By Forde Womack
On Nov. 12, Maha Abouelenein – an entrepreneur, CEO, and author – visited U of L to hold a panel to promote her new book, “7 Rules of Self-reliance.”
She also hosted a Q&A for students and professors in attendance. The panel was moderated by Raegan Meguiar, a Communication student and Director of Outreach for The Bird’s Nest.
Abouelenein was born and raised in Minnesota and began a career in marketing, later leaving the country at 27 to live with her parents in Egypt. There, she would become a CEO and gain success through working with companies like Netflix and Google.
“Don’t be a waiter,” Abouelenein noted to an audience of roughly 30 in PNC Horn Auditorium. “If you go through your life waiting, you’ll never achieve the things you want. A lot of people have read the book and told me ‘Shoot, Maha got me.’”
Students from The Bird’s Nest Student Agency attended Maha Abouelenein’s panel on Tuesday. Photos by Lauren Cassady Photography.
Abouelenein began her panel by telling students to seize all of the opportunities possible in their given field. She shared a personal anecdote which recalled her first job when moving to Egypt, recalling that the role was the moment she decided to lock in and keep nose to grindstone. Abouelenein was offered an assistant position, which she considered rejecting because she was overqualified.
She took the job on the advice of her father, which she has since carried with her throughout her career: “Put your head down, work hard, and let your work speak for itself.”
Abouelenein’s second point highlighted the importance of reputation. She noted that it’s not just about a social media presence, but rather how one’s physical presence can change the tone of business very quickly.
“It’s about leadership. It’s about ideas – everybody is uniquely qualified to do something,” Abouelenein said.
During the Q&A portion, Abouelenein fielded a number of questions from the audience. When asked about how to acquire clientele in marketing, she divulged into her brief series of jobs prior to her assistant position in Egypt.
She emailed the chairman of her former board and asked directly if they would be interested in collaborating. Abouelenein received a resounding no at first, but eventually they collaborated and became business partners. Because of their interaction, Abouelenein was able to pull clients from both American and Egyptian markets.
Another asked about Abouelenein’s firm, Digital & Savvy, and how it differentiates itself. Through her firm, she has worked with government agencies, retailers, sports leagues, and other large digital brands. Digital & Savvy, as Abouelenein describes on the firm’s website, finds its uniqueness through “creating value through powerful storytelling” and “building meaningful relationships that yield incredible results.”
Abouelenein dons a Louisville Cardinal hat while signing a copy of “7 Rules of Self-reliance.” Photos by Lauren Cassady Photography.
Abouelenein’s most vulnerable moment of the night came when an audience member asked her about identity in the corporate world.
She admitted that she dealt with impostor syndrome.“I built my company in Egypt before moving to the U.S., and I was like, ‘I don’t think I should take the title of CEO’ because I thought the CEO was a man’s title. So I took the title of managing director,” she said.
Despite her doubts, she ended the panel on a hopeful and confident note. “After moving back to the states after 23 years, and moving into my own office, I said to myself ‘I’m going to be CEO,’ and I own it.”
You can find her book, “7 Rules of Self-reliance,” here. To learn more about Maha Aboulenein’s life and career, visit her website and follow her on Instagram.
