At a very young age, his entrepreneurship journey started. From The food and beverage field, to real estate and finally the visual field, he proved that money is not everything, and with only 50$ as a budget, you can build up a successful startup and transform it into concrete business. Ra2ed has met the young entrepreneur Mostafa Moussa in New York, who shared with us his success story.
Mostafa, how did your entrepreneurship journey start, and can you list your milestones?
My entrepreneurship journey started at a very young age while attending college. I followed the footsteps of my father and launched a restaurant concept which I have also designed. I was very happy with all the guest’s reactions, they were very impressed with the design and started asking me to help them with interior design projects. After that I was hired to design and decorate a magazine office, a bar in Zamalek, Cairo, In addition to other projects. I have faced many challenges and some of my projects weren't so successful but that never stopped me and I kept going. My next milestone was attending London School of Economics which was a dream for me. The journey of an entrepreneur begins at a very young age and it is certainly not easy, but if you believe in yourself you can do it. After having my own men’s wear store in Egypt, I have decided to move to New York and attend Parsons grad school, where I have studied fashion business. I found myself more intrigued by fashion and wanted to take it to the next level.
The following Milestone was working in real estate and being part of some major multi million dollars’ deals. launching Maven Images was of course the biggest challenge and also the biggest reward for me.
Next milestone was being able to host many charity events and fundraisers helping my community especially working with The UNWRA and Syrian Refugee Network raising thousands of dollars for them to help with the cases they are working with. The latest milestone is getting into Fordham Law school to do my Masters degree in Law. Living in New York is tough and is challenging everyday, but if you find your way you will thrive.
What is your source of inspiration?
The source of my inspiration is my passion and creative vision. Every day I ask myself what do I enjoy the most, and try to do that and focus not to ever be distracted. I always keep learning and never stop trying.
Why did you start Maven images?
I was working in real estate and I had a need for photographers as well as all my fellow brokers. We could not easily find reliable photographers. I asked myself, why don’t I work on that idea? Later on we grew from just photography into virtual staging and real estate marketing. It was the perfect combination of my previous experiences and now my database is about 25,000 real estate brokers and I have worked with the biggest real estate firms in New York City.
What are the difficulties you encountered in establishing your company?
Photography is an art, and the biggest difficulty was finding reliable staff that can answer my client’s needs. Time is also a big challenge and I solved that by having an office in India that works around the clock for my company for all virtual staging which also help by keeping the cost down and we are indeed able to give our clients the ultimate service: high quality images with a low price in a very short time.
Where do you see your company in 5 years?
I see Maven Images sponsoring big real estate events and trade shows. I see Maven Images working on corporate accounts and also doing business with the 4 big players, New Jersey, Florida, California, and Texas
Composition, Lighting, Emotion. Which one of those do you feel has THE greatest impact on making an image stand out?
A perfect image is to capture the spirit of the room itself. We have photographed and staged properties from rental studios in Brooklyn and Queens to Town homes and Pent Houses that are worth 10's of Millions of USDs in Manhattan. Each room has a unique feature that we must highlight. The biggest goal for us is to show the full potential of each room.
How much in your opinion Social media is affecting nowadays the success of any company?
Social Media is a very important aspect of my business. It is a service to get in touch with potential clients and have your voice heard free of charge. We have worked with celebrity brokers and star architects that I have met through social media. At Maven Images we make sure to keep interacting with all our followers across all social media platforms. They love seeing the transformations we create for our projects specially the before and after shots. We even had inquiries from real estate brokers in Europe and even Asia asking us to stage their listings all thanks to social media.
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who have an idea and are afraid to get started?
Do not limit yourself. People think you need Thousands of dollars to start a business … this is “WRONG”. Believe it or not I started Maven Images with 50$, I only had to pay the initial fee for a website and I designed it by myself, and I literally had zero experience with web design but thanks to many services I was able to do it on my own.
All the success we had is dedicated to the time my associates and I have put in to grow the company. If you have an idea, work on it and let it grow organically. If you believe in it enough people will believe and trust you too. Don't say no to anything just do you best and it will be a learning experience for you regardless of the outcome.
Taking on new projects is scary but just for the first time. Starting small has a lot of advantages and if you are afraid you are going to have many distractions from your current job, I say that is a great thing. When you find yourself distracted all the time by answering potential client’s questions, you are ready to do it full time.
What were you doing the last time you looked at a clock and realized you had lost all track of time?
I was studying for my Law school finals at the Fordham Library and I realized it is 2 am and I need to go home to sleep because I had an important business meeting the following day.
First, I have always wanted to pursue a law degree. Fordham is one of the most prestigious law schools in the country and when they were offering the master’s degree program, I was the first in line and I have been honored to be chosen as one of the first class to graduate with a master’s degree in Fashion Law in the whole world.
How do you find time to go to grad school and run a successful business?
It is all about balance. When I see people who say I have no time to do important things I cringe, I am running my own business and getting my masters in Law while keeping up with a healthy social life. Of course at certain times I focus on work or school more but that is not the norm. Always find that balance and make time for what is really important. If you are a planner, you can do it. If you want something bad enough or if something is special to you, you will find the time to do it.
What book do you think everyone on the team should read?
Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William URY
What business would you love to start?
I would love to start my own fashion line.
Which Three Adjectives Describe Your Strengths?
Passionate
Positive
Courageous
Can you share with our readers 5 success tips?
- Dare to dream
- You can get anything you want if you work hard enough to have it
- Think of yourself as a human magnet, constantly attracting what you speak, think and feel
- Surround yourself with people who are going to take you higher. In one way or another you are the combination of the 5 people you spend the most amount of time with.
- Take into account that great achievements involve great risk
What is your last word?
I am a big believer in the Law of attraction and I think that every person is responsible for his own life and doing your best now will ensure the best future for you, it is all about progress not perfection. There will always be distractions and you will make mistakes that will discourage you, but If you wait for perfect conditions you will never get anything done.