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 Ibrahim Shams (LinkedIn), co-founder of Kiliim.

I’m Ibrahim Shams and I’m the CEO and co-founder of Kiliim, which sells traditional kilim rugs with modernized designs. I graduated with a degree in materials engineering from the German University in Cairo (GUC) in 2010. I didn’t work a single day in engineering although my father has a private business in this field, but I was more interested in working in FMCGs. I worked for Henkel for five years, starting as a sales supervisor in the traditional trade section, before moving on to become a key accounts manager managing hyper supermarkets as Carrefour.

My inspiration to launch Kiliim came from a rug for my daughter’s room. My wife and I wanted to buy a kilim rug, so we started searching online but we couldn’t find places that sell good designs. We even went to two kilim vendors in Maadi but didn’t find a variety of options. I was curious to know more about this industry, so I dug deeper and I found out that the majority of kilim craftsmen are based in a city called Fowwa in Kafr El Sheikh. The industry was in decline and the craftsmen were so pessimistic and they were trying to go for a career shift or sell their shops. My wife Noha El Taher (LinkedIn) and I decided to create our own kilim brand that has unique and oriental designs. Most of the designs we saw in the market weren’t exciting and felt redundant.

We started out by touring Fowwa to explore the industry and understand more about the craft. My first agreement was with the owners of two workshops, both of whom were optimistic and excited to collaborate with us. Otherwise, most of them did not have the appetite to implement new designs as they already have plenty of unsold rugs.

One of the best things about my job is that I work at my own flexible pace; I’m not stuck to a rigid schedule of long working hours as was the case in my corporate life. On the flipside, there’s a big responsibility on my shoulders as I am the one responsible for every single detail in the business.

If I could give someone who is thinking of starting their own business just one piece of advice, it would be not to overthink. It doesn’t have to be perfect right from the early beginning — just find a creative idea and everything will be settled afterwards.

The three most important KPIs we look at are the brand’s year-on-year profitability, growth, and the consistency of our product’s quality. We also keep track of the number of kilim craftsmen added to our team.

I don’t feel like being the founder of a startup is a lonely journey because my wife is my business partner and I have a great team that I can count on. When we set up the business, my wife and I each took one side of the responsibilities to complement each other — she’s responsible for the creative and colorful designs, which are mostly inspired by Fowwa’s Islamic landmarks, and I run the finances and set up strategies. I always turn to my wife and my mother for advice to fix a difficult problem.

My wife was my number one supporter and believer and we built the brand together. My parents didn’t fully grasp the idea at the beginning — they were afraid of the risk of leaving behind a good, stable job to embark on an uncertain path. My older daughter, Lina, loves the brand and gives me a lot of love and support that keeps me going.

We launched the business with our own capital without formally raising funds. Entrepreneurship competitions — such as the MIT Arab Competition and the Facebook Community Accelerator 2020 — were also a good source of income for us. We don’t currently have big funding plans; investments can expedite our growth, but might impact the high quality of handmade products.

Our short-term goal is to make sure the three new branches we’re opening soon — two in Cairo and one in Dubai — operate smoothly. My long-term goal is to limit outsourcing and absorb more of the supply chain, including the kilim and dye workshops and textile factories.

If I were to exit my business tomorrow, I would sell it to someone who values the kilim industry and appreciate the amount of effort we made to renovate and revive this industry. If I sell my business, I would definitely start a new one — I don’t want to be an employee again.

I’m coming, O Light by Mohamed AboulGheit is one of the great books I read recently. It made me realize how lucky we are with all the blessings God gave to us.

I love both playing football and watching football matches in my freetime. I play football professionally with the New Giza club. It all started when a group of people above 30 years old wanted to practice sports and be healthy. The idea grew and the team eventually became official and is now competing at the fourth level in the Egyptian league.

A startup that I think is doing a great job is KarmSolar: They’re growing and working efficiently and creatively.

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