I look forward to Ramadan ever year. Not only is it a blessed time to end the fast with family and friends, for me, it also represents the perfect opportunity to reflect on both my personal and business growth in the past year.
For many of us, the last two Ramadans were observed in isolation, away from friends and family, as we followed precautionary measures introduced to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.
That meant I had some extra time to reflect on the changes that affected our lives. But the one thing I learnt from observing Ramadan in the past two years is that the holy month encourages us to focus on what matters, and that can be of great aid in business.
During Ramadan, we are expected to do good deeds and engage in charitable acts. We not only refrain from eating and drinking during the day, but also become more careful to avoid gossiping, lying and other such actions.
The holy month provides us with an opportunity to improve our behaviour and work on putting our best self forward — something we could carry on doing beyond Ramadan.
What if we applied these self-improvement behaviours during Ramadan to the way we operate our business and engaging in acts that will yield higher returns, the way good deeds count for more throughout the holy month?
Over the years, this got me thinking about what yielded good returns for my business and what weighed it down and wasted my time. It wasn’t an easy exercise. When you manage a business, and you are busy supervising multiple aspects, it is easy to overlook what could harm your interests in the long run.
Evaluating my yearly business performance starts with me reflecting on my business operations, and evaluating the way I managed my team, the way I interacted with my clients and the way we dealt with our customers. Just as fasting during Ramadan helps many of us lose weight as we follow a healthier diet plan, engaging in this exercise for my business helps to shed some excess baggage keeping me from reaching my business goals faster.
Ramadan is a month for us to connect with our community, to lend a helping hand to those in need and to be there for people. What if business owners applied this philosophy to their operations all year round? If more business owners gave back to potential entrepreneurs and start-ups in the form of mentoring and internship opportunities, and partnered with them, the entire economy could benefit.
Entrepreneurs will receive guidance and mentorship from those in the field and businesses would be supporting emerging entrepreneurs by working with them. The economy thus flourishes, resulting in more success stories.
After two years of lockdowns and other pandemic-related restrictions, this Ramadan many of us are slowly going back to our pre-Covid routines and gathering once more with family and friends to end our fast each day. As we do so, I encourage you all to look at the lessons and room for business improvements that Ramadan could offer beyond the holy month.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications consultant based in Abu Dhabi
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
More on Quran memorisation:
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
SPEC%20SHEET
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Company%20Profile
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TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
