TAMPA, Fla. — Karim Ibrahim sees each day in the office as a new opportunity to become the best version of himself. Ibrahim is the founder of Ra Media, a video production company in Tampa. 

What You Need To Know

  • Karim Ibrahim moved to the U.S. from Egypt in 2016

  • Ibrahim dedicated himself to learning English and entrepreneurship, so he could start his own video production company

  • November is National Entrepreneurship month, which celebrates the risks people take when launching a business

  • The number of entrepreneurs in the U.S. reached an all-time high last year, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

He built the business from the ground up and had to borrow money from family and friends in order to take the first step.

“I had the mindset and everything, it was just financially it’s a very hard business to get into,” Ibrahim said. “Everything is super expensive,work, work mics are super expensive, cameras are super expensive, lenses are super expensive, gimlets, stabilizers, softwares, computers.”

While Ibrahim was building his business, he was also starting a new life. Ibrahim was born and raised in the Middle East and came to the United States in 2016 from Egypt. He and his family fled political unrest in search of more opportunity. 

Ibrahim experienced a culture shock once in America. He had trouble learning English, but dedicated himself to studying the language and business.

“I have to make it because here it’s a fair country,” he said. “You work, you get what you deserve. Back in any country in the Middle East, you can work work work and if you don’t have the right connection or your dad is not the right person, you’re never going to achieve anything.”

When Ibrahim arrived in Tampa, he worked as a valet at Moffitt Cancer Center. There, he was inspired to start his own video production company after meeting a patient who owned video equipment.

More Americans are starting their own businesses. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, published by Babson College, shows the number of business owners in the country hit an all-time high last year. November is National Entrepreneurship month, which celebrates the risks people like Ibrahim take when launching a business. 

As Ibrahim’s company has grown, so has his team of content creators. While he loves shooting and editing video, Ibrahim’s favorite part of the creative process is building relationships with clients.

“My motto of the company is content that actually converts,” he said. “I really don’t care if you get views or not. What I really, really want is to make you money.”

Ra Media has come a long way since its start, but Ibrahim feels he is just scratching the surface of possibilities. Next, he wants to expand the company’s reach to other states and tap into different industries. 

“All the products and services now are shifting from actual stores to online stores,” Ibrahim said. “To be able to sell online, you need great creatives. You need great pictures, you need great videos that shows the features of your product, the features of your services.”

It took a lot of patience, discipline and sacrifice for Ibrahim to get where he is. But he said the reward was worth it and he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. 

“It is scary,” Ibrahim said. “No one said it’s fun, no one said it’s easy because if it’s easy anyone would have done it, you know what I mean? So all I can say is if you feel like you’re made for something more and you have that feeling inside of you, just embrace it. Just go and do it. Stop thinking about it, just go and do it, take the first step.”

Ibrahim encourages aspiring entrepreneurs, especially immigrants, to take the leap of faith and chase their dream. He believes if you keep pushing, you can reach heights you never knew existed.