Hi, I’m Shajin Mohamed
Even though it’s easy to write these titles, it wasn’t easy to earn them. I started my entrepreneurial journey in 2014. My career began in 2004 as a Sales Executive with Yesman Marketing, a South African-based event branding company. I then moved to Expand A Sign, another event branding company and the global leader in instant advertising products.
In a few years, I reached the top of the sales department and became the Director of Sales. After leading Expand A Sign’s sales department for more than eight years, like most salespeople-turned-entrepreneurs, I started calculating the profit Expand A Sign was generating from the work my team and I were doing. 😊 How silly in hindsight!
How I Met My Long-Time Partner Fahad
During 2009/2010, while I was working with Expand A Sign, our office was in the RAK Bank Building, Umm Ramool, Dubai. I used to see a group of Arab men near the corridor, prayer hall, etc. Since my Arabic-speaking abilities were limited, I always stayed away from the group.
One fine day, as I was standing near the corridor, the same group of Arab men was standing beside me. Suddenly, I got a call from one of my Malayali friends, and I picked it up, speaking in the most colloquial Malayalam, assuming the Arab men wouldn’t understand a bit!
To my complete surprise, one of the Arab men, upon hearing me, asked in perfect colloquial Malayalam slang, “So you’re a Mallu?” I couldn’t believe what I had heard, and my mouth was hanging open in complete surprise. Before I could even close it, the Arab man added, “I’m a Mallu, from Calicut,” the very city I am from.
And that was Fahad, my business partner for the past 11 years.Ever since then, we started meeting quite often.
Our conversations quickly shifted to business-related topics, as both of us were filled with entrepreneurial spirits.
Our 1st Unofficial Project
As we started talking business, we usually met most mornings at around 6:30 or 7 a.m. before office hours, as our workday began at 7:30 a.m. We often met in front of the only supermarket, Families Supermarket at RAK Bank Building, while grabbing a quick breakfast.
We noticed that 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. was the peak time for the supermarket, as everyone came to buy ready-to-eat breakfast items like cream buns, bread omelets, noodles, etc. The RAK Bank building was a commercial hub filled with offices, and most offices also began work between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. This led to long queues at the only billing counter, with frustrated customers shouting at staff and worried about being late to work.
It was clear to us that the supermarket was losing at least 50% of its business during this rush hour, as many customers left after waiting too long.
While observing this regularly, I asked Fahad, “Can we try to solve this?”
Fahad replied, “Why not?”
That day, we both headed to work with a plan to meet the supermarket supervisor during the lunch break.
During lunch, we met the supervisor, someone we already knew well, as Fahad and I had been working in the same building for a few years. We said,
“We’ve noticed you’re easily losing at least 50% of your business in the mornings during rush hour, isn’t that right?”
The supervisor replied, “Yes, that’s right. But it’s okay. We have enough business. We can’t hire more staff or open additional counters just for that rush hour because the rest of the day isn’t very busy.”
We responded, “Can we try to solve this and serve all the customers without any extra investment?”
Surprised, the supervisor asked, “How can you do that?”
We replied, “Give us a couple of days, and we’ll come back with a plan.”
He agreed, and as promised, we returned with a solution.
Our Plan
Place a transparent rectangular box
with a lid near the entrance where customers walk in.
Keep a set of brochures
(listing items and prices) near the box.
Provide a set of order forms
One side has fields for details; the other is blank for orders.
Assign a staff member near the transparent box
To explain the process to customers as they entered.
Within the next few days, the supermarket management arranged everything and started the process.
As customers walked in during the extreme rush hour (7 a.m. to 8 a.m.), the staff near the box explained:
“If you’re busy, don’t worry. Please fill this order form and put it inside the box through the slit. You may go to your office, and we’ll deliver the order to you soon.”
The change was noticeable immediately—happy faces all around! Within just a few days, the rush hour transformed into the most positive hour, and the business flow became much smoother.We were thrilled with the success of the project. The supermarket management was also delighted and, within two months, confirmed an overall 30% growth in business.
However, we’re certain that if they only considered the 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. timeframe, there would have been at least a 70% growth during that hour.The supermarket even invited us to officially consult for them, but since that was not our priority at the time, we chose not to accept the offer.
These teachers have helped me dive deep into my epiphany.
2017: I Moved to India
It was a business decision-we always wanted to do something in India, where our hearts belong. While Fahad stayed back in Dubai to take care of the business, I moved to India to explore the market. This move gave me the opportunity to lead businesses in multiple industries, ranging from business concepts to e-commerce, restaurants, and even the metaverse.
How I got into Business Coaching & Training
When I moved to India, I joined BNI, a global business networking organization, as my network in India was not strong. This turned out to be a game-changer.
I met my coaching partner, Hashir Zafran, there. Initially, I fell in love with the café he owned, Breklers Café, which served the best steaks. We became friends, and naturally, our conversations shifted to business.
Since Hashir is a business coach, he introduced me to several training and coaching communities in India and connected me with world-class trainers and coaches such as Blair Singer, Thaddeus Lawrence and Robert Raymond Riopel. This gave me the privilege of learning from some of the best in the world. I am sincerely grateful to these exceptional teachers for their guidance and wisdom.
This journey instilled in me the importance of sharing knowledge with those in need and helping them achieve their goals. Trust me, sharing knowledge is a profound feeling, and helping others achieve their goals is an even better one.
Getting into business coaching has ultimately been the best decision I have ever made. All gratitude goes to my partner, Hashir.
I truly believe that acquiring knowledge and keeping it to oneself without sharing is a very selfish act. The knowledge we acquire comes from others in various forms-whether it’s books, news, experiences, or anything else. These sources of knowledge were created by people, both known and unknown.
So, I’m here to share whatever I know and to receive what I don’t. Let’s spread the light of knowledge and build a sparkling world together.
Shajin Mohamed
