Your Middle East brought together a group of entrepreneurs, predominately women, to discuss ‘doing business in Kurdistan’. The focus of the discussion was how to startup your own business and how make it successful in the Region.

Media news outlet, Rudaw, covered the story with an article, which can be found at:

http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/111120141

“Rejna Alaaldin founded Kurdistan Legal Services, a law firm in Erbil, when she grew tired of working for someone else.  But staffing her young firm has presented challenges.

“It hasn’t been easy working with some of the law graduates, especially with men,” she told the crowd. “Middle eastern men don’t like to receive orders from women, even the younger men.”

Alaaldin pointed out that there is plenty of space for old concepts as well as new, because “quality is what is missing here.” Word of mouth is still the best marketing, she insists, no matter how many Kurds are glued to mobile phones and Facebook.

Belfrage pushed the audience to talk about their businesses even at the early concept phase, when most people consider their plans secret.

“Tell everyone, share your ideas,” she told a shocked audience. “They won’t take it because it takes too much work to make it a reality.”

#YMEstartup attracts big crowd in Erbil to talk entrepreneurship (VIDEO)

Your Middle East link:

http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/business/ymestartup-attracts-big-crowd-in-erbil-to-talk-entrepreneurship-video_28190

“Key to any startup is legal expertise; hence it was not by coincidence that Rejna Alaaldin joined the expert panel. Alaaldin founded Kurdistan Legal Services, a law firm in Erbil, after she lost appetite for working under someone else’s leadership. She mentioned, however, that being a female leader in Kurdistan can be quite the challenge: “Middle Eastern men don’t like to receive orders from women, even the younger men.”