On a freezing Sunday morning in Boston, I walked into Harvard Business School for the Muslims in Business Conference (MiB).
I expected a business conference.
Panels. Networking. Maybe a few good notes.
What I didn't expect…
was to leave feeling like I had witnessed something much bigger than a conference.
Something that felt like the beginning of an era.
A room full of Muslims — founders, investors, executives, students — not just participating…
…but building.
Seriously.
Unapologetically.
With values at the center.
Business, at Its Core, Is Mutual Exchange
One of the earliest ideas shared was simple, but it reframed everything:
Business is a mutual exchange of value.
Not extraction.
Not ego.
Not just profit.
But contribution.
People solving problems for other people.
Business as collaboration — not competition.
That tone alone made MiB feel different.
Every Great Builder in the Room Was Thinking Long-Term
As the day unfolded, one message kept surfacing:
Stop obsessing over the short term.
So many companies chase quarterly wins.
But real stability comes from something deeper:
Strong teams. Strong systems. Patient decisions.
One speaker emphasized that when the team is strong, everything becomes stable — the business, the culture, the future.
The Rolex Lesson That Stuck With Me
A powerful example came up:
Rolex raises prices only 2–3% each year.
Not because they need to.
But because trust is built slowly.
That's how legacy brands operate:
Long-term consistency over short-term hype.
And it made me ask myself:
Am I building for next month…
or for the next decade?
Macro > Micro: Zoom Out or Get Left Behind
Another idea that hit hard:
Macro beats micro.
One speaker shared a story about buying a mall — something that looked like a terrible investment in the moment.
But 15 years later?
It became one of the largest warehouse holdings.
The world changed.
Infrastructure became destiny.
The lesson was clear:
The best founders don't react to trends…
They position themselves ahead of inevitability.
Look at what's coming:
- Data centers
- AI infrastructure
- Automation
- Energy transitions
Build early.
Then strike when the iron is hot.
Then the Conversation Shifted From Strategy… to Character
One of the most powerful moments wasn't tactical.
It was spiritual.
A speaker reminded the room:
"You own nothing in this world. Never be too cocky."
That landed.
Because ambition without humility is empty.
Success without grounding disappears.
Executive Presence, Redefined
Another speaker described executive presence beautifully:
It's not pretending.
It's not performing.
It's simply:
Being fully who you are in the moment.
That's real leadership.
Meditation + AI: The Most Modern Takeaway I Didn't Expect
One of the most profound insights of the day connected mindfulness directly to business leadership.
Meditation was described as:
"A tool to be more mindful, more present… and to make better decisions."
In global business, leaders make hundreds of decisions constantly.
Clarity becomes a competitive advantage.
And the takeaway was almost poetic:
AI + meditation.
Build with the fastest tools…
…but lead with the clearest mind.
The Speakers Were Truly Remarkable
MiB wasn't inspiring just because of themes.
It was inspiring because of the people delivering them.
Amjad Masad (CEO of Replit): "Laziness Is a Virtue"
Amjad Masad, founder and CEO of Replit, gave one of the most memorable quotes of the day:
"Laziness is a virtue. Pay attention to anything you do manually that annoys you. That's where the ideas are."
But what impressed me even more…
was what he did afterward.
A Founder Marketing Masterclass in Real Time
Amjad didn't just give a keynote.
He gave every attendee:
- 3 months free of Replit Core
- $25 in Replit credits
That is an insanely smart business move.
Why three months?
Because founders are busy. Operators are busy. Students are busy.
Three months is enough time to truly explore. To ship something real. To let the product become part of your workflow.
Now think about the scale:
MiB had roughly 1,000 attendees.
Even if only 40% redeem the offer…
That's 400 active users.
And if even 7–10% convert into paying customers?
That's dozens of long-term subscribers from one keynote.
This is what great founders do:
They don't just speak.
They create adoption. They create momentum. They create experiences.
Sumaiya Balbale (Former COO of Sequoia Capital): Play Bigger
Sumaiya Balbale delivered a line that felt like a direct challenge:
"Don't be afraid to make the audacious ask… If it doesn't feel slightly uncomfortable, you're playing too small."
She also emphasized surrounding yourself with environments of:
- High talent density
- Fast velocity
- Exponential growth
Because your trajectory is shaped by who you're around.
Haroon Mokhtarzada: Aspire to Be Among the Foremost
Haroon Mokhtarzada reflected on Surah Al-Waqi'ah and the idea of the "foremost."
He asked:
"Why wouldn't we aspire to be among the sābiqūn?"
That line stayed with me.
Excellence is not arrogance.
It's responsibility.
The Bigger Realization I Left With
At Harvard, I saw Muslims:
- Building billion-dollar companies.
- Deploying capital.
- Leading institutions.
- Shaping the future.
Not apologizing for Islam…
…but building with it.
The infrastructure is being built right now:
- VC funds
- Founder networks
- Scholarship communities
- The next generation watching closely
And the future leaders?
Some of them are still in high school today.
That's how early this story is.
And that's what makes it exciting.
My Biggest Takeaways From MiB
If I had to summarize the conference into lessons I'll carry forward:
- Think long-term, always
- Macro trends matter more than noise
- Build with humility and presence
- Use AI as leverage, not fear
- Surround yourself with builders
- Aspire to be among the foremost
- Faith and excellence are deeply connected
MiB wasn't just a conference.
It was a signal.
The future is being built — right now.
And Muslims are helping lead it.
If You're Building Something and Want to Scale With Clarity
If any of these lessons resonated with you — whether it's long-term strategy, AI leverage, or values-driven execution —
I'd love to connect.
Scroll below and schedule a call with me.
Let's talk about how you can build smarter, scale faster, and execute with clarity.
The next era is here.
Let's build it well.