Choose Your Fellow: Bashara Hussein

Meet Bashara Hussain, 2022 VFC and RBC Fellow. She is currently working at Relay, an no-fee, online business banking and money management platform to understand precisely what your business is earning, spending and saving. 

What does being a Connector mean to you?

For me, being a Connector is like fitting different puzzle pieces. I’m viewing the world not as separate parts, but as interconnected.  Being a Connector also means being imaginative, and sometimes questioning assumptions.

As a Connector, what are things that you engage with to keep you inspired and motivated?

There are a lot of experts and specialists in many different fields, and yet there are so many global issues because there’s no birds-eye view.  This is what keeps me motivated as a Connector – being able to see the bigger picture rather than having a narrow mindset.

What’s one piece of advice you would leave for someone trying to step into becoming a Connector?

One piece of advice that I would give is to sometimes step out of traditional “boxes”, roles, and expectations.  Tune into your inner sense, question the world, and tune into your common sense, intuition, and instinct.  

How do Connectors thrive in entrepreneurship?

Connectors thrive in entrepreneurship because it lets them see opportunities in many different areas. That helps them buzz with ideas in all these different fields that otherwise may not be very clearly visible. 

Generally, entrepreneurs already have this skill, because they are able to see these opportunities.  But even then, sometimes the important things aren’t given focus.  Zooming out a little bit is important as an entrepreneur because entrepreneurs and startups can be too narrowly focused on their product, instead of why it’s important.