Meet Faisal Sheraiff, the social entrepreneur with a difference

You no longer have to be physically with someone to interact with them, and you don’t even have to talk to have a conversation. Gone are the days where job interviews were limited by proximity, breaking news limited by slow mediums, or even friendships limited by meeting someone face-to-face. Social media has propelled us into a realm where anything seems possible, and the bounds that used to hold back society are gone. In today’s world, social media is a formidable force of change and those who see the positive empowering image take a chance and spread their messages through the many platforms social media offers. The ability of social media platforms to bring to attention issues and topics that concern society is unique, it can spread like wildfire. To those who find the key, all it takes is a clear vision, the right messages to send, the suitable platform and the message will find its way to its audience.
Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Keek, Snapchat and others are on the top list for bloggers, vloggers, entrepreneurs, celebrities and well known personalities. Their connection to the world is through these mediums, the successful are those who reach out to their viewers, listen to their critiques, ideas and suggestions on topics that are close to oneself. To speak to a society as a whole and talk about topics that touch close to one’s heart, issues that help in bettering themselves, tips on how to spread good are some of the topics one social entrepreneur is focusing on and has managed to reach out and connect in such a positive form that he’s gaining more followers day by day. Faisal Sheraiff is his name, a young man putting so much effort in spreading positive vibes who has caught the attention of many in the Kingdom. He is contributing his ideas as well as participating in numerous activities and events, promoting his view of positive principles in a form accepted by the youth of society.
Arab News caught up with Faisal, who shared with us the story of his entry in the world of social media:

You’re a graduate of the UK and you’ve pursued your masters degree from Boston, Massachusetts afterwards and majored in “Integrated Marketing Communication” but something changed when you came back to the Kingdom, you changed paths and became someone other than what you planned to be once you came back. How so and who are you right now?
When I set out for college I went into marketing for both my bachelors and my masters as well, I wanted to be a “marketing guy,” that was the initial plan. When I came back to Saudi Arabia close to two years ago, I planned to get involved with the social media marketing world, at the time social media was picking up speed like it never had with so many sites and apps. I can’t say that my path has changed, more like swerved more to entrepreneurship. I can say that I am now a social entrepreneur marketing for social entrepreneurship. It can be a bit confusing to some but I don’t work for a company that would market their products or ideals, I am doing something close to it through my own efforts promoting something different. Islamic values is my goal and I’ve educated myself in this specific field.
I wouldn’t say they’re Islamic purely but more humanitarian, which our religion has a lot to do with. We were raised according to the values of the Holy Qur’an. I’m doing this through raising awareness, through initiatives and through raising social awareness on social media. I’m not marketing for something tangible, I’m marketing for something spiritual, humanitarian and psychological. I’m using my tools that I’ve gained through my education as well as my personal experiences, it’s my new passion and my new way of life. I have to live it for it to succeed, I promote them sincerely or else I’d lose credibility. I’m not perfect but I’m working on bettering myself with everyone around me and helping to spread these positive values in a way everyone can relate to.
It’s a game of strategy. You have to gain the trust of the viewers, if they like what they see then I’ve done my job. You have to look at it from a business perspective, think out of the box, create a media campaign, find your competition, learn from the past and adjust it to the now. I’m targeting the youth because they’re the future, society will progress through their contributions, the age group I’m targeting is between 14-24. Why? Because that’s the age where they can be inspired and are old enough to understand. If you go to a 30-year-old and remind them about the values of generosity for example, they’d simply say “I’m 30 and I think I know what generosity is, I don’t need to be reminded.” The young are at a beautiful stage in life where you can mold them the way you want, teaching them about positive manners and values in a way they relate to, from someone close to their age group. Social media is the best medium.

Your first project was “Outlanders in KSA” and since you’ve moved on to other projects such as “Al-Soroor” and “Back 2 Arabic.” You’ve put a lot of time and effort in each of your initiatives. Does it take a while for you to come up with them?
It takes about a month to six for each project. I study the market, I search for something needed and it takes around a month or so to launch each one. I do a lot of thinking and strategizing on the way I prefer to show it, I’m not a perfectionist but you really have to think of the best way to go forward. I use Instagram and Snapchat to promote my ideas and it’s also a way for me to gain ideas from the viewers, I connect with the viewers. Currently I have over 23,000 followers on Instagram and between 2-3,000 views on Snapchat. It’s very a humbling experience.

How do you find the time to strategize and also keep up with daily life obligations?
It’s a heady combination. I first started a year and a half ago and I had an 8-5 job which was driving me crazy, I couldn’t find the time for this new field I was striving for. It took me 7 months of juggling my job and working on my first project “Outlanders” which in return was very hectic. I took time off to work on my campaign and I saw how positive it was and the way I felt about it made me take a life changing decision to quit my job and continue on with my new found passion. It was a huge risk but a year later I have found my calling and I feel great! It was such a positive step and I now have the time to relay that same positive vibe to others.

That’s quite a big step you took there, self dependence and making a place for yourself in society. How can you not have a corporate job and still provide for your family? It’s not for the faint hearted.
No it’s not. After quitting my job, I then went along and created a small marketing boutique which is where I am able to provide with enough income to sustain me and my family. I now have more time for myself, my projects and integrate any social activities I want to be a part of. In every project I work on whether it was a large initiative or a side project, I can now find the sponsors, the volunteers and the plan to go ahead and pursue.

Some would say you’re doing this to be famous, to show off. How do you deal with such negative reactions?
It simply comes with the territory, but I personally choose what I want to work on. For example, my trip to Djibouti was purely humanitarian and there’s no way that anyone would say anything negative about that, we went and provided a month’s worth of food for a thousand families. You have to choose wisely. Any negative comments about my projects are the person’s own views and I can’t control that, it’s their prerogative. All I’m trying to do is spread more positive, more beneficial, innovative ideas and more good in a society that is overwhelmed with the evolutionary world.

You’ve come a long way since you’ve started your social entrepreneurship path. Have things changed for you?
Yes definitely, I’ve been able to create somewhat of a movement and touched many through my posts. I’ve met some wonderful people and organizations throughout the Kingdom that share the same goal path, such as Mohammed Salem, Osama Ghazi, Mohammed Al-Nhet, Dr. Adel Redwan, Omar Al-Shehri, Mohammed Abdulqader, Moath Al-Ofi, Feras Bugnah, Loai Nassem and so many more outstanding charities and initiative projects sponsored by companies. I’ve taken trips with them and gotten to know many who share the same passion of promoting positivity in society. There are many people out there promoting the same ideals and promoting them in their own way and we all share the same goal in the end, to do more good for the sake of our beloved society.
—
Be sure to follow Faisal in his passionate path of spreading optimistic and positive values and keep up with his latest projects on Snapchat: Faisalsheraiff and Instagram: Faisal Sheraiff, Outlanders_KSA and Back2Arabic.
Email: [email protected]