Ahmed Al Mashhadi, founder and CEO of Veem Solutions: 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. We spoke to Ahmed Al Mashhadi, founder and CEO of Veem Solutions, the parent company behind the AI platform vminds.ai. Edited excerpts from our conversation:

My name is Ahmed Al Mashhadi, and I’m the founder and CEO of Veem Solutions. I have more than 22 years of experience in the business sector with major companies like Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo International, Mobily, and Axiom, in addition to my background in industrial engineering and automation control. I’ve had the privilege of leading multi-mn USD projects in over 12 countries and have also worked in consulting for various companies and with governments on strategies for digital transformation and export sector development, making for a diverse and humbling journey.

I founded Veem Solutions about four years ago, an idea born out of my time in consulting where I consistently saw gaps in the market: underserved needs, a lack of service integration, and inefficient use of technology in business operations. If I could build a tech company that truly understood these challenges from the inside, we could offer more effective solutions. It wasn’t just about studying the market, but rather building solutions based on direct experience with these frustrations, with the ultimate goal of creating a tech-centric company that could address these needs with practical applications and services.

vminds was created to address a clear gap in the market, as the massive and rapid evolution of AI is causing something of a paralysis for both individuals and companies. People hear about AI everywhere, but they often don’t know where to start, what tools to use, what’s safe, or what’s affordable. Our main objective is to democratize AI, to make it accessible for everyone.

Our platform not only consolidates over 200 AI tools under a single subscription, but also incorporates critical safety features. For example, we have tools to combat AI “hallucinations,” which is crucial for anyone relying on AI for reports or analysis. We prioritize user privacy, confidentiality, and data accuracy so users can work with peace of mind, with everything happening within our secure and seamless platform.

Our business is divided into two main arms: a services sector and an applications sector. The services arm provides smart and immersive tech solutions like AI, AR, and VR for exhibitions and conferences.

Under our solutions arm, we have projects like shrwd, a business intelligence platform that uses AI for competitive analysis and tracking brand health. It’s about 85% complete and should be on the market by the beginning of next year. We are also developing ptchr, a platform designed to support the creative economy by enabling users to generate books — from cover to content — using AI.

My management style is a balance between discipline and freedom, a philosophy I’ve developed after years of experience with different companies. I believe in following the most modern administrative approaches, which means mixing commitment and discipline with freedom and innovation. A person is not a machine; you have to consider the psychological and emotional aspects to create an environment where employees feel like they are part of the entity, not just a cog in the wheel.

We employ a revenue-sharing system, where a percentage of the revenue from each project is allocated to the team that worked on it, to ensure loyalty and commitment to quality. We also operate on a flexible work model where we demand performance but don’t dictate how or when the work gets done. If someone works best at 10 pm, that’s their choice.

I’m an early riser, usually waking up around 4:30-5am. After Fajr prayer, I organize my schedule for the day. Rather than creating long-term personal plans, I work week by week, setting targets and ensuring they are met by the end of the week. My workday of planning starts around 7-7:30 am, when I begin with looking at emails. The official workday kicks off around 9:15am, kicking off daily check-in meetings with the project teams to review accomplishments and plan tasks for the rest of the week.

I embrace mobility and don’t believe in being tied to an office. I find the traditional, closed-office work style restrictive. My laptop is my office, and I often work from cafes or other public places because being on the move keeps me energized. This freedom isn’t just for me; it extends to our entire team. This lifestyle allows me to enjoy my work despite all the pressure.

Outside of work, family time is important, so we take short trips, and I often spend my leisure time watching my daughters at their sports practices. For myself, I have two main outlets: video games and meditation. I am an avid gamer because I find it’s a form of therapy; it energizes a part of my mind that allows me to see problems from different angles and find solutions. I enjoy puzzle games, strategy games like DomiNations, and shooters like PUBG. To balance this high-energy lifestyle, I also practice meditation, often just walking without a destination to clear my mind.

If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be this: succeed or die trying. Don’t let negativity stop you. I started my business with practically no resources after a family situation left me with nothing, facing a tremendous amount of pressure and discouragement from people who told me it was impossible. But every time I heard “impossible,” my determination grew stronger. I believed in the value of what I was trying to create. So only listen to people who have your best interests at heart. If you are convinced of your idea, trust in God, and don’t hesitate.

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