CAI & Associates is your one-stop shop connecting businesses, ideas, and people. Their strategic guidance aims to prepare clients for any event, thanks to their founder Reem Saad. Here are excerpts of eniGma’s Farida Elserty interview with Saad about her company and how she got to where she is today.
Give us a brief overview of your background and how you started your career.
I studied finance and accounting at California State University of Fullerton and then pursued an MBA and an MS in Accounting at Bentley University in Boston. I was born with an affinity for travelling, experiences, cultures, and design, which piqued my interest to start my own consulting company to help businesses bring various pieces of their work together. Our mission at CAI & Associates is to connect businesses, ideas, and people to significantly maximise their impact. We like to advise, but we also help businesses execute plans to take them where they want to be.
Tell us more about the services your company provides.
Our services range from business planning, strategy, branding, food & beverage, financial, marketing, shipping & distribution to site selection, and much more.
What inspired you to start this business?
During the time of COVID-19, many people asked me to advise them on how to start new businesses or to fine-tune their already existing businesses. Due to my previous banking background, I was qualified to advise them financially, logistically, and operationally. After a while, I had a sizable client base that helped me to start my own business and I moved on from my banking job. I started this business because I wanted to help business owners through a one-stop agency that handles all their needs.
What was the turning point of your career?
Actually, leaving the banking sector to start a new life and start my own business was a huge turning point for me.
What challenges did you face while starting your business?
One of the biggest challenges I faced while starting this business was being a relatively young female entrepreneur. People always ask me about my age before asking about my accomplishments. However, I overcame this by building a good portfolio of satisfied clients that answered that question for me.
What is your favourite part of owning a company?
That’s a hard question to answer! But, watching businesses realise their success and getting them where they need/should be is my favourite part of what I do. Not to mention communicating and meeting great individuals from whom I continue to learn day after day.
As a business owner, how do you define success?
In my opinion, the secret is stability and safety. Anything else comes secondary to those two. Reaching the point where you’ve grown enough to know that you and your business are stable enough and can withstand any sort of turbulence along the journey is the epitome of success.
What was the best event you participated in so far?
If I have to pick one, it would be the Gouna Photo Week. I have a passion for photography, so this event was spectacular in many ways. We brought together a unique collaborative event involving a prominent restaurant in El Gouna and a crafting studio from Cairo. Participants had a hands-on, fun, and interactive workshop.
What is your advice for younger generations who want to start their own businesses?
I would say: Don’t wait for anyone’s approval. Believe in yourself. Invest in yourself. Network with others. Go for it.
What are some of your plans for the future?
My dream is to build a company that bridges eastern and western talent, success, and business. I would like it to allow for a fluidity of creativity and business between the regions.
