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 Khaled Attallah (LinkedIn), cofounder and CEO of Ariika.

I’m Khaled Attallah, cofounder and CEO of Ariika. My partners and I started selling a product that appealed to younger segments that could be easily sold online: Bean bags. Today, we sell outdoor furniture, linens, sofas, bedding accessories and many other items — we’ve basically become a one-stop shop for everything in the home.

My partners and I have always been passionate about doing our own thing. We knew that in order to build a successful business, we needed to get experience on the corporate level, so we worked for a few years in corporate settings. In 2016, none of us had any experience in furniture — but we saw an opening in the regional furniture market, which is very fragmented because there were a lot of players, while the purchase process was very inconvenient. Lastly, there was a lack of design and high-quality furniture pieces.

Starting your own business is a very tough journey. You compromise on your social activities and the time you spend with your family. You also miss out on a lot of events. I used to work at P&G, so I was at a multinational company with a very good salary and position, working with a huge team and a lot of resources. All of a sudden, I was alone at the Ariika office wondering how the upcoming salaries would be paid. It's a very tough position to be in. As the business grows, your problems may become more complicated, but in all phases you need to be comfortable with uncertainty.

The best part of the job is when you spend a lot of time creating a product, launch it, and see people use it. Seeing how the product impacted customers and how it is being used is very rewarding.

The worst part, I would say, is the stress. When you’re responsible for over 200 employees and their families, it causes a lot of stress. You can’t even really take vacations — you’ll always be connected and thinking about your company.

My advice to entrepreneurs would be to just go for it. If you keep thinking about each and every detail of the business before you launch, you never will go to market. You won’t be able to test your idea unless you execute it and keep hustling until you find the optimal product-market fit.

The most important KPIs I look at everyday are top line sales and bottom line growth. Additionally, customer feedback and satisfaction, along with delivery and fulfillment measurements are crucial.

It is very true that being the founder of a startup is a lonely journey. You have to be super positive and optimistic. You become the go-to person when problems need to be solved. No one will motivate you or solve your problems for you. That’s why every founder needs to have an escape to keep their mental health in check; something that helps alleviate the stress and negative energy. This can include traveling, sports, music etc.

We’re launching in Saudi Arabia this month. Ariika is focusing on expanding internationally, including Europe and the GCC region, and we launched in Australia a month ago. We’ve raised a total of USD 1.2 mn until today from a group of angel investors.

I believe that every founder should build their business like they never plan to exit. What makes your company attractive is how solid it is, and if you build it like you’ll always depend on it and grow it, it will become solid. That is when exit options will automatically make themselves visible because the company itself is standing on solid footing.

The majority of my family is very supportive of my entrepreneurial life. I’m married and have a daughter. They’re very adamant to keep up with my lifestyle, in which I work between 12-14 hours a day. But I keep Friday clear of any work commitments. This day is reserved for quality time with the family. I also believe it’s not about the quantity of hours or days you spend with your family, but rather about the quality of the time you spend with them.

My favorite books are usually biographies of founders that started from scratch and built multi-mn-USD brands. Examples are The Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, and The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone.

The last great thing I watched was Succession, the last season of which is running now.

Breadfast, Paymob and MaxAb are a few of the many great startups that are currently flourishing in Egypt. They’re all doing an amazing job, as they’re not only building a company but actually solving problems while navigating the tough landscape in Egypt.

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