Filipina entrepreneur Francoise Albrando Crosbie began developing products based on the keto diet at her UAE home after becoming a mum and launched her business, Keto Goodies, in 2019.
She moved to Dubai a decade ago after selling her English-language teaching business in the Philippines, worked for a public relations company and as a human resources director before spending four years as a full-time musician.
As well as being chief executive of Keto Goodies, Ms Crosbie, 34, is a partner in a meal plans business and consultant to other companies.
She lives with her husband, a teacher, and their young son at Dubai Creek Harbour.
Did your upbringing help shape your money attitudes?
I lived in the Philippines, the youngest of eight with a housewife mum and dad who worked in the government. It’s not like we were swimming in it (money). We were comfortable, every one of us had a really good education. I have siblings who are way older than me and my brother was paying for my college studies in nursing. I had a lot to live up to. It’s an Asian mentality that you go to college, you’ve got to work and be successful. It shaped me in terms of values and value for money.
What was your first experience of commerce?
Growing up, my dad had a small business. In 1997, everyone had to go to his computer shop to print everything. I would type, photo-copy and go to the till. I’d get a commission if I could up-sell something, but I didn’t really consider it a job because I was taking care of a family business that was earning us money. I learnt a lot about commerce and also asked classmates from high school to get their computer needs from me.
How much was your first salary?
My first job was in a call centre. They paid well, Dh1,000 per month. I was living my best life. I was out of the house at 18. Once I graduated, my parents told me: “Go fend for yourself”. So I had to work to survive. I tried administrative nursing for a while but back then it would earn you Dh400 per month. I had to choose between earning money and nursing; although I did love it, I needed financial freedom more.
What prompted the switch to busking?
After different jobs in Dubai, I wanted to stop for a bit to pursue music. A few years ago, there weren’t a lot of musicians here, especially female musicians who play guitar and sing. I was earning Dh17,000 per month as a HR director. I was earning Dh600 to busk at Ripe Market. It relieved my stress. But I quit my job and played at brunches for four years.
One of the reasons I did that is because I wanted to travel with my husband; he’s a teacher, so would have two months off. But I was earning good money. Pre-Covid-19, one December, I earned Dh40,000 for all my gigs.
I didn’t have any accountability but now I have to be responsible. I have employees who need money at the end of the month.
Francoise Albrando Crosbie,
founder, Keto Goodies
How did Keto Goodies begin?
We had a baby. My sister told me to try the keto diet because I wasn’t losing the weight I was supposed to after I gave birth. I was on the verge of diabetes. I made myself almond bread and posted it on a mums’ Facebook group. There were so many responses to it asking, “Please make some for me”. I had 10 clients in August 2018, it became 20, then 50. I realised this could be a business. I was one of the keto industry pioneers.
My vision is to make it affordable as I want people to maintain the lifestyle and always come back. Now we’re in about 30 Carrefour branches.
What is your attitude to spending?
Everything that I do … my mum’s voice is in my head. I never buy lavish things. It’s always what I need first before everything else. So, I’m a saver and what I spend on is my business in the hope that it will come back to me 10-fold.
How do you save?
We’re just keeping it in the bank, a “rainy day fund”. My husband and I call it a war chest. We don’t like taking loans. If my business needs a little more investing, that’s where we take it from.
Do you have a cherished purchase?
My 20-year-old Taylor guitar. It was worth about Dh18,000. I sold a couple more guitars and replaced them. I needed to sound better and it was really beautiful. One of my weaknesses is when I see a guitar that’s really vintage, I want it. I still have my eye on another Taylor, which is about Dh16,000.
Can money make you happy?
In a sense that it makes everyone around me comfortable, as well as me. I have a child to think about and to give my son what he needs … you need money for that.
Are you wise with money?
I am wiser now compared with the first business I owned in the Philippines, where I just spent it all and didn’t know where everything was. Looking back, I realise I wasn’t responsible enough with money at a young age. I needed structure, to have someone teach me how to be organised.
I didn’t have any accountability but now I have to be responsible. I have employees who need money at the end of the month. I have a family. I am frugal to a point, but every once in a while I want a spa day and to be able to live a certain lifestyle.
Do you have a spending regret?
Three years ago, I bought this big, clunky pram for my son for about Dh2,500. It was expensive, heavy and hard to travel with, just a waste. I drive a Mini Cooper and this brand, it folds, but doesn’t fit.
That made me learn to do proper research whenever I buy things and see if it’s got good reviews.
What are you happiest spending money on?
Giving comfort to my employees and my friends. I like to spend on people. For example, we’ll have a night out, watch a movie and that’ll be my treat and we’ll all be happy. They don’t have to think about money and I’d be happy sharing my blessings with them.
Has the pandemic affected your business?
I was one of the lucky ones when the pandemic hit. I didn’t know that the business was kind of pandemic-proof. Before the pandemic, I was already online, doing deliveries. So, it was like business as usual, people were still ordering.
How do you see your financial future?
I guess everyone would like financial stability, to be financially independent when they retire or even before their retirement age. My goal is not to live a luxurious life but rather a comfortable one.
If circumstances permit me – when I’ve sold off my company for, let’s say, a couple of million – I’ll come back to music, travelling and food. Also, my parents need a retirement fund, so we (my siblings and I) have to save together for them.
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
Stage 2 results
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 04:18:18
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:02
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:04
4 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates
5 Rick Zabel (GER) Israel Start-Up Nation
General Classification
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 07:47:19
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:12
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:16
4 Nikolai Cherkasov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:17
5 Alexey Lutsensko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 00:00:19
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Sweet%20Tooth
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
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.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
T20 SQUADS
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Vikram%20Vedha
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
