From Street Barber to Marketing Agency Founder at 19: Abdullah’s Story
A GBSB Global Podcast story about experimentation, self-belief, and turning practical lessons into an entrepreneurial path.
“When I put something in my head, I give it 100 percent.”
A marketing agency founder at 19, Cairo-born Abdullah—known as Jika—leads a team of approximately five people while studying Digital Marketing at GBSB Global in Barcelona. His route into entrepreneurship began not in an office, but with a scooter, a set of clippers, and a willingness to begin before he felt ready.
A business begins on the streets of Cairo
At 17, Abdullah’s ambition was still centered on football. Like many young players, he imagined turning professional. At the same time, he was watching other young people build businesses online and began asking a practical question: could he create an income of his own without giving up the sport?
The first answer emerged almost by accident. Abdullah began cutting his friends’ hair after school. As his technique improved, so did his confidence. He bought basic equipment, carried it through Cairo on his scooter, and started offering haircuts in the street—sometimes using the scooter itself as an improvised chair. He filmed the experience and posted it online. Soon, people he had never met were asking him for appointments.
The earnings were modest, but the lesson was decisive: a useful skill, presented to the right audience, could become a business. Abdullah spent the following summer working in a barbershop, choosing two to three months of practice over a vacation because he wanted to sharpen his craft and eventually open a shop of his own.
The failed product that opened a new direction
The next stage began with a setback. Abdullah added a hair product to his growing venture and promoted it for six months on Instagram, TikTok, and other social platforms. Almost nothing happened. Beyond a handful of purchases—mostly from supportive friends—the product did not sell.
With inventory still on his hands, he began studying media buying and paid advertising. He built a website, learned how to create and test campaigns, and applied those lessons to the product. Sales moved from only a few per month to approximately five per day.
More important than the revenue was the proof of concept. Abdullah offered to apply the same approach to a friend’s business, which was also struggling with unsold stock. According to Abdullah, their first paid campaign cleared the remaining inventory in nine days. That result changed the direction of his life: he stepped away from barbering and football and committed himself to digital marketing.
Building visibility—and learning to ignore the noise
To attract clients, Abdullah began posting educational content about what he was learning. At 17, while still in school, that decision felt far more intimidating than it might appear. Classmates saw every video. Some questioned what he was doing; even people within his circle spoke negatively about it.
“I had a goal. I’m proud that I didn’t listen to the negative comments, and I’m proud that I had a dream and chased it.”
He kept publishing. The audience grew, business owners began contacting him, and one assignment led to another. Today, his agency has a team of approximately five, serves businesses in Egypt, and is pursuing further international growth. He is also exploring how artificial intelligence can improve operations, automate repeatable processes, and help the team scale without compromising service quality.
Why GBSB Global—and why Barcelona?
Studying abroad was not originally part of Abdullah’s plan. A friend told him about GBSB Global Business School, where his brother was already studying in Barcelona. Abdullah researched the school and saw a close fit between its international environment, entrepreneurial activities, and his own ambitions. The opportunity to learn alongside students from around the world was especially compelling.
The move also placed him in a city that suits his energy. He describes Barcelona as active and alive—a place where people run along the beach, build new connections, and remain in motion. At GBSB Global, his Digital Marketing studies connect directly with work he is already carrying out for clients. The classroom gives him a structured setting in which to examine the strategies, tools, and decisions he encounters in practice.
For Abdullah, education and entrepreneurship are not competing paths. Each strengthens the other: agency work gives immediate context to academic concepts, while formal study helps him question, organize, and extend what experience alone has taught him.
Discipline makes the double life possible
Managing a degree and a growing agency requires long days, but Abdullah does not dramatize the challenge. He prepares his schedule in advance. On a day when classes begin at 9:00 a.m., he may start work at 6:00, handle client calls and team messages during breaks, reserve dedicated time for assignments, and still make space for running, the gym, or football before returning to the agency.
His method rests on two principles: commitment and time management. The schedule is demanding, but deliberate. Rather than waiting for perfect balance, he assigns time to what matters and gives each responsibility his full attention.
From a shy student to the TEDx stage
Abdullah’s willingness to act before feeling fully prepared is not limited to business. Naturally reserved, he once found public speaking difficult. In the summer of 2025, shortly before moving to Barcelona, he accepted an invitation to speak at a TEDx event in Egypt before an audience of more than 200 people.
He rehearsed for only two days and arrived nervous. Yet once he stepped onto the stage, the fear lifted. He found his rhythm, moved beyond the prepared script, and spoke in his own words. Minutes before the talk, a former schoolmate had approached him to admit that he had once doubted Abdullah’s online work—but now respected what he had achieved. For Abdullah, the encounter confirmed a lesson already learned in business: persistence can turn skepticism into recognition.
Start, learn, and keep moving
Abdullah’s advice to other young people is direct. Do not treat every opinion as equally valuable. Listen closely to those who have traveled the path you want to follow, but do not allow uninformed criticism to determine your direction. Then begin—even if the first attempt is imperfect.
“You cannot learn to swim by watching videos. You have to get into the pool. Start, improve, and never stop.”
His own story makes that principle tangible. Haircuts led to content. Unsold inventory led to paid advertising. A small campaign led to client work. Consistent visibility led to an agency. Study in Barcelona is now helping him build the knowledge and international perspective required for the next stage.
Yet Abdullah does not define success only in terms of revenue or growth. He wants to build a life that includes health, family, friendship, happiness, and the ability to help others. His goal is to reach the future without wondering what might have happened if he had taken the chance.
A story still being written
At 19, Abdullah is not presenting a finished success story. He is building in real time—testing ideas, learning from failure, developing a team, and combining experience with education. That unfinished quality is precisely what makes his journey compelling. It shows what can happen when ambition is matched by disciplined action, and when every experiment becomes preparation for the next opportunity.
Watch the full conversation: From Cutting Hair on the Streets to Building a Marketing Agency at 19 | GBSB Global Podcast