The UAE doesn’t often celebrate failure, but today marks the country’s first event focused on that very thing. This morning, BarakaBits spoke to an Executive Producer of FailCon Dubai as he prepared for tonight’s landmark conference.
So let’s hear it Mahboob… how has failure affected your career?
“I am a researcher by education. I looked around at my field and I noticed that many of my peers chose a boring, ‘safe’ research path because they could count on the results. I tried to disrupt this habit by founding the Journal of Errology, an open-access journal that serves as a guide to failed research. As you can guess, my attempts to change the secretive researcher community weren’t a resounding success…”
And how did you use that to change your life?
“I realized that the fear of failure in researchers also affects entrepreneurs. And, this was around the same time that the first FailCon was being organized in San Francisco. So those two moments combined in a powerful way for me.”
Your struggles with entrepreneurship lead you directly to this conversation?
“I really wanted to attend the first FailCon, but I couldn’t afford the tickets because of where I was in my career. So, I got creative — I volunteered to work for the event organizers…and here I am co-producing the first FailCon in the UAE! I also co-organized a FailCon in India last year.”
You’re a successful entrepreneur now — given your experience, how do you think discussing failure benefits the MENA region?
“Maybe most importantly, by helping people in MENA find humble mentors who will guide them through failure and success alike!”
Obviously, if you’re successful right away, that’s a big achievement. But at BarakaBits, we know that the ones who fail also tend to be the ones who are trying their very hardest in the first place. So be courageous and push your limits, there are people out there cheering for you to fail…to get up…to #neverstoplearning!
And that’s #goodnews.
For more information: Get inspired by Mahboob Imtiyaz’s career track; Check out FailCon Dubai and the process of starting a FailCon in your city!
