Mohamed Ghaith of Zeew.
Tell us about yourself?
I am the founder and CEO of Zeew.eu delivery systems which is currently used across 100+ countries. Other than that I am a technology entrepreneur and a crypto trader from Egypt.
I started out with my first software business at 16 by selling it door to door in my city Alexandria, Egypt.
What do you think is the single biggest misconception people have when it comes to startups?
According to me, the biggest misconception people have about startups is that it is your sole aim to gain funding as a business. This eventually leads to tunnel vision and shifts the focus from solving an actual problem and gaining traction for it.
It is a misconception that has become very common nowadays and it makes entrepreneurs feel discouraged as they overanalyze the long road ahead.
If you could go back in time to any moment from your journey, and give yourself one tip, what would it be?
The one tip I would like to tell my younger self would be to not say yes to everything. Especially when it comes to customer requests.
Yes, you’re supposed to design your product according to your customer’s preferences, but every customer’s needs are different and if it doesn’t match with that of the larger market base then it is not viable for your business, and you have to say no to the request.
What makes you stand out as an entrepreneur?
Persistence and disruption. I believe in it. I wake up every morning with a mission to build great products that’ll help thousands of users globally.
My problem and solution-focused approach sets me apart from everyone.
What are some of the best working habits you’ve gained over the past couple of years?
In the past couple of years, I have learned to trust people to do their job right, anticipate motivations to keep my team on the same page, as well as to communicate things effectively to maintain coordination inside and out of the workplace.
Also, I developed a routine of waking up every day at 5 am, listening to one audiobook summary before starting my day, then I start with the big tasks for an uninterrupted 4 hours of work before the entire team comes to work.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
The main influence behind the company is the belief that having huge ambitions is good, but you are supposed to start small, build smart and build gradually.
Other than that I feel that automation is the key to success and scalability, and it is something that has hugely impacted my business as well.
Where do you see your business in five years?
I see our business using metaverse to make the food ordering experience better. Customers can order in the virtual restaurant, dine in, and meet people as avatars while the food reaches their homes through food delivery. It is an exciting space and we are working on getting into it early.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you in getting there?
Digital literacy can be a big challenge to achieving that. Other than that, getting people to change what they are habituated to, can be quite challenging as well.
Changing consumer behaviour to show them new methods of ordering, making ordering fun and engaging will increase sales for our clients.
Talk to us about your biggest success story so far?
Zeew is now serving 1000+ customers across 100+ countries and different verticals including logistics, restaurants, grocery, and pharmaceuticals.
Other than that we recently managed to get $630,000 as seed funding for the startup bringing our total funds to $1 million, which we plan to use to serve more customers worldwide.
How do clients and customers find you? Are you much of a salesperson for yourself?
Most of our clients find us organically. We are in the top 3 searched food delivery systems on Google. We keep reiterating with Google Adwords to reach more customers.
Yes, I think I am. As I believe that a good tech product is useless if it’s not sellable, and to sell it you have to be aware of the sales aspect of things. So, I keep myself up to date with methods of sales.
What one tip would you give to fellow startup founders?
My advice would be, Keep it simple. Try to solve the problem in the most optimal way possible with the least amount of resources possible. Once you gain traction, everything else such as accelerators and funding will follow and help you grow.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings both you personally, and your business?
In the future, I hope to do things that help me grow, both as a person and as an entrepreneur. I wish to expand the impact my business has on people and their lives. Lastly, I hope that the tech of the future makes our lives simpler and easier and solves real-world problems.
