They told him he's not old enough not smart enough, but he did it
anyway, I have another inspiring Power BI story for you about pursuing your dreams and overcoming obstacles and naysayers
meet Thaer
Athamneh from Jordan who founded and now runs the premier Power BI training institution there and is also
the founder of the Jordan Power BI user group.
My favorite part is the last question where I asked Thaer what
motivates him in running his own business and pursuing his dreams because I know it's not always easy and
his answer touched my heart.
It's stories like Thaer that get me excited stories from real people just like you and me
using Power BI to make a real impact. These are the Power BI Pioneers.
Do you have a story that could inspire others leave a comment and share that with us?
Make sure to subscribe and click the bell. So you are notified whenever I go live to help you in your Power BI journey.
Let's hear it from Thaer.
How are you doing, my friend?
Hi, I'm fine. I'm fine. Oh
Great. I'm doing great. So you're talking to me from Jordan far beyond Jordan. Is it really happening?
Actually it is recently this I found my own company as a training provider company, so
When I know about the power bi
first step
My boss, which is amazing to
Have you in the program? Yeah
Actually your course
Was the first step for me to see how much power P. Am I can do? What's the capabilities for power bi?
That's early
I see that these capabilities can solve too many business needs we go to make business issues
We currently have
So I adopt the idea and I focused in my company to market the power people
To be honest with you. I've accessed many many companies
It was the first time for them to learn about something called Microsoft power billing interesting, but I'm so proud
Yeah, I'm so proud to introduce the power bi for them
It was shocking for most of them
And let's face it there is some clients see that I don't need this. It's like Excel, whatever
Yes, most of the clients see oh
Wow, what's that?
Let's get em to power bi. Yeah, so we start we start
Couple of courses like coaching want one
Service we provide and it's moving very well. Actually, I'm seeing that
Within let's say two years maximum. Yeah, I see we will have but the really big boom
Would be Aria and the Horde market Wow, so it's really really magical toon
Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more
Man I'm looking at you and it feels to me like you're gonna position yourself as the leader in
Jordan and maybe in that they counted reason as you know, one of the pioneers for power bi right?
I mean people would be blowing you so
And
It's ready to say that we are the only training provider in Jordan the one and we and the first one we are
teaching and coaching
That is really interesting. I'm really fascinated by that and I want to ask you dig a little bit deeper
So the dynamic that I have is that I mean for one, it's odd, right?
See, it's you go to the Microsoft summit. I call it the power bi summit and
There feels like the world is on fire
Everybody's a topping power bi but then I realize it's a very self selected crowd once you step beyond that
There are people like power who?
Sometimes I'm kind of torn I'm like shit
focus on
Teaching power bi to demean all kind of spread awareness or once they found Barbie I do I help them there
But clearly it seems your work is cut out
I mean given where things are kind of in that region with the industries that you work with
you you have to kind of make them aware first you have to
write them and tell them out what it is how it can be helpful and
But it seems that some people
Kind of get it some people don't and I've seen the same dynamic and of course working for yourself being a consultant or independent company
You know you get to choose. I mean you can just move on right if somebody's knocking wins eye exam
All right, man good for you, you know?
If you're stuck in a company it can be very frustrating you try, you know, come with your boss
But what I want to ask you is this maybe two things one. Do you see a difference?
Do you see between the people who say whatever power bi versus who go? Whoa, this is interesting
Can you sometimes don't tell that just by walking into the place? I don't know right? I mean the
Companies who say whatever power bi they're okay versus those who say man. This is happening with students
First support my bestman opinion I see that
The clients the small companies in general especially here in our market less of my experience with them
they are not willing to take an extra step or let's name it as
investment to be great to power to be I
Know Hollis, we're wrong. We don't have to use Exim. It's fine for us. Okay
Yeah, especially for companies like 50 50 employees or less
Okay, I think this step okay above that. They have too much working
hours on reporting on data analysis on dengue endemic
so you
present ODI on the right way and
Show them what will be I can do equity click and how could Bobby I?
Reflect you really as a live dashboard on your mobile
Can be a very are key competitive edge you can focus on and they will start convincing and asking for boy
You know something based on my experience I saw that
eventually that will get
It will get back to the person itself when the man in charge see how he is
You know
He feels like I don't want to know more. We are the best we don't need to learn anything in you
Don't need anyone like you or anyone else
To make a spitter so I will stick to excel
And it depends on the person in charge I'm so
That's true. That's true. I mean I i've seen and and led a few you know
Canada ground up revolutions were yeah
I mean, I was always kind of the bottom in the ladder, but you know
You kind of start using it and you influence other people and and you can push that way
But i've also heard stories where they have support from counter thought management and it goes very differently and you're right
It does depend on the leader. I'm nice. Sometimes feel that some leaders sometimes well often and I you can't blame them
They're disconnected or what what kind of the ground of the troops are doing? Right? I mean
Disconnected from the fact that there's somebody's cranky now somebody stayed late to like, I don't know 11 12 in the night last night
Report for you. They just walk in the meeting to see the PowerPoint and you know, I mean, yeah
They ask questions and the action items. Everybody else is a doting on the action items. So
sometimes they're not connected with at so that's a
Really interesting man, and that's certainly food for thought for me. I
And I think what you said was I'm I'm not
So sure about the 50% mark small a bit
But yeah, I mean, I you know
It's interesting that you've seen that but of course one thing is true that if you have experienced that pain
it's so easy to talk to those people like I mean, you know, you start talking they say
Oh, you can do this and they go yes, you know, so that makes sense
But so I want to take you back a little bit
So I know you focus on runs Academy right now, but my background you're an industrial engineer, right? Yes
So a few questions there
I mean, did you ever have a chance to kind of ply power bi in that role?
do you still have that opportunity or you may be targeting that vertical with your
With your training academy. What's what's the deal there?
See if you allow me you know
We drive
a little bit of the track
Yep, your journey. May I take this amount? Yeah
See
When I graduated as an industrial engineer, I start working then a professional career as a salesman for like five
almost six years
Then I
I get the chance to start my own business and I decide to become a trainer so
That's why I open
Or I launch
Training provider company. Yeah after that actually, you know
You started your own business and you take this shift a full-time employee to a business owner
And you know, how much is it's a stressful. It's challenging
Yes. Yes. I think you totally understand this
And unfortunately, you know you passed through some
critical
Period of times when you have no cash flows or something
so I think a decision to take to take back a step to
Become an employee again full-time and keep a business running. Yeah
To tell my business reach a stable or steady state then I kinda quit and get back again. Just
To you know, because I don't want to quit my business
Then I went to survive as long as I can. So I
This is that
Yeah
when I think this is tip, I shift my career to project management and
project management sense them are talking about
three four five years almost all
Riiii-- do I I do use power bi in project management actually
very very very
Funny indeed. Let's say
And it's a very convenient
Yeah, it saves too much time for me
That's that's terrific
So
Yeah, you are a certified PMP
Tell me so you know business. I would say that I found that there's no right path, right?
I mean you I'm glad I'm thank you for sharing kind of your journey
And and yeah, I mean I could kind of quit my job. But yeah, there's no right path you have to
You have to kind of make your own
What I want to ask you is then and maybe this will be a good things good note to end things on
Is that what I feel is that me running my business?
It can't be just about money. I think sure that's there
I
Definitely want to make money but it can't be just about that because I feel like there are so many ways to make money
Easiest ones. Yes. Tell me a little bit more about that that what do you get out of that?
What drives you in in continue not in spite of these obstacles you faced?
-
You mean to proceed and continue on minding their business fine? Yeah. Yeah this training academy. Yeah. What?
Yeah, what's what's what's under that what?
Yeah, I got so
Basically
it'll my
my
evasion to
Come over easy challenges
Basically, it's the same reason I start as a training provider the same reason I launched my own business first
Of all I love to be trainer
so
Very long. So he live in Jordan, you know, if you are like ten years experience or less
You don't have the right to Train okay to coach
This is the
So I took a step to launch my own
business academy to
take to train as much as I want I
Don't want to someone to say to me. Yeah, you can or no, you couldn't
This is this this is the basic. This is the basic. I still have this motivation
I think my passion in training I have I really feel very happy when I coach or train somebody
This is the first one second, you know, I don't like to feel
You are managed by someone
maybe this someone maybe a good one or bad one, but
Eventually you don't have
You don't feel like you are secure doing
The training is a specific format that you like you like on a teaching class
Do you like working in a smaller group? Do you like working kind of one-on-one and
What are the kind of the moments that you know, you you go? Whoa, this is this is awesome
so it kind of the format you like and
What specifically in training is that you like? I mean?
I don't know the connection would do okay
Regarding the format of training. Actually, I don't mind
Whatever it is, I feel
comfortable with if the one you
Enjoy more than others
Maybe maybe that's a
medium number of
Then these other trainees will be the best. Okay, but I tried I tried to be on stage for like
90 to 100 person attendee. Yeah, and I tried to we want one
Okay, I think let's say 10 to 15. I
Feel this is the best for me. Yeah
Regarding the moments. I love with training actually
My best moments and training when I finish the class and
When the attendees come around you like?
After that for 5-10 minutes asking questions or thank you for something or can I do this or what do you think about this?
Actually, I love I love to guide
My hair trainees, I love to give it all I have for another one
I feel like I'm satisfied that I'm doing something man. That is beautiful. You know, I think so
You've probably heard me say this before
One of my students taught me this phrase to teach is to run twice
I know I'm gonna go back and listen to this interview again because there was so much goodness in
There there I can't. Thank you enough for your time
Thank you very much how are you man are you doing what you love
That's what makes tired a pioneer
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