“The little things are what makes a company unique or different. From a high level, many companies might look identical or competitive with each other. But once you zoom in, what makes an entrepreneur, startup, or business owner stand out are the little things they are doing differently in the day-to-day operations.”

“My experience in repeated pitching taught me the importance of practice and arranging the ingredients, the pieces of your presentation, carefully. The order in which you mention details is key to the audience to which you are pitching.”

“Just like great meals, a successful pitch takes time, and a pitching situation is not the time to fly by the seat of your pants!”

“Every successful cook knows that the first step in creating a masterpiece is what the French call “mise en place” (essentially, everything in place), the steps of preparing to cook, which we will adapt to preparing a pitch.”

“Simply moving forward allows you to just keep going — because you aren’t really taking the time to think about what happened, when or why it happened, or at least having some understanding of what worked or didn’t.”

“As we move into the new year, I encourage you to think about taking a moment to celebrate the successes.”

“From Michigan to San Francisco, from Oman, Jordan, Belarus, and so many others countries, I’ve learned that individuals supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs also need a support system.”

“We all know ideas are worthless unless you implement them. Implementation is where (as we say in Detroit) the rubber meets the road. When reality hits, you still have to adjust or adapt to make sure the product or service is meeting the customer demand or desire.”

“What I have learned is that business owners and leaders who take the time to reflect on what went well, what they could do to improve, and what might have been missed opportunities are the ones who grow at a much faster rate.”

“I’m also thankful for those who told me NO, they don’t want my service or business. As I reflect on the situations, I realized that in most cases, it would have been a disaster to move forward.”

“While you can and should get a formal education, it is good practice to continue to learn on your own. I could not initially take the traditional route due to my situation.”

“People who are there when you need them to keep your business moving forward positively.”

“A business without sales is a dying business unless you have enough money to keep going. Focus on the sales. Stop worrying about the big picture.”

“Accepting responsibility may seem something we all do, but the reality is that most people don’t actually do it.”

“While most people may take notes on what is being discussed in a meeting, leaders take notes and then take action.” -Faris Alami

“What the last two years of COVID have taught us is that how business was done in the past is no longer the only way. The world has shifted.” -Faris Alami

“Leaders that will face challenges head on, admit their mistakes, and figure out a way to overcome or learn from them. Sometimes you can’t overcome the challenge but you can learn from it.” -Faris Alami

“These new ecosystem communities all over the world — some in cities you would never expect — are moving fast and the entrepreneurial world in terms of Angels, VCs, and community builders is paying attention.”-Faris Alami

“Most new or young entrepreneurs are hungry for a network of professionals with which to share insights and stories, grow their knowledge and understanding, and garner support for their work.”

“Most people start by describing what they do, occasionally telling you how they do it, and rarely why they do it…It can be hard to open up and be vulnerable, sharing your story or journey.” -Faris Alami