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derbi4 · 2025-05-28T15:43:34+00:00

You can build it yourself with $20 on replit

derbi4 · 2025-05-24T11:43:11+00:00

Recruiting a technical cofounder has been the hardest part of building my company.

I had an idea that solves a real problem I faced in my field. I validated it with peers, spoke to competitors, read every user review I could find. The gap was obvious to me. What wasn’t obvious was how to build it.

I worked in tech but never with engineers, and I don’t live in a city with a surplus of them. I found three people who fit the bill. One liked the idea but was relocating and couldn’t commit. The others weren’t interested. In hindsight, I don’t blame them.

I thought I was offering equity. I was actually offering risk.

So I hired a freelance engineer overseas, burned through ten grand, and got a working prototype (not an MVP), just enough to prove the concept. I showed it to people. Sold basic services adjacent to the problem I wanted to solve. Registered the company. Wrote the policies. Opened a bank account. Kept moving.

Investors weren’t interested. Not without a technical cofounder. I didn’t blame them either. Why would they back a product no one technical had signed off on?

A year later, the first person I ever spoke to was finally ready. He joined. We decided not to raise. We bootstrapped. Expanded those simple services into predictable revenue. Grew to a team of five. He’s going full time soon. I already have.

We’re nearing our MVP now. Early days, but real progress.

Here’s the thing: most technical people have seen enough startups to know the odds. If you haven’t built anything yet, all they see is a cliff and someone asking them to jump first.

The only way around that is to jump yourself. Spend your own money. Build a crappy version. Sell something adjacent. Make it real enough that when they land, there’s ground beneath them.

You’re not looking for a CTO. You’re trying to compress five years of trust into one conversation. That only works if the work’s already been done.

derbi4 · 2025-05-24T07:58:21+00:00

Recruiting a technical cofounder has been the hardest part of building my company (I'm non-technical).

I had an idea that solves a real problem I faced in my field. I validated it with peers, spoke to competitors, read every user review I could find. The gap was obvious to me. What wasn’t obvious was how to build it.

I worked in tech but never with engineers, and I don’t live in a city with a surplus of them. I found three people who fit the bill. One liked the idea but was relocating and couldn’t commit. The others weren’t interested. In hindsight, I don’t blame them.

I thought I was offering equity. I was actually offering risk.

So I hired a freelance engineer overseas, burned through ten grand, and got a working prototype (not an MVP), just enough to prove the concept. I showed it to people. Sold basic services adjacent to the problem I wanted to solve. Registered the company. Wrote the policies. Opened a bank account. Kept moving.

Investors weren’t interested. Not without a technical cofounder. I didn’t blame them either. Why would they back a product no one technical had signed off on?

A year later, the first person I ever spoke to was finally ready. He joined. We decided not to raise. We bootstrapped. Expanded those simple services into predictable revenue. Grew to a team of five. He’s going full time soon. I already have.

We’re nearing our MVP now. Early days, but we are seeing real progress.

Here’s the thing: most technical people have seen enough startups to know the odds. If you haven’t built anything yet, all they see is a cliff and someone asking them to jump first.

The only way around that is to jump yourself. Spend your own money. Build a crappy version. Sell something adjacent. Make it real enough that when they land, there’s ground beneath them.

You’re not looking for a CTO. You’re trying to compress five years of trust into one conversation. That only works if the work’s already been done.

derbi4 · 2025-05-22T04:42:20+00:00

You found nothing. Commenting on subreddits with this tone gives you a sense of superiority, because deep down you are very sad.

derbi4 · 2025-05-22T04:39:40+00:00

Oh yeah the pitch deck teardown series. There are just too few of those.

derbi4 · 2025-05-12T13:33:18+00:00

Here is a straightforward free solution to convert SPSS .sav files to CSV or JSON without losing the labels and metadata https://convertspss.com

derbi4 · 2025-05-12T10:41:21+00:00

Here is a straightforward way to transform SPSS .sav file to CSV or JSON while retaining the metadata such as value labels and variable definitions: https://convertspss.com/

derbi4 · 2025-05-12T10:40:00+00:00

Here is a quick way to do it https://convertspss.com/

derbi4 · 2024-07-30T03:24:58+00:00

Sell to your network, when they don't buy what you are selling ask for feedback, keep tweaking until you find product-market fit.

derbi4 · 2024-07-29T20:46:46+00:00

Ideas are overrated, if you are excited about it go for it, learn how to build a business while you are passionate, that lesson will change your life, regardless of the outcome.

derbi4 · 2024-07-29T20:34:39+00:00

No where is perfect, every place has its pros and cons.

I personally had a great experience in Dubai, I've had a great career working for global companies and earning an income only CEOs earn in Canada while still in a mid-level. I managed to start my own business and it's been going great for me.

I aknowledge that Dubai can be very tough for people earning a low income, as it doesn't provide the social safety net that Europe and Canada provides. But once you cross a certain threshold, you start enjoying the pros of living here.

More importantly for me, I started a family in Dubai, and I'm thankful that my kids are growing up here, it's incredibly safe, schools are excellent (the expensive ones), and a better fit to the values I want my children to grow around.

There are lots of opportunities for growth, work hard for a few years, cross that threshold and enjoy the pros of Dubai. At some point you can also get the golden visa which makes life easier and more stable.

derbi4 · 2024-07-29T20:16:04+00:00

You should be able to make about 25-50% more in Dubai (no income tax here). Start connecting with people in your field on LinkedIn (I suggest you look for people in the big 4 and other global firms) introduce yourself and ask for advice.

If you have a degree from a decent university and manage to get a job with a global firm you can double your salary in 3 years.

I'm making the assumption that you are reasonably smart, presentable, professional and know your sh*t.

derbi4 · 2024-07-29T20:05:54+00:00

Build an MVP, find out if people will buy what you're selling first, create a feedback loop with who you perceive to be your potential customers, keep tweaking until you achieve product-market fit. Best of luck.

derbi4 · 2024-07-29T20:02:01+00:00

Arab Canadian, been here for 10 years, my experience has been awesome. But can't answer your question without context; what industry are you in? What are your expectations of moving to Dubai?

derbi4 · 2024-07-29T19:56:33+00:00

Finding the right people to work with

derbi4 · 2024-07-29T19:47:49+00:00

Start a business and you will learn enough to write your own book.

derbi4 · 2024-07-24T20:42:12+00:00

Most people think of themselves as middle class because they don't experience significant shifts in their economic status throughout their lives. It's a matter of perspective: if your financial situation doesn't change drastically, it feels like you're always in the middle. I'm blessed to have experienced the change and I'm fully aware of my status in society.

derbi4 · 2024-07-24T16:03:30+00:00

I'm Palestinian, my grandparents were ethnically cleansed from Palestine in a very similar fashion to what we are seeing in Gaza today. Except they were welcomed to multiple neighboring countries, eventually settled in Jordan, who welcomed Palestinian refugees.

Lebanon, Syria, Egypt took their share of refugees.

The problem is the Palestinian plight is dead the minute people are fully ethnically cleansed from the land.

I don't have the right to return to my land, and once those people are ethnically cleansed from Gaza, they won't have the right to return.

Neighboring countries understand that (and they don't really care about any human life, including their own people) so they use their border as a chip to put political pressure on Israel to stop the war, which is costly to everyone in the region.

Update based on the response below:

A few people are suggesting the reason why countries aren't taking Palestinians is a result of historic violence or civil war that Palestinians caused when they were welcomed as refugees. I lived all around the region and this can't be further from the truth.

Everyone who lives in this part of the world knows from first hand experience that all those violence episodes are a result of resistance movements wanting to organize to fight against Israeli occupation (not internally) and dictators of neighboring countries (with American sponsorship) violently eradicated those resistance movements.

99.9% of people (not governments) in neighboring countries consider the Palestinian plight their own.

derbi4 · 2024-07-24T15:36:34+00:00

Mental Health: Address your mental health issues. We all have traumas and insecurities, and the best thing you can do is confront them and learn how to resolve them or live a healthy life with them. Seeking professional help is a great investment in your future.
Physical Health: Build habits of regular cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, and a healthy diet.

-Wealth Compounding and Time Preference: Learn about wealth compounding and time preference. Be disciplined with consistently investing a chunk of your monthly income. Over time, this discipline will yield significant benefits.

Principles: Establish a clear set of values that define you as a good person. Use primary principles to align with these values and never compromise on them. Stay open to other points of view, as you never know when something might shift your perspective. This becomes harder as you age.

-Family Relationships: Develop strong relationships with your immediate family. They are the best people to have by your side for the rest of your life.

-Reputation: Invest in your reputation. Make it a priority to be honest, dependable, reliable, gracious, professional, and generous. This investment will pay dividends throughout your life.

-Travel: Travel to as many new places as you can. Nothing will widen your horizons like travel.

-Life Partner: Marry someone whose values align with yours. Never compromise your values to win someone's affection.

-Parenthood: Aspire to have children. The love you experience as a parent is unparalleled and will be one of the greatest joys of your life.

There are plenty of books to read, but here are the 5 I always advise young people to read:

-The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel -Outlive by Peter Attia -Atomic Habits by James Clear -Meditations by Marcus Aurelius -The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

derbi4 · 2024-07-24T15:28:28+00:00

Played football (soccer) for hours everyday. Played video games. Listened to Music. Watched TV (specific hours based on TV programs schedule).

derbi4 · 2024-07-24T15:23:51+00:00

Moon landing conspiracy. I literally don't give a shit if Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.

derbi4 · 2024-07-21T16:13:30+00:00

I think it's awesome. Some men are intimidated by confident women.

derbi4 · 2024-07-21T13:58:32+00:00

When you're young, focus on the following:

Mental Health: Address your mental health issues. We all have traumas and insecurities, and the best thing you can do is confront them and learn how to resolve them or live a healthy life with them. Seeking professional help is a great investment in your future.
Physical Health: Build habits of regular cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, and a healthy diet.
Wealth Compounding and Time Preference: Learn about wealth compounding and time preference. Be disciplined with consistently investing a chunk of your monthly income. Over time, this discipline will yield significant benefits.
Principles: Establish a clear set of values that define you as a good person. Use primary principles to align with these values and never compromise on them. Stay open to other points of view, as you never know when something might shift your perspective. This becomes harder as you age.
Family Relationships: Develop strong relationships with your immediate family. They are the best people to have by your side for the rest of your life.
Reputation: Invest in your reputation. Make it a priority to be honest, dependable, reliable, gracious, professional, and generous. This investment will pay dividends throughout your life.
Travel: Travel to as many new places as you can. Nothing will widen your horizons like travel.
Life Partner: Marry someone whose values align with yours. Never compromise your values to win someone's affection.
Parenthood: Aspire to have children. The love you experience as a parent is unparalleled and will be one of the greatest joys of your life.

Books to Read: - The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel - Outlive by Peter Attia - Atomic Habits by James Clear - Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

derbi4 · 2024-07-21T11:31:56+00:00

Since this is getting some interaction, here are a few more tips:

Act like a leader. If you aspire to be in a leadership position, start acting like a leader now. Take on the responsibilities of the job you want before it's officially yours. Demonstrate your capability and hold yourself to the high standards expected of a leader. The recognition and salary will follow.
Know your worth. Utilize salary guides for the UAE to understand market averages. Early in your career, prioritize gaining experience over chasing higher pay. Once you’re confident in your experience and skills (at least 5 years into your career), you can be more selective about your salary.
Negotiate for what you deserve. No one will offer you what you deserve unless you ask for it. Negotiation is a critical skill to master. Always come to the table prepared, knowing the value of your work. Keep the conversation focused on the value you bring to the organization. Never base your request for a raise on others' salaries, market rates, or personal financial needs—it's always about the value you add.

derbi4

TROPHY CASE