Young entrepreneur Kareem Elmashad talks about his mobile app 'I am Dubai'

How was the idea incepted?

It is all about future trend research identifying what will be hot in the near and long term future. You have to do your research is the only answer, competition, market, trends, it is all part of the process to decide what business to start. I have been social media expert for few years, I saw how restaurants & brands getting in touch with influencers & models in a random or unorganized way, so from here the idea came up to make a platform for both of them where they can meet up and reach the target with terms & conditions agreed from the beginning while they are signing up in our app.

Is there a story behind the name, you have given to your business?

Definitely, our app called ‘ I am Dubai ‘, I wanted all members to feel they own the app while they saying ‘I am’ it gives them inspiration of owning the app and ‘Dubai’ belongs to the city where’s the app, as we are opening in more countries soon so more apps will be named belong to the country, as it’s easy to be remembered and advertised.

What were the main challenges you faced at the early stages of your business? And do you still encounter them to this day?

The main challenge I faced and I think a lot of entrepreneurs face when they first start out is not being taken seriously. As you can imagine a twenty five years old (the age I started my business) telling well known Restaurants & Brands to signup  in my new project may not always go well  for an app may not be taken seriously.

The biggest challenge I face now is obscurity. Remember I am on a mission to inspire others to reach their true potential. If no one knows me I can’t fulfill that mission.

What was your initial investment?

The initial investment was an Instagram Profile only, then from the income we built up website & mobile app.

Have you raised funding? 

We have not raised funding yet. We plan to expand in more countries .

What are your future plans?

Our future scale-up plan is to open in Saudi Arabia ‘I am Saudi’ app & in Ukraine ‘I am Kyiv’ app, we already started for both countries soon it will be launch, on long term we planing to inter USA, Europe and Africa Markets .

Are you the only one managing the business or you have staffs?

I play an active role in the managing of my business but over the years I’ve contracted many persons to help push my businesses further into the marketplace. 

How can you keep learning?

Listen to podcasts, Join an online course to build skills, Read books and articles that’s the basic ways, but Your relationship with other people can enrich your own knowledge base and skills. You can learn in general and grow as a leader from your interactions with other people.

How To handle negative member reviews?

A business is built on the reputation it gets through its dealings,While you might think that positive reviews are the only thing that can aid the company, there are several critical benefits that negative reviews offer as well, so you have to Respond Fast, Use Them As A Learning Experience, Show You're Listening,Hug The Haters, Attract Attention To Them, Prove The Customer Wrong, Offer Something Tangible Or Specific, Track Them Qualitatively And Quantitatively.

Why you shouldn't aim to undercut the competition?

No one can win the race to offer the lowest prices. The best option is not to participate.

What is your advice for small business founders ?

Don’t start a business because you’re looking for a change,Play offense instead of defense,Trust your instinct: Your idea either works,Don’t do it alone (or with someone who is just like you).

Who inspires you?

Elon Musk

How can Readers find more about your business ?

They can check my social media on instagram @kareemelmashad or they can see one of our projects instagram @i.amdubai, as well they can be a members on our app as we reached over 4500 members registered so far, here’s our website www.iamdubai.co.

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Forbes India journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.