Reham Teama pursues her entrepreneurial dream

Credit to Author: Ramya Ramanathan| Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2023 22:31:33 +0000

Egyptian-born Reham Teama is a global citizen who has worked in four different continents. She started her career in administration, and then gained experience in the export and sourcing field in Egypt. She then relocated to Dubai where she worked for multinational corporations and started her journey as an entrepreneur. Between 2014-2016, she worked for the Italian government as a trade analyst. When she moved to Canada eight years ago, Teama worked as a marketing manager for an Italian newspaper and a multilingual case facilitator for an insurance company.

In 2019, she decided to pursue her dream as an entrepreneur. The company she founded, Teama Publishing, has  published Gender X by Zain Joseph, Other Side of the Road by Ismahen Chaabouni and Motivational Diaries by Reem  Ammari.

Tell us about yourself.
I am originally from Egypt. I have followed my dreams of travelling and being an international entrepreneur. I
have worked for about two decades in more than four countries in four different continents. In 2016, I moved to Canada from Dubai. After spending eight years of my life in Dubai, I felt I was chasing a mirage and I wanted to settle down.

What were a few challenges faced and how did you deal with them?
It was challenging to relocate to Canada as a single woman from the middle east, even more so without any family or an existing network of friends. I dealt with loneliness and the lack of a support system/contacts through volunteering. I believe that volunteering can be a gamechanger; it helped me find employment and with building my network.

The lack of Canadian work experience and Canadian education were challenges in entering the job market. I eventually chose to start my own business to overcome these issues. Between 2016 to mid-2023 I worked in different sectors including insurance and then workforce development. For the last three years, I have worked as an entrepreneurship instructor for various organizations including Skills for Change, WoodGreen and ACCES Employment.

Tell us about your work.
I am a serial entrepreneur. I launched my first business in consultancy in 2019, followed by a publishing and an online bookstore business in 2021. In 2023, a dream of the first Arabic Canadian Book Fair was born and I am the executive director and the founder of this nonprofit with the vision of spreading Arabic culture and literature across Canada.

In the coming year, I plan to set up a pop-up book cafe between Etobicoke and Mississauga and eventually transition to a permanent physical presence by the end of 2024. My vision is to provide a café that provides a great ambience for book lovers to enjoy live book launches, access recent publications, and host a reading corner, showcase arts and music, and much more.

What are your key tips for entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is so rewarding but can be isolating at the same time. Try to enjoy the rewarding side of it and overcome the isolation by building a reliable network and strong team that can serve as your foundation.

What keeps you going when things are tough?
Hope. I believe and trust that hard work pays. Being someone who focuses on the big picture, I see opportunities in every difficulty, and this helps me find success.

Any advice to offer new immigrants?
Follow your dreams, visualize it until you make it happen.

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