Rinchi
TechInAfrica – Dabchy, a Tunisian startup specialized in fashion that is co-founded by Ameni Mansouri, Oussama Mahjoub, and Ghazi Ketata. When it was first established, the platform was made simple only in four days. Later, after a year and a half, a new version of Dabchy platform was launched with a better design.
The idea behind the platform was when one of the co-founder, Ameni Mansouri, realized there was a Facebook group consists of women who sold clothes. She was inspired to start her own fashion startup even though she had no technical background. One day, she told her friend about it who later created a simple version of Dabchy platform for her.
Currently, Dabchy platform has approximately 300,000 registered users who sell clothes across three MENA countries, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. Mansouri said that there is a 30% increase in transactions every month.
Before Mansouri started the startup, she worked a stable job in Paris. But, she took a risk by quitting her job and went back to Tunisia to start her own startup.
“…When you launch a start-up, it’s like running a marathon. You don’t necessarily have to be the first to reach the finish line, but you must have the endurance to never give up,” Mansouri said.
Mansouri gave her advice to those who willing to become entrepreneurs: “People get afraid because they think big and sometimes they don’t have the skills or the money to follow through. Actually, you don’t have to start big, you just have to start somewhere. Develop a minimal viable product, test your idea, learn about your customers, and take it from there.”
Mansouri, who also happens to be the CEO of Dabchy said that to become a CEO, your job is to build and empower your team. Instead of doing much, it should be empowering more. Furthermore, listen to them and at the same time challenge them to grow by finding solutions together.
