Where did the idea of game theory come from?
When asked why Game Theory, Mr. Zadi Hobeika stated “I was working for Google till last summer and I was handling advertising solution for the region. So, I was dealing with top companies and top agencies by helping them tackle and implement”. He added that given the high demand in the Middle Eastern market it’s a huge opportunity and the risk is worth it. In fact, there are agencies that are handling the big customers, agencies and freelancers handling the individuals or small companies but, there are few tackling the mid-market of digital agencies.
Based on what did you decide to start your own company?
Mr. Hobeika claims that there is a growing market. As a matter of fact, people are spending more time online thus, there is an increase in demand in the online business industry. Moreover, the market is still in its early stage in term of competition and saturation therefor, he decided to return and launch a digital agency grounded on three points:
– Expertise “based on google and the personal experience I had with my projects”
– Cost efficiency “because our pricing is more aggressive than other companies in the market”
– Transparency “for educating our clients, giving them access to all the networks, accounts and whatever they want to see because we believe that educating them will generate a positive and long term business relationship”.
What is the vision of your company?
The vision is to become the number one digital agency specialized in online marketing, performance marketing and become the point of reference in the Middle East for online advertising.
Tell us more about game theory
Game Theory is a digital agency that includes 3 main services depending on what the client needs:
– The online advertising: how to build up performance marketing campaign online
– Consultancy and training: in terms of understanding the digital environment, setting out in-house teams in companies, training existing teams and giving an all-around consultancy on what they’re doing right or wrong.
– monetization: being a publisher we help you generate revenue from your website we setup ad placement we develop special packages that you can send to your users we give you solutions to generate more money through online marketing (sponsor sections, sponsor videos, ads…).
What are the difficulties you faced while starting up?
Mr. Zadi assess that the most difficult part of starting up is to see With whom you want to work, who are your partners and who would be the best equal to fit the position that you initially hired for because you start alone then you have to scale up. However, it’s really hard to find people that are as passionate as you.
Also, cash flow is a barrier. Even if operation are working well the biggest struggle is to collect money from the market and to have enough money to expand quickly. Consequently, the key is to be able to catch up opportunities in the market quickly because startups have small teams which means they have to make arbitrary choices between clients they want to work with and those they don’t. "It’s important to know whether you have to pursue several small opportunities or only a big one".
Not to forget the core of building up a solid network and a strong brand image. All in all putting the 3 factors together it’s a hard choice to move from being an employee to having your own business, it’s a lot of stress and pressure all day long but at the same time it’s high risks for high rewards.
What were you doing the last time you looked at a clock and realized you had lost all track of time?
Mr.Zadi claims: "it’s pretty much all the time! Actually, the last time was this week I had a big client who was having some problem with different online campaigns so I spent around 8h reading through numbers in order to understand where the problem was coming from I skipped a dinner I had with a friend who came from abroad because again it’s your own company it’s your own risks. But It’s a good sign when you don’t see the time passing it means you are passionate with what you do although it could be a social killer!"
Do you advise a book that inspired you?
when asked the question Mr. Hobeika stated thet he have read a lot autobiography of people where some succeeded and other failed in their business or political life adding that it’s always useful to go through the stories of others because we seldom do the same mistakes. then he said: "Although it might be a stereotype answer, the last book that gave me motivation and inspiration in my life is Steve job’s biography is really interesting because he didn’t have a typical life".
What do you most like in Berytech?
According to Mr. Zadi the most important aspect of Berytech is its community: "I used to play basketball and I was in a training sector were we used to live as groups in studio style flats. Then, when I went for my university degree in France I also used to live in student residents. So I think I have been used to live in complexes. Therefore, I’d rather not be in an isolated office but with people doing the same job within the same industry. This is why, when I returned to Beirut I decided to search for an environment that is close to what I had on a sports level or on an industry level something close to being an incubator or a hub and I guess berytech fits the image".