Badr Berrada is a rising digital entrepreneur. He is a #1 Amazon Best Selling Author with the Growth Hacking Book and the Founder & CEO of BBN Times. Mr Berrada believes that in order to create revolutionary changes in the world, we must learn to prioritize the intersection of humanity and technology, because that’s how the best ideas emerge. His goal is to build an enduring organisation that prioritize knowledge and information sharing. Badr is teaming up with 150 industry experts to educate business leaders. Badr Berrada sat down with us to share some insights. Here are a few highlights.
What does it take to become a digital entrepreneur?
If you want to become an entrepreneur, you need to be passionate about growing your business. Timing is everything. Hire people smarter than you and pay them before you pay yourself. The ability to sell something is absolutely necessary to run a business at any stage. Being an entrepreneur means you can only rely on yourself and no one else. At the end of the day, you need to be comfortable with your decisions and intuitions. If patience is a trait you don’t currently possess, I recommend developing it as much as you possibly can.
How do you overcome setbacks?
Every little setback puts you one step closer to success. I’ve learned over the years that when you surround yourself with positive minded individuals, you can only improve and explore the unknown. In a world of stark dichotomies, it’s good to be fearless about changing sides or altering courses. I am doing my best to learn new tricks every day. Don’t be afraid of taking a step back, stay humble and focused.
To what do you attribute your success?
Hard work always pays off. I rely on a vast number of experienced professionals to help me work out any problem. I’m working each day to reach new goals. I look to my previous mistakes for future guidance. It takes a great deal of effort to succeed. When you are on the right path and continually learn how to condition your mind to do better, then things begin to improve in your life.
How do you keep yourself creative?
I read books and let my mind wander. I schedule more time to plan ideas by brainstorming. The secret to innovation doesn’t lie in natural ability, but in deliberate practice. Being world class at anything requires practice. I am always on the lookout for possible solutions by becoming more aware and practicing mindfulness. I recommend people to engage with people who are different from you. We hang out with people who are like us, and while doing so may be comforting, it’s not stretching. Everything can always be made better by listening to other perspectives.
What is your take on artificial intelligence?
As this technology advances, we will rapidly forget there was ever a time it wasn’t with us. Artificial intelligence has managed to save businesses valuable time and resources. It facilitates a huge part of various everyday activities. The future might make humans completely dependent on artificial intelligence. For example, self-driving cars are being developed to replace taxi drivers. There is no limit to this technology if it wants to make the human experience easier. Robotics will completely change the healthcare industry, by curing anything easily. The future can be infinite and the changes can be unpredictable. Although, one thing is for sure artificial intelligence will change the dynamics of our lives.
Will machines replace humans?
Right now, human beings may not be perfect in everything but we are the ones who design machines. We are naturally more efficient than machines. It is no secret that technology has replaced human jobs. In some cases, computers are able to do things that humans used to do in the past. However, they lack creativity or imagination to dream up a vision for the future. They still lack the emotional competency that a human being has. Machines will surpass us one day, this is just a matter of time. Most jobs will be automated much sooner than you think. Since robotics is primarily a subset of computing, I highly doubt that the overall effect will be as extreme, however new jobs will begin to pop up that feature more human-centric needs: robot operators, tele surgeon and gamification designer.