An entrepreneur coach deeply connected with the Egyptian startup scene, Ibrahim Mahgoub brings a personified focus to entrepreneurship. In an interview with Barakabits, the Startup School Program Director explains the rocky aspects no startup conference speaks about; or as he calls it, “the entrepreneur dilemma”.
“Why do they hate you?” he provocatively asks. “As an entrepreneur, you must be ready for huge amounts of resistance, because every time we do something crazy, we’re reminding them that they didn’t need to go with the norm, and they could have been happy too”.
Mahgoub refers to the clash entrepreneurs often face with social and cultural dogmas. “Our generation is cornered between choosing the thrill of individuality and self-accomplishment on one hand, or the warmth of human relationships on the other. I decided after years of studying Pharmacy at one of the top Egyptian Universities, that this was not what I wanted. I had to move out of my parents’ house and start off on my own, and I didn’t have a job. I co-founded a media production company that now dominates the event coverage market, but back then, things didn’t look very bright. ‘Where am I going to spend the night?,’ was a question that often asked myself”.
Among the lessons he teaches his students, the most important one, he says, is to be true to themselves. “The magic ability to align the needs of your customers with what you can do, will only come about if you can get your inner pieces together,” he explains.
For more information:visit Ibrahim Mahgoub’s Facebook Page.
