By Dunia Othman, Co Founder of mr. Usta

I’d like to believe that most people are like me –I am always striving to be the best I can be in everything that I do, and not accepting mediocrity or letting any semblance of failure bring me down. I like to inform my friends and colleagues that winners know the difference between failing and not succeeding. Failing results when you give up, and just sit there, defeated with not an inkling of determination to move on. Not succeeding means you didn’t accomplish your immediate goals but continue to work on it, until you get there. It’s about perseverance and resolve. It’s about knowing that you are always giving it your all to be a winner.

Usta is a term commonly used across the region meaning ‘master’, guru’, or ‘craftsman’. Taken beyond the simple definition, to be a true Usta is to never give up: to be the greatest at what you do through passion, drive, and skills; to look at obstacles as challenges rather than barriers, and to pick up the pieces and find a new start when things don’t go your way. In other words, an Usta is a winner.

At mrUsta, I’d like to believe that we’ve created a community of winners. Winners that get recognized, and we get to see the first-hand on a daily basis.

mrUsta is an open marketplace which allows customers to find quality service providers, i.e. Ustas. Customers deal directly with the Ustas rather than through us (no middleman). Ustas send offers to customers based on their requirements and customers choose their preferred Usta to complete their job.

What we have seen is that customers select their Ustas mainly based on reviews. We’ve also seen more than one example where an Usta was selected even though they had priced their services higher – simply because they had better ratings than the competition. This all goes to show that location, brand name, and even prices are secondary to being known for delivering a good job.

We ensure that we have the best Ustas in our database in more than one way. We don’t allow any Usta on our database unless they have been vetted by us and we have visited them or checked their trade license and other legal formalities. We also encourage customers to rate our Ustas to which they are held accountable for, ultimately, the quality of service goes up (in fact, three consecutive bad ratings, and we remove the Usta from our platform). We also help Ustas with smaller budgets (and market visibility) build an online presence so they can have access the customers who typically lay way beyond their geographical reach. We also provide a system of transparency as the customer can view a series of offers before selecting the one that suits them best. it’s important to us that we provide the tools for our Ustas to be successful and to Be the best at what they do, as well as ensuring that customers will have a peace of mind when choosing an Usta from our platform.

An Usta is not only a quality that you look for in a professional life. It’s just as important in your personal life. We all want to do our best, achieve our personal goals, and be the greatest at what we do. Being an Usta in your personal life means doing everything possible to make the best choice, and even exceed your own expectations to get recognized by those around you, whether they be peers, family, or friends.

Just as in your career, there are certain matters – or perhaps guidelines – that you must keep in mind to become the best Usta you can . For instance, define what it means it you to be successful. If you can’t pinpoint success, you’ll never meet expectations, much less exceed them. Know your limitations and be prepared to ask for help to achieve your goals; after all, you only make decisions based on your own experiences, so getting input from others sets you on the path of success. In conclusion, only you can provide the right tools for your personal success.

Whether at work or home, your own success is truly defined by you and valued by others. So in pursuit of being the best you can be, in pursuit of real greatness, are you leading your life as an Usta?