A CHALLENGING START
As for any business, the beginning was not easy. The first clients were mainly friends and friends of friends, who saw Mousab's work and recognised its value. There were also many challenges and limitations that he had to face, especially considering the fact that he was a foreigner. The language barrier was one of them, which gave him many problems during the administrative part of starting the business.
Kathleen Torfs, WIKD’s administrator, who has accompanied Mousab since the starting of this adventure, tells us that 'at first it was difficult because it was a new idea and Mousab was a foreigner who didn't speak Dutch, it took a double effort to find people and banks willing to invest in the project’.
Nonetheless, after much effort, Mousab's innovative idea and WIKD's openness were well received by the public. For the first time in Gent, a unique business based on upcycling was established which simultaneously nourishes the local economy and removes our waste mountain bit by bit.
‘Selling good quality materials for a good price was the solution’