Today we’d like to introduce you to Hazem Halim.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Hazem. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. From a young age, I dreamt about traveling the world. I was very curious and ambitious. My father was a geologist and I realized the oil and gas industry was where I wanted to be. I went to university in Leicester, UK, and, after finishing undergrad, I went to Norfolk VA for grad school. In 2001, I got my first job in Houston, TX and my ‘Houston Journey’ began. Because of my interest in the oil and gas industry, I knew Houston was the place to be.
Throughout my 16-year career I worked for a few large corporations. However, deep down I knew I was an entrepreneur.
Then decided to go to business school at Rice university and that was a real game changer. I made the decision to leave corporate America and be an entrepreneur. We created Uniarmour 2 months before graduation, and 5 years later we’re still here.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Start-ups in general, and especially in the oil and gas industry are full of challenges. The process itself is very challenging. From the initial setup, to creating a product, and raising capital, and acquiring customers. Coming from a background of working at a large corporation, my number one challenge was that it felt so lonely in the beginning. Staying positive is also difficult, especially if a product doesn’t work the first time, or if a sales effort doesn’t materialize.
I found running to be one of the ways of dealing with these challenges. First off, it’s a great release, but most importantly it taught me to take one step at a time and to be patient.
Uniarmour was created in 2016 and it was in the middle of the oil crisis. However, we felt so strongly about our products, and our mission was to improve efficiencies for our customers. We managed to take a crisis situation and turn it into an opportunity.
Uniarmour – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Uniarmour provides innovative thread protection solutions to pipe makers and oil and gas service companies. We are an innovation technology company. We’re not an app or a software, we are a hardware company. So, we bring our customers efficiency gains by providing products that are faster to install, in safe manner that is cost effective.
I’m very proud of our team. During stressful situations we work very well together to solve the issue. We are a small team and each of us brings a specific set of skills we need to make this work. We have been especially resilient while facing 2 downturns and during the pandemic.
What sets us apart is that we think of ourselves as technology company in an industry that hasn’t changed in decades. We bring innovation to the market.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success on the personal side is to be able to do what make me happy. I’m constantly pushing the limits higher and trying to achieve my goals, regardless of whether they are personal or career oriented.
On the business side, success is growing the company and achieving our vision: to be a leader in the thread protector’s industry, and to bring value to the industry and our community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.uniarmour.com
- Email: info@uniarmour.com
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uniarmourllc
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