Julia Chaouachi is an actress born in Tunisia. She is also an entrepreneur and has a venture called Equity Miles, a European investment company. Additionally, she is currently also a partner of Viking Real Estate. Julia has worked as an actor in multiple countries for the past 5-6 years. Later on, the real estate industry sparked her interest, and she decided to become a partner of Viking Real Estate Dubai. Learn more about Julia Chaouachi through our interview with her below.
How did you start your entrepreneurship journey? Do you have some advice for beginners?
I am an actress and have spent the last 5 or 6 years filming in various countries, Egypt, Lebanon, my home country of Tunisia and more recently, Saudi Arabia and London, UK. There are long gaps in the filming, and I became interested in the Real Estate business here in Dubai.
I decided to look for an investment opportunity and became a partner in a Real Estate company with offices in Spain and the Canary islands. We are now open in Dubai and have multiple offices opening via a Franchise program we have launched. New offices are coming up in Abu Dhabi, Sweden, Ethiopia and the United Kingdom. We are very excited about this expansion.
What do you believe is the most crucial part of continuing business seamlessly?
It’s important to have a clear picture of the company goals and objectives and to create a clear road map to achieve them. Then it’s critical to surround yourself with amazing people. Ultimately, the team you have around you will help the company achieve its objectives.
We saw that you are active as a leader in multiple companies. What are your goals through your companies, and how do you plan to help individuals with them?
Yes, I have another venture called Equity Mile, an investment company going through the European regulatory process. As you can imagine, the process is quite complex and progressing nicely because we have a great team. We hired some talented and experienced individuals with a deep knowledge of regulated investment activity, and they have ensured we keep the process moving forward.
Our goal with the European company is to create a platform that allows smaller investors to build diversified investment portfolios of real estate-based assets. Giving them a chance to earn similar returns to larger investors with more capital. As inflation rates around the world are rising, it’s more important than ever to ensure your capital is working for you, no matter how limited the amount of capital is.
Describe yourself in one word.
One word I would say is Passionate.
Do employees’ energy and enthusiasm have a hand in business success? How do you plan to motivate your team to go the extra mile?
Your team IS your company. Without good people who believe in the company’s mission and share the passion, it is difficult to build something that is long-term success. You need to surround yourself with people who are better than you and share the vision for the project.
You must also care about your team as people and individuals and learn what drives them. When you really care about the people on your team, and they feel it’s genuine, they will go that extra mile for you and for the company.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Well, I am new to entrepreneurship. So my leadership style is a work in progress. I am learning every day, and I hope to get better. I hope that I lead by example. Further, I like to be clear on the team’s expectations and then provide a positive environment for them to achieve. After all, we spend so much of our lives in the workplace, so people must enjoy it as much as possible.
Did you face any challenges during your career span? If so, how were you able to overcome them?
In business, there are always challenges. Whether that’s finding the right people, raising capital or even day-to-day things, try not to be overwhelmed and work through them systematically. Simple task lists which help identify each individual obstacle work well for me, and then work to find the solution for each thing on the list. Also, don’t be afraid to bring in help when needed. No one knows everything, but it’s normally possible to find someone who can help.
Are you adapting to digital transformation? How is it helping your business?
Our European investment platform is designed to be completely online and uses blockchain technology to register investment ownership. So yes, we are fully embracing the digital age. We are not a crypto company but rather use blockchain as our ledger of ownership. This allows investors to secure ownership in projects simply online but also allows them to transfer ownership easily via the ledger.
Do you use innovative ideas to be unique?
Our real estate business in Dubai and around the world is connected by some interesting software that helps connect our broker teams and clients around the world. I am not sure that’s real innovation, but it enables us to service our customers well. Our European investment company is embracing new technology using blockchain ledgers, so I guess that’s fairly new technology. We are always looking for new ways to improve the customer experience.
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