Bassim Haidar: Learning from the billionaire mindset

Who is Bassim Haidar? Not only is he a Lebanese national and
Nigeria-born self-made billionaire, but he is also on the
forefront of innovation and financial inclusion on a global
scale. Starting his first business at just 20 years old, Haidar
has gone on to establish Optasia, a large telecoms provider which
operates in 19 countries and plays a major role in infrastructure
in Africa and the Middle East. He now has a stake in a variety of
industries including fintech, logistics, energy, engineering, and
medicinal cannabis.


Here's what we discussed:





Can you describe your journey to the position you hold now?
(01:03)

You mentioned that you failed in one of your previous
ventures. How did you deal with that failure? (08:53)

Do you feel that identifying a future gap in the market is
the biggest key for an entrepreneur? (11:30)

Your company offers banking to developing markets and you
have 650m users across the world. Why is extending financial
inclusion to the unbanked developing world important to you
personally? (15:45)

How does accelerating affordable smartphone ownership
positively impact people? (18:40)

What are the differences between the way the western world
and less developed countries welcome new technology? (20:37)

How has growing up in Nigeria shaped you and the way you look
at the world? (22:18)

Is entrepreneurship something that you're born with or can it
be learnt? (24:46)

Would you say that a fear of failing is a universal
characteristic of entrepreneurs? (28:15)

Imposter syndrome is discussed a lot on our podcast and in
the West in general. Is this something that is spoken of in the
West exclusively as part of a privilege or is this something that
you've noticed in developing countries too? (29:45)

Do a lot of people, you would be considered to have ‘made
it’. Do you feel this way? How do you continue to motivate
yourself? (35:31)

Do you ever have moments when you don’t feel confident or
lose your sense of purpose? (37:34)

How do you deal with stress? Are there things you do to wind
down? (39:32)

You founded your own venture capital firm, Knuru Capital.
What advice would you give to business owners about achieving
investment? (40:07)

Answer the Internet: can you become a billionaire with $5m?
(44:56)

What makes a great business leader? (45:09)






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