From #32-Abdulmajeed Al Sukhan (CEO of Tamara) on why building companies is tougher than fighting cancer · · TalkswithT
“If you ask me today what is easier, building companies or going through cancer — it's definitely going through cancer for me. Because for me there is a difference between something you can quit mentally and something you can't; you can just quit, go get a job and enjoy life.”
On , Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, CEO & Co-Founder at Tamara, spoke about entrepreneurship during #32-Abdulmajeed Al Sukhan (CEO of Tamara) on why building companies is tougher than fighting cancer on TalkswithT.
Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, co-founder and CEO of Tamara, appeared on the podcast "Talks with Tea" recorded live at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival in April 2024. During the conversation, Alsukhan discussed his entrepreneurial journey and compared the difficulty of building companies to his experience of fighting cancer at a young age. He stated that he finds building companies more difficult than undergoing cancer treatment, explaining that entrepreneurship is something one can mentally quit, whereas cancer is not. Alsukhan also said he believes discipline is "doing what you hate but doing it like you love it" and described it as a superpower that must be built as a character trait. Alsukhan shared several perspectives on business and leadership. He said he refuses to celebrate fundraising rounds, viewing them as recognition rather than achievements, and argued that an entrepreneur's focus should be on the customer and numbers. He attributed the number one factor in a company's success to timing and luck, advising to "work hard, work smart, and get lucky." Alsukhan also noted that the practice of giving credit to known customers in grocery stores inspired his understanding of the buy-now-pay-later market, and he credited the transformation in Saudi Arabia's funding and culture for enabling the current startup environment.