Founder Of Ameera Talks Top Strategies for Effective Decision-Making and Business Success

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ameera Hammouda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ameera, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re very focused on here – improving our ability to make decisions. Everyday, we’re faced with decisions that can impact the future of our careers, businesses, relationships and more and so one of the most impactful areas for personal development, in our view, is decision-making. Can you talk to us about how you developed or improved your decision-making skills?

One of the biggest sources of stress as an entrepreneur is inaction. However, as a perfectionist, we often convince ourselves to wait ages to make the “perfect” move. The reality is, there is never a perfect move, just convenient timing and innovation. My advice for anyone struggling with decision making whether it be how to respond to an email or accept VC funding is:
1. Never decide on the spot, step away from your business for at least two days. This gives your mind time to relax and you often come back with a better answer or new proposals.
2. After that short processing time, it’s time to make a decision. Don’t let things linger. My friend once told me when I was overwhelmed by an architecture project in college that I wanted to be “perfect,” to “just start.” Then you’ll figure it out.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Ameera translates to chief, leader, and princess in Arabic. The name is an ode to family, faith, and women’s empowerment.

We create modest,sustainable womenswear in Manhattan using sustainable fabrics sourced from Portugal, London, and America among others. Find us on https://ameerahammouda.com/ or @ameerahammouda_ on Instagram!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Learn fast, analyze often: Make sure to schedule self-imposed regular check ins whether as a team of one or more. Sometimes we get so caught up on the hamster wheel of running the business that we don’t step back to see what is actually working and what isn’t.
2. Negotiate! Negotiate! Negotiate!
3. Never give up! If someone says “no,” you’re asking them at the wrong time, or the wrong person.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

It’s important to consider before starting your brand, how much of development, production, etc. you’ll have to outsource and if that matches how much you can or are willing to invest. If they’re not aligned, think about how you can start your business journey without the upfront investment. As an example, Glossier started as a blog, the founder’s bread and butter, growing astronomically, before launching their own products. The founder of that company was a journalist, not a chemist.

Eventually you will need to outsource aspects of your business, even if you are the most well-rounded entrepreneur who can create, photograph, market, and account for their product. That being said, before starting, I’d suggest growing your audience with minimal investment in something that is relevant to what you want to create and that you are good at. An example of this would be a rising chef who eventually wants to open their own restaurant could start with cooking tutorials, then a recipe blog, then a cookbook, and eventually a restaurant. Growing in steps rather than leaping into something you can’t finance is very strategic!

In each step, you’ll learn new skills and expand your strengths while also opening the door to invest in others.

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Joseph Lacy
Liz Longo

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