Born and raised in Sidi Bouzid, Safa Zideni studied at the University of Science and Technology of Health in Sousse where she graduated top of her class in 2014. Specializing in podiatry, a branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of feet diseases and injuries, she also gained a license to practice from the university.
“My first concern was to strengthen my skills in the field and gain more practical experience,” explains Safa “so I worked 9 months in a specialized clinic in Sousse before returning to Sidi Bouzid, determined to start my own business in my hometown.”
Safa’s passion for her profession led her to the path of entrepreneurship. To identify the tools and skills that would enable her to realize her entrepreneurial ambition she undertook research and spoke with numerous doctors. As part of her research she joined the CEFE Program in 2015, which guided her to the APII.
“At the APII I found out about the Mashrou3i program’s HP LIFE workshops and the e-learning courses. The training was very rewarding and helped me to improve my business plan, project planning and to define the different steps involved in creating the business; like defining expenses and charges, developing an advertising plan and a marketing strategy. Through the training I also realized the importance of communication for my profession and the strong relationship between price and service quality.”
A month after completing the training Safa was invited by Mashrou3i to take part in a complementary HP LIFE business coaching workshop that enabled Safa to refine and structure her project into a compelling, fully-fledged business plan. Thanks to the support of the Mashrou3i experts and the Sid Bouzid Business Center, Safa obtained a credit from the bank of 62,000 Tunisian dinars for the acquisition of equipment.
In 2016, at only 23 years old, Safa finally opened the doors of the first podiatry practice in Sidi Bouzid, creating 2 permanent jobs in the process. However, it was not without challenges; podiatry as a medical field was relatively unknown in Sidi Bouzid and across the rest of Tunisia.
With the help of Mashrou3i, Safa was able to communicate effectively with the general public to raise awareness of podiatry and to position herself as a leader in the field.
“I owe a lot of my success to the trainings and the support I received through the Mashrou3i program. I’ve applied everything I learned, especially in communication and advertising: I’ve made business cards, communicated on social networks, carried out an outdoor marketing campaign and distributed flyers in specific places in Sidi Bouzid, to target potential customers and partners. I’ve even had the opportunity to talk about my business on the radios El Karama and El Watanya 2. I can really recommend this program to all young people, who like me want to start their own business but need support.”