Architect in telecom - Intelligent SME

December 2012 - January 2013
Intelligent SME
Out & About
that I would be the winner. However,
my attitude about the competition
changed, because I became more
focused and determined to win this.
ISME: What was the format?
LKB: It was a series of workshops.
Obviously you had to show that you
were a quick learner and showed a
marked difference between your first
pitch and the last one. There were some
sessions with some industry experts
who would listen to your concerns,
would learn more about our respective
businesses and give us advice, and at
the same time they will also have an
evaluation with the judges of what
they experienced. This evaluation was
followed by our pitch.
Winning the show provided me
with a great push to continue building
my business.Who would dream of a
million dirhams as a prize, or vote of
confidence, or as an endorsement?
I’m the kind of person who is slightly
cynical by nature, even during the
show. But now it’s different, we
celebrate every small milestone we
cross at Nabbesh. No matter how
insignificant in the grand scheme of
things, we celebrate it, because it is
important. It’s motivational for the
team to stop for a bit, enjoy the small
successes, let it sink in, and then
continue on.
ISME: What areas do you think you
excelled on the show?
LKB: I think I’m very personable.
I had the combination of what a TV
show needed - a superb concept, and
a presentable nature, and a venture
that will not only make money but
also contribute to the community. I’m
expressive too and this is what one
wants to see onscreen. We have to be
good at selling ourselves and selling the
product. It’s so important to get these
four judges inspired. It’s hard. I dare
anybody to stand in front of a camera
crew of 30 people, four difficult judges,
with so little time and make a perfect
pitch. It was a lot of pressure.
Nabbesh was already live for three
weeks by the time the filming started. I
Ideas are a dime a
dozen, everybody has
millions of them. But
ideas are worth zero
without anything to
show for it. When
you’ve taken the
first step and built
something, you’ve
already shown the
people that the idea
is tangible and that
you are serious and
committed to the
business.
think that helped in winning, because
even if you’re looking at something that
is a complete disaster, it’s still better
than looking at just an idea. Ideas are a
dime a dozen, everybody has millions
of them.
But ideas are worth zero without
anything to show for it. When you’ve
taken the first step and built something,
you’ve already shown the people that
the idea is tangible and that you are
serious and committed to the business.
Maybe the product isn’t great, but
people will understand because of lack
of finance, resources. When you take
that first step, it gives you a lot more
credibility than people who have their
business on paper. There is something
to see and experience.
ISME: How is this exposure going to
help you in your business?
LKB: Obviously the exposure that will
come from the show will be immensely
helpful. The biggest challenge for any
start-up is to build a database. I think
the exposure would help us achieve that
to a certain degree. I think it is fantastic
to be the winner of such a show because
it is a good endorsement for our
business.
Moving forward, we see a lot of
value for SMEs. An SME’s challenge
is talent acquisition and immediate
acquisition. It’s a nightmare for SMEs
to find the right people.
Not only do you have a challenge
to find them, but you have to make sure
they are available immediately. SMEs
are not restrictive either in terms of
territory. A skill could come as far as
Jordan. So there is an available talent
pool, and in the future the talent will
be rated by their peers. We just crossed
5000 skill providers in a short
span of time.
ISME: What are your targets
for 2013?
LKB: We want to have a regional
user base. We want to be in Arabic and
be present on mobile platforms and
hopefully turning a profit.
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