Yahya Barqawi - TajCart

13 July 2021

Tell us a little bit about TajCart.

A business start-up consulting company that empowers start-up founders with the know-how and proper business documentation needed to step foot in the accelerator, incubator, and venture capital programs in Saudi Arabia.

What problem is TajCart solving?

Saudi Arabia’s start-up ecosystem has witnessed major growth in recent years, driven by greater foreign investment and government initiatives. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, start-up investment in a few key sectors has been driven through innovations and technologies in eCommerce, delivery, logistics, fintech, and online education platform.

According to the General Authority for Statistics, young entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia faced many challenges in developing their business ideas. 61.92% of them faced challenges when it came to funding, 7% in developing market studies and plans, and another 7% in understanding the steps of establishing a successful business.

The results also showed that 52.77% of young entrepreneurs reached out to funding agencies for support, but 44.87% did not benefit from support programs, the most prominent reason why they were prevented from benefiting from support was that they did not meet the conditions required for capital raising.

At TajCart we aim to be the square one for all entrepreneurs helping them put together their documentation to step foot in local accelerators, incubators, and venture capital programs.

As a business owner, what are your top three priorities?

Establish key partners and strategic alliances with venture capital programs across MENA.
Build channels to reach customers seamlessly and build key relationships with our target audience.
Build an end-to-end digital platform to equip entrepreneurs with the proper knowledge, skills, and know-how to turn their business from the idea stage to conceptualisation stage.

How did you get your idea or concept for the business?

We are a group of entrepreneurs and senior certified consultants who have been involved in the Saudi entrepreneurship ecosystem since 2011, back when it was still in its infancy. We were determined to lead the start-up industry towards its transformational outbreak.

In our experience, we have learned that simple conversations, with those who are equipped with extensive know-how, can make a big difference in the planning, documenting, and developing of your start-up idea.

What was your mission at the outset?

Our old mission:

Unleashing the creativeness in business owners by giving them the tools, resources, skills, knowledge and mindset to create an online business presence.

Our new mission:

TajCart believes in the power of documenting ideas to help thinkers succeed in their own projects. We do this by bridging the gap between industry knowledge and early-stage entrepreneurs to avoid capital-raising associated bottle-necks.

Is this where you thought you would end up?

Actually no, during the pandemic we had to pivot. Being agile and operating through a bottom-line approach, we were able to adapt quickly. As a result, our vision changed:

Our old vision:

We aim to be the leading eCommerce service provider in the MENA Region with a goal to empower online brands and entrepreneurs with future mindsets.

Our new vision:

We aim to be the square-one for all entrepreneurs in the MENA Region with a goal to cause there more capital-secured start-ups.

What’s one thing you see small business owners failing to do?

We have come across a lot of entrepreneurs during our journey and especially in the early stages. Business owners can sometimes be entitled and fail to acknowledge the importance of undergoing corporate and business unit strategy pivots and fail to adapt to sudden changes, i.e, technology evolving, etc.

If TajCart could achieve just one goal in the next 12 months, what would it be?

At TajCart, we are currently working on optimising a seamless entrepreneur journey to help transform a business from idea stage to conceptualisation. We aim to do this by building a community of strategic partners that will aid in the development of an entrepreneur’s knowledge, skills, and know-how.

How did you hear about Servcorp?

Most TajCart consultants were based in London, United Kingdom, and have been heavily involved with co-working spaces. As a result, when TajCart was established in Jeddah, it wanted to headquarter in a place that aligns with its mission, vision, and corporate culture.

How long have you been a Servcorp client, and what has impressed you the most about our service?

We have been Servcorp’s client since 2018 back when it was located in Jameel Square. We were most impressed by the staff’s professionalism, quality of service, and culture. Servcorp has built a working atmosphere that promotes the passing on of knowledge and skills amongst other clients, and through networking events and activities prior to the pandemic. Servcorp has also built a global presence that aligns with our cross-border mission. At TajCart we believe every individual, whatever their background is, has skills and knowledge that can be complementary to others.