Emma Benany, founder and managing Director, Cairow Water Sports: Each week, My Morning Routine looks at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions just for fun. Speaking to us this week is founder and managing director of Cairow Water Sports, Emma Benany. Edited excerpts from our conversation:

My name is Emma Benany. I am the founder and managing director of Cairow Water Sports, a hub for rowing, kayaking, windsurfing, and almost anything that you can do on the Nile. I’m also a coach and an athlete — I’ve been rowing for 16 years, I coached the national team for three years, I’ve won medals in the world championship, and I work with World Rowing. Basically, I do everything under the umbrella of rowing.

It's unusual to make sports, especially rowing, your career in Egypt: I started out as a teacher, but six years ago transitioned to a career in rowing. In addition to Cairow, I also work as head coach for the Egyptian national rowing team and with World Rowing. It’s a busy schedule, but it's also a lot of fun.

After I left my teaching career and retired as a professional athlete, I slowly began developing the academy. Starting in 2009, we moved into the Greek Rowing Club and started renovating, planning sessions, and developing a curriculum. I didn’t want it to just be a place where people could do sports, but to be a rowing hub and a center to grow rowing culture in Egypt. We started out with a very small group, but today have more than 2k people coming in each month.

The problem Cairow addresses is the city’s lack of river access. With watersports, there are certain criteria for training and competing — not just personal criteria like age, but also in terms of access to a river. I was inspired by rowing’s potential in Egypt because it was unrecognized and underdeveloped.

So far, I believe we have hugely improved the perception of rowing in parts of Cairo. We have also ventured into sports tourism, with Cairow organizing trips in Aswan, Luxor, and other cities. We also have taken part in organizing events and championships. Our aim is to build a strong community in and outside of Cairo that revolves around the love of sports and the mentality of wellbeing in general.

Import restrictions, logistical issues, and lack of manufacturing know-how has caused a shortage of rowing boats and equipment in Egypt. Rowing boats cost us about EGP 400k apiece and are very fragile. We’re currently prioritizing manufacturing at Cairow to tackle this issue. We’re also working to develop boat blueprints and figure out new materials based on local supply availability to begin manufacturing them locally. We are constantly thinking about how we can reduce boat costs and make them more available within not just Cairow, but at other clubs and throughout the country — and even the region.

The biggest trend in the rowing and sports industry right now is people’s focus on wellbeing: I think more people are enjoying group sports and being out in nature, where you can connect with people and the environment at the same time. I see so many people that are doing it with a lot of mindfulness — and I think more people are focusing on not just being active, but being present while doing so. Rowing’s repetitive movements and being in sync with nature helps to put you in a sort of trance that has a lot of mental benefits.

The one constant in my day is waking up early. I’m usually up by 5-6 am every morning. When I was an athlete I would wake up even earlier, sometimes at 4 am. We have a flexible schedule at Cairow, with our sessions starting early in the morning and running until 11 am and then again in the afternoon until late in the evening — but I like to use the mornings to train. I wake up, have my coffee, and then walk, run, or take my scooter to the club, which is half an hour away from where I live. I then either train or join one of the sessions. It’s very nice for me to be working and moving at the same time — I’ll be doing squats and having meetings with people at the same time.

I leave Cairow around 12 pm, maybe carrying on with meetings or working on my laptop, but keeping my life mobile even if I’m working. I’m after a lifestyle, not a certain career. For me the recipe to being stable, happy, and fulfilled is to give priority to both your career and life. I like to make space for my hobbies throughout my day, like playing squash, being active, and keeping up with my social life.

I stay focused by setting long-term goals. I am not a person that ever functioned with a to-do list. I don’t write things down, but rather focus on my long-term goals and then take small steps towards them. I usually go through the smaller tasks I have every day like making a phone call, or replying to emails — things that are anxiety-inducing and cloud your brain, but only take two to three minutes to finish. Once those are finished, I take small steps towards my month, three-month, and yearly goals.

On a professional level, I have two big things coming up: I’ll start coaching the British national rowing team, and I’ll start working with British Rowing to develop their curriculum. I am excited to see how other teams function. As for Cairow, I am looking to branch more into events management and sports tourism. We have already helped organize events in the Red Sea, El Alamein, and elsewhere. I’m also looking to develop boat manufacturing.

I used to be very bad at work-life balance: At the start, Cairow was very hectic, and I was failing miserably at maintaining work-life balance. It was work, work, work, everyday. Having ownership over something takes up all your time and tends to eat you up. I was working every day, and even when I was out with friends, I was talking about work, asking their opinion on things, or showing them work related-stuff — and that just kind of drove me to burnout. After two years, I couldn’t do it anymore. So, I went on a break for two months straight.

My view on work-life balance has changed. I don’t think about how much I work anymore — my main priority is enjoying my life, and that includes my work. I believe that work is important, but that you work hard for a period of time so you can enjoy your life after. I can enjoy my cup of coffee or going out with my friends without constantly being stressed.

I switch off by setting clear boundaries: I don’t mind having to apologize to someone for replying to a text or phone call late, but my priority is always setting clear boundaries and being present with whatever task I am doing at the time. Being available all the time does not reflect if I’m good at my job or not, managing my time does.

The best advice I ever received is to be present in your life and to find your sense of purpose. It's important to have a reason to wake up every day and to develop social connections with people around you. Being successful is a byproduct of being happy and present in your life, so you must find your equilibrium.

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