Tahir: From Refugee to Global Entrepreneur

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Tahir Al-Haj Mohammad, a young Syrian entrepreneur, once worked in the cosmetics and essential oils industry in his homeland. But when the crisis struck, he was forced to leave everything behind and seek a new beginning in Turkey in 2018. A year later, he officially founded his small company, determined to rebuild his life. Starting a business in a new country was no easy task. Tahir faced countless challenges—different laws, unfamiliar systems, and limited resources. Yet, he never stopped searching for ways to overcome obstacles and achieve success. He discovered Qatar Charity’s “Scale Up” project, implemented in partnership with Qatar Fund for Development and supported technically by SPARK. The program, part of Qatar Charity’s economic empowerment initiative, aimed to accelerate the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises in Turkey by providing comprehensive technical support. Tahir applied and was accepted among 200 participating companies. Over three intensive months, he attended specialized training sessions covering financial management, risk control, product marketing, and brand management. But the real game-changer was the personalized mentorship: trainers visited his workplace, helped him overcome operational hurdles, and guided him in upgrading his digital systems for greater efficiency and security. Beyond training, Tahir joined a business forum organized by Qatar Charity, where he met investors and other companies, exchanged knowledge, and signed several partnership agreements. Thanks to the technical support and guidance from “Scale Up”, Tahir’s company, Maxonal Cosmetics, expanded its reach across Turkey and went global—exporting products to Australia, the UK, Germany, and Egypt.

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10/26/2025

Tahir Al-Haj Mohammad, a young Syrian entrepreneur, once worked in the cosmetics and essential oils industry in his homeland. But when the crisis struck, he was forced to leave everything behind and seek a new beginning in Turkey in 2018. A year later, he officially founded his small company, determined to rebuild his life.

Starting a business in a new country was no easy task. Tahir faced countless challenges—different laws, unfamiliar systems, and limited resources. Yet, he never stopped searching for ways to overcome obstacles and achieve success.

He discovered Qatar Charity’s “Scale Up” project, implemented in partnership with Qatar Fund for Development and supported technically by SPARK. The program, part of Qatar Charity’s economic empowerment initiative, aimed to accelerate the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises in Turkey by providing comprehensive technical support.

Tahir applied and was accepted among 200 participating companies. Over three intensive months, he attended specialized training sessions covering financial management, risk control, product marketing, and brand management. But the real game-changer was the personalized mentorship: trainers visited his workplace, helped him overcome operational hurdles, and guided him in upgrading his digital systems for greater efficiency and security.

Beyond training, Tahir joined a business forum organized by Qatar Charity, where he met investors and other companies, exchanged knowledge, and signed several partnership agreements.

Thanks to the technical support and guidance from “Scale Up”, Tahir’s company, Maxonal Cosmetics, expanded its reach across Turkey and went global—exporting products to Australia, the UK, Germany, and Egypt.

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