From The Investor Desk: Plus VC’s Hasan Haider On What MENA Founders Should Prioritize Amid Market Shifts
"I think the most important thing to give yourself and your team time and space to adjust, and settle in to a new normal."
Periods of disruption tend to test not only business models, but leadership itself. For founders across the Middle East currently navigating a rapidly evolving environment, the challenge today lies in maintaining clarity of focus, while continuing to make decisions that will safeguard the long-term trajectory of their companies.
At moments like these, the perspective of investors can offer a useful lens. Sitting across portfolios that span industries, markets, and growth stages often allows them to identify patterns and emerging pressures earlier than entrepreneurs can from inside their own companies.
From The Investor Desk is thus a new editorial series by Inc. Arabia that seeks to capture perspectives from across the region’s capital ecosystem on the priorities that entrepreneurs should keep front of mind as market conditions evolve. Kicking this series off is Hasan Haider, Managing Partner at UAE-headquartered Plus VC, sharing his viewpoint on what MENA founders should focus on in the current climate:
1. Safety above all else.
“There can be a sense of if we ignore it, and just do what we were doing before, we'll be okay. I think that is a way to deal with what is happening, but above that, you should always take into account your safety, your family’s safety, and your team’s safety. Both physical, and definitely mental safety, should be your priority.”
Hasan Haider. Image courtesy Pluc VC.
2. Take time to adjust.
“Humans are incredibly adaptable to all situations we find ourselves in. I think the most important thing [is] to give yourself and your team time and space to adjust, and settle in to a new normal. We are luckier than most countries in the world, with great defense forces and leadership, working on our safety and sense of normalcy; so, this adjustment should work well.”
3. Understand the risks; look for opportunities.
“You need to be aware of everything that can change and go wrong in the current environment. Payments delays, customers churning, decisions taking longer, cashflow pressures. Things outside your control like data centers and the internet going down. Know what you'll do in all these situations as best as you can. The lucky thing (or actually unlucky thing) is that we've been through the COVID-19 crisis fairly recently, and so, we have guidelines around what happens and what we can do in these extreme situations. And always, look at the bright side, be positive, and look for opportunities in any negative shock you need to overcome.”
