Aleph print - Live presentation with Mr. Nicolas Dahan

My name is Nicolas Dahan, I am the owner and manager of Aleph. It’s a large scale printing press and we specialize in packaging, publishing and marketing. I am also the founder of A Better Beirut podcast. It’s a talk show where we invite people who have positive initiatives that make the country a better place.

I see a lot of people from very different backgrounds. We get industrial companies, banks, schools, universities… We also get private people like doctors, lawyers, teachers and so on… 

I see a lot of new companies. Mostly from the printing press. They come to print with us business cards, envelopes… all your need to start doing business. A lot of those new companies close down after a year or two. Doing business in Lebanon is not an easy thing. But also, I see quite a lot of people succeed spectacularly. So I wanted to talk about the people who succeed. I made a list of 2 things that I have found in people and companies who succeed.

1 – Focus on solving a problem

When you open a business, you don’t open it for you. You do it for people. A lot of people want to force their own personal taste to their costumer. Although it is very understandable, people will not pay money to get something they are not already convinced.

A friend of mine opened a high end Lebanese restaurant but made it very fancy. Guide Michelin style, 9 course meal. Well people didn’t like that. They couldn’t get more of one of the meals they enjoyed, they couldn’t share their plates, it wasn’t a Lebanese restaurant anymore. The place closed down. Now although the idea was very noble, it didn’t answer any need.

Now of course, some succeed but they are starting with a disadvantage that needs to be addressed. If you want to start with an advantage, you need to start with an opportunity.

Staying in the restaurants business because most people can relate to it. If you want to open your restaurant you can start with an advantage if you find an opportunity. For example, maybe you can find a museum and offer to open a restaurant in their premises. Maybe you see that near a university a certain trending food is missing etc.. 

2 – Look at the future and stay positive

Today, we are talking about abundance and we need to stay positive. There is no successful business leader that is not positive. If we fail to find positivity in our daily life, we can’t move forward anymore. It is very important to see what is coming and foresee what people will want. 

Right now, everybody is home, when they go out they wear a mask and gloves, put hand gel and see as little people as possible. Now although it won’t stay this way (hopefully), people will change their habits to look a little like this. 

So it’s very possible that the triple kiss we give each other will slowly get to two or one kiss. Ordering online will probably a regular thing. Flawless hygiene will become standard. 
Now the question is how do you profit from this? Well if most people can order online, not every business is capable of setting an online store. Technology experts will be highly needed. If hygiene standards will rise, you will need chemicals, you will need people to maintain this level of hygiene.

☝🏻 watch the live presentation ☝🏻