After nearly two years of navigating uncharted waters, my business approached the shorelines of safety in January.
Schools reopened, employees resumed work from their offices and many took their first summer holiday since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although I have been on the entrepreneurship wagon for more than a decade, my business, as was the case with other companies worldwide, underwent the most changes in the past two years.
We cancelled services, offered new ones and built a new model for some of our product offerings.
We knew that if we didn’t pivot, we would fall behind and, therefore, evolved with our customers’ changes in consumption patterns.
In December, I reflect on everything my business went through in the past 12 months and look back at the valuable lessons that I will carry through towards, what I believe will be, an optimistic 2023.
You can’t fly solo
My mother once told me that entrepreneurship is a journey you can’t traverse on your own.
When I first ventured into entrepreneurship, I handled most things that I was good at, such as website development, social media management and even customer service.
But as my business evolved, I realised that taking tasks off my plate would free up time for me to focus on my creative genius.
The past two years presented unexpected challenges, which made it even more necessary to delegate tasks and focus on strategy.
There will always be people who are better than you, so let them focus on their areas of expertise while you focus on your genius zone.
Focus on what works
When you are planning for your business, it is natural to want to offer as many services and products to your customers.
“The more, the merrier” was my philosophy until the extra weight pulled my business down.
Cut out the noise and focus on the product or service that is yielding the most profit. Once I did that, my team’s focus improved and we were able to serve our customers better.
It is best to be great at one or two things than being great at one and average at another.
You can never learn enough
When the pandemic hit, I questioned everything I had learnt. Although experienced, I was in uncharted territory and knew that I had to act fast.
This meant going back to school. I dedicated an hour every day to learning something new that would help me with managing my business during uncertain times.
Online learning institutions made the process convenient. I focused on e-commerce, artificial intelligence and new digital marketing trends.
As my business evolved, I realised that taking tasks off my plate would free up time for me to focus on my creative genius
Manar Al Hinai
The more I learnt, the more I was inspired by ideas to incorporate in my work.
My team and I decided to inculcate this habit into our work schedule and for all of us to dedicate an hour to learning every day.
In our weekly meetings, each of us would discuss something new we had learnt, our own human library initiative, as we like to call it.
No one can predict the future, so be ready
No matter how experienced we are, we can’t predict the future. The pandemic taught us that valuable lesson.
But what we can do is to have a ready and adaptive mindset.
I can confidently say that our work process has become more effective after we embraced change and adopted a creative approach to problem-solving.
Whatever 2023 has in store for us, we are mentally ready for it.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications consultant based in Abu Dhabi
Results
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
World ranking (at month’s end)
Jan - 257
Feb - 198
Mar - 159
Apr - 161
May - 159
Jun – 162
Currently: 88
Year-end rank since turning pro
2016 - 279
2015 - 185
2014 - 143
2013 - 63
2012 - 384
2011 - 883
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Company%20Profile
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
