Tag Archives: entrepreneurship

Ethics, Innovation among Tunisia’s Entrepreneurial Ambitions

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For months, the world has followed the unrest and protest in North Africa stemming from unemployment throughout Tunisia and Egypt. America.gov asked several Tunisian entrepreneurs to share their stories of business development amid the strife in their region.

Mr. Nazeh Ben Ammar is President of the Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce and multimedia company, Excellencia. He recently spoke on entrepreneurial challenges in the Arab world with Jonathan Ortmans, President of the Public Forum Institute and senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation. Read about their conversation on the Policy Forum Blog.

A man kissing the Tunisian flag

A man kisses the Tunisian flag during a demonstration in Tunis against high prices and unemployment.

Two major events took place in my mother country, Tunisia, while I was in the US. The first was in 1987, when I was completing my bachelor degree at Purdue University. The second was less than a month ago, and I was in California spending four days heading a delegation of major Tunisian entrepreneurs in the IT sector who were taking inspiration from the Silicon Valley spirit to help Tunisians back home.

I am quite accustomed to this environment as I spent nearly two years at Stanford University. My trip back to Silicon Valley was like a pilgrimage for me, 20 years after graduation. Having written my masters thesis on innovation and entrepreneurship, I felt I had returned to my roots. I have applied my studies during my career by focusing on bringing technology, innovative approaches and the entrepreneurship culture back to Tunisia.

For more than a year and a half now I have presided over the Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce (TACC). The chamber has a major role to play in today’s world in developing the entrepreneurial spirit, increasing investment from within Tunisia and the United States, and increasing trade between the two nations.

As a leader of an NGO, a trade company in electronics, an air conditioning company and a real estate company, I felt a lot of institutional pressure coming from a bureaucratic, police-like administration with the stick on our head coming either from customs or the Tunisian IRS. Our doctrine has been to remain ethical and environmentally friendly, which creates quite a challenge when surrounded by unethical practices.

I am proud to be part of the first revolution of the 21st century. The most challenging part is yet to come, and we Tunisians need to bring back our Phoenician, Carthaginian and Mediterranean character and strength of mind. The world is watching us.

The Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce will delegate in Washington, DC March 6-10, 2011.

Tunisia’s Viral Spread of Compassion, Rebellion

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For months, the world has followed the unrest and protest in North Africa stemming from unemployment throughout Tunisia and Egypt. America.gov asked Bilel Bouraoui and several Tunisian entrepreneurs to share their stories of business development amid the strife in their region.

Portrait of Bilel Bouraoui with arms crossed

Bilel Bouraoui

My co-founders and I left the San Francisco Bay area for Tunisia two years ago to meet Tunisian venture capital funds managers and start an online social media business. We had no idea that we were going to witness one of the first social-media fueled revolutions.

We were aware of the Internet’s potential to change the region and the country where we were born, but we were far from grasping the extent to which the country’s tech-savvy, highly-educated youth would embrace it and integrate it into their lifestyle. It was obvious that a new generation of incredibly talented and creative young people had emerged. Yet, we had no clues to the plethora of skills they collectively showed.

It all started with Mohamed Bouazizi, a jobless young man from a remote town ending his own life after suffering an overwhelming injustice. As his story resounded so heavily in the hearts and minds of his region’s youth, they all stepped in to denounce a regime that seemingly no longer cares for its citizens.

That was the beginning of a month-long spiral during which the regime repressed its people, news and shocking videos spread over the Internet, and more people joined the revolution. Compassion and rebellion spread virally through social media networks. For weeks, young people across the country spent their days chanting in the streets and their nights exchanging information on the web until the whole nation was on the same wavelength. Pressure has mounted, people have died, and as more of them died, more became united and determined until the regime could no longer stand the pressure and collapsed.

Determination, compassion and creativity are the skills that helped the young people of my country achieve what once was considered impossible.

For an Internet entrepreneur, living the “Revolution 2.0” from the inside was a humbling experience. It is a promise for a better future, not only for Tunisia but for all nations with a young and well-connected population.

Turning Setbacks into Success and Sustainability

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For months, the world has followed the unrest and protest in North Africa stemming from unemployment throughout Tunisia and Egypt. America.gov asked several Tunisian entrepreneurs to share their stories of business development amid the strife in their region.

Headshot of Ziad Oueslati

Ziad Oueslati

Mr. Ziad Oueslati has studied at MINES ParisTech in France and at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in America. He is a Founding Partner and CEO of TunInvest-AfricInvest Group.

Upon completing engineering studies in France and the US, I decided to return to Tunisia to contribute to its development and that of Africa. After a few years with an international bank, I created with two partners the first private equity boutique in North Africa. We shared the same drive to help indigenous entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises to emerge, grow and excel. In time, we managed to expand our activities to a wide number of countries across the African continent, offering financing, coaching and strategic guidance to nearly 100 entrepreneurs and SMEs.

We learned during that period that the main ingredients for building successful and sustainable businesses in Africa – particularly in Tunisia – are transparency, ethics, interest alignment, market viability and strategic vision. We endeavored to reinforce management with the right people, properly incentivize them, seek larger markets through export strategies, promote social and environmental responsibility, and enhance corporate governance at all levels. This also meant avoiding partnering with politically exposed persons, no matter how enticing the opportunity or intense the pressure. That was particularly difficult in Tunisia over the last 10 years, given the rampant corruption of the family of the ex-Tunisian dictator.

This course has spared us from major setbacks after the regime change. Although we foresee difficulties in the short term, we are confident that the cleaner economic environment will restore investors’ confidence and boost private investment and entrepreneurship.

Tunisian entrepreneurs should invest in people and training and seek smart foreign partnerships that bring true added value and technology transfer. To be sustainable over the long term, they should also dare to go outside their borders to neighboring markets and beyond.

Competition, Expansion in Tunisia’s Future

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For months, the world has followed the unrest and protest in North Africa stemming from unemployment throughout Tunisia and Egypt. America.gov asked several Tunisian entrepreneurs to share their stories of business development amid the chaos in their region.

 

Ali Belakhoua stands among tech equipment

Ali Belakhoua

Ali Belakhoua is the Managing Director of STARZ Electronics. He is a Tunisian-American Electrical Engineer with a degree from the University of MO Rolla and was born in St. Louis, Missouri. For more information about Ali’s company, visit www.starzelectronics.com.

The future is in Tunisia. When my family returned to Tunisia in 2002, we realized that it was the perfect place for starting a small company. We founded STARZ Electronics, an electronic and cable assembly manufacturer, in Bizerte with only six employees. Now we count more than 80 permanent and temporary workers, and we are continuously re-investing in equipment to expand our capabilities.

Tunisia has an abundant supply of educated youth with a high work ethic. We have used this asset to grow our business and be very competitive. I would encourage young graduates to attain a well-rounded education with technical training and a focus on language skills. The government also provides a great deal of help for youth recruitment and training.

Our proximity to Europe makes Tunisia ideal for serving the entire European market and North America. Surface transportation is rapid and inexpensive between Tunisia and Europe, so we provide our customers a perfect alternative to subcontracting work in Eastern Europe. Our labor costs are almost as competitive as those in China. English and French language skills are also keys to our success.

The challenge is to continue to expand. We need to spread the word about Tunisia’s potential and highlight the countless success stories of businesses that have found the perfect operating environment here.  For companies moving operations from Europe or the U.S., Tunisia is an ideal alternative to China. 

I Work, Therefore I Exist

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For months, the world has followed the unrest and protest in North Africa stemming from unemployment throughout Tunisia and Egypt. America.gov asked several Tunisian entrepreneurs to share their stories of business development amid the chaos in their region. 

Headshot of Chema Gargouri

Chema Gargouri

Chema Gargouri is the manager and major shareholder of the Centre for Applied Training, a private company focused on business development. Six years ago, Gargouri founded the Tunisian American Association for Management Studies, a community development and micro lending NGO located in a very poor area of Tunisia’s capital.

For individuals facing exclusion and unequal chances, entrepreneurship is not only an economic answer for unemployment, it builds self-esteem and human dignity. The failure of our society to make men and women feel like full citizens can only lead to frustration, humiliation and despair.  Mohamed Bouazizi’s act of desperation is a tragic example of what can happen when opportunities for young men and women seem non-existent.

Youth are entrepreneurial by nature, but efforts to encourage and support these tendencies were stymied in the past. Today, we must do more to enhance that entrepreneurial spirit and attitude. This is not a choice, but a duty. As a Tunisian woman and an entrepreneur, I recognize that the only difference between me and a micro entrepreneur in a poor community is opportunity. I am no more intelligent or competent than a Mohamed Bouazizi. I am just luckier.

The old regime did not support an independent civil society, including development NGOs.  But in 2006, our NGO, the Tunisian American Association for Management Studies (TAAMS), started working in Borj Louzir, a poor and sensitive area of Tunis. With the support of a handful of international organizations that believed in our mission, TAAMS succeeded in reaching more than 400 families, 1000 individuals and 350 micro entrepreneurs.   

TAAMS’s relationship with our entrepreneurs is built on micro lending coupled with a package of services to their families. Our micro-credit programs offer households the chance to secure an ongoing income, while our youth programs help the children of these entrepreneurs improve their results at school. Thus, the story that I can share is best summed up by the testimony of one 9-year-old boy: “Thank you, TAAMS, for saving me and my family.” I will never forget his face and what a gift he gave me personally.

White House Launches Startup America Partnership

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Last week in his State of the Union address, President Obama emphasized the need for investment and innovation to drive America’s continued economic recovery.  Today, the White House and several senior cabinet members are joining some of the country’s leading entrepreneurs to launch the Startup America Partnership to help achieve Obama’s goal.

Bringing together partners from the public and private sectors, Startup America will help spur entrepreneurial development and increase both the number and success of high-growth startup ventures in the United States.  The Partnership is cofounded by the Kauffman Foundation, an organization dedicated to entrepreneurship, and the Case Foundation, a group founded to encourage civic engagement and philanthropy. 

So far, several American corporations have also pledged their support to the partnership and made commitments including:

  • $200 million of new investment in U.S. companies from Intel and advice on best practices from Intel’s senior leadership.
  • $150 million in investment in 2011 from IBM to fund programs that promote entrepreneurs and new business opportunities in the United States.
  • More than $4 million in 2011 from HP for their Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs, a program to help small business owners build commercial opportunities.
  • A new Facebook initiative called Startup Days to help entrepreneurs connect with business expertise, resources and engineers to accelerate their businesses. 

At the launch event, Obama highlighted the connection between entrepreneurship in America and a thriving economy.  “Entrepreneurs embody the promise of America: the idea that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard and see it through, you can succeed in this country. And in fulfilling this promise, entrepreneurs also play a critical role in expanding our economy and creating jobs.”

Learn more about Startup America.

Reinvention Pays Off for Michigan Brothers

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Karin Rives writes on climate change and energy topics for America.gov.

A Luma Resources plant in Michigan

Robert and Gary Allen, two brothers whose Michigan roofing company fell on hard times when the economic recession hit in 2008, have reason to smile today.

In 2010, they secured a $500,000 federal loan through an economic stimulus act to retool their struggling roofing plant. Their new solar shingle business, Luma Resources, took off as the market for alternative energy grew. Five new employees have come on board so far, and the company expects to eventually have a staff of at least 20.

“In Robert’s words, ‘We reinvented ourselves,’” President Obama said, recognizing the brothers in his January 25 State of the Union Address. “That’s what Americans have done for over 200 years: We reinvented ourselves. And to spur on more success stories like the Allen Brothers, we’ve begun to reinvent our energy policy.” The Allen brothers listened to the president sitting in a coveted spot next to First Lady Michelle Obama.

On Wednesday morning, the day after the speech, phones were ringing steadily at Luma Resources.
“We’re getting a lot of inquiries about our products,” said Gayle Talmadge, the company’s business manager.

Biden in Afghanistan / Voting in South Sudan / Business Conference in Algiers

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Vice President Biden travels to Afghanistan. President Obama praises the timely start of the referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan. The United States and China are working to improve military-to-military relations. A top U.S. official assesses progress in Haiti, one year after the devastating earthquake. President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy meet ahead of economic summits. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says sanctions on Iran are working. In Algiers, entrepreneurs gather and share ideas.

Biden in Afghanistan
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Vice President Biden is in Afghanistan to assess current operations and Afghan army and police training programs and to hold talks with President Hamid Karzai on political and economic progress. Biden, center, met with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, right, and U.S. Army General David Petraeus, left, for an “update from them on the situation on the ground” before his planned meetings with senior Afghan officials, the administration says.

Obama Urges Free Vote in Sudan
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President Obama praised the timely start of the referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan and urged all sides to refrain from intimidation, coercion or violence and to allow voters to freely and peaceably express their will. “The world will be watching in the coming days,” says Obama. At right, South Sudanese men wait to cast their votes at a polling station in Juba.

U.S., China Defense Talks
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The United States and China are working to improve military relations to manage common security problems and promote communication and understanding, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says in Beijing.

Assessing Progress in Haiti
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In the year since a powerful earthquake struck Haiti, an unprecedented international effort has mobilized to bring relief to the country while confronting obstacles both pre-existing the quake and directly caused by it. Deputy Coordinator Kara McDonald outlines the U.S. government’s approach to reconstruction and assesses the progress of the last 12 months.

Obama, Sarkozy Discuss Summits
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President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agree to work closely in preparing for upcoming major economic summits that will address the continuing recovery from the recent recession.

Clinton: Iran Sanctions Working
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Secretary Clinton says economic sanctions are slowing down Iran’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons. “The most recent analysis is that sanctions have been working,” she tells university students in Abu Dhabi.

Amel ChouikhBusiness Conference in Algiers
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Dozens of American and North African entrepreneurs attended the U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference in Algiers in December. Amel Chouikh, right, one of the attendees, says that the conference caused her to see opportunities for cross-border partnerships and for expanding her business outside Algeria and into other Maghreb countries.

2010 U.S. Census Results / A New Climate Law / Literary New York

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The first results of the 2010 U.S. census are in; learn about the findings. In California, comprehensive climate legislation will go into effect in January. A new report says that Afghan businesses have great growth potential. At a business conference in Algeria, Tunisian and Moroccan entrepreneurs enjoy networking opportunities. And finally, explore literary New York.

First Results of 2010 U.S. Census
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The first results from the 2010 U.S. census reflect a modest overall population growth over the past 10 years, with continued population shifts towards Southern and Western states. The newest data will cause changes in the location of U.S. congressional districts. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, right, says the data will also be used to determine how federal resources are allocated and will help businesses identify new markets.

New California Climate Law
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With national climate legislation stalled in Congress, environmental advocates are focusing on action-oriented states like California, where the most comprehensive climate legislation in the United States will go into effect in January.

A Boost for Afghan Business
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A new report says that the private sector in Afghanistan has great potential for growth under improved business conditions, citing food production, mining, light manufacturing and services as particularly promising sectors.

Tunisian Entrepreneurs Meet
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Twenty-two Tunisian entrepreneurs attended the U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference in Algiers, which was organized by the State Department in partnership with the U.S.-Algeria Business Council. The conference featured panels and networking opportunities for up and coming North African business leaders.

Moroccan Youth Network
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After attending the U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference, young Moroccan entrepreneurs learned fear has no place when it comes to starting a business. Student Hamza El Fisiki says promoting entrepreneurship among Morocco’s youth is an important component to attracting overseas business.

Literary New York
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New York’s book culture sustains great writers and their work. Read about literary culture in the city and hear from authors Tom Wolfe, Pete Hamill and Emily Barton. Founded in 1927, the Strand Book Store, right, located on the corner of Broadway and East 12th Street, occupies five floors and contains 18 miles of books. The New York Public Library, on 5th Avenue at 42nd Street, is an integral part of the intellectual fabric of American life with more than 1 million books.

Rights of Indigenous Peoples / Engaging with Asia / The ACE Awards

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President Obama announces U.S. support for the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. After a year of “practical progress,” the United States will continue its strong engagement with Central and South Asia in the coming year. A U.S.-North African partnership is expected to yield new jobs. And finally, the winners of the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence are announced; read about their work.

Obama Backs Indigenous Rights Measure
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The United States is lending its support to the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, President Obama says. Speaking at the White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, Obama, at left with Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Indian Nation, tells a gathering of Native Americans that he hopes “we are seeing a turning point in the relationship between our nations.”


Progress in Central Asia
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This year, U.S. efforts to intensify engagement with Central Asia have brought results across a wide range of issues, says Robert Blake, the U.S. assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs. “I can assure you that that high-level engagement will continue in 2011,” says Blake.

Stronger U.S. Ties With South Asia
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Robert Blake says the United States “will continue our very strong engagement” in South Asia. President Obama’s November visit to India launched the countries’ “global strategic partnership,” says Blake.

U.S.-North African Partnership
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Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, Jose Fernandez recently unveiled the U.S.-North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity during the U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference in Algeria. Fernandez described the conference as an important step toward deepening economic relations with Muslim majority countries around the world.

The ACE Awards: Denimatrix
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Guatemala City-based Denimatrix, which opened for business in 2009, makes jeans from cotton grown in the United States. It received the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for its embrace of ethical business and labor practices.

The ACE Awards: Mars Inc.
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Mars Inc. — the U.S.-based company that makes Snickers, the world’s biggest selling candy bar, and other confectionary treats Mars received the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for its work helping farmers in Ghana to produce better cocoa yields. The program, a partnership among Mars, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Cocoa Foundation, invests in research and distribution of tree seedlings to enable farmers to grow more disease-resistant and higher-yielding trees.

The ACE Awards: Cisco
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Cisco Systems Inc., an American maker of information-technology products, receives the Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for its work strengthening the Palestinian economy and fostering engagement among Palestinian, American and Israeli businesses. At right, participants in Cisco’s Neta program learn English and technology in a youth club environment.