What happens when the goal you’ve spent your life chasing is finally behind you?

In this intimate and reflective episode of Something to Consider, entrepreneur Bilal Ballout — co-founder of BMB Group, the company behind some of the region’s most beloved confectionery brands — joins host Dana Alhanbali to explore the quiet after the exit: identity, integrity, and the freedom to rebuild on your own terms.

From bootstrapping with AED 500K to scaling globally and exiting in 2021, Bilal shares what most founders don’t talk about — the emotional cost of success, letting go of your “baby,” and redefining self-worth when your name is no longer on the door.

Key Takeaways:

- The 12-Month Rule of post-acquisition: why most founders should transition out within a year.

- Knowledge over capital: how deep research and local adaptation built a global baklava brand in Walmart and 30+ countries.

- Resilience over luck: how a tough childhood built the emotional muscle for entrepreneurship.

- Culture over cash: why team belief and small daily wins sustain growth.

- From performance to presence: moving beyond “fake it till you make it.”

- Financial independence = freedom of choice: how autonomy changes what success means.

- Closure is a choice: learning to let go of companies, relationships, and old selves with intention.

- Communication and respect: the two non-negotiables that make relationships (and partnerships) work.

Redefining success: purpose, sustainability, and balance over scale and ego.

If you’re a builder, creator, or founder reflecting on what comes after achievement, this episode will shift your perspective on ambition, balance, and fulfillment.

We hope you will find something to consider.

Connect with the Guest:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bilal-ballout-74192655/

Find us at (Instagram podcast page) https://www.instagram.com/somethingtoconsider.podcast/

Listen to us (all available platforms)

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/something-to-consider/id1674861838

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/618zDVAJO0teMngLOzyKz4?si=8bfddd1364d34fc7

Connect with the Host:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalhanbali/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danaalhanbali

X: https://x.com/DanaAlhanbali

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@danaalhanbali

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@danaalhanbali5621/about