Amel Derragui | Entrepreneur | Business & Marketing Strategist | Host of The Time Is Now Podcast | Empowering Mission-Driven Solopreneurs to Go from Invisible to In-Demand | Forbes-Featured Speaker
Meet Amel Derragui, a global citizen, business and marketing strategist, speaker, community builder, and host of The Time Is Now, a podcast ranked in the top 2% worldwide. She helps mission-driven solopreneurs go from invisible to in-demand and build businesses with more freedom and impact. Featured in Forbes, Amel’s mission is to help change-makers reach their full potential and turn challenges into opportunities.
Early Education: A Global Foundation
Amel Derragui’s journey began far from a single hometown, shaped by a childhood that spanned continents. Born in India to an Algerian diplomat Parents and raised in Serbia, Algeria, and Uganda, Amel’s early education was a tapestry of cultures and languages. By 14, she was already displaying entrepreneurial flair, launching a social venture in Uganda to unite her high school peers during turbulent times. This early initiative hinted at her future mission to transform challenges into opportunities. At 16, she moved alone to France, living independently while completing high school and later pursuing a business degree at the University of Lyon. During her studies in France, a serendipitous moment changed her trajectory. While looking to improve her English, she stumbled into a recruitment meeting for a U.S. company. Capturing her openness to bold leaps, she reflected:
“I was looking for something new, something exciting. I needed to be challenged,”
First Job: Building Resilience Door-to-Door
Amel’s first major professional role was as unconventional as her upbringing. In her early 20s, she travelled to the U.S. to sell encyclopedias door-to-door, — a bold, humbling experience that made a major impact on her journey. She also became a manager, hired and trained her own team of door-to-door saleswomen and salesmen. She shares:
“Selling encyclopedias door-to-door shaped everything I know about business today. That resilience mindset helped me increase my sales, step into leadership, and build the mindset that got me to the business I have now.”
This grueling job demanded persistence, adaptability, and the ability to connect with people, skills she later honed in advertising roles with major agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi.Working in branding and communications, Amel helped companies define their message and connect with audiences, laying the groundwork for her future as a marketing strategist. When she met her Austrian husband in Iran at 25, she faced a pivotal choice: stay rooted in her thriving career or embrace a nomadic life. Choosing love and adventure, she left her job to join him abroad, marking the start of her entrepreneurial journey growing her portable business, while moving from one country to another.
Current Role: Empowering Change Makers to Be Visible
Today, Amel’s business—The Time Is Now—caters to mission-driven solopreneurs and small business owners worldwide, helping them go from invisible to in-demand and build businesses aligned with their values, lifestyle, and goals. Her 3C System™—Clarity, Consistency, and Conversion—offers a roadmap for defining strong positioning, refining messaging, and building a sustainable business model. She says;
“Whether you’re just starting or ready to grow, clarity on your core message is essential for standing out and making your business work for you,”
Amel’s core mission is to help individuals live up to their full potential, using entrepreneurship and marketing as her tools. She empowers them to turn their expertise into scalable strategies and business models that amplify their impact while creating more freedom and purpose in their lives. A key part of Amel’s work is dedicated to women’s empowerment. She believes every woman deserves the opportunity to build a life and business on her own terms. Through entrepreneurship, she helps women break the glass ceiling without breaking themselves. she emphasizes;
“It is not only time for women’s unpaid work to be recognized in our society, but also for players at all levels of our society to share the ‘caring’ burden so that women can have the bandwidth to achieve their own dreams, create their own financial freedom, and break the glass ceiling,”
Over the past decade, she has helped hundreds of women turn their unique zone of genius into a successful portable business and become the go-to experts in their fields. She is also a speaker and trainer for international organizations on topics related to entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, and youth empowerment, having delivered workshops and keynotes for global organizations, including the World Food Programme and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation.
Amel’s podcast, The Time Is Now, with over 300 episodes, is a go-to resource for entrepreneurs and leaders seeking clarity and direction. Described by listeners as “inspiring” and “a breath of clarity,” it shares strategies to go from invisible to in-demand, align business with lifestyle, and create more freedom and impact—alongside conversations around leadership, changemaking, and creating a more just and purposeful world. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Global Living Magazine, and Weekly Woman South Korea, and she was named one of Vienna’s Top 15 Business Coaches by Influence Digest Media.
Her message is simple but powerful: alignment is the new hustle. She asserts;
“Make your business work for you, not the other way around. You don’t need to do more. You need to do what’s aligned—with your values, your mission, and your vision,”
Encouraging entrepreneurs to own their value, she wrote;
“You do not need to know it all or be a guru to use your voice to make a difference, you just need to know more than the people you want to serve.”
A global citizen at heart, Amel designs strategies that honor cultural nuance and sustainability—encouraging entrepreneurs to build their brand their way, on their terms, and in alignment with their mission.
Community Building Across Borders
Throughout her global journey, Amel has been driven by a deep commitment to bringing people together. Whether through personal initiatives or professional ventures, she has consistently created spaces where purpose-driven individuals can connect, collaborate, and grow. Her passion for community building has remained a constant — no matter where in the world she calls home.
For example, she founded The Cosmopolitan Table in Vienna, Austria— a referral-based community of globally minded women leaders and entrepreneurs who support each other’s growth and share a commitment to driving social and economic progress.
Vision for the Future: Lifting the Leaders of Tomorrow
As the world navigates rapid technological shifts, growing inequality, and global unrest, Amel remains anchored in her belief that entrepreneurship is a force for positive change. She is committed to deepening her own leadership and using her platform, The Time Is Now, her voice, and her business to be part of the solution. She asserts;
“In times of global uncertainty, meaningful leadership is more essential than ever. These are not just moments of disruption—they call for courage, clarity, and conscious reinvention,”
Amel is doubling down on her mission: helping leaders, entrepreneurs, and communities create a better world for future generations. Whether it’s guiding changemakers, women and youth toward greater visibility, supporting value-driven organisations, or fostering spaces for purposeful dialogue and action — she sees entrepreneurship and community building as her most powerful tools to shape a more just, inclusive, and meaningful future.
The Nectar of Wisdom from Amel Derragui’s Journey
- Own Your Voice:
“You do not need to know it all or be a guru to use your voice to make a difference, you just need to know more than the people you want to serve.” - Clarity Fuels Growth:
“Whether you’re just starting or ready to grow, clarity on your core message and your mission is essential for standing out and making your business work for you.” - Simplicity Over Hustle:
“You don’t need to do more — you need to do what matters most, and do it consistently.” - Community Is Power:
“Your growth doesn’t happen in isolation. You need the right support around you to grow sustainably and lead with purpose.”
Editorial Note
Amel Derragui’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience and purpose. Her ability to transform challenges into opportunities inspires countless women and entrepreneurs. With unwavering dedication, she paves the way for a more equitable future. Her global perspective and heartfelt mission captivate and uplift. Truly, Amel is a visionary redefining success.
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