Gone are the days when graduates used to wait for their degrees to start applying for jobs. The dynamic and energetic youth of today are bringing drastic changes to the culture of work in the country. An increasing number of young individuals have stepped forward to make a difference and are engaged in work during their course of study in order to gain experience in the work field before they actually enter the job market. Faisal Al-Olayan, 24, a student of Geomatics Engineering at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, truly represents the dynamic youth of today. He works and runs his own business at the same time, which is all about selling customized T-shirts that are especially designed for youth, keeping in mind the identity of Islamic and Arab culture. “This is the right time to start work,” he told Saudi Gazette. Al-Olayan, started his T-shirt business a year ago, but his business failed due to his lack of experience. However, he was persistent and did not give up. Within 10 months of encountering failure, he decided to start all over again. This time he adopted innovative ideas to market his product and used techniques that would help him relate to the youth. He opened an account on the popular social networking site Facebook and also distributed over 2,000 brochures in several malls and popular coffee shops. To promote his T-shirts among female customers, he sought the help of a female relative. “I asked one of my female cousins to visit the women's universities and colleges in Jeddah to distribute brochures and market my designs,” Al-Olayan said. This time Al-Olayan's idea worked very well and his determination paid off. Within a month, he earned a profit of about SR2,000 and he is now connected to over 800 people through Facebook. Also, a week ago, he signed a contract with a company to design T-shirts for their workers based on their type of work. Moreover, the young businessman has decided to donate 10 percent of his income to the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO). “Affordable prices ranging between SR80-110, customized designs and free home delivery are the key elements that provide a competitive edge to my business and have helped me to succeed,” he said. Faisal Al-Olayan's story teaches us two important lessons. First is the importance of planning and organizing our ideas before implementing them. The first time Faisal's business failed due to his lack of experience. Second, it teaches us the significance of weighing, criticizing and viewing our own ideas from different perspectives in order to improve our quality of work and to achieve success. __
