It's about getting connected
Qatar is booming, thousands of companies are flocking to Doha. One local entrepreneur wants to be a launch platform for foreigners to become members of the business community.
We meet Sheikh Jassim in Doha's Four Seasons, the place for VIPs and high-profile businessmen. He welcomes us with the famous typical Arabic hospitality: a generously prepared table of local specialties is waiting for us. His demeanor is calm, his eyes are bright, his presence imposing. He wants to talk about his ideas and plans, the business opportunities in his country and the reasons why it is not enough for him to simply be a member of the ruling family: Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
"I have so many ideas, I am full of energy and I want to extend myself. Our country will offer great opportunities for all of us in the coming years and I definitely will grab that chance." The 32year old Qatari has 23 brothers and sisters. His aim is to succeed without using the family connections he has. "Everybody will say he succeeded because he is member or the ruling family. This is not what I want."
To travel this rough road needs a proper plan. What are the first steps? Sheikh Jassim: "I started to sponsor some companies related to the construction industry. I created some developments outside Doha. The most important thing now is to protect my ideas by law and establish a group of companies that can execute my visions." Plenty of opportunities are on the table in Qatar these days – it is about finding the niche business which the Sheikh can identify himself with, and it's about being surrounded by the right people, the right companies, based on trust, not swimming in the big pool of sharks where the only questions is: "Who will get the biggest piece of the cake."
His education gives him the best background to succeed in business. Sheikh Jassim studied trade and commerce outside Qatar in order to gain experience. "I was spoilt by my father and my brothers were always jealous. They did not have much faith in me. This was the perfect motivation for me to succeed." He wants to see at least one of his ideas taking off – this will make him happy. There are different reasons why it is not easy to succeed with a business. Sheikh Jassim explains: "You have to be very careful who are you talking to about your ideas. A lot of good business plans have simply been taken from their owner and used by someone else." Another reason is the tempting offers coming from outside. A friend from another Gulf state offered him a lot of money for his land – not a small sum. He refused because he does not want people from outside Qatar to have control. "It was a good decision anyway because my land has doubled in value since then."
One of the first steps Sheikh Jassim took was to establish his holding company getcon group. This company is the umbrella for all this activities. "As the name says, we are getting connected with companies and individuals coming from all over the world to Doha. We support them in their registration, making their lives easier in all respects." getcon group has office space available and is well connected in the Qatari business world. Companies like seele and MJR Communication Group are already under Sheikh Jassim's sponsorship. "At the end of the day we have to make money but we all have to be satisfied. Any other way just don't make sense."
