BASE Research is a newly established Healthcare Research and Consultancy company founded by Ms. Reine Nakhleh in Beirut.

Aphrodite Bassil: You have a large experience in Customer Relation Management and market research in the Gulf and MENA region. What are the challenges you are facing with the Lebanese market?

Reine Nakhleh: The challenges we are facing are on two levels: Operational / Cultural challenges from the client side, and “Survivor Wars” from existing or newly established agencies who claim they are experts into everything. In CRM, the key word is “relationship”, and relationships take time to build whether with companies or consumers. We have noticed that most companies when they decide on a CRM program for their customers, they think of it as a task with limited objectives and it must fit around their existing operating processes; and most of the time these processes are not in line with customers’ needs and expectations. Convincing clients to re-align their objectives with customers’ immediate and long-term needs and objectives with measurable KPIs is the first challenge we always face before we even discuss payment terms. When it comes to competition, price wars by “competitors” to maintain market share or to enter a new market are devaluing the value added specialized services that an agency like BASE offers to the Lebanese and MENA markets

AB: Do you believe entrepreneurial skills are something you are born with, or is it something that can be learned?

RN: Actually, it is a mix of both. An entrepreneur should have an innate skill, will and the desire to make his / her dream or idea happen which in turn it will be sculptured and enriched with the learning’s and experience that he / she encounters through their career path.

AB: Do you think entrepreneurship experience can be different for women? Do you have specific recommendations for women entrepreneurs?

RN: I might not say “different” but it might be harder in certain situations and circumstances depending on the environment around which she is working and proving herself. This all comes back because we are living / working in a Middle Eastern culture that is influenced withmanhood ship. Despite all the efforts done to proof the balance and equality in skills,intelligence, capabilities, etc… between the two genders, still till this moment if theywant to hire a female to a senior managerial position, they pause and think twice!!! As for my recommendation for the women entrepreneurs I will say, deep inside us, women, we know there is a hero who has the will to overcome barriers and the desire to challenge ourselves and others to make things happen. So challenge the hero within you and don’t limit your abilities to what traditional cultures might say what you can and cannot achieve.

AB: What do you enjoy most of your stay in Berytech?

RN: The fact that there are most probably around 60 – 65 different entrepreneurs / companies within the two Berytech centers. You feel the friendly environment, smiley greetings from all which makes you feel at home, and the readiness of all hosted entrepreneurs to share ideas, experience, and support within their field of expertise.