Can you learn how to be a successful entrepreneur, whether it runs in your gene pool or not?

For over 10 years, our guest, Areen Shahbari, has been helping founders adopt an entrepreneurial mindset, instill a creative and innovative culture, and launch, manage and grow successful, scalable, and sustainable ventures.

Areen is the Founder and CEO of Shahbari Training & Consultancy and Cactus International, and she’s a faculty member at Harvard University Extension School and Harvard Professional Development Programs.

She also speaks at local and international conferences and has led training programs in the United States, Chile, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Turkey, Mexico, Bahrain, and Qatar.

Prior to her teaching and entrepreneurial career, Areen worked for ten years in the media industry as a journalist, a TV programming director, and a TV host of six TV shows, where she interviewed hundreds of experts on topics ranging from politics, law, psychology, gender, diversity and inclusion, and business.

She is fluent in three languages, holds a BA in psychology and communication, and an MBA in entrepreneurship from Simmons University School of Business.

Areen takes us on a delicious entrepreneurial adventure where she illustrates many ways to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset through her own founder journey.

00:00 - meet Areen!
05:00 - sharing our love of Simmons University's School of Business All Women MBA Program
09:00 - Areen's origin story - "no" is just another way to get to "yes."
14:25 - Ande shares how she turned a "not just no, but hell no" moment into a YES!
17:15 - mindset hack for when you hear NO (or when folks laugh at your dreams), especially if you are a diverse founder
21:50 - launching a TV show amplifying Palestinian business women's voices - never done before!
28:30 - over 70% of Middle Eastern women do not participate in the workforce, even though they are highly educated
31:00 - Cactus International startup stories - including the reason she chose Cactus - pure deliciousness!
48:20 - how Areen built her entrepreneurship teaching career at Simmons, MIT and Harvard
58:00 - Areen acknowledges that many people came to her aid as she pursued her dreams
1:01:00 - Areen's OUTSTANDING top tips for adopting an entrepreneurial mindset

To learn more about Cactus International, visit: https://Cactusint.com

Visit these social links to connect with Areen and to follow Cactus International:
LinkedIn Areen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/areenshah...
LinkedIn Cactusint: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cact...
Facebook Cactusint: https://www.facebook.com/Cactusint
Youtube Cactusint: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrIU...
Instagram Cactusint: https://www.instagram.com/cactusint/

Thank you for carving out time to improve your Founder Game - when you do better, your business will do better - cheers!

Ande Lyons
http://andelyons.com
#entrepreneurshiptrainingforwomen #diversefounders

ANDELICIOUS RESOURCES:

For more DIY startup advice, please subscribe to my Newsletter, Let’s Stick Together – because it takes a village to raise a business: http://bit.ly/AndeliciousNewsletter

JOIN STARTUP LIFE LIVE MEETUP GROUP
Get an alert whenever I post a new show!
https://bit.ly/StartupLifeLIVE

AGORAPULSE
My favorite digital marketing dashboard is AGORAPULSE – it’s the best platform to manage your social media posts and presence! Learn more here: http://www.agorapulse.com?via=ande17

STARTUP DOX Do you need attorney reviewed legal documents for your startup? I'm a proud community partner of Startup Dox, a new service provided by Selvarajah Law PC which helps you draw out all the essential paperwork needed to kickstart your business in a super cost-effective way. All the legal you’re looking for… only without confusion or frustration. EVERY filing and document comes with an attorney review. You will never do it alone. Visit https://www.thestartupdox.com/ and use my discount code ANDE10 to receive 10% off your order.

STREAMYARD OVERLAYS AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
Nicky Pasquier
https://www.virtuosoassistant.co.uk/
Visit Nicky’s CANVA Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

Nicky’s Canva Presentation Playlist: http://bit.ly/Canva_Present_Playlist

GET VIDEO/AUDIO TRANSCRIBED WITH OTTER.AI
https://bit.ly/StartupLifeOtter

CONNECT WITH ME ONLINE:
https://andelyons.com
https://twitter.com/AndeLyons
https://www.facebook.com/StartupLifew...
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andelyons/
https://www.instagram.com/ande_lyons/
https://www.pinterest.com/andelyons/
https://angel.co/andelyons
TikTok: @andelyons