Why I Broke Up With My Business Partner After Riding a BMW in Saudi Arabia

Now look, before having any pre-judgments or smart conclusions. My business partner is a sharp kid, ambitious and very resourceful, and my BMW 7 Series is a sexy piece of engineering. So put a a side your early conclusions and keep reading, good nations read (I don’t know who said that but it sounds like something deep said by a man who lives on people’s impression that he says deep things).

I was living in a very small border town, on the other side of the fence was Jordan’s duty free zone, and guess what was the most wanted car there? you guessed right, the 7 series BMW. Partially because it was big enough to install a secret gas tank which will pay for your holiday in Jordan plus some change, once the tank is filled in Saudi Arabia and sold in Jordan. But mostly because the BMW proved to be a very reliable car in such a remote area.

Enough with the history, I have enough income now to buy a BMW of my own (used of course) and even start a promising business with the young partner. Luckily I did both together and that has taught me a lifetime lesson.

A partnership that prioritizes extracting as much cash as possible in as little time as possible will turn your product into a “one-night-stand”, no matter how sexy and appealing your product is, it is only a short time relationship. Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors (BMW dealer in Saudi Arabia) don’t mind selling as many BMW cars as possible. But on the other end they have built only one maintenance center to serve a city of 6 million people. Nearest appointment you get is in 18 days, and only if you are lucky enough to have someone picking up the phone in their offices. Result is: · BMW used cars are shockingly cheap, not only in Saudi Arabia, but even in the neighboring countries. · Social Media scandals like the one below.

It is exactly the kind of mistake I did when I chose the cash focused partner, he couldn’t care less what my product is or what brand are we trying to build as long as generous amounts of cash flow in.

What I should have been doing instead, is search for a partner like Abdulatif Jameel Motors “ALJ” (the dealer of Toyota and Lexus in Saudi Arabia). Tremendous amount of service centers, concierge services for luxury cars, full-scale professional customer service center, and the result is:

· people “marry” into Toyota cars in Saudi Arabia, re-sell value is ridiculously high (the Toyota Land cruiser nickname in Saudi Arabia is “the bank cheque”) · Toyota brand is very respected in Saudi Arabia despite the recent fluctuations in Toyota quality levels.

So, I have already broken up with my partner, planning to sell my BMW, and looking for a partner who is already planning for his grandchildren seats in the company board, an ALJ type of partners.