“Start Where You Are”—Faris Alami on Resilience, Refuge, and Building Entrepreneurs

Send us Fan MailCut The Tie Podcast with Faris AlamiWhat does it take to rebuild your life—then turn that grit into a mission that helps others do the same? In this episode of Cut The Tie, Thomas Helfrich sits down with Faris Alami, founder of International Strategic Management (ISM), to unpack a journey that spans fleeing war, navigating years of immigration uncertainty, and ultimately creating programs that help underserved entrepreneurs start and scale real businesses. Faris’s philosophy—start where you are—isn’t theory. It’s the playbook he lived, and now teaches across communities from small-town Michigan to emerging markets around the world.About Faris AlamiFaris Alami is the founder of International Strategic Management (ISM), where he and his team design and deliver entrepreneurship and small-business development programs for communities worldwide—especially underserved and underrepresented groups. Drawing from his lived experience as a refugee and immigrant, Faris equips founders to move from idea to execution through practical strategy, relationship building, and his Resiliency Canvas framework.In this episode, Thomas and Faris discuss:Cutting ties with the life you didn’t chooseGrowing up Palestinian in Kuwait, fleeing the Gulf War, and facing homelessness—Faris explains how survival forced unexpected pivots and new definitions of success.From engineering dreams to entrepreneurship on necessityThe moment a simple T-shirt project sparked a shift from “planned career” to “creating value with what’s in front of you.”Serving the overlooked—on purposeWhy 90% of ISM’s work focuses on underserved, underrepresented communities—and how representation inside program teams builds trust from day one.The Resiliency Canvas & ‘Start Where You Are’How reframing constraints unlocks action, and why focusing on what you do have beats waiting for perfect conditions.Redefining success: family, service, and sparkMeasuring success by the light in an entrepreneur’s eyes—and how that fuels Faris’s mission while providing for the people who matter most.Key TakeawaysStart where you areStop waiting for perfect resources. Inventory what you have—skills, relationships, time—and move.Proximity builds trustPrograms led by people who reflect the community create buy-in, momentum, and better outcomes.Resilience is a muscleForward motion amid uncertainty beats “perfect plans” that never launch.Success is serviceWhen your clients win, you win—income, impact, and identity align.You can’t lose if you don’t quitYou might change routes, but persistence gets you to the finish line.Connect with Faris Alami💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farisalami🌐 International Strategic Management (ISM): https://myisminc.com/Connect with Thomas Helfrich🐦 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/thelfrich💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfrich/🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com📧 Email: [email protected]🚀 Instantly Relevant: https://instantlyrelevant.comSupport the showhttps://www.youtube.com/@cutthetie