Ahmed Nassef, COO of Dopay: 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 chief operating officer of Dopay, Ahmed Nassef (LinkedIn). Edited excerpts from our conversation:

My name is Ahmed Nassef. I’m the COO of Dopay, a fintech company driving financial inclusion in emerging markets. I’m passionate about building businesses that make a real impact. At Dopay, we’re on a mission to bring unbanked workers into the mainstream economy while solving payroll headaches for businesses.

As COO, I oversee operations, strategy execution, and scaling the business. My role is about facilitating solutions, building scalable processes, and ensuring alignment across teams. In high-growth environments, my responsibility is to tackle whatever needs to be done. My main role is to facilitate, helping both people and companies solve problems, while building scalable processes and ensuring alignment across teams. I’m also responsible for ordering donuts for our Cairo office.

Egypt has mns of people that don’t have a bank account, and convincing them to adopt financial tools is difficult. We make it easy for companies to pay workers through our platform, eliminating the inefficiencies, costs, and risks associated with cash payments. Through our platform, companies can instantly and securely pay workers via Dopay cards — even on holidays.

We’re currently testing EarlyPay, a product that lets workers access their earnings before payday. It’s a game-changer, especially during tough economic times, since it provides liquidity without forcing people to resort to high-interest loans.

My day starts very early — I’m up by 6 or 6:30am. The first task is feeding my cat to ensure a peaceful start to the morning. Then, I brew my coffee, prioritizing quality beans from Shaheen. After my coffee, I check Slack for messages, read EnterpriseAM on my phone, and catch up on global news via the New York Times before heading to work, which is usually a 15-minute drive.

No two days are the same. My schedule includes a mix of internal and external meetings, with time for planning and strategy in the evenings or weekends. Between meetings, I catch up on emails, address team concerns, and problem-solve. I conduct weekly one-on-ones to review team progress and quarterly goals.

For me, laughter is a constant in my day — and I take it seriously. Work has to be fun to be truly productive and meaningful. Personally, I struggle when I’m not enjoying what I do, and I try to ensure that my team feels the same sense of enjoyment and purpose.

Creating a positive and fun environment also makes it easier to handle the pressures of a fast-growing business. Deadlines, extra hours, and tough projects are part of the deal, but when you’re working with kind people and having fun along the way, it’s easier to stay motivated and put in the extra effort needed for success.

Our mission isn’t just something framed on a wall that we forget about — it genuinely drives everything we do. At Dopay, our mission is to help workers enter the financial mainstream, enabling them to plan and build better lives for themselves and their families. Whether we’re discussing a new product, pricing strategies, or logistical challenges like delivering payroll cards on time, the mission forces us to ask the right questions: How does this impact the workers? What can we do to make this valuable for companies while staying true to our goal?

On a personal level, I’m trying to focus on doing more of what I enjoy — especially meaningful work. I’m grateful to have the chance to do work that makes a real difference. At Dopay, we’re solving problems with a product that genuinely helps people. Looking ahead, I’m eager to reach more workers and companies, especially in Egypt. I see massive potential here, and while some might be looking to expand beyond the country quickly, we’re committed to unlocking the potential in front of us.

Work-life balance is crucial, but it’s different for everyone. I truly enjoy my work and find it meaningful, but I also recognize that others may have different responsibilities and priorities. Some people have families, children, and other commitments that require attention, and that should always be a priority. It’s about respecting individual choices, while being clear and flexible with expectations. Instead of enforcing rigid schedules or worrying about appearances, the focus should be on results.

Beyond work, I find that simply changing my location can help me relax, even if I’m still working. I especially enjoy being near the beach or water — it allows me to feel at ease while also being productive. I love to travel, and I make sure to leave time for both work and relaxation.

My work takes up a lot of my time, so I don’t read as much as I’d like. When it comes to watching shows, I tend to stick to old movies and series I’ve already seen multiple times, like Mad Men, The Sopranos, or The Wire. For example, I’ve watched Mad Men at least four times.

A piece of advice that has stuck with me since early in my career was from a workshop on The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. One habit emphasizes focusing on your sphere of influence, which I find really helpful both in my personal and work life. Often, we tend to focus on things outside of our control, but instead, we should focus on areas we can actually change or improve.

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