my storychapter 01 / 14

Stillbecoming.Stillbuilding.

Muhammed Shafad seated in a white kandura in front of the Abcon Group backdrop

I am Muhammed Shafad.

An entrepreneur, business builder and lifelong learner shaped by family, faith, people, business and the places I have been fortunate enough to experience.

begin

dubai, uae
rooted in kerala

[ 01 · opening ]

I am still early in the journey, but I have always believed that a meaningful life is one where what you build creates value beyond yourself.

Illustration: a Kerala backwater at night, palms and a houseboat under a gold moonkerala · 10.85° n 76.27° e
[ 02 · where i come from ]

Rooted in Kerala. Raised in the UAE.

I come from a family shaped by business, faith and close relationships.

Growing up in the UAE gave me exposure to a fast-moving, multicultural environment, while my roots in Kerala kept me connected to family, tradition and community.

(i) father

My father showed me that business did not have to be built through aggression or greed.

He was one of the calmest businessmen I knew, someone who valued freedom, relationships, purpose and faith.

(ii) mother

My mother made sure that wherever life took me, I remained grounded in my roots and in my religion.

Those two influences still shape the way I think today.

Ambition means little if you lose your peace, your values or yourself along the way.
[ 03 · before business ]

I was rarely the quiet one.

Growing up, I was curious, social, rebellious and always involved in something.

02

Football was my first big dream.

A young Muhammed Shafad receiving a school leadership badge on stage
03
receiving the badge

School life was filled with sports, competitions, public speaking, Quran recitation and every activity I could find my way into.

Muhammed Shafad addressing his school from the podium
04
at the podium

I was never the student with the highest marks, but I was often the one trusted to take responsibility.

05

From school prefect to house captain, and later school leader, leadership entered my life long before business did.

06

School Leader, twice

[ 04 · the people who shaped me ]

Some people change the direction of your life without making noise about it.

College became an important turning point for me.

Until then, I had ambition, energy and confidence, but not always a clear sense of purpose.

Meeting Dr. Sabir Nawaz and Aslam K.H. changed that.

They gave me opportunities to lead, mentor younger students, take responsibility and think beyond simply enjoying life.

I remain deeply grateful for the role they played in shaping the person I was becoming.

college visits · uae

During this period, I also had opportunities to lead and host groups during international college visits to the UAE, an experience that strengthened my confidence and sense of responsibility.

[ 05 · learning from the ground up ]

I started young, and I learned by moving around.

My earliest exposure to business came while I was still in school, spending time at Abjar Advertising after classes and tuition.

In 2020, I returned to the company full-time.

What followed was not one fixed career path.

I moved through coordination, product development, sales, finance, branding and marketing.

  1. 01Work Coordination
  2. 02Product & Digital
  3. 03Sales
  4. 04Finance
  5. 05Branding & Marketing

That breadth taught me something important: a business is rarely understood from one department alone.

[ 06 · taking responsibility ]

The real journey began when things became difficult.

What eventually became Abcon Branding did not begin as a perfect success story. There were mistakes, wrong assumptions and difficult business decisions.

A major transition left the business under financial pressure, and I had to decide whether to walk away or take responsibility for what came next.

Separating it from the existing structure also meant stepping away from the financial comfort of the family business.

It was one of the biggest risks I had taken.

I am still building on that decision today.

Sometimes building does not begin with an opportunity. It begins with responsibility.
[ 07 · turning points ]

A few moments changed the way I saw everything.

  1. Muhammed Shafad walking alongside his mentors
    01 / 06[ college ]

    Meeting Dr. Sabir Nawaz & Aslam K.H.

    A shift from ambition without direction to purpose and responsibility.

  2. Muhammed Shafad seated at a desk, hands clasped
    02 / 06[ 2020 ]

    Returning to Abjar, 2020

    The point where work, responsibility and financial independence became real.

  3. Muhammed Shafad in a grey suit in front of the Abcon Branding wall
    03 / 06[ abcon ]

    Building Abcon Branding

    The moment business stopped being something I was learning about and became something I had to take responsibility for.

  4. Muhammed Shafad seated in front of the HIVE screen
    04 / 06[ hive ]

    Starting HIVE

    A reminder that leadership and growth can exist far beyond business.

  5. Muhammed Shafad by the Thames with Tower Bridge behind him
    05 / 06[ 2023 ]

    London, 2023

    An experience that widened my perspective on business, lifestyle, global exposure and scale.

  6. Muhammed Shafad shaking hands with a business leader
    06 / 06[ clients ]

    Winning Larger Clients

    Projects such as Bettergrow and Trus Holding strengthened my confidence that the direction I was building toward could work.

[ 08 · how i think about people ]

Leadership is not about being ahead. It is about helping others move forward.

Illustration: a gold lantern glowing at the end of a corridor of emerald arches

I have never wanted success to be something I experience alone.

To me, leadership is about recognising potential in people, sometimes before they see it themselves.

It means giving people trust, freedom, responsibility and the opportunity to become better at what they do.

A large HIVE community gathering seated together in a lounge
hive · a community gathering

If the people around me grow, that is part of my growth too.

I want the people around me to become successful in their own way, not necessarily mine.
[ 09 · my compass ]

Some things should never be negotiable.

Faith comes first.

I believe business, relationships and success should never require compromising the principles that define who you are.

  1. 01

    Faith

    My Islamic principles are the foundation I return to when making decisions.

  2. 02

    Honesty

    What I say and what I do should remain aligned.

  3. 03

    Keeping My Word

    Trust is built when commitments mean something.

  4. 04

    Clean Money

    Not every profitable opportunity is worth taking.

  5. 05

    People

    Employees should be trusted, empowered and given room to grow.

  6. 06

    Dignity

    Business should never depend on exploiting another person.

Illustration: a compass pointing to a gold star
I do not believe every profitable opportunity is worth taking.
[ 10 · the person behind the work ]

Most of what matters to me comes back to people.

Family has always been central to my life, not only my immediate family, but the wider circle of relatives and relationships I have grown up around.

Muhammed Shafad and a friend standing beside a black Toyota Century
toyota century
friendship

Friendship holds the same importance.

I value staying connected, showing up, and spending time with people who matter.

football

Football is probably the one place where everything else disappears.

For that hour, there is no business, finance, stress or ambition.

Just the game, the team and the next move.

Illustration: a stack of books with a gold dallah and cup
curiosity
Muhammed Shafad holding fried chicken inside the Kukit outlet in Ajman
kukit, ajman
Muhammed Shafad behind the wheel, driving
behind the wheel

I am also an automotive enthusiast, endlessly curious, and happiest when good people and good food are in the same room.

  • Football
  • Cars
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Family
  • Friendships
  • Curiosity
[ 11 · exposure ]

Every place teaches you something different.

Growing up between the UAE and Kerala already gave me two very different perspectives on people, culture and business.

Illustration: a Kerala backwater blending into Dubai's dunes and skyline under one gold moon

Travel added more.

I enjoy observing how people live, how businesses operate, how cities move and how success looks different in different parts of the world.

london, 2023

One of the experiences that changed my perspective most was spending time in London in 2023.

Muhammed Shafad on a London street lined with red-brick buildings
London
Muhammed Shafad by the Thames with Tower Bridge behind
Tower Bridge
Muhammed Shafad beside a red telephone box in London
Red telephone box
Muhammed Shafad on a country road in the English countryside
The countryside

It expanded the scale of what I thought was possible.

[ 12 · success, to me ]

Success is not something I want to keep for myself.

I want to build businesses, communities and institutions that create real value for people.

Things that continue working even when I am no longer around to lead them.

That, to me, is success.

Not simply being remembered.

Building something worth continuing.

Illustration: an antique gold key resting in an emerald arched niche
[ 13 · how i see the future ]

What we are given is never really ours.

There is an idea in Islam called amanah.

A trust.

Something placed in your care for a period of time.

I see wealth, opportunity, relationships, influence and responsibility in much the same way.

If any of those things come into my life, I do not believe they belong to me forever.

The real question is what I do with them while they are in my hands.

Portrait of Muhammed Shafad in a white kandura, looking away from the camera
[ 14 · where i'm heading ]

I am still figuring out what mark I can leave with the limited time I have been given.

  • There is much I do not know yet.
  • There is much I still want to learn.

But I know I want to spend that time building things that matter, helping people grow and leaving behind something useful for those who come after me.

businessExplore What I’m Buildingmy workSee My Work