Let's take a walk...
- Ruba Eltigani-Jeník
- Dec 22, 2021
- 5 min read
Barefoot.. On Abu Dhabi Cornish we walked...its a week day, I don't see many people on the beach.. Some are swimming but we are here to walk.. I felt the sun light reflecting everywhere.. Your shinny eyes, your hair, the rocks on the beach.. The ice cream cafeteria across the other side.. The benches close to the entrance.. It was not hot..so we walked..
I sipped off the half empty cold bottle of water in my small pink backpack.. Do you want some? I have a second one I said.. "No.. I'm cool, go on".. So I carried on in our long heart to heart conversation.. "Here's how I got here I said".
After I graduated with distinction from IT in Czech Republic, I joined McKinsey and company as an IT analyst; a dream job. Feeling homesick I left Europe back to my hometown Abu Dhabi, Emirates, to work as a business analyst in prestigious government institutions, such as Abu Dhabi statistics center, Abu Dhabi judicial department, and the GD RFA Immigration. My most recent job was a product manager in a dynamic AI national startup. Business has always been in my mind since I completed my MBA because I was never fulfilled in a career, I wanted more…
In 2009 I started my photography business, not because I’m artistic, but because Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad Poor Dad advised to master a framework at any scale; to understand how business works, how to craft your offer, to address your clients, negotiate deals, handle employees, adjust to your market, build systems.. Financial, marketing, sales, customer service.. And once you have mastered that framework, you could scale and achieve success in any business you create, and so I did. Though my photography business was a side hustle, I achieved six figures in two years.
In 2020 my business collapsed, covid hit the whole sector and I also lost the job I had. I remember sitting on the chair in front of the HR administrator, my hands were on the white cold table as I heard her saying: “we decided not to move forward with your contract”. My manager sitting next to me interrupted “you are really great but not quite what we are looking for at the moment”. I could not hear a word pass that.. all I had in my mind was “how am I gonna pay my rent?”
My husband's business in Europe was hit too. We hit rock bottom. I remember holding the mobile phone in my hand as it rang, I told my husband this is it. It was our landlord calling. I pick up the phone.. Aloo.. He told me that we have five days to evacuate.
Eventually, being two business people we managed to cut some deals, wave some payment and with a bit of a family support and some creativity in our businesses, we got through these difficult times.
Interestingly, during those difficult times, the only income I had was my online income. This made me question how secure is a career? You can lose that great job one day; despite of your sacrifice being away of your family, raising your kids, or attaining personally to your elderly.. How sustainable is traditional business? Specially post COVID the increasing operational cost, overheads the rent the high, licensing, advertising, marketing, to name but few.. bottom line, it’s expensive to survive and scale it unless you have a decent budget.
I resumed the research I had started in 2015 about online business. Unlike traditional business where 80% of companies startups fail within their first five years, success chances of online business are much higher and results can be seen in average three to five years.
I stumbled against passive income. Explored it, and tried to find my way through, but unfortunately I failed. I chased free content but it left me scattered and in square one. I had gained enough knowledge to realize that I need help; Trial and error could take 5, 10, 15 years or more. That’s time I didn’t have.. The knowledge industry is an industry that’s booming its estimated of 235 billion by 2025 and it will not wait for me to ride it, I must move fast. Books don’t have clear step by step action plan either, I needed the advise of an expert, I knew it was about time to invest in a course, but I hesitated because good courses are not cheap.
Let me narrow down my focus I said. I found out that Online courses and at the peak of sustainable online passive income. So I tackled that on my own, but it didn’t quite click. I had problems with completion rate and therefore sustainable client base. When I created my first online course, I went though it with my dad.. I made a comprehensive workbook that takes him through a journey, but after the second day he said this seems like an exam. If my phd dad didn’t enjoy or completed this. I knew I needed to figure out a smooth framework. I needed a coach.
When my father had a stroke, I felt the urgency to succeed & scaling big, so that I could contribute to providing monetarily to my family.
I took a leap of faith and I invested in my first online course and I never looked back. Forward, I invested in every aspect that I thought was a necessary for me to complete my holistic view. I learned the Online Courses blueprint from the best in the knowledge industry, then invested in public speaking courses with public speaking gurus, voice coaching, financial planning, purpose, meditation, direct marketing, sales, life planning, social media strategies, and more. over the last two years I invested about $10,000 with top niche coaches like Tony Robbins, Dean Graziosi, Lisa Nichols, Emily Fletcher, Jim Kwik, T. Harv Eker, Dan Kennedy, Michael B. Beckwith,Dan Lok, and platforms like Mindvalley and Domestika.
Today I run a business that I love. I have the freedom to spend time with my son and hubby, and to attend to my aging parents in person - No way I could have spent three months in the hospital with my dad when he was recovering from a stroke had I worked 9 to 5. Last year I made 16k though my online courses & other online incomes.
Over the last two days I got about 1000 responses across my social media accounts collectively, from women around the world who were interested to work with me closely to leverage my framework the high ticket online course formula that provides them with the opportunity of freedom, impact and a sustainable income stream.
I have chosen to work exclusively with only five of them shifting their minds, sharing their skills and life experiences while making an impact. Let’s do this, five women a time.
Excited! there is still so much more to accomplish.. 299 million women are in the Arab world.. 3 billion women worldwide.. and all of them are potential.
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