Find Passion, Decode Your Purpose
This interview was originally published on the Digital Disruptors podcast titled “Find your passion, feed your purpose” by Monash Unny on May 27, 2019.
Danish is a serial entrepreneur. Started his first business at 19. Had an exit that made him a millionaire overnight. Went bankrupt over the next year. Then built back up gradually to one of the most prominent businessmen in the U.A.E.
Danish Farhan and I share very similar journeys. We’ve lived all our lives in the U.A.E. and have seen its transformation before our eyes. There’s a certain shared understanding when two natives talk about the country. One that doesn’t exist normally talking to an expat.
His flagship business, Xische, started off as a marketing consultancy. Today, the Xische brand is an umbrella for a number of initiatives – marketing, strategy, innovation, education, entrepreneurship, and more – working together for a singular purpose.
I sat down with Danish to find out what that purpose is. Here is our conversation.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
[00:23] What made Danish Farhan the man he is today?
[02:20] The stories of Dubai through the eyes of a native who has spent his entire life here.
[04:50] The highest responsibility of government.
[07:51] How Danish and his team developed the story behind the “Year of Tolerance” initiative.
[09:13] The common thread between tiny nations like Dubai, Singapore, and Estonia.
[13:16] How the “Happiness Meter” went from just an idea to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid pressing the button in only 9 days.
[15:48] The revolutionary side-effects to governance caused by the Happiness Meter.
[21:20] Danish tells a story about his niece, who has a disability, representing the U.A.E. on a world stage.
[22:31] How will Dubai practically adopt, on a large scale, technologies like Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence?
[26:30] How putting just one government function, submitting official documents, on the blockchain will save Dubai enough money to build a Burj Khalifa every single year.
[29:11] How blockchain tech took the government payment reconciliation system from 45 days down to 4-5 seconds.
[30:36] Is our personal information secure on the blockchain or can it be “hacked?”
[33:36] The Dubai Paperless Strategy.
[35:06] Why the average joe doesn’t care about buzzwords like blockchain and AI, and how to make them care.
[35:43] Xische Academy: How Danish’s team went from storytellers (i.e. marketers) to strategists to educators, teaching the next generation of the U.A.E.’s leaders how to be bold and innovative.
[40:16] Tough love from a serial entrepreneur to his peers and those who aspire to be one. “Cupcake entrepreneurs” better listen close.
[42:56] The difference between passion and purpose, and why you need to build both.
[45:36] The practical, real-world approach to experimenting with entrepreneurship.