High-Impact Entrepreneurship

Jordanian Endeavor Entrepreneur and successful pharmacy chain owner Amjad Aryan (Pharmacy 1) was interviewed for today’s Wall Street Journal on a wide range of topics including his background, his preferred staff motivation methods, and his advice for potential Middle Eastern entrepreneurs. Click here to read the full article (note: requires membership).

As the profile highlights, Amjad realized that he wanted to join the pharmacy industry when he was a 23-year-old Palestinian immigrant working as a carpet cleaner in Chicago. Since those days, he has opened 53 pharmacies in Jordan and two in Saudi Arabia, with more branches on the way throughout the Middle East including a planned branch in Beirut at the end of September.

When asked what advice he would give someone looking to start a chain in the Middle East, Amjad answered as follows:

The most important thing is to get out of the planning phase and start the implementation. And block your ears to the naysayers. You can imagine how many naysayers I had as a carpet cleaner. I surround myself with positive people, and I focus on the outcome rather than the difficulties. I believe that entrepreneurs can use the help of mentors who can scrutinize their decisions, challenge them and give them direction. Having a chance to speak to them has helped me make better decisions.

Speaking about his relationship to Endeavor, Amjad says:

Endeavor approached me in 2009, and they’ve helped open doors for research and networking all over the world through their visibility and expertise. I have three mentors from Endeavor—legal, financial and business—and I get three different perspectives, and they encourage me to keep going.