I would love to offer consulting services for entrepreneurs who wish to start their own profitable projects.

Observation

When I started my recruitment business, everyone I knew got excited and many offered to assist me and partner with me in my business seeing a great potential for growth and success for y new business after I described it to them and told them about my plans and intentions. When I later had the dream of having my own farm, the same thing happened once again and people to whom I told my dream got so excited about the idea and wanted to see me succeed in it and wanted to follow suit and do the same and have their own farms. Some even, actually many, anted to partner with me in one way or another in my farm project.

Explanation

The above two experiences that I had made me learn two things. Firstly, I learnt that almost everyone of the youth I knew, or most of them at least, had a strong internal desire to break free from traditional jobs as employees and start their own businesses or projects. Secondly, I discovered that dreams I have and believe in tend to galvanize people as I get such dreams out of the box and expose them to others. The interest in y dreams and planned projects did not only come from youth but even older people showed interest as well and offered to partner through assisting in funding my project.

Application

Now while thinking about the mushroom growing project and how it would be nice to partner with some specific person I had in mind in such a project the idea popped into my head that I would enjoy it a lot if I acted as the initiator, supporter and guide for a good and growing number of youth who would like to start their own for-profit projects. I love to be the source and guide. I like to guide others and provide information, consultation and guidance. There are few things in life that give me pleasure more than being asked a question, I just love being asked questions a lot and enjoy spending the time to answer them in a comprehensive, detailed and clear way. I would thus enjoy acting as some sort of project initiator, incubator or guide for others who ware keen to have their own for-profit projects but just don’t know how or from where to start and do not have the know-how nor the support and direction to start the projects they are dreaming of.

Implementation

The above can be implemented as follows. I act as a hub for many youth who would like to start their own for-profit projects.

List of Projects

I would have a changing/adapting and growing list of projects which can be started by youth. I can compile such list by scoring websites that describe small projects for youth, many such websites are available in Egypt in Arabic such as Kenana Online, Fekr Zad, and Islam Online. I can further refine or grow my list of projects by listening to youth and their project ideas as I start consulting them. The list can be further enhanced and amended based on feedback about the performance of projects as youth who come to me start to implement them.

Project Info

In addition to the list of project names and brief descriptions, I would have a detailed feasibility analysis for each project or for a number of the projects. Moreover, there would be a detailed description on how to implement each project, risks involved and where to go for assistance. A starter toolkit can be ready for each project to give the young man or woman who wants to start a project a kick start.

Training

Besides the feasibility analysis studies and detailed description (including how to implement) available for each project, there would also be training available for each project.

Brief Training

The training may be a brief introduction to the project in which case the entrepreneur would need to further attend a more in-depth training course at some place specialized in the field of his or her project. In such case, we would point him or her to such places where they can get the needed training for their projects. For instance, if an entrepreneur selected to start a mushroom growing project, we can point him or her to the various training courses available for growing mushroom at the Institute of Food Technology in Giza, the Faculty of Science at Cairo University and the several other places that offer training courses on how to grow mushrooms.

In-Depth Training

An alternative to providing brief introductory courses for each project would be to provide entrepreneurs with in-depth training on his or her project at our premises. This might not be feasible for all types of projects due to the need for special equipment for some projects such as the need for carpentry tools for a carpentry project (but we might still be able to administer the course and take them to special labs at vocational schools for instance for the practice sessions in cooperation with such schools or labs). This idea for a training center as part of the entrepreneurs consulting facility can be merged or combined and integrated with the idea of courses for scanners I had explained earlier.

Follow-Up

After the entrepreneurs have selected their desired projects, studied the project information and optionally attended the project training they are ready to go ahead and start working on their project the starter kits which we offer them can be very useful to them at such stage. As each entrepreneur starts his or her project, we keep track of their progress and follow up on any needs they may have or obstacles they may face. During such phase we provide them with consulting to try to solve problems that may face them or assist them in overcoming obstacles that show up their path towards achieving success in their selected projects.

Feedback

Another benefit for following up is to get feedback from entrepreneurs and use such feedback to measure the performance of various projects and enrich the information available about the available projects. In other words, the activities, experiences and performance results of the entrepreneurs to whom we have provided consulting would all feed back again into our consulting service and further enrich it.

Networking

One method for resolving issues and clearing obstacles for our entrepreneurs would be through providing them with networking opportunities by connecting them with one another perhaps through some adapted version of idea parties described in Barbara Sher’s book Refuse to Choose. The idea parties would just need to be adapted first in order to suit our Egyptian culture.

Funding

One of the common obstacles facing the starting of new projects is unavailability of sufficient funds needed to start a certain project in the hands of many entrepreneurs.

Financing

That is why small youth projects are often offered various financing options by banks. The problem with such an option is the interest rate which may be shunned by some due to religions beliefs and dismissed by others out of fear from increasing debts. An alternative to such interest based financing options that is more suitable to our Egyptian and Islamic culture would be some sort of partnership.

Incubators

This option is already used by incubators which can be thought of as venture capitalists which provide the much needed funding for a project with the main difference that incubators can go ahead and fund more risky types of projects while providing a nourishing and helping supportive environment for the budding project till it reaches maturation. The incubator may provide advice, guidance and networking opportunities as well as a bunch of other assistive services to help entrepreneurs take off with their projects till those projects reach a maturation stage. Due to the high risk involved in the projects selected for incubation, many of the incubated projects may not reach a successful stage. In spite of that, incubators usually reap the benefits from a small number of projects they are incubating which have achieved exceptional success. This is usually the pattern with high risk projects, many may fail while some may achieve exceptionally high success rates. An incubator effectively partners with new budding projects by providing facilities, consulting services. In return, the incubator can enjoy high return on investment ratios from successful projects they have incubated upon maturation of such projects. We can provide a similar partner-based funding option as a viable culturally-sound alternative to the often shunned option of rate based financing.

Partnership

A slight variation of the incubator method is some sort of regular partnership in which the main contribution does not have to be consulting services and incubator-like facilities. In this option we would enter as a partner with (perhaps only a select group of) entrepreneurs in their projects. I would enter perhaps with a small percentage, let’s say 20% and pay my fair share of the expenses besides providing assistance in marketing, networking, know-how, project management and overall organization, perhaps also assist in planning.

Realization

By providing a good and growing number of youth with the practical means by which they can start and grow their own for-profit projects I would have thus achieved my dream and fulfilled a strong need inside me craving to act as a mentor, consultant and guide for others who are seeking advice and need a helping hand to show them the road. I hope I would also act as a source of motivation and inspiration to many others.

Implementation

Obstacles

• Lack of legal knowledge and know-how to establish such a service.
  

First Step

• Assisting one person start a profitable project.
  

Progress

• An entrepreneur with business backing discussed with me his interest in starting an incubator for technology startups.
• I agreed with a certified Success Team leader to assist members of her new success team to come up with project ideas and implement them together.
• Registered for a "Start your Own Project" training program at Anwar Resala.
• Attended "Start your own business" training with Anwar Resala. Was invited by Anwar Resala to participate with them in delivering such training to assist people start their own projects!