After 10 years as an investment banker, Mehdi Nayebi came up with an idea for a potentially lucrativ...

1. Co-founder's adaptability and strong business acumen is a
winning ticket
After 10 years as an investment banker, Mehdi Nayebi came up with an idea for a potentially
lucrative venture. In 2012, armed with an enviable contact book and financial knowhow, he joined
forces with family friend Tina Mashaalahi and set up KweekWeek, a ticket-selling platform.
"It was unorthodox, but we got a very good amount of funding from my old managers - senior people
in the bank," says Nayebi. With high-profile competitors such as Ticketmaster and Eventbrite
already dominating the market, he nevertheless convinced them that KweekWeek was worth
backing.
"In London, there's an enormous market in the events industry and it was something we could sell to
everyone: tourists; someone who knows London really well; people in their 20s, 30s, 40s," he says.
"A lot of our competitors were created in an era when there were no smartphones or social
networks. They had hardly evolved from traditional web businesses. The shift in technology gave us
the opportunity to compete with companies that were far ahead [of us]."
Nayebi's hunch proved right: the brand has grown 20% per month since launching in 2012 and now
is responsible for over £150,000 worth of ticket sales each month.
Nayebi describes KweekWeek's business model as being similar to Airbnb. Free events have no
listing charge, while KweekWeek takes a commission from paid-for tickets.
However, inspired by companies such as Spotify, Nayebi is testing out a new model. KweekWeek is
becoming a subscription service where planners are charged a monthly flat rate fee for listing as
many events as they like.
Mashaalahi admired her co-founder's adaptability and felt they would work well together. "We're
both workaholics and perfectionists, and are keen on self-development," she explains.
"Mehdi's business background, his connections and the bridges he's built, have meant it's a lot
easier for us to raise funds."
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from the convenience of buying your policy from the comfort of your armchair, it has more
importantly, allowed us to obtain quotes from numerous insurance companies. In the early days you
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give up after just a few quotes. These days we have a number of insurance price comparison web
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progress for you!. Clicking on the following link will provide information on Compare Motorcycle
Insurance Prices.
Instilling a positive, hard-working company culture has also been important. Nayebi says that
working in a small office means that "everything influences everyone". So he has to be tough when it
comes to hiring decisions.
"You can have a truly talented person that joins your company, but if they don't share your passion

2. you need to be able to immediately go your separate ways," he explains. Mashaalahi says Nayebi
leads by example: "He's very ambitious and that rubs off on others."
Nayebi was keen to build a multicultural company and all 14 employees have a second language,
while most are from outside the UK. This has helped KweekWeek to gain a foothold in new markets,
which is integral to Nayebi's plans for the future of the business.
"We've seen events promoted organically in five or six countries," he says. "My aim is to take that
approach to the next stage, hiring two or three more salespeople and really attacking the market.
We have the right talent and exposure, and there's nothing to stop us."
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http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/may/07/co-founders-adaptability-strong-b
usiness-acumen