At a time when trading business in Kenitra was restricted to the French, some Jewish businessmen, and some of the well known Moroccan families, Chaâbi ventured into the field. His interest went toward the ceramic industry which made him start his own ceramic company in 1964. Soon, Chaâbi gained enough experience in the business and began to seek for opportunities to purchase large companies. He offered to become an investor in a French company but the company refused his offer, which drove him to keep pressuring it by selling products with competitive prices until it had finally collapsed and was on the verge of bankruptcy. In 1985, the company sold all of its properties to Chaâbi himself. This success was a turning point for Chaâbi's professional career, and as a result he founded Ynna Group which became one of the most powerful holding companies in Morocco.
