Reem Safy, CEO at Al Safy Group. Each week, My Morning Routine looks at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions just for fun. Speaking to us this week is Reem Safy (LinkedIn), CEO at Al Safy Group.

I’m a 29-year-old who’s finding her way. I’m the CEO of Al Safy Group, and I’m very proud of this large conglomerate. My father founded the company, which I manage alongside my brothers. I’m the one who keeps everything running. It’s a never-ending job for me because it’s a family business. I bring it home because my father is always waiting for me to know what happened during the day. My responsibilities would be to carry on his legacy and try to improve on something that was already big, which is difficult.

My father founded the company 38 years ago with two other people. He was one of the first to think that bringing Chinese brands into Egypt would be a good idea or bring a new aspect to the tech industry. And then everything began to pick up speed. He started the mobile business, and four or five years later, the company was one of the main distributors of Orange, and it snowballed from there. He added Xiaome, then Apple, and then we started our own retail shops and, eventually, distribution arm.

When the second generation entered the picture, we began to grow the business in a different direction, and now we have more than 360 stores. We focused on growing the tech business, and bringing in different business lines, including real estate and a food business line. We also recently entered the automotive industry.

We’re all focusing on factories and industry right now because we want more things to be made in Egypt. This year has been challenging because our business is primarily based on importation. So we’re trying to change that.

My morning routine was very different five years ago. I used to exercise every day for eight years, and I had a set time when I would leave work, but that has since stopped. I no longer have a morning routine because my responsibilities have increased as the company has grown. Currently, I leave work very late. I just wake up and grab whatever I can get from the wardrobe, and then leave to go to work. I would have loved to tell everyone that I had a morning routine that’s affecting my life in a positive way, But I’m working harder now because we’re going in different directions. Sometimes I forget to eat. I’m really giving it my all at work this year. I’m not saying this is a good thing, and I’m hoping for a better routine next year. I lost all of the “me time” that I used to have.

Every day is an abnormal day for me. I usually get home from work around 11pm and I arrive at work around 9:30am the next day. But I’m happy — I’m not complaining at all, because within this abnormal workday, as I’d like to call it, I’m surrounded by lovely people whom I consider family.

The one constant in my day is that I don’t want to forget to pray, because it can be difficult at times. This is the one thing I really stick to.

I’m not always focused and organized. Some days are better than others. You can’t be completely focused and organized all the time.

When I first started working, I was very nerdy; I wanted everything to be perfect, but I soon realized that it was draining more energy from me than I wanted, so I stopped. I realized that is acceptable to have one bad day. It’s fine to not be able to give your all every once in a while.

This year we realized that more products should be manufactured in Egypt. People are realizing that we need more factories, and I believe this is the next step for me professionally. I’m trying to learn how to do it because it was never on our agenda as Al Safy group. We’re also going into the FinTech industry.

My current work-life balance is zero over ten, but the perfect life does not exist. I was told that we need to have balance and be out of the office by 7pm. It’s comforting to hear, but it’s not always true. All of the CEOs I know, all of the people who have made a difference in their lives and have a success story, do not leave by 7pm. They don’t have a work-life balance. I’m not saying this is the right thing, but it is what it is. You’re trying to carve your path somewhere where there are hundreds of people who are better than you and similar to you, and at the end of the day, you have to give up something to get something in return,

That said, this year I went to a detox center for a week. I took a week off because I was completely burnt out. It was a wonderful experience for me. I spent some time alone reflecting on everything in my life. I rarely have time for myself, so when I did it, I went all in: I turned off the phone, didn’t talk to anyone.

The books I enjoy reading the most are all psychology-related. I majored in engineering and then I got my master’s degree in psychology. Someone recently recommended a book to me. I’m overjoyed that it exists, and I believe everyone should read it: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a [redacted]. I think I’ve read it more than twice now.

As for TV shows, I’m always delighted to watch something that makes me laugh. I love watching comedies that are extremely silly, because the day is always hectic so I’d like to have something simple in my day.

The best advice I ever got was from my grandfather, who raised me. The best advice he ever gave me was that I should always be true to myself. He encouraged me always to be as authentic as possible.