Turning Leisure into Business

Turning Leisure into Business

Abdullah AlShalabi is an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering from Kuwait University and holds an MBA degree from The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. He is also someone loves fishing for leisure. However, one fine day, when he wanted to go fishing, and found that it was harder to find a boat or route for fishing, he set off to create something that would make every fishing enthusiast’s life less frustrating.

Landing a Business Idea
“I have always loved fishing – but it was very difficult for me to go fishing since I didn’t own a boat,” explains AlShalabi, the Founder of FishFishME. FishFishME is an online service that lets you find and book fishing charters around the world. “Even when I managed to get a boat from a friend, I didn’t really know where to go, or which route to take, to find the best fish. I used to search for someone to take me fishing in every city I lived (Kuwait, Hong Kong and Spain).”

But then, it got difficult for AlShalabi to find information about fishing charters and especially to book one. “So I thought why don’t I create an online platform similar to Booking.com. But, instead of hotels, I will list out fishing charter boats,” adds AlShalabi. After chalking out the wireframe for the site and the features it would offer, FishFishME was launched in February 2013.

Funding the Idea
“I entirely funded the initial 3 months all by myself. I recruited a full-time programer too, to help with the development of the online service. Then in October 2012, I managed to raise $50,000 from an angel investor, who also happens to be my uncle and the person that taught me how to fish,” explains AlShalabi.

The FishFishME Team.

The FishFishME Team.

However, AlShalabi did not jump right into registering the company and proceeding with other legal formalities. “In the early days I didn’t care much about registering the company. Then, seven months since incorporation, I finally registered the company in Kuwait,” says AlShalabi. “In September 2012, I proposed Jose Gil Zafra, a brilliant programmer whom I met while studying in Hong Kong, to join onboard as a Co-Founder and Product Manager. In November 2012, we added Miguel as a Lead Programmer and Christian as a designer, who used to work with us on part-time basis. Today, FishFishME comprises of a team of four members and we might add a couple more to team soon.”

Idea Works Out
Eversince FishFishME went live in February 2013, AlShalabi claims that he has seen a growth in the booking of the fishing charter services. “We are actually shocked to know that many of those who booked such charters through FishFishMe, have actually so for the first time in their lives,” adds AlShalabi. “We also have many female clients. They are super happy to finally have a simple way to book a fishing trip.”

FishFishME is currently working with travel agencies that have showed interest in the company’s services and packages. AlShalabi says that things are moving very fast and he might have a big news to announce very soon. The company also has different marking strategies for each countries it is active in. “Our main focus for now is UAE and Spain. For those two markets, we give our full marketing support including SEO, Google Ad Words, Blogs, and so on,” adds AlShalabi.

Apart from running FishFishME, AlShalabi also founded StartupQ8.com which is a blog, monthly event and a weekly meetup to help establish a startup ecosystem in Kuwait. However, after AlShalabi moved to Dubai, his role has mostly been focused on blogging about his experience in Dubai. “I’m also involved in establishing an Angel network here in Dubai called AngelsDen to help entrepreneurs raise money for their startups,” explains AlShalabi.

Advice for First-Timers
For those planning to setup their own businesses, AlShalabi has a few words of wisdom. “First don’t get obsessed with logistics such as registering the company and raising money. Just try to test your idea as soon as you can and then if you really believe you are building a product that adds value to customers, start thinking of those things,” says AlShalabi. “Also don’t waste your time doing a business plan. Always remember that no business plan survives first contact with customers. Go build a prototype and start selling it to real customers instead.”

AlShalabi also says that a successful startup is the one that solves a real problem, a problem that you encountered before and you hate the fact that no one is doing anything about it. “It’s time for you to solve this problem and make tons of money out of it,” concludes AlShalabi.

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