The will to do things
Hamza Aboulfeth, a young Moroccan serial entrepreneur. In the account of his life, this singular businessman tells the story of how he founded his first business—one that continues to thrive today—at the age of 17, and reflects on how his intrepidness and resolve to follow his dreams against all odds have shaped his remarkable trajectory from hacker and dropout to owner of numerous successful tech and food enterprises.
I consider myself one of those lucky people who are blessed with a once-in-a-lifetime wild idea that completely changes their life. When that idea hit me, I didn’t hesitate or fear the possibility of failure—I just made the decision and walked right toward it.
I was unlike my peers, hacking into servers and making the World Wide Web my home before most people even owned a computer. From a young age, I followed my gut and passions even when everyone around me thought I was a failure or a misfit. I’ve never been afraid to do things my way. By taking risks, I’ve made irreversible decisions and faced my fair share of stumbling blocks. It’s also thanks to those risks that I’ve enjoyed the taste of success.
I started my first business at the age of seventeen, only to fail high school the next year and drop out of college a few years later. Every decision I’ve made and every act of fate that’s happened to me has led to another opportunity unfolding in front of me, just waiting for me to take it. As unconventional as some of my decisions have been, I still own that thriving business today, along with a few other side projects born of my twin passions for food and technology.
This book will take you from my childhood home and cybercafes in Marrakech, Morocco; to Paris and Lille, France; to the halls of Harvard and back, with plenty of side trips along the way. Not only I will open up to you on a personal level, I’ll also share my secrets for success, many of which stemmed from failures.
Through the anecdotes and lessons in this book, I hope to encourage you to take your own risks and open the doors you chance upon in the great maze of life, if only just to see what’s behind them.
You don’t have to do things perfectly. In fact, if you ask me, perfectionism is one of our greatest flaws. Indeed, those who seek perfection are destined to stay right where they are. Reject perfection. All you need is the will to do things.
Don’t be afraid—open the door. If you don’t look to see what’s there, you’ll never know.