9 of the MENA's Most Successful Entrepreneurs Share The Books that Completely Changed Their Paths
From the founder of Jordan's massive platform Ekeif, to the Lebanese mastermind behind Zoomaal, to Fetchr's co-founder Joy Ajlouny, we asked some of the Middle East's groundbreaking entrepreneurs about the most transformational entrepreneurship-related books.
As children, Dr. Suess always taught us, "the more you read, the more things you know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go." Today, the statement remains just as true, especially when it comes to entrepreneurs with the vision to build massively successful startups. When LinkedIn chairman, PayPal co-founder and Apple's marketeer each write a book highlighting techniques on building a pioneering startup or on the entrepreneurial lifestyle, you know these are definitely must reads. But who inspires the Arab world's most trailblazing founders? We asked nine entrepreneurs about the books that left a mark in their journey, from famously renowned The Lean Startup to psychology-driven The Power of Now.
1. The Lean Startup, by Eric Reis
Not one but two entrepreneurs recommended The Lean Startup; educational Egyptian gamechanger and founder of iSpark, Mostafa Hashisha and Joy Ajlouny, co-founder of Dubai-basedon-demand delivery startup Fetchr. “It shows you the full process of building your startup while being cost and time-efficient. It's the best book one can ever read!” Hashisha exclaims. The book is divided into three parts: vision, steer, and accelerate. The first one introduces entrepreneurial management, while the second one digs into the Lean Startup method - that is, the build-measure-learn feedback loop, minimal viable product and learning when to pivot or persevere. The last chapter explores scalability techniques, organisational design and product growth.
Hashisha explains that what struck him out most was the fact that the Minimal Viable Product of Dropbox was a video, which is what helped them build a product worth billions of dollars. “It taught me that one should let go of perfectionism and start small, launch MVPs faster and with minimum cost.”
On the other hand, what captured Ajlouny’s attention was that “it gives you real insight on what is expected when raising funds.” She adds, “the book helped me to really think about what my value proposition was and to start by releasing an MVP and seeing how and when to persevere the original idea and when to pivot into another approach based on the the lack of traction.” Ajlouny believes that “if you're going to fail, fail fast. See what your customers wants, talk to them and hear them, there you will find your answers.”
The Lean Startup covers topics starting from defining a startup to the most powerful scalability techniques.
2. Invisible Influence, by Jonah Berger
Najjar explains that noticing these trends can benefit or change your startup entirely, which is why "you have to be aware of what is influencing people and know how to use it properly to make your business grows". Najjar says that the book also illustrates the reality of human nature and the things and people that impact our decisions; "this made me realise that my kids are influenced by whoever is around them, which is why I try to be the perfect role model for them, so they can imitate the positive actions, such as the habit of reading. Remember, every decision in life we take, is surely influenced by someone or something, so make sure you surround yourself with great people that influence you or else you're doomed," she concludes.
Invisible Influence sheds light on how to identify and use what influences people to grow your business.
Written by PayPal co-founder, Zero to One emphasizes on the importance of creating something new.
"Dwelling on the past or worrying about the future would only make things worse," Ahmed Zaki, cofounder of Rakna App tells us.
Beyond all the hype and the fun culture of entrepreneurship, this book approaches the toughest challenges faced in starting your own business.
Ex-Apple Marketeer illustrates his insights on starting a business through The Art of the Start.
Using his expertise in cofounding LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman guides readers on how to accelerate their career in today’s competitive world.
8. The Mom Test, by Rob Fitzpatrick
Angela Solomon, CEO of trusted child care on demand in Lebanon Jaleesa, recommended this book because "it helped us get better at talking with people who use our service - instead of seeking positive feedback, we try to understand our customer better so we can really learn," she says. Solomon explains that two of her mentors recommended this book in the same week, and it lived up to their feedback. She continues, "the book is really short and easy to put into practice straight away," adding that Jaleesa is a child care startup, which is why the book was extremely relevant to launching her startup. The book explains that you shouldn't ask your mom or anyone really whether your business is a good idea, because everyone will lie to you at least a little. It's not their responsibility to tell the truth; it's actually yours to find it and assess whether it's worth doing.
Focusing on customer experience and lean startup, The Mom Test teaches entrepreneurs the way to build, measure and learn based on your customers.
Main photo credit: @MO4Network.
