to.

I remember that every time I learn that Sally is flying the oceans for an exam, gearing up for a new semester or tweeting thoughts of passion, patience and persistence. The same quality without which we’re standing no chance to reach our full potential as a nation, when every Egyptian reaches his/her full potential.

It’s a new entrepreneurial story I’ve learned, a new person who continued to inspire me and I’m sure will continue to inspire all of us on how we should be when we discover our passion and decide on our goals. We’re all dreaming of New Egypt but – as Sally states it – we won’t realize that until it becomes matter of survival for everyone of us.

That is what realising dreams is all about. It becomes a matter of survival to be the person whom you were always meant to be.

Read Sally’s article on Egypreneur blog here: http://egypreneur.com.eg/be-who-you-want-to-be/

While everyone talks about inspirational leadership, I can see few examples who really resemble what it takes to be an inspirational leader at work and in the society. For me, one of the most visible examples for inspirational leadership in my surrounding is Mrs. Hanan Abdel Meguid, CEO of OTVentues.

When CEO is heard, what usually gets into people’s minds is the positional power of being in charge, the characteristics of being sharp, decisive and busy (unavailable) person. On my Twitter stream, Mrs. Hana clearly breaks these perceptions and represent a model of simplicity, openness and inspiration.

With positivity tweeted daily in the morning with #Club7, to #InnerThoughts of deep reflections on what’s happening in the surrounding  to a very responsive and supporting tone when approached with a question or a request for help.

I believe that presents a model to follow for us entrepreneurs stepping up to leadership positions in our starting enterprises, seeing that connecting with people with a simple and helpful attitude is not only a desirable quality in people we like surrounding ourselves with but it helps getting stuff done in business and to be effective in your society.

As we’re all seeking a new Egypt, we should realize that it can only by driven by leaders who show an example to follow and that everyone of us do have a duty towards his/her small society at work in, with family and friends and even online to be a role model to what we need to see in our New Egypt.

You can start learning more and following the example of Mrs. Hanan Abdel Meguid on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/HMeguid

You can learn more about her by Googling her name.

We’re all suffering from traffic in Egypt, six Egyptian entrepreneurs gathered to create one of Egypt’s most popular and useful mobile applications, Bey2ollak!

As it’s described: “Bey2ollak, howa mobile we internet community te2dar menoh te3raf aw te2ool 3ala el shaware3 wel ma7awer wel kabary eza kanet za7ma aw fadya. www.bey2ollak.com”

In case you haven’t used Bey2ollak before, through the app used by more than 100,000 users, you can take better decisions and save plenty of time while navigating through our chaotic traffic.

For the application to be useful; a constant supply of updates, or tweets with #Bey2ollak HashTags should be be posted regularly, users who believe in the idea and use the app are constantly updating the traffic status wherever they go, Walid Mostafa Bey2ollak’s Operations Manager dedicated his time day and night to make sure that process is going smoothly and accurately.

I had the pleasure of meeting Walid multiple times and had some very insightful discussions about finding solutions to the traffic dilemma we’re experiencing everywhere in Egypt, as we’re strapping to launch Za7ma Campaign.

With someone as insightful, dedicated and effective like Walid and with bringing talents, expertise and resources together, I’m sure a difference can be made in our traffic experience in Egypt, in the short and long terms.

This is an applause to Walid for his impressive dedication and insights and for every Egyptian who steps up to make our lives easier.

Follow Walid on Twitter from here: @Rezo007, check Bey2ollak website http://bey2ollak.com and download the mobile application from here: http://app.bey2ollak.com.

Yes, being an entrepreneur in Egypt is very challenging, the most challenging bit is finding energy and positivity to persist and keep pushing until you reach your destination and get what you want to get done, done!

I had been exploring ways to spread positivity for myself internally and in public and came to a few practices that includes waking up early, going for morning jogging, join fellows in tweeting positive expectations of the day using #Club7 Twitter HashTag. Personally, I enjoy living in the future more, when something undesirable happens, I speak in a future tone about what we’re going to do about it, how we’re going to fix things and make it right.

Last April, while recruiting for Egypreneur Crew, the special forces that will be spreading positivity and entrepreneurial thinking in Egypt through Egypreneur a network of entrepreneurs that I started. I had the pleasure of meeting Sherif Ahmed and after a few minutes of casual chat, he was in.

Throughout my work with Sherif as a part of Egyrpeneur, his energy, dynamism and persistence in getting stuff done had been truly impressive that I expressed to him once that I wish to have a cloning mechanism to have 10 like him that would make a huge difference in the projects and organizations they join.

While having discussions with Sherif developing strategies and planning for projects one of the most frequent words he used is the word “Push” and there is an interesting story behind that.

Sherif Co-Found 7el.me a network of dreamers where you can submit your dreams and receive support through a “Push” button from fellow network members, as you navigate through the network now, you’ll see plenty of dreamers and dreams who would probably appreciate a push, a remark of support towards achieving their dreams.

Let’s imagine what the future would be like when everyone of us is pushing the dreams of his/her surrounding? How Egypt and the world might be when we find a sign of positivity, hope and potential we all go … Push, Push, Push!

Giving birth to new companies, social ventures, ideas, talks, successes and dreams coming true.

Here is a video interview with Sherif about his vie about the kind of people to getting stuff done while working on his startup 7elme.

You can follow 7elme on Twitter, join their Facebook Page and post your dreams on their network 7el.me

Being involved in the entrepreneurship scene in Egypt, running Egypreneur; I’m certain that entrepreneurship is the vehicle for the bright future of Egypt.

Having the opportunity to speak at TEDxTanta, I used it as an opportunity to reflect this meaning by reflecting entrepreneurs as the “Modern Knights” who are already and will be leading Egypt towards the desired change in the social and economic fronts, you can watch my talk from here.

Hopefully, there are plenty of bright examples that’s making a difference economically and socially right now. One of my favorite is Amr Deabes and Egyptian entrepreneurs who found Ability Contact Center; a contact center that’s fully operated by Egyptians with special needs. We usually consider Egyptians with special needs a load on their families and on their society accordingly.

While everyone is working on mobilizing different forms of “support” for those with special needs; Amr Deabes stepped up to giving them a chance to shine and turn their abilities, passion and patience into a productive tools in the society. I met Amr first time during Startup Weekend Cairo and had this interview with him for Egypreneur:

Reda one of the bright employees of AbilityCC, gave an inspiring speech during the weekend:

Seeing examples like Amr and Ability CC ignites my energy to work further on developing Egypreneur and mobilize as much support as we can to participate in creating the environment to more entrepreneurs to step up to solving social problems, while making an economic impact; Imaging how our new Egypt will be with thousands like Amr.