The news on Wednesday, February 5

1. One Step Left to the President

⏰ 5 minutes

The news was published by Fars News Agency and Tasnim News Agency with the following titles.

Fars News Agency: Government support for the development of trade and empowering women - View the news on Fars

Tasnim News Agency: The government supports trade development by the Khadijah (PBUH) Foundation - View the news on Tasnim

2. Special Article for Newcomers

3. Explanation of Arad Branding's Plan for Festival Participants

⏰ 59 minutes

4. Professional Approach in B2G Meetings 

G stands for Government, meaning government officials.

⏰ 5 minutes

5. Business Meeting of Representatives from China, Turkey, and Portugal with Aradi Traders of Promotion 9 and Above

⏰ 6 minutes

6. Arad Visual Documentation

⏰ 1 minute

7. Trip to Turkey 2 Years Ago

⏰ 1 minute

Always keep the advice of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for traders in mind:

"O group of traders, get close to your customers."

This closeness has two forms.

Physical closeness and emotional closeness, which Arad Branding is determined to create for registered members in the festival. However, even traders not attending the festival should act on it.

Physical closeness has two types: One is that we travel from our country to other countries and meet customers, and the other is inviting them to Iran.

Given our country's specific regulations regarding hijab and other views that are not aligned with the world, as well as the strange Iranophobia that Western media has instilled in the hearts of people worldwide, if we Aradi traders agree to travel to another country and tell our customers to come there, we will make much more profit compared to inviting them to Iran. Both of these will be on the agenda for festival members in 2025.

Dear traders who did not make it to the festival can independently or by collaborating with other similar traders reserve a tour and visit another country to meet and negotiate with their customers.

However, as the poet said:

"Between my moon and the moon up high,

The difference reaches from earth to the sky."

Another aspect of getting close to customers is emotional closeness.

How should we behave so that customers feel emotionally close to us?

These are all techniques that have been taught repeatedly in the Business School, business podcasts, online meetings, and news on the website.

This year, in 2025, festival members will see these techniques practically alongside senior managers, and they will certainly emulate and execute them.

Surely, the friendship between Aradi traders will ensure that the news of such approaches will spread among other traders who are not in the festival, both from foreign trips and business meetings inside the country.

And there is certainly a difference between the festival trader who has seen it and the one who hasn't.

As the poet says again:

"What’s seen is understood,

Words can’t convey it as they should."

9. Let me get really frustrated.

One of the words that deeply annoys me, and whenever I see it, I want to bang my head against the wall, is when you want to talk about the reasons why people don't enter trade, and you say:

One of the reasons people don't enter business is because they don't want to step out of the comfort zone of being an employee or a worker.

The "comfort zone" you are referring to makes me feel like I want to tear my shirt collar in frustration.

Can you tell me exactly which "comfort zone" you're talking about?

Where in the labor law does it say there is safety that you refer to as a "comfort zone"?

Either you don't know the meaning of comfort, or you don't understand the meaning of a zone.

What comfort does the labor job provide?

Do you really close your eyes and not see that our workers and employees are living in lower-income homes every year compared to the year before?

Do you really not see that every year, the number of times they buy clothes decreases?

Do you really not see that every year the amount of meat they eat is less than the year before?

A few days ago, I was reading official statistics that stated the consumption of fruits by people has decreased by 50% compared to 10 years ago.

This number refers to the entire society.

The consumption of fruits by businessmen, factory owners, investors, landowners, actors, athletes, high-level professionals, doctors, lawyers, and other wealthy groups, who have not experienced any decrease, means that when they say the total consumption of fruit has decreased by 50%, it actually means the consumption of fruit by workers and employees has decreased by over 90%.

It was really a bitter day for me when a certain important person said:

The consumption of vegetables by people has increased compared to the past, and people should save on these foods.

When does the consumption of vegetables increase?

Do you even know what vegetables are?

Vegetables include greens, eggplant, cucumber, peas, lettuce, cabbage, peppers, and so on...

When does the consumption of eggplant increase?

Haven't you heard that people say eggplant is the meat for the poor?

Then your esteemed official, do you not understand that when the consumption of vegetables increases, it indicates the peak of poverty in a country?

And then you say people should be frugal and save on vegetables?

Can you tell them not to eat vegetables at all? What should they eat instead?

And you call this a "comfort zone"?

Is an employee who doesn’t know where they will live next year considered to be in a safe situation?

This is misery.

This is misfortune.

This is wretchedness.

Instead of calling it a comfort zone, say it’s the zone of misery.

The zone of humiliation.

The zone of helplessness and the loss of dignity for a Muslim man.

This is when a young daughter asks her father for a mobile phone, and for years, he can't buy it, and these young girls are forced to go after these rich boys and trick them to fulfill their needs. Do you call that comfort?

Can you please write down what you think comfort means and then tell me which security and comfort zone you're referring to?

This is the zone of addiction.

Our employees and workers have gotten used to repetitive work.

The reason they cannot enter trade isn't because they can't leave their comfort zone, but because they’ve done so many repetitive tasks without any thought that their brains have deteriorated.

They've lost their ability to think and reason.

That's why they don't enter business—they know that business requires intelligence, and they’re used to the dullness and lack of thought in their employee and worker roles.

This repetition and habit of a wrong method is called addiction.

They are trapped in their circle of addiction, not in their comfort zone.

Please, from now on, you, the Aradi people, stop using the term that people don't enter trade because they don't want to step out of their comfort zone.

Instead, say that they’ve become addicted to this circle of misery and misfortune, and they’ve gotten used to not using their intelligence. Since business requires intelligence, it’s difficult for them.

I was reading a narration from the noble Imam Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him), where a trader came to him and started complaining about the decline in his business.

What do you think Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) said after listening to all those complaints?

Now, if someone comes to you and says, "I work at such-and-such company, but the conditions are difficult, they don’t pay well, it’s this way or that way," what would you say? You would probably say, "Okay, leave this company and go work somewhere else."

How many employees in the government are satisfied with their conditions?

How many employees in the private sector are satisfied?

What kind of life are workers enduring?

We had written an article the previous day and, as I mentioned earlier, we had all come together to write it. So, yesterday we were almost free.

I was busy with miscellaneous tasks, and one of them was checking out some news agency websites.

I also gave my team some time off to rest.

During this browsing, I came across statistics about an increase in wages for employees and workers in 1404 (Iranian calendar year).

What do you think the percentage increase will be?

Between 20% to 30%.

Did rent prices increase by 20% to 30% as well?

Did the prices of daily goods increase by 20% to 30%?

Will employees and workers live securely with a 20% to 30% wage increase?

Is this what you call a "comfort zone"?

Now, when this employee or worker complains about their living conditions, what do you suggest to them?

You tell them to change jobs, right?

The reason they can't do this isn’t because of a "comfort zone," my dear.

It’s because they’re addicted.

Have you ever seen a drug addict who says, "I know addiction is bad for me, but I can’t quit"?

These employees and workers are just like drug addicts who can't quit their jobs. This isn’t about a comfort zone.

So when someone complains too much about their situation, we tell them to change their job.

What do you think Imam Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him) said after hearing all the complaints from that trader?

If it were you, what would you say?

Imam told him: "Try different businesses, and whichever one gives you a little profit, stick to that."

Oh God.

The Imam didn’t tell him to leave business and try another occupation. He told him to keep trying different businesses until he finds success.

And Washa, whose real name is Abū Muḥammad Ḥasan ibn Alī Washā’ Bījli, a companion of Imam Kazim (peace be upon him), narrated that he asked the Imam about the concerns people have. They try various solutions, but their problems are not solved.

He asked for advice to give to anyone who comes to him to relieve them of their pain.

Imam Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him) turned to him and said: "Oh Washa, the cause of people's problems and their solution lies in their business, but they seek solutions elsewhere."