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OUR STORY

• WHO SAID: FOLLOW YOU GUT FEELING?• WE WOULD BE IN THE FOOD BUSINESS TODAY

Our paths started differently. Hiba started her own business – she knew she never wanted to work for anyone and Rafa got employed in a big firm to gain experience in Marketing and Sales and eventually do her own thing! We’ve always known we wanted to do something together – after 5 years of work experience, we started brainstorming, thinking how we could combine our skills to start a business doing something we love. For all those who know us well, the first option would be to choose the food business. The business plan was done, we found a location, a name, started thinking about the menu…, we even started telling our friends about it… when everything was ready and we were about to sign the lease contract we had a change of heart …

we couldn’t picture our life leading a restaurant … as young women, still at the beginning of our family lives, we thought keeping long hours, working on weekends, 7 days a week, would prevent us from enjoying other facets of life.

OUR STORY

• One objective → ultimately work together

• One idea → be innovative

• One concern → stand out in whatever we do, fill a gap by starting a “demand-driven” business

• One wish → be “exclusive” “niche” “selective”

• One strength → knowledge of competition

• One shared feeling → passion for the job

AN EXAMPLE OF SHARED LEADERSHIP

• By definition leadership is the privilege of one person• Our short (9 months!) success story proves that this is an

additional challenge to face for young entrepreneurs:• We have to remain friends• We have to listen to the OTHER• We have to accept to share responsibility (not only

authority)

• Preach the same culture in 2 voices• Sleep in 2 different beds but share the same dream• Trust that the OTHER will do an as good job as me• Project ourselves a one role model: passionate, decisive

determined• Be humble: it is a sign of maturity

OUR STORY

• WHO SAID: YOU CANNOT CHANGE YOU MIND AND REVERSE THE COURSE OF THINGS?

• This is where our next idea came up … our passion for sports.

• Hiba was already training in freelance,• she new there was a demand for that in the area.• Sports and health are a growing trend worldwide, and in

Lebanon people are starting to feel it as well …

• We wanted to do something different• We wanted to offer people a customized service• And TRAINSTATION WAS BORN!

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THE VIDEO

THE CHALLENGES

• The economical environment and the unstable political situation

• Sports is still considered a luxury in Lebanon

• The competition is fierce and the market is small

• But . . .

• THOUGH TIMES MAKE GREAT COMPANIES

THE CHALLENGES

• Being a “niche” studio and keeping our structure lean

• Learn from others' mistakes, impose a strict pricing strategy and stick to it

• Turn some negative factors the gender (woman) and the age (young) to our advantage by becoming friends with our customers, by being present and being involved in their fitness program

• Enjoy a good relationship with the staff despite our young age and know where to draw the line of friendship: a difficult task

• Accept to share tasks, divide responsibilities and become

• co-managers: an ideal situation. . . not impossible to achieve but not easy!

HOW ARE WE FACING THEM?

CONCLUSION

• We are determined to win and Innovation has been key in our start up operation.

• But we know• We will last because of a lot of Perspiration by building the

customer base, maintaining a high standard offering and above all, turning a challenging business into . . .

• a FUN Adventure

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