Ramadan Mubarak. I’m very happy this Ramadan for a number of reasons. Firstly, I’ll be launching my business before the end of Ramadan. I won’t reveal any details now until it reaches its final stage, but I never knew how much potential I had until I exposed the holes in the walls.
I never dreamt I would embark on an entrepreneurial journey. These days, it’s common to see Emirati women starting up their own businesses. I always wondered if I’d ever be fit to be an entrepreneur. Now I believe I can – even though I doubted it before – because I have obtained that title.
When an opportunity knocked on my door a few months ago, I seized it without delay. You don’t necessarily have to have expertise in every field. Sometimes, finding the right – and genuine – people to work with fills the missing pieces of the puzzle.
Fraud is one of the most common problems facing small businesses. Too often, lack of communication creates friction between business partners. This scared me the most in the beginning.
Initially, I didn’t have the confidence to be involved in a joint venture. But when I met my business partner, we clicked immediately – we both had the same vision. “The relationship is more important than profit,” said my partner. “Money comes and goes, but when trust is lost, nothing can replace it.”
I was overwhelmed to hear that from her over and over again. Her wise words still ring in my ears. We often visit our business vicinity to make sure everything is going according to plan. We keep in touch every day and update each other on all details. The best part is when we both ask each other: “Are you happy with my performance? If not, do tell me.”
Perhaps one of the best days of our lives was running after the business progress and designing the shop with our own ideas. The place looked haunted to us, at first. Then we delegated some trustworthy designers to renovate it. We didn’t want to rely only on designers, so we did most of the decoration ourselves. With modern technology and the influx of online designing websites, we managed to add our personal touch to our enterprise.
This reminded me of my geography teacher, who would say: “No one is stupid in this world. Everyone is born with some aptitude. It depends on the person how far he goes to unearth that piece.”
I’m happy that I constantly try my best in everything I do. As a result, I get to reap the rewards.
Now, when I visit our shop, I’m surprised at myself. “Is this real?” I ask myself. Last time I was there, I roamed the place over and over again like a child, looking at the same floor and roof, and laughing to myself.
Asmaa Al Hameli is a features writer at The National.
If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, email Melinda Healy at mhealy@thenational.ae.
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
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The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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