OUR FOUNDER OF THE WEEK- Every Tuesday, Founder of the Week looks at how a successful member of Egypt’s startup community got their big break, asks about their experiences running a business, and gets their advice for budding entrepreneurs. Speaking to us this week is Salma Osman, founder of Salma Osman Bridal.

My name is Salma Osman and I founded my dress-making business Salma Osman Bridal five years ago. I had wanted to do something that I genuinely enjoy and am passionate about and that’s how the business came to life. We started with designing and producing evening wear, before pivoting to wedding gowns. My mom, who had always been into fashion, also joined the company.

Starting my own business right after graduating from university made it very hard to balance my personal life with my work. Long hours, disappointments, failed attempts, building the team — those were all things I had to struggle with.

But the biggest challenge I faced was finding talent that was up to global standards. We had to train a lot of people to be able to reach haute couture standards due to the lack of skill in the industry in Egypt. So, building the team was extremely challenging and took a few years.

The best part of my job is the feeling of working with a girl on the most important dress of her life. Seeing the reactions of her mum and herself is the most emotional and most rewarding part of the journey.

The worst part is having to put a cheerful face on all the time. You have to put your mood aside and put your happy face on. It’s not just a desk job where you’re mostly working with a computer — it’s a social job and it’s super fun, but sometimes I need a break. Additionally, I really like my own space. I’m not big on going out and attending events. So, as much as I love what I do, it does become draining sometimes, especially on my hard days.

The job allows me to do things on my own time. We take a limited number of clients every month, which makes me able to only take morning appointments and therefore, it’s not negatively affecting me.

My advice to those who want to start their own business is to be persistent. Have the goal in mind that is focused and specific, and that entails something that you’re good at. Pick something where you feel like you have an edge and talent.

The most important KPI I look at is our customer base and its specifics. The geography and range of our clients is important. I also look at how fast we get each dress right.

I usually turn to my mum or my husband when I need advice on something, depending on the problem. My family is very supportive and encouraging. They’re proud of me and all give me advice all the time.

I don’t think being the founder of a startup has to be a lonely journey. If you’re surrounded by your support system and have people that cheer you on and pick you up when things are bad, it is not lonely at all.

So far, Salma Osman Bridal is bootstrapped and raising investment is not on the horizon for us. However, if we do brach out internationally, I would consider raising VC investment.

One of the startups out there that I think is killing it is Breadfast. I use it myself every day — it makes things easy and convenient.

If I wasn’t doing Salma Osman Bridal, I would probably start a business that would help make life more convenient for moms. In my freetime, I spend time with my family and three kids. Everyone is so busy and always on the go, so I would do something along the lines of ready-made meals or a supermarket that sells ready-made meals.

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