No one can anticipate what the future holds but as time passes, we can look back at key decisions we have made and assess the impact they had on our present selves.

7 years ago, I took one of those decisions and joined a team of two people who had a vision. Straight out of college, I sprung onto the opportunity not knowing how strongly that decision will shape my career and who I am today.

“We want to build an app that helps and serves SMEs, an underserved sector in the market”- Ramy CEO of Zbooni.

I understood the vision and I believed in the impact that Zbooni can have on thousands of business owners. Yes, Zbooni is a business, a premium paid SaaS, but at Zbooni the goal has always been to serve businesses and help them achieve their full potential. That is what makes it all worthwhile to the now 50+ team members that Zbooni employs across regional markets. For us, business is personal.

I moved to Dubai in April 2016. We started from scratch: looking for office space, registering the company, connecting all the utilities, opening bank accounts, and waiting for approvals. These obligations alone almost crippled us and we hadn’t even started focusing on building the business yet. Each application we filed, and every payment we made only fueled our drive and validated our original premise: small businesses are underserved.

Once we finally got everything set up, we were able to focus on what matters- building the business. I started as a BDM (Business Development Manager), generating leads and scouting social media pages trying to understand how these businesses are currently selling and serving their customers.

When we finally had our MVP (Minimal Viable Product) ready, I began emailing, calling, and messaging the thousands of leads I have been collecting over the last few months. I was continuously A/B testing and measuring the conversion rate and adjusting every message and communication I sent out until we finally had our first handful of sign-ups.

“A business is only a business if it has a real customer” – Ramy

Today we proudly serve thousands of businesses across all sectors of the market and have processed over $200 Million since the launch of our platform.

Having both teams and businesses who trust us spread through the region presents a separate set of challenges. Managing all regional operations has been the latest key decision that I have taken. I can already see the impact it has had on my personal growth so far and I look forward to the next stage of both my career and Zbooni.

Ashraf Atia- COO keeps reminding me: It’s not a race, It’s a marathon.

7 years later, I now realize that even though we should stop and celebrate the success of our decisions and hard work, it is imperative to always strive and keep an eye on the road ahead. I now understand the value of sacrifice, dedication, and the importance of having resilient leadership that can make the correct decisions that steer the collective into success and growth.