I've been thinking about starting a discussion for a while now. Niqash seemed like a good place to start.

I think we have a real need for Jordanian entrepreneurs to share their experiences with the local ecosystem. There's this strange belief that you can only talk about success in a public forum if you're already successful. I totally disagree with that. It's probably more important to learn from failures than from successes.

I'm not saying I fall into either category, but I know that in the two years that I've been working on my startup, I've learned a ton. It seems wrong to not be sharing what I've been through with others.

Let's get this clear, Niqash isn't targeting super-successful entrepreneurs running multi-million dollar startups. I'm aiming my words at the youth. I want to reach young Jordanian women and men who are thinking about startups, innovation, sustainability, and every other buzzword that's being thrown around.

I want them to have a resource of someone like them who started with an idea and decided to chase it. I'd like to share what I do when I wake up, how I spend my time, what I worry about, and how this whole experience makes me feel. I want to share the ups and downs - whether they may be work-driven or just personal. I want to tell you about my failures with total brutal honesty and celebrate my successes with you.

I plan on bringing more entrepreneurs on board with this idea. My goal is to create something like Medium where innovators within the MENA region can share ideas, tips, pitfalls, and general stories. I have no idea if this attempt will flop or not, but I'm gonna give it a shot. If just a few people are able to benefit from this, I'll be content.

I'm going to be posting on a weekly basis (most likely every weekend). In parallel, I'm recruiting other local entrepreneurs who are interested in contributing to this discussion and expanding the range of ideas on Niqash so stay tuned for some exciting stuff. See you next week.

Cheers,

Omar Rida