Taking a short break from writing...

Due to my current busy schedule, I am currently taking a short break from updating this blog. I am sorry for the long silence. Will be back soon...with the updates I promised..

Cheers folks..

Brewing Knowledge & Experience..

I received an invite from the Technopreneurs Association of Malaysia (TeAM) today and it went something like this :

"What would it feel like to be able to share a day with Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank and at the same time to share a word and a handshake with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton? To also be one of only a select few in the world to be invited to the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship and spend a month in the USA as a guest of the US government visiting select Universities like Harvard and Stanford, Entrepreneurial companies and government agencies and studying the Entrepreneur ecosystem in the USA, now that would be 'awesome' in his own words"

Until the words "Presidential Summit" appeared, I was wondering who the invite was talking about ! Thank you TeAM for such a nicely worded invite.

Anyway, the invite then went on to give a link to this blog and to my horror I realized how long it has been since I updated the blog.

No, not that I have forgotten meeting all those great people, but the last four weeks has been meetings with more and more great people who have impacted many industries and lives !

To be absolutely honest, I plead guilty for not updating and sharing my experience as diligently as I would like to and as I have promised at the beginning of the project.

However, it has been a challenge - 4 weeks of meetings and on the average of 3 intense meetings a day and then some time to experience each city, dinners and even home hospitality I am usually invited to by kind American families.

Then when I get back to my hotel room, I talk to my family via Skype for a few minutes and before I know it, I am being woken up by the hotel ..."this is your wake up call, it is 7am". I then either go for a run or run for the next meeting that starts early.

However, I have been keeping notes, taking photographs and like any good beer or wine, my knowledge and experience is brewing or fermenting. The results, I promise would be worth your while.

I plan to share - not going to hold back anything. You can have my word on it - the knowledge and experience is once in a life time opportunity. 

This blog is set up for this purpose - for sharing my experience and observations...see you all soon in KL ! 

The TeAM talk is scheduled on 27th May at 6pm at Pappa Rich Bangsar.

Cheers

Visiting Harvard Business School - An Emotional Experience !

My program in Boston comes to a conclusion today. 

All I could say is, boy, what a lovely city and what an experience !

My first meeting in Boston on the 6th of May was at the Harvard Business School (HBS). 

The meeting was set for 10am and I was scheduled to meet Professor Paul W. Marshall.

Professor Marshall is the Professor of Management at the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship.

Prior to returning to Harvard ( he was Harvard faculty on 2 previous occasions), Professor Marshall was Chairman and CEO of Rochester Shoe Tree Company.  He is very much a hands-on entrepreneur as he is a scholar.

Not wanting to be late, I arrived at the HBS gates at 9.30am. 

The unmistakable red brick building, carefully trimmed lawn and the crisp smell of the fresh air brought tears to my eyes.

As a teenager I have always dreamed of going to either Harvard or one of the IVY League schools. I was never a top "A" student to start with. To add to this, I never knew how to study for exams. But that didn't stop me from dreaming.

However, this did not mean I was a lazy student. I was extremely hardworking - a voracious reader and I would actively seek out the underlying causes of things - the philosophy behind it all.

"Dreamer. Attention span of a 5 year old" was one of the remarks on my report card in my early school days. These "generous" remarks from my "favourite" teacher obviously caused me a lot of pain, literally. 

My dad never passed the opportunity to spare the rod when we were growing up, especially when he sees such comments on the report card.

This dream never left me even as an adult. That is why when I got admitted to Cambridge University to study entrepreneurship, I took the opportunity, despite my already hectic schedule as an entrepreneur.

As I was walking down the driveway of HBS, I felt like I was walking into a holy place - a temple of knowledge. Many would think I am being a romantic, but so be it.

Arrived at the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at 9.45am and was just waiting around the lobby.

Professor Marshall emerged at 9.56 and led me through the door to the conference room adjacent to his office on the other side of the lobby.

He asked if I wanted coffee. I was too much in awe of him, I declined. He brought his Starbucks and sat down, loosened his tie and asked me to do the same which I did promptly.

He said, "I read your bio. It looks like you are on a mission to learn. I am happy to discuss anything you want, what shall we discuss? "

Such readiness to share, to teach and impart his knowledge. 

I said, "Prof, firstly, thank you for making the time. I really appreciate it. Sir, if you allow, I would like to go back to the basics - I want to discuss entrepreneurship in its bare bones level, I would like to know how early in one's life should one be exposed to entrepreneurship education. I would like to know your thoughts on how and when a young graduate should start a venture - weather he or she should work first or venture immediately, the role of governments in promoting entrepreneurship and your thoughts on affirmative action and its role in creating an enterprising culture and on grants etc.  If you allow me, I would like to video tape the discussion sir"

"By all means", he said.."but before that, how would you describe yourself ?" he asked.

"A scrappy, start-up entrepreneur, running a life-style business sir" , I responded.

He smiled and we began....more on in my next blog.

IVLP in Washington D.C

My IVLP in  Washington D.C ended yesterday. 

Here are the summary of the meetings I've had in D.C. between the 30th afternoon and the 4th, minus the weekends.

In total I had attended 5 meetings and a talk on Federalism.

 

The meetings were with the following organizations:

- Ashoka (www.ashoka.org)

- The US Department of State (www.state.gov)

- The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) (www.nfte.com)

     
- The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) (www.cipe.org)

- The U.S Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and 

- The Small Business Administration (SBA)

Some of the key experiences from these amazing meetings were:

1. At each meeting, a senior person who had done sufficient homework on me and the work of my company will be the one meeting me;

2. The person would be there on time and provide an overview of the organization, the type of work they do and also will share very openly some of the challenges they face;

3. They will listen attentively to your story, your work and then there will be an exchange of question and answers.

4. At the end of it, areas of synergies and future possibilities will be explored and very actionable steps will be outlined to be followed-through.

5. Before I reach the hotel or within 24 hours, email exchanges will take place thanking me for my time and also for coming over for the meeting and I will do the same.

This is the general format of all the meetings so far.

Take note - I have  emphasized the words "followed-through".

This, in my opinion is key to building a vast network.

I know some people in Malaysia - they will talk the big game but will not even have the courtesy to reply your emails or messages. 

These are some of my impressions and key lessons from these meetings:

1. Both the US Government and the private sector ( "for-profit" and "non-for-profit") display an immense amount of resolve to continuously find, fund and foster entrepreneurship. 

2. They do this in a very dedicated and systematic manner and every organization "talk" to each other to ensure the efforts are not duplicated but complimentary.

3. These organizations are in themselves entrepreneurial - they operate with a very lean team but they seem to achieve a lot;

4.Relevance -the system continuously find ways to keep their seniors relevant and functional.

Some of their programs such as SCORE has retired business people act as mentors or "door-openers" for the young entrepreneurs.

5. I see a lot of passion in the promoters.

There are many specific examples of these lessons which I will share as we go along.

Wanted to quickly provide and overview of the D.C IVLP experience.

Apart from the meetings, I also attended a talk on the US Government System titled Federalism. It was a very interesting lecture on the politics of America.

The lecture was by a professor from the George Washington University.

Overall, a great experience.

Pre-IVLP Preparations & Briefings

My IVLP officially began on Friday, the 30th of April.

However, a day prior to that, an officer from the IVLP office, Mr.Valery Nadjibe visited me in the hotel where I was staying during the Summit to help me checkout and move to another hotel in DC.

The new hotel, the Cariyle Suites turned out to be a boutique hotel with nicer and a bigger rooms then the previous one and the service more personalized.

On the 30th morning, I was given a full briefing on my program by an official from the US State Department and the IVLP Program coordination office.

The team spent the entire morning patiently going through the program objectives, my schedule for the next three weeks and also other house-keeping matters such as my insurance policy, the per-diem calculations and other protocol matters.

The entire process was so professionally handled - making you feel the way you should - that you are an important guest of the US Government, that they are making all the arrangements for you to meet key people in top-notch organizations and as such you too have to play your part and act in a responsible  manner.

TO be responsible means - be on time for meetings and also respect any confidential information shared with you.

The meeting ended exactly as scheduled - 1pm. 

I think we, as a country seriously need to learn to keep not only time but also our word. 

We need to be punctual, start meetings on time and end them on time. We also need to do what we say we will do. Very simple but how many people do we know who follow this?

To many broken promises and time wasting pursuits in our society.

We also need our VIPs to come on time so that events can begin and end as planned. 

We need to get back to the basics and get the basics right first. This does not take much. 

This is a reminder to myself too...cheers !

An overview of my trip in the US and the IVLP

I thought it would be a good idea for me to explain a little the reasons for which I am in the United States for a period of 4 weeks.

I know 4 weeks is a long time to be away from the business and family. 

As for the business, I am least worried as the team is, I believe well positioned to take care of the day to day running of the company.  

Moreover, a trip such as this gives one so much access to brainpower and network that it can only be good for the business and the country.

As for the family, yes I miss them. Enough said.


Anyway, I am in the US for 2 reasons :

One, as a guest of the President of the United States to attend the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship which was just concluded last week.


Second, as a guest of the United States Government for a program called the International Visitor Leadership Program or IVLP for short.

The IVLP is described by the State Department site (http://exchanges.state.gov/ivlp/ivlp.html) as :

".....the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program.  Launched in 1940, the IVLP is a professional exchange program that seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders.  These visits reflect the International Visitors’ professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the United States."

The IVLP alumni comprises of an impressive group of leaders, including some world leaders in various fields.

The alumni, of which I am now one, can network or access the network through the State Department portal. The portal in itself is a great resource of information and knowledge.

During the program introduction briefing here I am also made to understand that it is an extremely competitive process to be awarded the fellowship. One cannot apply for it - you have to be invited. 

So, if you are in, you are extremely privileged.

Usually the IVLP is made up small groups from various countries and they travel the USA visiting about 3-4 cities for a period of 2 - 4 weeks immersing themselves in the area of their respective professional interest and also in the American way of life. 

The visitors are also accompanied by a guide appointed by the State Department. These guides are known as ELOs (English Language Officers).

The ELOs are usually retired professionals or service people.

The function of ELO is to accompany the IVLP visitors the entire day and for the entire duration and during this trip ensure all logistical details are taken care of for the visitor.

The visitor focuses on the program and learning from it whilst and the ELO ensures that the logistics surrounding the travel and visits are administered with the greatest detail and precision. You technically don't have to "lift a finger" on your travel plans.

My IVLP is a little special. Firstly, there is NO group. I am the only one with my ELO.  

The program is custom-designed for me with Entrepreneurship as the focus area.

According to the Embassy and State Department, this IS the first time in the history of the IVLP a program with entrepreneurship as a focus is being organized and that too just for one person.

The objectives of the IVLP for me as set out by the State Department are :

- to examine how the government, non-profit organizations, investors and businesses promote entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship in the US;

- to gain a greater understanding of how entrepreneurship is promoted in academia;

- to understand ways in which communities foster economic development.

As you can see, the program takes me from D.C - Boston - Seattle - Salt Lake City - San Francisco.

The program includes visiting and meeting with experts in organizations such as Ashoka, the Senate, The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, The Center for International Private Enterprises, Babson School of Entrepreneurship, Harvard, MIT, Microsoft, Stanford to name a few. It also includes 2 speaking engagements to two group of entrepreneurs in Boston and Utah.

All your expenses (food, lodging and some incidentals) are also born by the State Department. You are given a decent per-diem to cover your expenses during your stay here.

So, this is an overview of my visit to the US...if you wish you can follow me through this journey.

I thank the US Government, The State Department and The American Embassy in KL for this opportunity. 

My thoughts on the Summit will be interspersed in between the IVLP program blog.

Cheers 

25th April - 4Site DC Event : Social Change in the WANA Region

The day before the Presidential Summit, I attended the 4Site DC event.

The details of the event can be found here : http://4sitedc.eventbrite.com/

The 4Site DC event was organized by my friend David Munir Nabti from Beirut. 

David and I have known each other through GEW and we have remained friends ever since we met in Kansas City in early 2009.

David, a Lebanese, was brought up and educated in the Bay Area in Silicon Valley and went to grad-school at the University of California, Berkeley.

The event itself had only about 20 to 30 people - all highly passionate change makers mostly from the MENA (Middle Eastern and North African Region).

There were many many interesting people at this event and some of them I met had very interesting stories to tell about their ventures.

One lady in the event who was particularly interesting was Susan Schindehette, President of http://www.miworld.com/. 

Susan was nominated best writer in People's Magazine for many years before she decided to leave her profession as a writer of the magazine to the story of human suffering.  She is, I later found out authored many books.

Susan spoke with conviction of her mission to tell the story of human suffering.  

Nabil M. Shalabi of Asharqia Chamber, in Saudi Arabia. (www.chamber.org.sa) is the other person I met.

Nabil is a funny in a very interesting sort of way - he is a deal maker, at least from my perspective. Throughout the Summit i ran into Nabil many times and he always had an interesting request or story for me.   

Nabil, started his venture when he was merely 9. I could relate to him. He now promotes entrepreneurship in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Nabil tells me has very good experience in managing incubator .

David, my buddy, explained his Karage concept and how he is building an incubator and a sort of a "can-do" hub in Lebanaon.

David plans to replicate his concept throughout the region.

Throughout the Summit, one theme was emerging very clearly from the Arab world- that the Arabs and the Middle Easterners are deeply concerned about job creation for their young people. 

They are gravely aware of the vast number of immigrants from Asian countries who are moving in there to take up jobs in restaurants, bars, hotels and other service sectors.  The "functional underclass" are immigrants and so are the young entrepreneurs.

It seems like the people in this region have to act fast to turn their young into hungry start-up entrepreneurs..