By: Maram Mohammed Ibrahim Elshahat

 What happens when determination and hardwork meets a passionate young man? Mahmoud Taher, Founder and CEO of YouTHink is the result. Mahmoud is a 2nd-year business student who launched his own platform “Youthink” 4 years ago. YouTHink is an online community that aims to shed light on everything youth. They aim to provide as many spotlights, services and opportunities to help the youth of their generation grow, connect, and stay informed. I got the chance to interview Mahmoud and found out more about his journey with Youthink.

What inspired you to start something like YouTHink?

It all started in school. I was the Student Union president and I wanted to do something new for the sake of my colleagues. I wanted to start a community to connect all of the students together. So, I started a community in school named “OSC - Othman Student Community”. People got to log in, and request to publish their content on the platform. It was simply a way to connect everyone together and a place to share your thoughts, talent and beliefs. Unfortunately, the school administration wasn’t the most supportive and didn’t want the platform to keep on going. I was disappointed, but I still believed that it was a worthwhile idea. So, I decided to take it outside school and change its name to Youthink. And that’s how YouTHink was born!

In the current market, there are plenty of platforms that target the youth, what do you think makes YouTHink stand out amongst them?

 I feel like all the current projects are quantity oriented and not quality oriented. Which causes their creative process to run out at some point and leads to a loss of focus. Most platforms are also aiming to be a media source, which also might cause them to drift away from the youth at some point. In the current market, I believe only a handful were able to still maintain their identity because they didn’t overburn themselves, such as Milkyway Magazine. But YouTHink is not media oriented or a magazine, it is a community that is always changing to adapt to the youth’s needs. We are growing with them and continuously reflecting their identity. That’s what makes us stand out.

How does YouTHink empower the youth?

 The value we provide to the youth is mainly exposure, and not just exposure by shedding light on their work, but also by exposing them to new opportunities, events, etc. We simply give them the mic, the experience and the knowledge they need to grow.

Starting a business could be really challenging, and especially when it is done at such a young age. What are some hardships you faced and how did you overcome them?

 The biggest challenge I faced was definitely my lack of experience. My personality and interests were also very different at the beginning, as I wasn’t as focused on practicality and I had unrealistic ideas and dreams. I remedied that by simply seeking as many mentorship opportunities as I can. I reached out to professionals in the field and asked them questions whenever I could.

You’ve recently been to Riseup Summit and Sync Summit as Community Partners. Tell me more about the experience from the eyes of a young business owner.

 Getting to be a part of these summits was a remarkable experience and definitely a leap in our business. Professionally, it puts us on a concrete ground where people could see us. As a business owner, I got exposed to a more professional environment where I was able to network and build valuable connections. It was generally a very smooth and dynamic experience that helped both the platform and myself grow.

Finally, maintaining an online platform could be tricky. What piece of advice would you give someone who wants to start something of their own?

An advice I have been told before and I go by all the time is to never only base your work on social media. Social Media platforms can easily get shut down anytime, and with it will go your business. Another piece of advice is, make sure to build a relationship with your customers/viewers. Don`t focus on the numbers at first, but focus on how devoted your viewers are to you. So that when you take the step to make your business more concrete, your customers will be the ones to come to you.