Every business, no matter how big or little, needs to expand its service or product to a certain market or audience. A select group of people who demand the supply is given it based on demand. Basically, market research consists of two stages. First, as is common knowledge, some businesses don’t need to select a specific target market because all types of consumers can use their product or service. Second falls under a limited or format since they only have a limited amount of demand and a certain audience.
Here, we discovered such an online marketing firm. MEC Workshop began operations in 1996 in Beirut, where it offered clients internet marketing services such as: online marketing, including digital, applications, e-commerce, NFT marketing, tokenization, etc., blended with on-the-ground marketing based on reliable market data.
Both buyers and sellers found traditional marketing to be more user-friendly thanks to digitalization. Since the advent of digitization, internet marketing has become a dominant global force.
What do you think are the responsibilities of an entrepreneur?
In my opinion, an entrepreneur is everyone who works for a firm, including the accountant, business development officer, creative thinker, financial expert, and salesperson. She assumes many roles to make sure his or her business is successful and that the goals and vision are realised. An entrepreneur does everything in his or her ability to expand his or her firm and, at the same time, serve as a mentor to all of his or her employees, keeping their spirits up by inspiring them to perform better and share his or her vision.
Can you please brief us about your professional experience?
In 1996, I commenced my commercial endeavours by assuming a modest office within my Dad’s business. Despite having no money, I persisted in pursuing what I believed to be my calling. I reflect on all the obstacles I endured to get to where I am today, 26 years after I began MEC Workshop. I persisted in my belief in MEC Workshop’s goal and worked incredibly hard to keep pushing forward in what I believed by developing my talents so that I could contribute value and solutions to every problem MEC Workshop encountered.
I was always the team leader, demonstrating to the group that anything is possible with the correct attitude and commitment. With the use of this mentoring technique, I was able to develop a strong team with links that no powerful tide could rip apart. I believe that skill plus action plus belief equals 100 percent success.
What are the key achievements of your entrepreneurial journey?
My crucial achievement in my entrepreneurial journey is my discipline. It is easy to lose focus, specifically if you are your boss. But being dedicated, perseverant, and very disciplined in how I conduct business and approach clients made me who I am today. I consider myself a unique person given my knowledge, skills and business proposition.
Given that I am a mix of a Creative Director, Client relationship Officer, Business Development Officer, Experiential Officer, Strategist, Negotiator… you name it, I learned to make sure whenever I am seated at a table. As a result, I bring value and solutions without the need to tell my prospective client, I will get back to you on this.
How do you look after your employees? What makes your team unique?
I consider my crew to be family. Families have close emotional ties, much like my team and I have. I sincerely believe that your staff will experience a sense of belonging if you laud and support them for even the smallest amount of growth and take care of their personal professional development goals. And being a part of the team makes every team member a spokesperson for your business.
The fact that we stick by each other, encourage one other, and work together to find solutions is what makes us strong, yes, us, as I am a member of my team. By reducing the fear of failure, I was able to get the MEC Workshop team to perform above and beyond everyone’s expectations. I taught them to see every error, every setback, and every problem as a chance for growth.
Tell us about the company – MEC Workshop.
As I previously indicated, I had no financial backing when I opened the MEC workshop in Beirut in 1996. Joining the company run by my father. I used to be able to accomplish anything; I was a salesperson, an accountant, and a graphic designer. I looked for the chance that launched MEC Workshop, the Badaro Phone book, since I knew I had a lot to contribute to the advertising and marketing sector. MEC Workshop opened many doors for me and connected me with a lot of leads that eventually became clients. As MEC Workshop developed to rely on dial-up internet and phone conversations, I also worked with freelancers to assist me with the project.
The business proposal I was making at the time presented a challenge to me. People were unaware that I had already outperformed my rivals, who had only begun working similarly to us in 2020 with the global introduction of COVID-19. However, at that point we were the experts who were able to work remotely even without zoom. The technology we were given because of the epidemic increased the value of our services. How? Due to budget restrictions brought on by the pandemic, businesses had to discharge their staff, so we replaced them.
When clients had a full-service cloud agency operating as part of their team with no overhead costs, our value proposition and structure came in handy. Since its foundation in Beirut 26 years ago, MEC Workshop has come a long way. We have offices in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, and our global workforce serves both start-ups and big corporations.
What are the products/services the company focuses on? How are your services different from those in the market?
Our products/ services vary continuously as they follow the customer’s needs and market trends. And that is what makes us very different from our competition. We are 100% customer-centric and proved it by walking the talk. When we first started, we were only a BTL workshop. Why workshop? Because we roll our sleeves and work, and secondly, because we work for agencies by white labeling them, I opted for the MEC Workshop to remove any doubts of competition.
Then we moved into experiential marketing, giving a unique customer experience that starts from the client’s office to their customer. We made people live the talk, feel it and build a strong emotional link to the product/ brand. Today, our core services are online marketing, including digital, apps, e-commerce, NFT marketing, tokenization, etc., mixed with on-ground marketing with solid market insights through our research team that keeps our initiatives/ services 100% customer-centric.
