Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in AI but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Christophe Zoghbi, Founder and CEO of Zaka, located in Beirut, Lebanon.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Zaka is an Artificial Intelligence education company that offers technical programs to help fresh graduates and working professionals acquire marketable skills in AI and successfully transition into the job market. Our programs are hands-on and practical and focus on the tools & skills needed in today's job market.

We also offer high-level AI literacy programs to make sure everyone understands this powerful technology, no matter their background.

Tell us about yourself

I first came across Artificial Intelligence while working on my first startup back in 2014. I was immediately hooked and fell in love with the whole field of AI and Machine Learning. I wanted to share my passion and help push AI in Lebanon (where I'm based), so I founded a community called Beirut AI (beirutai.org) that was focused on raising awareness of AI and making sure everyone understood how to apply it. Throughout the community events that we organized, I quickly realized that there was a gap between what people knew and the skills required for the job market. Mass education was needed in order to see fruitful AI adoption, and this problem wasn't just in Lebanon but rather across the MENA region. And from this need that we identified, Zaka was born.

Zaka's mission is to push AI in the MENA region through community building and education. The positive impact that we have on people's lives is what motivates us to push forward and keep going every day. We've helped more than 500 individuals get started with AI and shift their careers toward the field.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Zaka is a bootstrapped startup coming out of a region that has a lot of problems. Specifically, being based out of Lebanon has definitely had its challenges (legal, financials, and infrastructure), but I'm proud to say that we've managed to overcome these challenges and push through to deliver on our mission.

For the past three years, we've been delivering boot camps and other educational programs across 16 countries in the region, and to date, we have reached more than 3,500 individuals through our programs!

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is the level of responsibility. As a business owner, you are responsible for the success and failure of your business, which can be a heavy burden to bear. You have to make difficult decisions on a regular basis, including managing finances, attracting and retaining customers, and ensuring that your employees are happy and productive. Additionally, there is also a financial risk associated with starting and running a business, and there is always the possibility that the business could fail. This can be a significant source of stress and can make it challenging to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Test the market: Before starting a business, it's important to understand your target market, including their needs and preferences. This will help you to determine if there is a demand for your product or service and fine-tune your business plan accordingly.
  2. Focus on your customers: Your customers are the lifeblood of your business, so it's important to make their satisfaction a top priority. This can be achieved by providing high-quality products and services, responding quickly to customer inquiries and complaints, continuously seeking feedback, and making improvements! By prioritizing customer satisfaction, you can build loyalty, increase word-of-mouth referrals, and ultimately drive growth for your business.
  3. Stay in learning mode: Learning is a crucial aspect of entrepreneurship, and it is essential for success in this field. You need to stay up-to-date with industry trends to remain competitive and identify new opportunities for growth. Also, entrepreneurs must wear many hats, and it's important to continuously learn and develop new skills in order to succeed in a variety of areas such as marketing, finance, legal, and management. Learning can help entrepreneurs to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to focus on developing the skills that will help them grow their businesses.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://zaka.ai/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christophe.zoghbi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristoffzoghbi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristoffzoghbi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophezoghbi/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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