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 Nadim Iskander (LinkedIn), founder of Moshpits.

My name is Nadim Iskander and I am the founder of Moshpits, an online clothing brand for men and women that aims to provide good quality and unique designs that are locally made, at affordable prices. I double majored in computer science and computer engineering at the German University in Cairo (GUC).

I chose these areas of study because I liked computer science during my high school years but it was much harder than I anticipated at university. At the same time, I wanted to do something related to art — my childhood passion. So, from October 2021 to August 2022 I started planning, and eventually, launched my first collection in Moshpits.

The reason I started Moshpits was a combination of things: I didn’t want to work a 9-5 job. I’ve always envisioned myself having my own business — particularly as a fresh graduate, as they are relatively underpaid. As a result, I decided to open my own business while I was still in university so that by the time I graduated I would be financially independent.

I’ve always been into art, fashion, and designing — I add my touch to literally everything.My grandmother and mom have always encouraged my creative side, but what pushed me towards starting my brand was that I always felt that my vision in fashion was different and I wanted to showcase that through each piece.

To help improve my business I took fashion courses in shoe design, foot anatomy, and patron. Podcasts also helped — I listened to podcasts about how to start a business and leadership skills.

Inspiration comes to me in many forms: My latest collection was inspired by nature where I merged nature and a real-life mosh pit. One of my pieces from the collection was a pair of jeans called Circular Waves Jeans, inspired by the motion of the waves. In the ocean, waves typically follow a regular pattern with crests and troughs, and in a mosh pit, there can be a rhythmic, pulsating movement as concertgoers respond to the music.

The best and worst part of my job isthat you have everything under control and no one tells you what to do. Being your own boss has its own perks since you get to decide what to do, when to do it, and where you should allocate all your resources. However, because you take all the risks, you’re always stressed out and are typically alone in all of it. But in the end, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Being a founder isn’t only a lonely journey, but a hard one too. It’s lonely because you’re always thinking by yourself for the first couple of years until you build your team. In the first year, I was doing everything from production to customer service. At times it felt like I was lost in the desert — in the middle of nowhere, always looking, searching, and experimenting without anyone’s help. I do believe it’s hard — and you’ll feel that loneliness to the point that makes you reconsider a 9-5 job.

I’m looking forward to the brand’s growth. For the long term, I’m aiming to expand into accessing international markets and customers. As for our short-term goals, we’re launching four new sub-brands that will be announced by the end of this year or at the start of 2025.

I try to do a lot of charity work during my freetime:I believe sharing this will encourage our community to get in touch with our humanitarian side and help the ones in need. For my part, I collect all the samples and items that have really small defects and fix them, add a tag so they seem brand new, and put them in Moshpits bags to give them away to people in need, so they feel that they just bought new items. I also collect money from people to renovate homes and provide water pumps, send food, and so on. I believe that’s what we’re here for — to help each other through difficult times.

If Moshpits didn’t exist I think I’d open a logistics company…but with a twist. This is because after starting my brand, I’ve always faced plenty of problems with providing alternative delivery options for my customers, for example, the option of picking up your order or standard/fast delivery.

Being a local brand myself, I believe the local startup scene is a force to be reckoned with.Several people are now shifting from international brands to local brands due to affordability and accessibility, which is why starting a brand here that acts as an alternative to everyone’s usual apparel choices is a great opportunity within the startup scene. But some people in Egypt refuse to accept the fact that just because it’s a local brand it can charge high prices — providing the same quality and standard as an international brand means that it will not be cheap, nor exorbitantly expensive.

What I would change about the startup scene is the lack of communication and internal business disorganization, meaning when you buy an item from a local brand, most of them have a no refund or exchange policy — and when you try to contact them regarding your order there's no answer. This potentially puts off or discourages the customer from buying from them in the future.

One piece of advice I would give is to never give up. Moshpits wasn’t my first business venture; I’ve started four businesses before that failed, which devastated and demotivated me, but instead of playing the victim and coming up with excuses I chose to take a step back and look at what was causing the problem. I found that a lack of planning and market research were the culprits. As a result, I did extensive market research on my new brand.

Asking yourself difficult questions is another pivotal step. Will people accept your ideas? Will they pay for your items? Does your market really want this model, or is it just to your taste? Asking these tough questions will help dissect your business to uncover the obstacles and help it move forward.

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