When passion meets purpose, transformation follows. In Episode 11 of Stump Station, I sat down to share a journey that many don’t know — one that began in the world of medicine and led to building one of Saudi Arabia’s most influential marketing ecosystems.
What started as a fascination with the human body’s design evolved into an obsession with a different kind of beauty — the beauty of stories.
The Turning Point
Before I founded Arbaaa Marketing, my dream was to become a plastic surgeon. I was deeply interested in aesthetics, precision, and human transformation. But one day, a simple photograph changed everything.
My uncle showed me a childhood picture — a frozen moment in time that captured a version of me I couldn’t remember. It was a powerful realization: a camera can do what surgery does — reveal beauty — but faster, for more people, and without limits.
That’s when I fell in love with storytelling. Because storytelling, when done right, reshapes how people see themselves — just like surgery, but with words and images instead of scalpels and stitches.
From Healthcare to Branding
Many people are surprised to learn how similar the two worlds are. In healthcare, we analyze systems — what stresses the patient, what supports them, who influences their decisions. In branding, it’s the same: every company or founder has stressors (funding, competition, team) and supports (partners, investors, community).
The skill I learned in medicine — understanding people deeply — became the foundation for everything I do in marketing. Whether it’s helping a CEO find their voice or helping a startup find its story, the principle is the same:
“If you can understand the human, you can understand the brand.”
In the episode, I emphasized two words that define any successful personal brand: authenticity and consistency.
Authenticity is about staying true to who you are — not acting like someone you’re not. If you’re not funny, don’t try to be funny. If you’re not the type to post three times a day, don’t force it. Consistency means doing what you can sustain — and doing it long enough to master it.
When we started the Basics of Marketing YouTube channel, the first videos were far from perfect. But every week, for over a year, we posted without fail. That’s how growth happens — not overnight, but over hundreds of repetitions that no one sees.
The HHh Framework: Heart, Hands, Head
I shared a framework I use when building stories — one that guides every campaign and brand we create at Arbaaa.
- ❤️ Heart: Start with emotion. Make people feel something.
- ✋ Hands: Give them something to do — a method, a framework, an action.
- 🧠 Head: Then bring logic — the facts, numbers, or outcomes.
This structure — Heart, Hands, Head — is how you speak to people, not just at them. It’s how stories move from screens into souls.
The Power of Storytelling
A brand is not a logo or a slogan. It’s a river — constantly flowing, changing, and reshaping everything it touches.
A business brand is like a painting on the wall — it can be reframed, retouched, or replaced. But a personal brand is alive. It grows, struggles, evolves, and carries emotion.
That’s why storytelling is at the center of what I do. It’s not about selling — it’s about meaning. People don’t remember what you sold them; they remember how you made them feel.
Lessons for Founders and Creators
For anyone building a business or a personal brand in Saudi Arabia — especially in a time where every industry is transforming — here are the takeaways from our conversation:
- Every brand needs a heartbeat. If there’s no emotion, there’s no connection.
- The Saudi market rewards authenticity. People pay for experience, not price.
- Continuity builds trust. Your audience should see a clear direction in everything you do.
- Learn from healthcare: diagnose before you prescribe. Understand the “why” behind every decision.
- Be a storyteller, not a seller. Stories outlive campaigns.
A Message to the Dreamers
As I said on the show, “Every human has a gift — sometimes born from their most painful moment.”
For me, that gift is helping others see the beauty in their own story. Whether it’s a founder, artist, or government leader, personal branding is no longer optional — it’s essential. Because in today’s Saudi Arabia, every industry has a face, and behind that face, a story waiting to be told.
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