Building a Business in the Arab World

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The Wall Street Journal talks with Aramex co-founder Fadi Ghandou about expanding into the Arab world.  Here's one of the questions addressed.

WSJ: How important is it for new companies starting out to think regionally—or even globally?
 
Mr. Ghandour: You need to think of the neighborhood. How do I sell my product or services? The Levant (Lebanon, Syria and Jordan) and the GCC (the Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) are a must [for companies in the region]. You can't scale up unless these markets open. Eventually, going global is another story altogether. It takes more time and capital

Read the entire interview here.

Here's another good article on doing business in the Middle East and this one involves the Cheesecake Factory.