Farah’s talk challenged the way I naturally approach things, especially as someone who prefers structure and having everything planned out in advance. I like knowing exactly what I’m doing and where something is going, but entrepreneurship doesn’t really allow for that level of control. What stood out to me most was her emphasis on adaptability. Farah explained how you have to be able to shift your ideas, respond to unexpected challenges, and even embrace failure as part of the process. Although obvious, that’s something I find uncomfortable, since I tend to see failure as something to avoid rather than something to learn from. Her perspective and story made me realize that being too rigid can actually hold you back, and that success in entrepreneurship often comes from being open to change rather than trying to perfectly plan everything from the start. I also found it very impactful how Farah encouraged us to just start. She said to just start, and not worry about time or money, because funding will come later. The discussion with Farah then encouraged me to be very flexible and open minded with my team in the exercise.

In the team exercise, I noticed how different perspectives shaped the way we approached our idea, which ended up being both a challenge and a strength. My team pitched a website called “Souk Shopper”, designed to help users navigate the souks by offering a haggle guide, maps, and recommendations for reputable restaurants and authentic vendors. We didn’t really run into many chakkenges if I’m being honest, but some of our thoughts on aesthetics and how we designed our website varied. After discussing many challenges people face, both locals and tourists, we were able to combine different viewpoints into something very functional and seemingly handy. A surprise for me was how quickly we were able to come together and decide on an idea, and then the ideas just started naturally flowing and roles started to form within the group. Overall, the best part was seeing our idea come to life through collaboration. Souk Shopper felt like a realistic, useful concept, and it showed how much stronger a project can be when multiple perspectives are involved.