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2. 2 OUR STORY WHO SAID: FOLLOW YOU GUT FEELING? WE WOULD BE IN THE FOOD BUSINESS TODAY Our paths started differently. Hiba started her own business – she knew she never wanted to work for anyone and Rafa got employed in a big firm to gain experience in Marketing and Sales and eventually do her own thing! We’ve always known we wanted to do something together – after 5 years of work experience, we started brainstorming, thinking how we could combine our skills to start a business doing something we love. For all those who know us well, the first option would be to choose the food business. The business plan was done, we found a location, a name, started thinking about the menu…, we even started telling our friends about it… when everything was ready and we were about to sign the lease contract we had a change of heart … we couldn’t picture our life leading a restaurant … as young women, still at the beginning of our family lives, we thought keeping long hours, working on weekends, 7 days a week, would prevent us from enjoying other facets of life.

3. OUR STORY One objective→ ultimately work together One idea→ be innovative One concern→ stand out in whatever we do, fill a gap by starting a “demand-driven” business One wish→ be “exclusive” “niche” “selective” One strength→ knowledge of competition One shared feeling→ passion for the job

4. AN EXAMPLE OF SHARED LEADERSHIP By definition leadership is the privilege of one person Our short (9 months!) success story proves that this is an additional challenge to face for young entrepreneurs: We have to remain friends We have to listen to the OTHER We have to accept to share responsibility (not only authority) Preach the same culture in 2 voices Sleep in 2 different beds but share the same dream Trust that the OTHER will do an as good job as me Project ourselves a one role model: passionate, decisive determined Be humble: it is a sign of maturity

5. OUR STORY WHO SAID: YOU CANNOT CHANGE YOU MIND AND REVERSE THE COURSE OF THINGS? This is where our next idea came up … our passion for sports. Hiba was already training in freelance, she new there was a demand for that in the area. Sports and health are a growing trend worldwide, and in Lebanon people are starting to feel it as well … We wanted to do something different We wanted to offer people a customized service And TRAINSTATION WAS BORN!

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7. THE VIDEO

8. THE CHALLENGES The economical environment and the unstable political situation Sports is still considered a luxury in Lebanon The competition is fierce and the market is small But... THOUGH TIMES MAKE GREAT COMPANIES

9. THE CHALLENGES Being a “niche” studio and keeping our structure lean Learn from others' mistakes, impose a strict pricing strategy and stick to it Turn some negative factors the gender (woman) and the age (young) to our advantage by becoming friends with our customers, by being present and being involved in their fitness program Enjoy a good relationship with the staff despite our young age and know where to draw the line of friendship: a difficult task Accept to share tasks, divide responsibilities and become co-managers: an ideal situation... not impossible to achieve but not easy! HOW ARE WE FACING THEM?

10. CONCLUSION We are determined to win and Innovation has been key in our start up operation. But we know We will last because of a lot of Perspiration by building the customer base, maintaining a high standard offering and above all, turning a challenging business into... a FUN Adventure

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