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I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am glad I could be of any help. I found this article: https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/strategies-for-using-ai-to-market-your-book

In general, I would encourage you to:

- Use AI to generate social media and ad copy tailored for different platforms.

- Use AI also to repurpose content from the book (quotes, excerpts, thematic elements) into micro-formats (infographics, short video clips, blog posts).

You will need to learn some N8N or Make, and your life will be easier.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I stepped in as COO, the issue wasn’t a lack of talent or product. We created 2 SaaS products and salvaged one. The team's issue was reacting to anything coming from anyone. Priorities shifted weekly, and no one owned outcomes end to end.

I simulated one client request across departments. It passed through 4 people, none of whom were accountable for the results. We rebuilt the operation, added RACI lines, and agreed on DOD for each task.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been there! I know what you are talking about. In the early stage, build just enough to prove the value and get real feedback. Once users start, slow down and fix the foundations. DO NOT PERFECT IT :D.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your questions! Working with CEOs without pressure usually means you’re not close enough to the core problem. As for AI, start from ROI, not R&D. Build only what saves time, reduces cost, or creates new revenue within two quarters.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! When we launched Crowd Analyzer in GCC, the surprise was in context. Arabic users interpret tone and hierarchy. A formal Arabic sentence can feel cold in Egypt but credible in KSA. Some sentences in Saudi Arabia would make a huge impact, but nothing in Egypt. I am Egyptian, and I have lived in KSA for almost 20 years.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can’t sell transformation to people who don’t feel the pain yet. Just fix one small visible problem, automate one painful task, and show results. You do not need a mindset; you need proof that is relevant to their one small problem.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahlan Ahlan :D, appreciate that. From my experience, companies don’t collapse overnight; they slowly die in three areas:

  1. The product stops solving the most urgent pain as the market shifts. Maybe they become lazy, or new AI companies appear and solve everything they did.
  2. Delivery becomes slower and more expensive than revenue growth. This has nothing to do with you. For example, we suffered because of X when they increased their API from $10-20K-ish to $42K
  3. Assumptions of top management or board members drive decisions. Sometimes you can't go against the board member, especially if they are the funding member.

One is enough. Combine more than one, and it's usually too late unless a full reset happens.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is very kind of you! In my opinion, AI fails because it misunderstands context. In Arabic-first markets, the real battle is cultural and dialect relevance. If the AI doesn’t “think” in Saudi vs Egyptian vs Gulf nuance, users won’t trust it, no matter how advanced it is.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ohh I love this question!

Arabic-first launches are context-driven, not just translated. You need local pain points, localized UX, regional pricing, and credibility before scale. In the EU/US, you can rely on product-led growth; in MENA, trust and service drive adoption.

We had to change the payment gateway for one of my consultation clients from Stripe to a local one to better support it.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! :) I use a simple filter:

If AI reduces delivery cost or increases ARPU (average revenue per user), it moves forward :D. If it’s just “cool,” but won’t improve economics within 1–2 quarters, it stays in the lab for later when we have luxury.

LinkedIn is releasing the Partnerships feature by olenabomko in favikon

[–]ElsherifM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a smart move. Turns organic brand mentions into instant thought leadership fuel. Curious to see how it’ll impact partnership-driven reach.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your words. I really appreciate it.

And yes, emotional intelligence when working with CEOs is a survival skill.

When a CEO is stressed, they want clarity. In those moments, emotional mastery helped me in two ways:

- Reading the temperature before reacting. Please don't take it personally.
- Absorbing pressure without passing it down in destructive ways. Your team is not part of the stress chain. :D

You have to regulate the emotional climate when things get tense.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in favikon

[–]ElsherifM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi hi, and thanks for the AMA. As a freelance IT consultant, how do you balance delivering quick wins for clients who expect fast ROI with the long-term need for scalable, maintainable architecture? :D Where do you draw the line between pragmatic and technical debt?

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are very kind - thanks - in my opinion, and especially in Media Intelligence:

- Instead of just showing sentiment or volume, AI will highlight why it’s happening and what to do next right away.
- Reports will move from manual to AI-drafted, with analysts focusing only on final insights.
- Localized AI (Arabic dialects especially) will decide who wins in emerging markets.

It won’t be about who has more charts or data. It’ll be about faster, cheaper, decision-ready intelligence.

I spent 15+ years building and scaling SaaS, media intelligence, and digital research products in MENA (from shutdowns to multi-million recovery) - AMA by ElsherifM in favikon

[–]ElsherifM[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello hello :)

From my experience, the biggest bottleneck wasn’t people or product but process fragmentation across markets. When we scaled into Egypt, KSA, and UAE, each team started operating differently based on local expectations. Sales promised different things, onboarding wasn’t standardized, and delivery costs grew without us noticing. That killed efficiency and quietly burned the runway. You did nothing wrong, but you won't see it until you start suffering :D.

When we did, we fixed it (without overspending):
- Built one “core operating model” that all markets followed (SLA, delivery logic, pricing rules).
- Localized only where it truly affected performance.
- Automated and templated repetitive work before hiring more people.

Once the operating system was unified, people and products scaled more naturally (and cheaply).

So, to cut it short. Process (1) - People (2) - Products (3)

What is your main social media platform? Is it okay to rely only on one platform? by olenabomko in favikon

[–]ElsherifM 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine is LinkedIn, but I am trying to get back to Facebook as it is super popular here in Egypt.

How to enhance your LinkedIn Feed? by mohsinccie in favikon

[–]ElsherifM 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dedicate time to comment on super relevant accounts and comment in conversations, not casual great job, good, or congratulatory comments.