Farah Khanjar
"In October 2020 I decided to stop looking for jobs and work fully on my idea to establish my own company. The first step I took was to turn to Lunds Nyföretagarcentrum since I needed support from day one. I did not want to feel alone in this as an entrepreneur, especially since I did not have knowledge or experience in the Scandinavian market."
My Entrepreneurship Journey.
Pursuing what you believe in doesn't come without tears, pain, sleepless nights, disappointments and sometimes regrets. Entrepreneurship turns out to sometimes be about pandemics, arriving in a new country, a new market, and a new environment. More importantly, entrepreneurship is also about believing in yourself, being persistent and determined. When you get on top of it, you are unstoppable!
A turning point in my life.
First time I moved to Sweden was in 2011, when I got a scholarship from Jordan University to study one semester at Lund University, "Ekonomicentrum". At first I was reluctant to take this step, I didn't even know where Sweden was located on the map, but I thank my parents who forced me to take this step which was a turning point in my life. Since then I have always visualised myself coming back to Sweden and starting my life there one day. I did all I could to make my dream come true and in 2013 I got admitted to Lund University again to do my Master's in Business Management .
Working with international startups.
Since my graduation from Lund University, I have been working with international startups for over 7 years across the world from Dubai to Singapore. In Dubai, I worked primarily with business development and event management. While living and working in Singapore, I was in charge of expanding the business and building strategic relationships with the Middle-East market. In May 2020, during the peak of the pandemic, I moved to Sweden with my Swedish husband. I did not realise how difficult it was to find a job, not only because I was a newcomer, or because of the language barrier, but because of the pandemic the world was suffering from. I started looking for jobs during the first week after arriving in Sweden and after 5 months I had almost no responses, despite sending more than 50 job applications. This made me question if there was something wrong with my skills and experience or with the market in general.
Support from Lund Nyföretagarcentrum.
In October 2020 I decided to stop looking for jobs and work fully on my idea to establish my own company. The first step I took was to turn to Lunds Nyföretagarcentrum (Lund’s New Entrepreneur’s Business Center) since I needed support from day one. I did not want to feel alone in this as an entrepreneur, especially since I did not have knowledge or experience in the Scandinavian market.
New entrepreneur of the year 2022 in Lund city.
With the help and support of Nyföretagarcentrum, who were with me from day one, I could two months later land the first contract. A year later, I reformed my company to a limited company (FKBC AB), which has attracted a lot of attention here in Sweden, mainly in a number of newspaper articles. Two years after I moved to Sweden, I was awarded the New Entrepreneur of the year 2022 in Lund city and that was one of the biggest milestones in my life.
Make my dream come true.
Despite going against the odds, the challenges and the disappointments, I thank myself everyday for never giving up. I know that great things take time and I know that everything happens for a reason. Struggling to find a job and the covid pandemic were the reasons that pushed me to make my dream come true.
Today Sweden is my home, it is the place I found love, hope and the dreams of an Entrepreneur.
/ Farah Khanjar
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