I've just been back home after quite an intense weekend of workshops at King's Entrepreneurship Institute for which I have been selected to take part in. I recently decided to go back on working hard on my different businesses but here is a bit of what led me to where I am now. I think I am someone you can qualify as "serial entrepreneur". In my family, both my parents & two big brothers are entrepreneurs. We learnt to start projects, to do with what we have if that could not be provided by somebody else. I have started doing my own activities from a very young age, from making colourful sand pots to sell at a my own stall in the village where I grew up. Later on, with my parents, we moved to Morocco and at the age of 15 I was already setting up teams and activities all across Morocco (Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Agadir) as well as raising funds for a band I liked a lot, setting up forums, working with a team of administrators, graphic designer, and more. Little time after that, we moved to the North East of France and I couldn't be even more bored that I decided to start a community around music and started organising meetings, the first one, only two people turned up. Toward the end we were more than a hundred. I was also linking musicians & bands together, getting in touch with the different music organisations of the region. In the end I wanted to set up my own festival - so I started raising money by designing and selling tshirts to this community. Faced with my first big problem: the age. I couldn't go through all the legal requirements as I needed to be 18 - little my parents knew at that time about what I was doing. The festival happened after talking with different labels in the region.
I then moved to London, to study. But I couldn't find a job. At some time I got tired to do this so I started my own business to teach French all across London - [at the time commuting by bicycle], one to one sessions, and there were so many requests that I started taking small groups. I am now running the Meetup "Les Salons Francophones" with more than 900 members - unfortunately no time to be the tutor of the group anymore.
I also designed a project, Eau de Bonne Arrivée that took place in Burkina Faso, from getting the funding, gathering a whole village working toward it & wrapping it through a photography exhibition.
Break down happened, burn out.
I was stuck in bed because of stress during 2 whole months. I failed at everything. I couldn't even sit one of my exams, which I had to postpone by a year. I was in physical pain because of the stress and even walking from the bed to the living room was terrible.
I learnt to take time. Cancel everything if I am a bit sick, letting my body rest. Stress is something I had to learn to live with, and avoid because since then it makes me sick, even at a low level.
At that time, although my life was not at its best, it is when I started brainstorming about what AfroShoot has been until today but I let the ideas flourish. Meanwhile I started as a Freelancer in Social Media, learnt how to do Graphic Design & provide photographic support as well.
In Sept 2015, AfroShoot concept was ready, first funding from Santander was in. I made bad decisions. They costed quite a lot in my personal life. I started working part-time in a café to continue funding with my own means. Had some more funding from O2 Telefonica & other organisations. Then, another personal crash happened, financial this time. I could not find a new job neither, why? Because people were scared to take me. My CV was too big for my age, I had managerial experience so I was not trusted to stay. Not the right time neither as I was about to start my MSc. A MSc in Global Mental Health - I also got to hire somebody for the first time, a beautiful creative soul. I learnt a lot. Crashed again, because I decided to go back into Freelance and I am still trying to get a hold of 1 month and half of salary. I also almost lost AfroShoot because of a huge fire in my hotel.
Somehow life is a lot better now, I started a lot of new things over the past year, learnt from my mistakes. I will always believe though, that risks are worth taking. Measure them, surely, but take them.
This weekend has been giving me back the spark of inspiration that was missing. In all honesty, being an entrepreneur is not the easy way to life. I have never had a 9-5 Monday - Friday job and will probably never have it, it will not fit with my mindset.
I wanted to share a bit of my full journey, I don't think anyone ever had a grasp on what I have been doing for all of these years. In the bad times I lost a lot in terms of things and people I valued, or thought I did. At the end of the day we all have our journey and I am grateful for the ones who could share bits of my path. You kinda all made a difference.
I then moved to London, to study. But I couldn't find a job. At some time I got tired to do this so I started my own business to teach French all across London - [at the time commuting by bicycle], one to one sessions, and there were so many requests that I started taking small groups. I am now running the Meetup "Les Salons Francophones" with more than 900 members - unfortunately no time to be the tutor of the group anymore.
I also designed a project, Eau de Bonne Arrivée that took place in Burkina Faso, from getting the funding, gathering a whole village working toward it & wrapping it through a photography exhibition.
Break down happened, burn out.
I was stuck in bed because of stress during 2 whole months. I failed at everything. I couldn't even sit one of my exams, which I had to postpone by a year. I was in physical pain because of the stress and even walking from the bed to the living room was terrible.
I learnt to take time. Cancel everything if I am a bit sick, letting my body rest. Stress is something I had to learn to live with, and avoid because since then it makes me sick, even at a low level.
At that time, although my life was not at its best, it is when I started brainstorming about what AfroShoot has been until today but I let the ideas flourish. Meanwhile I started as a Freelancer in Social Media, learnt how to do Graphic Design & provide photographic support as well.
In Sept 2015, AfroShoot concept was ready, first funding from Santander was in. I made bad decisions. They costed quite a lot in my personal life. I started working part-time in a café to continue funding with my own means. Had some more funding from O2 Telefonica & other organisations. Then, another personal crash happened, financial this time. I could not find a new job neither, why? Because people were scared to take me. My CV was too big for my age, I had managerial experience so I was not trusted to stay. Not the right time neither as I was about to start my MSc. A MSc in Global Mental Health - I also got to hire somebody for the first time, a beautiful creative soul. I learnt a lot. Crashed again, because I decided to go back into Freelance and I am still trying to get a hold of 1 month and half of salary. I also almost lost AfroShoot because of a huge fire in my hotel.
Somehow life is a lot better now, I started a lot of new things over the past year, learnt from my mistakes. I will always believe though, that risks are worth taking. Measure them, surely, but take them.
This weekend has been giving me back the spark of inspiration that was missing. In all honesty, being an entrepreneur is not the easy way to life. I have never had a 9-5 Monday - Friday job and will probably never have it, it will not fit with my mindset.
I wanted to share a bit of my full journey, I don't think anyone ever had a grasp on what I have been doing for all of these years. In the bad times I lost a lot in terms of things and people I valued, or thought I did. At the end of the day we all have our journey and I am grateful for the ones who could share bits of my path. You kinda all made a difference.
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