He believes in passion, patience and persistence, and is moving towards his dream of establishing his own biodiesel industry in the country soon. Meet Khalid Abdulmajeed, the Chance Programme Winner, as he talks to BTW about his dream project.
Tell us briefly about yourself: Where you were born and raised, any special childhood memories?
I am Khalid Abdulmajeed. I was born and raised in Bahrain. My childhood was quite normal. I used to like remote control cars and watches very much!
Give us a brief summary of your educational and professional background.
I possess a bachelor of Economics and Political science from Cairo University, 2009. My first work experience when I was 17 years old as a pump attendant. After graduation, I worked at Alhawaj as sales assistant, BBK as teller, Labor Market Specialist at Bahrain Chamber of commerce and industry. Currently I’m working at Batelco as Industrial/Employee Relations Manager.
How did the idea of starting your own enterprise come about?
The idea started while I was in Rome, a year and a half ago, when I noticed portable public toilets in the streets. I first thought about bringing the same to Bahrain. However, after further searching I found that Europe use sanitary waste to produce fertilizers, gas and water.
After that, we started thinking what are the wastes in Bahrain that are not utilized. We finally reached the used cooking oil. Â Â
Tell us about Biodiesel and the main services provided by it.
Biodiesel does the same job as the normal diesel. The engines do not need modification to use the biodiesel.
What have been the most common service requirement of your company so far? What do you think is the reason for that?
Our main service will be to provide the biodiesel.
Is there any memorable experience as an entrepreneur that you would like to share with us?
I’m still in the progress of being an entrepreneur. However, during the
past five years, I have been always looking to have my own business and studied 5 different businesses. I started with the UNIDO entrepreneur program and currently ended with Chance Program organised by Youth Pioneer Society.
Where do you see Biodiesel in the next 5 years?
I see Biodiesel produced all over the GCC and then expand in the Middle East.
What according to you are the essential qualities of a successful entrepreneur?
Passion, persistence, patience and the most important thing is to have a vision.
What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs of Bahrain?
Do not give up. Failure does not come from falling down. Failure comes from giving up.