Millennial Success Stories: Sabri Ben Radhia, the entrepreneur and global trotter

Q1) Tell us about yourself & what did you study & most importantly, where are you from:

I am the grandson of an immigrant, the son of an immigrant, and finally, I immigrated to Paris 8 years ago. I moved here to work for one of the world’s largest student run organization; AIESEC. For which, I worked for five years.

Before that, I have enjoyed 15 years of playing basketball for a small team in a small town in the northernmost point of Africa: Bizerte.

I also have always been passionate about people and gatherings. I was always that friend who always wants to host the party, cook, and bring different people around the same table. I had the chance to turn this hobby into my job. First, I started organizing the TEDx conferences and then Spark the Change and finally launching my own startup: House of Ichigo.

And this passion has basically driven my whole academic and professional career. I tried different jobs and I’ve also had the chance to educate myself in various fields of study. I wanted to meet people and learn from them and eventually try what they did/are doing.

I’ve managed to procure my bachelor’s in international trade. A master’s in management and finally completed a global executive MBA, which I think honestly was the only degree I have really studied and learned from. But not to sound too mean, I have also learned a lot from universities and jobs that I didn’t like or didn’t feel I belong at. As they say, it’s either you win, or you learn something.

Q2) How did you start your entrepreneurial career?

I have always been interested in entrepreneurship and loved the idea of creating something from scratch and turning it into something useful or impactful. I guess I discovered the entrepreneurial mindset within AIESEC. I had to run different projects and raise money and make sure we deliver the highest quality possible, all of that while still being a student. Then, when I arrived to France, I started organizing the TEDx conferences, and that’s when I fell in love with the idea of becoming a full-time entrepreneur. It took me some time to realize that, but I am finally happy to embrace that way of life and work. It’s what I needed to experience different companies and ways of working. I went from small NGOs to big corporates all that whilst passing by startups. Each experience taught me something and showed me that I am the happiest when I work for myself. But it takes guts to quit your job, go back to school and then start a company. Yet, I can confidently say it’s worth it.

Q3) What was your secret sauce to getting where you are today?

I have three rules that I believe helped me a lot in getting where I am today.

First, questioning everything.

I love questions, and more than that, I love questioning everything I hear, say, or even think about, which is quite hard to live with and very challenging on a daily basis. But, It helps you see things from different perspectives, allows you to take a step back, and assists you in realizing if what your chasing is really what you want or not.

Second, talking to a stranger. The stranger, the better.

I think my network is my most vital asset. Being able to socialize and get to know people from different places and cultures helped me realize most of my dreams and goals. It’s the most significant source of learning, inspiration, and pieces of advice. I have had conversations that changed my life and pushed me to make big life decisions such us quitting my job, starting a company, going on a euro trip. I am not saying that just by talking to people you can achieve that, but it’s the cherry on top. When you have the knowledge, the experience, and the capabilities to do whatever you want to do, all that is missing is to learn from other people and understand their perspective. Then, you can go from good to great.

And finally, perseverance.

I can’t even tell you how many times I wanted to give up and go back to my safety net. And It’s in human nature to crawl back to our comfort zone when things get tough. I have experienced my share of failures, and sometimes I don’t know how I kept going. But the two first secret sauces I mentioned helped me keep moving forward. Because it’s in times of hardship that we need to question ourselves and turn to people that inspire us and guide us. Fall seven times, stand up eight.

And to be honest, launching the House of Ichigo was the result of questioning myself, meeting people, and learning to be more persistent. And the project itself is a way to bring people together and help them develop and evolve through learning, questions, and powerful gatherings.

Q4) What would you advise people that want to create a startup from scratch and are ambitious to reach big goals?

Do not assume that you know what people need. I became a big believer in the test and learn approach. 90% of the startups fail because they didn’t test the market, or they didn’t iterate and adapt to the needs of their potential customers. Most of the time, we get excited about an idea. We become convinced that it will work, so our ego and excitement stop us from seeing what’s wrong with it, and we ignore all the signals. However, I think that it’s always important to take risks and jump on opportunities. So my ultimate advice is to take calculated risks. And the worst that can happen is that we fail and start all over again.

Q5) Who is your biggest inspiration?

My dad (may he rest in peace). Against all the odds, he managed to succeed in his life and learned everything he needed by himself. He sacrificed his whole life to give us a better one. He taught us what unconditional love and kindness look like, not only on a personal level but also on a professional level.

Q6) Could you tell us what skills people need to have to be where you are?

I think many soft skills and power skills are becoming more important to succeed as an entrepreneur or employee today. In my opinion, there are three critical skills that will become inevitably needed in the future:

– Networking and lobbying

– Curation

– Emotional intelligence

Q7) If you would go back to high school & college today, what would you do differently that would help you in your career right now?

Focus more on Math classes. Instead, I was daydreaming about the basketball championship (ndlr: I was a basketball player), but being honest, even that I would hesitate to do the same way. It led me to where I am today, and I wouldn’t change anything about it)