The woman who never thought about being in business is now in charge of 5 growing companies. But this rapid rise wasn't without strife; getting to know how the world of business worked was particularly tough for a person who previously had no training in business."My educational background was the biggest challenge. I had to train myself to do what I'm doing. Then there were language obstacles; because no one wanted to talk to me in English or French. I learned that I had to do every- thing in Arabic. It was a major transition. Business culture shock! I never thought this could happen, but it can and does."