Realising my childhood dream…. thanks to Ouishare
When I was young, I wanted to be Macgyver, without a surprise for my nearest fellows.
This Macgyver guy is a real swiss-knife who has many skills which always allow him to get out, with cold blood, from any critical situation.
From the age of ten, I was a big fan who didn’t miss an episode any week!
Now I’m in the thirties, and my LinkedIn title is “Independent Slasher”, what a coincidence, thanks to Ouishare.
<<< Rewind
I’m Franco-Egyptian, based in Paris for ten years. Initially, I have a master degree in Communication.
I worked in the Television as assistant director for four years.
Then I switched to work in the tourism, then marketing, business development, and end up as a Project Manager in a big french corporation. It was my last job where I did my Job out, end 2014 as an employee, to embrace an entrepreneur life.
Before that, in 2012, I start studying Entrepreneurship in evening classes alongside my day job.
I wanted to have my own company…. Now I’m the company :)
I discovered Airbnb and the sharing economy while studying, 2012–2013. “This is the Future”, I said to myself and decided to work on my study project’s on Airbnb likes platform.
To get information about the whole sharing movement, I contacted many organisations.
The only organisation who did answer me was Ouishare.
An email from Arthur De Grave explaining that the sharing economy movement is still young and there are not many sources and numbers around it.
Still, he did give me some leads to follow. I was grateful and signed up for the OuiShare newsletter.
In 2014, I finished my studies (with an A grade for the first time in my life!) and informed my employer that I will resign (still have to do three months work respecting the French law).
One week later, I received the OuiShare Fest (OSF) call for volunteers in my inbox.
So I applied because it looks cool and they already helped me. Time to give back!
1st lesson I had learned: give then you will receive
Some days after, the OSF Tech Lead and I had an online call to discuss how I can help. He assigned me the responsibility of the event videos according to my experience in TV.
The OSF volunteering experience went great.
Talking with other participants in Ouishare fest, everyone agrees “You can smell hope, enthusiasm and a better future in the air”.
Magnificent! I’m on my way to falling in love with these Guys. In hindsight, one of the critical points of this success is Informality and Openness as Manel Heredero pointed here.
2nd lesson: if you don’t enjoy what you do, change…
By October 2014, my contract terms ended.
Finally, I’m free! Next day, I went to see OuiShare guys asking “How can I help?” The smiling answer was immediate by Asmaa Guidera, back then she was the Ouishare Fest 2015 Co-chair:
you will be next OSF Tech Lead…
Whaaaaaaat? I don’t have any tech experience or tech study neither; I replied like 😳. Don’t worry, she said. We trust you.
3rd & 4th lessons: believe in yourself & trust a priori
Here in OuiShare, we welcome people with 100% Trust Credit. Not “Trust must be earned” like everyone says. Your action will decide if that credit will go up, down, or still at the same level! She added.
5th lesson: be responsible
OK, let’s do it, I answered her… In my head: “These Guys are crazy”… but I like them.
So I was excited to work with these like-minded people on a fantastic project, OuiShare Fest 2015 as a tech lead. I discovered later that I love jumping into the void.
It’s now clear to me that this is an essential aspect of my personality. Go outside the box, outside my comfort zone. That’s why I also accepted to be the Tech Lead of POC21 (my best professional experience ever).
Thanks to Ouishare, for four years now, I learned a massive amount of stuff and worked on dozens of great projects (OSF, POC21, Eco2fest, SafirLab, etc.).
I learned how to code, how to facilitate (design thinking, Collective intelligence, Design Sprint), how to manage a big team, how to open up spiritually, how to trust, to collaborate in an open way. How to build a project from scratch.
I even teach sometimes (me?!). I assumed the fact that I’m a slasher and to be proud of it.
OuiShare helped me assume being a Macgyver to embrace my destiny without fear. Do you know any organisation that can do all that for its members? I doubt!
All this is to express that Ouishare, more precisely the people who make Ouishare everyday on a global scale, changed my life. When do people ask me what Ouishare is? I answer it’s an incubator for individuals. You have to experience it to understand.
To do so, I invite you to join the first OuiShare Fest in Cairo 2018…
AltShift Festival*
PLATFORMization… Global Treand ⇆ Local Applications
Cairo, Egypt — from 18 to 20 October 2018
I will talk in another post, why AltShift? and why platformization as a theme?
Do you want to experience Ouishare? Do you have the feeling that we need other lenses to see the world with? Another way to collaborate with openness and care? Do you think that we live in a complex world with complex challenges that need holistic approaches to be fixed?
Get your earlybird ticket now!
Join us for this amazing journey, we can’t wait to welcome you in Cairo-Egypt from 18 to 20 October 2018.
*Alternative Shift
