How does it feel to win big? It feels like celebration…and responsibility.
On March 11, my senior partner and I—along with members of my family and the business community—headed to Amwaj’s newest hotel, ART Rotana, to celebrate entrepreneurs.
Orchestrated by Bahrain Noor Al Ein and Tamkeen, the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship had been long overdue. It celebrates key members of our community who work hard every day to manage hundreds of employees, grow their companies, and put Bahrain on the map. This award commemorates their hard work, and recognizes their passion for what they do on a consistent basis.
As a member of this community, I am extremely grateful that my company now stands as a recipient of this award. It has been an exciting journey from the start. As a one-man show a few years ago, I was barely making ends meet. I ventured into the business world with nothing but my portfolio, my passion for the arts, and my will to succeed. I am proud to look back at how far my team and I have come—and to cross this particular milestone of our timeline.
Enjoy it. Just savor the moment. This is what everyone lives for, and it will be over very quickly—so be in the moment.
Winning is a delightful feeling. I remember my first few wins as if they were yesterday. Recognition for writing a killer feature for my Arabic and English class in school; graduating from Chelsea College of Art and Design after four tough years; winning a branding/cash prize award at the age of 21; and now this. Before I was recognized for Kashka via our first award for branding given by ECCA in London, I remember my mother telling me over the phone on the cab ride to the event: “Enjoy it. Just savor the moment. This is what everyone lives for, and it will be over very quickly—so be in the moment.” That stayed with me forever, and that night, I basked in the recognition and celebration. I was lucky enough to be nominated alongside entrepreneurs that I personally look up to: Amina Al Abbasi, the Startup Bahrain crew, and the Eat app. These guys have all overachieved in their industries, and I am proud to call them my peers and colleagues in business.
I am also proud of the 100 entrepreneurs who took part in this competition. Hats off to every builder, dreamer, and visionary and who took the time to apply. Preparing for the award was emotional, as I had to assess our recent growth, leadership, training and employment rates, CSR portfolio, and growth plan. Taking a step back to reflect and look at our track record made me feel like a winner already, and I felt even prouder of everyone who had supported us along the way: mentors, clients, and friends of the company.
What happened after the win? An intense snowball effect. Our foreign minister, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed, acclaimed and mentioned us, as did the Crown Prince’s official Twitter page. We were congratulated by the entire business community, from microenterprises to large corporations. On top of the recognition we received from magazines, newspapers, TV, and radio, our website analytics jumped from 15,000 unique visitors to 45,000, ensuring our slot as the highest-ranking search engine for a PR and design company in Bahrain.
Taking a step back to reflect and look at our track record made me feel like a winner already, and I felt even prouder of everyone who had supported us along the way.
Our phones have not stopped ringing with clients (and potential clients) congratulating us. With this award, we hope to take our business further than anyone could ever have imagined: by opening our first regional office in Riyadh in the first quarter of 2016. With the support of our mentors, the judges, Tamkeen, and our partners, we take it upon ourselves to grow our company and fulfill our role as a pioneering entity that represents a lot more than just PR.
We won’t let you down.
