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 Mohamed El-Ansary (LinkedIn), founder of PowerRide.

My name is Mohamed El Ansary and I’m the founder of PowerRide, a cycling studio with a triathlon training academy. I studied Business Administration and Marketing at Sadat Academy, which offered the program in collaboration with New Brunswick University. My academic background and my passion for cycling helped me start this business.

My first job was at Corplease, where I worked my way up to management from a junior market coordinator. Eventually, I decided that I needed to shift careers to challenge myself more and get out of my comfort zone. So I moved to an industry I knew nothing about.

My passion for cycling began because of my commute: My office was in Sixth of October, and I live in Maadi — a 90-minute commute each way. I put my foot down and decided I would no longer drive within Maadi and turned to cycling everywhere instead.

Seeing how cycling changed my life made me want to share the sport with others. I was becoming fitter and losing weight. I also enjoyed sharing my passion with people and, over time, this cycling community started to grow exponentially — five people to 10, then 20, and so on. My ambitions weren’t just limited to biking around. Another passion I’ve developed involves completing triathlons with my friends, with one being the Ironman, a race where you swim 3.9km, bike 180km, then run 42.2km.

Egypt, unfortunately, lacks the facilities to train for these sports. Swimming and running can be managed, but cycling is a different story because our roads are not the best to use for long distances like the ones we train for. Thus, PowerRide was born.

At first, PowerRide was just an idea. To make it a reality, I had to find a space that people could easily access and with convenience. To solve this problem, I found The Field when it was just opening and sat down with the people in charge to pitch my idea. Eventually, we got to design the studio, purchased the bikes, and got to work.

We didn’t have any competition when we started because we specialize in athlete training. At PowerRide, we focus on cycling as an independent sport and acknowledge how it can be a great option for cross-training — it’s a sport that can translate well to many others.

Success is a really big word. Financially, it takes a while to see returns, especially with a niche venture. I feel proud of the people who work hard and achieve individual victories, like finishing a race, getting fitter, or even just learning how to ride a bike. Anyone who achieves these personal gains connects it to PowerRide this way I can see my passion materialize tangibly through the people who trust me with their training.

Circumstances in Egypt have been tough recently, so our five-year plan is important. We have three main goals: First is opening new branches. The second is events: We just finished Egypt’s biggest cycling event, the Galala Challenge, so we would like to capitalize on that and organize more, as well as keep the Galala Challenge at the same, or an even bigger scale. Finally, we would like to expand outside of Egypt.

To do this, we have to navigate the current economy and its challenges. For example, some of our costs, like our old software, are in FX. We had to switch to our own app, PowerRide Sports, for bookings and merchandise. Hopefully, we’ll keep the shop solely online and diversify our classes and revenue streams while staying true to the core of our business — motivating people to do sports and encouraging the Juniors (the group of youngsters we train for triathlons) to start training early.

I would like to correct people’s misconception of sports: Exercise is a necessity, not a luxury. I believe that the funds that you spend on healing your ailments are much better spent on bettering your health to prevent injury in the first place. Cycling also helps with pollution, and as a result, people would be healthier, get to places, and save on gas.

This also affects how we are perceived as a business. Finding sponsors and financial support is tough — not everyone is as passionate as we are, so having to try and translate that passion can be hard.

It’s difficult to balance home and work life. I’m lucky because my wife, Maha, shares my passion and is always on board, even participating in the same races herself. During the first couple of years there were times when we stayed up late, couldn’t go home, and had countless phone calls interrupting our time, but after a couple of years (hopefully) things can fall into place.

In my spare time — you’ll make fun of me — I ride my bike. But I venture out when I can. II like to travel, stay active in other ways, or read, depending on how much time I have. One thing’s for sure though, I’m not a homebody or couch potato.

My advice for young entrepreneurs isto calculate and plan as much as you can. You won’t be able to anticipate all the risks but do your best so you’re not as surprised. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Make sure your partners are people you can work with on the good days and the bad — because there will be both. In the same light, invest in your support system and make sure you have people who are rooting for you.

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