Sayem Shahid

Let me take you back to 2012, when I first landed in Canada. It’s funny how life works – I came here as an International Student to study Computer Engineering but fell head over heels for software development and switched my focus to Computer Science. Late-night coding, turning crazy ideas into apps and sites; that was my beginning. It was more than just learning; it was about discovering my path, and guess what? It led me straight to entrepreneurship.

I was born in Bangladesh and my father was an entrepreneur who owned a construction business in Abu Dhabi. He wanted me to take over the business someday, but I never felt a connection with the business world. Instead, I decided to move to Canada on my own to build a new life. The transition from Abu Dhabi to Canada was more than just a change in location; it was also a shift in my mindset. While in Canada, I worked with many business leaders who were motivated by a vision that went beyond just making profits. Their dedication to making a positive impact and leaving a lasting impression on the world deeply affected my thinking. It challenged me to look beyond just earning a paycheck and to find a more meaningful and fulfilling purpose in my professional life.

I started two businesses with partners before launching SelexWeb – one in 2015 and the other in 2019. However, both of them failed. Nevertheless, they taught me many valuable lessons that I later used in my life and business. In 2021, during the global pandemic and the Great Resignation, I had multiple stable tech jobs, which gave me a combined income of over $100k. Financially, this was enough for me to live my life comfortably. However, I quickly realized that money wasn’t a top motivator for me. I needed something more in my life, perhaps some excitement of the unknown and work that aligned with my passion and values. I wanted to make a difference in my community by providing maximum impact. So, I took a leap of faith and left everything I had to start SelexWeb.

My business was also born out of a desire to test my limits, to see if my blend of tech skills and business insights could stand the test of entrepreneurial challenges. Although this was not my first business, it was a journey into the unknown, leading the business on my own, fueled by questions about my abilities, the value I could bring to the business world as an entrepreneur, and the true essence of success.

The idea of having my own business once terrified me, but not anymore. In the first three years of my business, I consistently achieved around 300% year-over-year financial growth. Although it’s crucial to have strong financial support for your passion, I have another success metric that I pay closer attention to: how many entrepreneurs I know personally in the community and the inspiring stories that got them to where they are. I have gone to 500 coffees (virtual and in-person combined) in the last 3 years. The core focus was learning about them, hearing their stories, find opportunities to help them in any way I could. That’s why I wanted to be in business – to increase the impact of my work and get inspired by other leaders in the community.