Get All Access for $5/mo

Start Up Like A Pro: Careem Co-Founders Offers Tips and Tricks For Entrepreneurs Careem co-founders Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson give their advice for those of you with the entrepreneurial itch.

By Aby Sam Thomas

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Careem
Careem co-founders Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson.

Careem co-founders Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson give their advice for those of you with the entrepreneurial itch:

1. "SOLVE LOCAL PROBLEMS." Focus on solving problems specific to where you are located, instead of trying to copy other enterprises may be doing in other parts of the world.

2. "HIRE AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME PEOPLE." Make your people part of your business' journey; make them part of its success as well.

3. "STAY FOCUSED AND AGILE." Keep your eye on building one profitable business, instead of dabbling in a variety of them and losing your focus.

4. "ITERATE LIKE CRAZY." Be receptive to customer feedback, and utilize it to build a better version of what you may have originally envisioned.

5. "DO WHAT YOU DO REALLY, REALLY WELL." Deliver on what you promise your customers- and exceed their expectations. If you can do that, then that's amazing.

6. "STAY INCREDIBLY LEAN AND BOOTSTRAP." Not only will it allow you to live longer before you need capital, but it forces you to do the right thing, forces you to focus, forces you to prioritize.

7. "FIND PEOPLE WHO CAN BRING IN MORE THAN MONEY." When looking for investors, look for ones who can provide you with smart money- they should be as committed to growing the business as you are.

8. "WHEN RAISING FUNDS, START EARLY." Build a relationship with investors even before you need the money- this will help you shape the product and business you're building, and this will give them the opportunity to see you in action as well.

Aby Sam Thomas

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East

Aby Sam Thomas is the former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East. Having started working on the brand in November 2014, Aby was responsible for leading the publication on its editorial front until September 2024.

In his nearly-decade-long tenure at Entrepreneur Middle East, Aby played a key role in its growth and development across the MENA region, with him developing and executing events, programs, and other initiatives under the brand's banner, while also personally representing it through his appearances in conferences, media, etc.

Aby has been working in journalism since 2011, prior to which he was an analyst programmer with Accenture, where he worked with J. P. Morgan Chase's investment banking arm at offices in Mumbai, London, and New York. He holds a Master's Degree in Journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.  

Entrepreneurs

Urban Flair: Sole DXB Partners Rajat Malhotra, Joshua Cox, And Hussain Moloobhoy

Rajat Malhotra, Joshua Cox, and Hussain Moloobhoy, share what it takes to launch (and grow) Sole DXB, a regional festival for fashion, culture, art and design.

Growing a Business

How to Be a Human Lie Detector (Infographic)

Here's how you can learn if someone isn't telling the truth.

Leadership

The 10 Communication Skills Every Entrepreneur Must Master

Today's field of communication is much wider than the fields available to generations past. Are you maximizing your message?

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Growing a Business

Apple's Steve Jobs: An Extraordinary Career

Ever wondered how Steve Jobs was so successful? Discover the answers in this comprehensive overview of his life, career and death.

Growth Strategies

Purposeful Growth: How Germany-Headquartered Henkel Is Pursuing Its Mission To Be "Pioneers At Heart, For The Good Of Generations"

It's one thing to make a statement that underlines the importance of innovation- it's another thing altogether to have it actually engrained within a company that's of Henkel's scale.