72: Muhammed Siddique, Entrepreneurial Philanthropist

Daniel Giordano

SUMMARY:

On this episode of the All-In Podcast, Daniel talks to Muhammed Siddique, a current entrepreneurial philanthropist, whose ‘rags to riches’ story highlights hard work, perseverance, and relationship-focused connections to propel himself amongst the business elite.

From a small village in Pakistan, Muhammed had to earn his way through life – this was a common thread that is mentioned throughout the discussion. His hard-working and disciplined attitude enabled him to succeed in school and eventually in the business world. Though Muhammed had many hurdles to climb, he admits his biggest challenge was during college. From this experience, however, Muhammed says that he is not afraid of any challenge that he encounters, and he encourages the listener to not be fearful.

As an advocate for relationship-centered business partnerships, Muhammed expresses the reasons why this is important, he sheds light in a failed experience he had in the past, and what he learned from it. Ultimately, having a solid mentor who can help guide their mentee through these challenges will lead them to more success.

KEY TOPICS:

Ultimately a ‘rags to riches’ story, Muhammed begins by sharing his backstory of living in Pakistan, emigrating to Canada, and finally claiming U.S. citizenship.
The idea of ‘earning yourself’ and what that looked like for Muhammed
Relationships are his number one priority in choosing a partnership – Muhammed lists questions that aspiring business partners should consider:
- Is it legal
- Is it ethical
- Does it solve a real challenge
- Is it impacting someone in a positive way
Adversity helps strengthen the mind to overcome any future difficulties.
- Muhammed’s college years were particularly difficult living in a mosque with hardly any money, yet this trial helped him train his mind to conquer any challenge
The importance of a mentor and how they can help you through challenges.
Muhammed shares his drive and (hopefully) his legacy – ultimately to impact other people’s lives.
- He has trained over 200,000 people in Pakistan to be self-sustaining, successful individuals
- Taught thousands of Pakistani women, though in an oppressive environment, to be empowered and feel confident in utilizing their niche skills.
Shares pieces of advice:
- Having relationship-focused partnerships outweigh any monetary gain
- Possessing valuable skills and morals will help you ‘earn yourself’ and gain partners you can trust
- Value and trust are equally important, and one should not override the other
- Understanding the importance of working on a team rather than working individually – you alone, cannot achieve success, it takes a group of people working toward the same goal
Finally, Muhammed shares his experience with a shady business partner he dealt with in the past, yet his takeaway from the experience is a new question he asks himself, ‘If this transaction fails, how will I recover even before putting in my first dollar’.

KEY QUOTES:

“You earn while you are learning.”
“If we can’t keep a friendship, I don’t want to get into business with you for anything, it doesn’t matter what the cost is.”
“I am relationship-focused – if someone does not value these relationships, I don’t want to be part of it.”
“I interview my mentors before I pick them.”
“Value has to be so strong, and your product has to be good, otherwise you shouldn’t be selling it in the first place.”
“We will always face a challenge within the spectrum of what we do and how many times we do it.”
“If you always have a mentor who can pull you out from (a challenge), who has walked other people out from that situation before, the real question becomes, ‘how do you pick the right mentor for yourself’.”
“Be in a position where the client can fire you before they even hire you.”

About the All In Podcast Show:

The All-In Podcast Show presents top Entrepreneurs, Innovators and World Changers willing to share their breakthrough moments and how they are changing the world. Focused on being “All-In” on the four areas of life: faith, family, finances, and health, host Daniel Giordano invites mentors who exemplify balance and a commitment to building a bold life of excellence.

Previous Episodes: https://www.allinpodcast.com