Tips for startups

Growing up exposed to the construction and real estate industry, Zahra Zanjani brings years of leadership, managerial and sales experience to her team. As a director in one of the biggest tile suppliers in the country, FC Floor Center, she regularly manages big teams and handles client affairs. This, together with her knowledge of local business processes, puts her in the perfect position to run CUBO’s operations.

CUBO was a concept submitted by Zahra’s cofounder, Earl Forlales, to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors as part of the international competition they hosted, “The Cities for Our Future Challenge 2018.” The original winning concept was a complete ecosystem. With the prize money Earl received, he wanted to turn the concept into a business. A few weeks later, Zahra joined as his cofounder and COO to run and focus on the manufacturing of the CUBO Modular House Kits.

According to Zahra, “CUBO was created as a response to the huge housing backlog the Philippines is facing. The design is inspired by the traditional Bahay Kubo.”

Zahra and Earl aim to make CUBO accessible to all Filipinos and dream of having CUBO all around the country.

At 23, Zahra became a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur in Asia. At 25, she was awarded as one of the “Gen.T” Leaders of Tomorrow recipients.  Zahra holds a degree in Management Economics from Ateneo de Manila University.

With CUBO cofounder Earl Forlales.

Here are Zahra’s top 10 pieces of advice to budding entrepreneurs:

1. Explore opportunities as much as you can, whenever you can. I remember my peers celebrating graduation out of town and me staying home because my parents were strict. So instead, I took online classes, watched YouTube videos for new skill sets, listened to Business Podcasts in traffic, attended seminars hosted by different organizations just to expose myself to a whole new world of opportunities.

Fast forward to today, people ask why I seem to know about different aspects in business at such a young age and it’s because I exposed myself willingly from the start and that was one of the greatest things I could have done for myself.

2. Acknowledge your privilege and your capabilities. Privilege is very different from luck. Luck is pure chance and it’s an idea that you should throw away when you’re talking about success. Privilege is having access to resources or opportunities that your environment has allowed you to have. There are plenty of ways you could gain this privilege, from being born into it or even having a support system that enabled you to access these opportunities that not everyone has. Once I acknowledged what I had and the environment that my parents worked so hard to set for me, I knew that I could use it to build something even greater.

3. Use that privilege to do something bigger than yourself. Once I understood what I was capable of doing, I wanted to use it to make other people’s lives better. Of course, I had my own intentions, I am a businesswoman after all, but the greatest achievement I’ve had so far is knowing that something good is coming from it. My work hires employees so that they can provide food for their families, send their kids to school, and build a stable life for themselves in a time of uncertainty. Apart from our employees, the product itself aims to help those in need of a home — by providing a dignified housing solution that people can access in the standards that they deserve.

4. Do it with passion or not at all. If you’re not going to do something whole-heartedly or with the intention of doing your best, then it’s just as good as not doing it at all.

5. For every step back, don’t worry, just move two steps forward. “Don’t worry, smile and enjoy,” my father says often! I’ve learned to move on pretty quickly whenever there’s a problem. I always try to understand how it happened, why it happened, and what you can do to make sure it never happens again. After all, there are things we can and cannot control. So focus on what you can control and move forward.

6. Not time management, but energy management. There’s only so much we can do within 24 hours and that’s one of the reasons we get stressed and anxious. Thus, I started focusing on managing my energy instead of my time. If there’s something important coming up that would require my full focus and energy, then I’ll need to prepare in advance. The same goes for social activities or hobbies as they require energy and should be factored in. I would always ask myself, how much energy do I want to consume on this specific task or activity? Am I expending too much or too little? Is it time to rest and recharge?

Zahra with her team.

7. Be compassionate; listen before you talk. I’ve learned that being an entrepreneur or a leader doesn’t mean that you should be the only one heard. Most mistakes I have made are because I failed to listen. So always listen, empathize, ask questions, assess the situation, and know how to move forward.

8. People are your biggest assets, so trust that they’ll perform. No matter how smart or innovative a businessperson is, he or she cannot expect growth if they work alone. In my experience, acknowledging the talent and the capabilities of other people can drive immense growth and create even more opportunities towards success. So delegate, listen, train, reward them when they do a great job, and trust that they can handle their job well.

9. There’s an opportunity when you’re intimidated. Being a 20-something-year-old female in the stubborn, age-old construction industry seems like a terrifying idea. I would walk into meetings amongst middle-aged men with no background on engineering or architecture to justify my credibility. But I’d like to view these moments where I was intimidated because I wasn’t like everyone else as an opportunity to bring a unique perspective that no one else in the room could. That made me confident in my decision to pursue this career.

10. Always know whom you’re doing it for; have faith. No matter how tiring a day’s work is, or stressful a problem you’re facing has become, always know that you can find solace in both faith and family. I’m grateful for a support system that has never lost faith in me. Growing up as the only Muslim in my peer circles, my faith has been tested many times. I find peace at the end of the day knowing that I serve a greater purpose and that’s also the same reason why I choose to wake up and say thanks every morning before facing another day head-on.

(We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @monsromulo.)