Abdulwahab Bahrawi, 32, is director of the Middle East and Turkey franchise of Escape Hunt, an experiential gameplay concept he brought to the region now with five branches including Dubai and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he was born.
Mr Bahrawi worked for PepsiCo as a retail operations manager before launching his business in Galleria Mall in 2016. He lives in Jumeirah Park in Dubai with his wife, who works for a gifting e-commerce start-up, and their three-year-old son.
How did your upbringing shape you attitude towards money?
I consider myself lucky; I had a very nice life as a kid. My dad was a doctor and then owned a chain of clinics. He then moved the family to Egypt and started a seaside resort. My parents weren’t strict, but we didn’t have a culture of asking for things in our family. I have two older siblings. We were provided for, but it was not that you got everything you wanted. When I was 13 dad sat me down and asked, ‘how much money do you need in the next two years'? He said ‘these are the categories – weekday spending, weekend spending, clothes, travel, emergency’. He then broke it down and we agreed an amount, around $350 a month. He called it a salary. It wasn’t the amount that mattered, it was the fact you needed to start learning how to budget. It was important for my parents to teach us how to manage money, the value of it. I looked at other kids and they had no clue.
There's a tendency for people to rack up credit card bills and loans; I'm not that person. I'm also not the person that's not going on holiday so I can save.
What did you get paid in your first job?
In my last year of university I worked in Unilever, for a marketing internship in Jeddah earning Dh4,000 a month. I came to Dubai nine years ago. My first job was here, an account executive in an advertising agency in 2010. I came on holiday and a friend introduced me to someone looking to hire fresh graduates. I had just turned 23 and earned Dh10,300; not a bad start. Then I found the opportunity at PepsiCo.
Why did you swap a regular salary to go into business?
I was really happy, doing well, but around my fourth year came to the realisation it was not going to be my long-term. I was travelling three days a week minimum. My wife came home one day and said ‘you need to check out this concept’. I started looking into it (escape rooms) and tried a few when I was travelling. I really liked the idea, dug into the business a little more and realised the capital required wasn’t that big. We agreed a franchise deal with The Escape Hunt, the largest in the world; I offered shares to friends and family first and they covered it. And there was my own personal investment.
This is the flagship in the Middle East. The capital barriers of entry to this industry were very low to start with and the payback quite quick. Spending time with family is important to me and one of the drivers why I left my old job.
So people pay to hunt for clues and escape a room?
For consumers it’s not enough any more to be a spectator. This is a global trend. If you look at experiential entertainment, that’s growing, whether escape games or VR. In the region, the entertainment industry spend is growing. There’s so much potential. We get a lot of corporates; weekdays are primarily filled with team building. When you compare us with other team building activities, the experience is more inclusive and light-hearted - it encourages people to communicate and work together. Our average price per person is a fifth of what companies generally spend for traditional team building experiences.
Are you a spender or a saver?
A bit of both. I don’t hold off spending when it’s needed. Sometimes it’s nice to treat yourself and family, but I don’t spend more than my means. There’s a tendency for people to rack up credit card bills and loans; I’m not that person. I’m also not the person that’s not going on holiday so I can save.
Are you wise with money?
I am. People usually save because of fear of the future. I don’t really have that; at the same time the present is important. I want a good life in the future, but I also want to live a good life now. I’ll look for the best way of spending, something that’s going to facilitate enjoyment. Throwing away money was never okay.
How do you feel about money?
I don’t like giving it too much importance because it can be taken away at any minute. I feel fortunate to have what I have. It is kind of a fuel – when you start making money is a nice feeling; you open a business and it becomes a success, when you’re growing, it drives you. It’s a step closer to what I feel is real freedom; when you don’t work for money is when your money works for you. That’s true wealth. That’s a goal. It’s a nice feeling to say while I’m sitting here this is making enough money to sustain my life.
What do you enjoy spending money on?
Holidays and travel; I got married at a young age and it was a lot of fun travelling with my wife - the many holidays were something I don’t regret spending on. They’re experiences and memories. They are a luxury – at the same it’s nice to reward yourself. I’m definitely happier spending on a holiday than a car. Also, I don’t see anything wrong with splurging when celebrating something or if you’re going to make someone really happy.
Where do you save?
Mainly in real estate funds with my immediate family. Also I’m putting a lot of savings into this (business). I’ll save and invest in other things as well for safety.
What’s been your key financial milestone?
When this business became self-sustainable, positive cash flow, a few years ago. The first three months I was here 16 hours a day, every day, including at reception – I still love the feeling of taking a booking.
Do you prefer paying by cash or credit card?
Credit card; it’s more convenient. I don’t like carrying cash and when you pay cash, nothing is documented. With a credit card, a touch of a button on your phone and you see everything you’ve spent.
Do you plan for the future?
I don’t like to plan ahead that much. You need to stay open to opportunities. If things went to plan all the time everyone would be successful and life would be lovely. You have to be agile, as a business. I like to have a direction – I don’t need a set plan. That said, I do a lot of Excel sheets, even planning for a trip.
Putting money away for education, that’s something we will continue to do. Definitely, my wife and I want another kid.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
THE%20SPECS
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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
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
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
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Letswork%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Almheiri%2C%20Hamza%20Khan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20co-working%20spaces%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.1%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20with%20investors%20including%20500%20Global%2C%20The%20Space%2C%20DTEC%20Ventures%20and%20other%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2020%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
Uefa Champions League last 16 draw
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur
Basel v Manchester City
Sevilla v Manchester United
Porto v Liverpool
Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
Chelsea v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Besiktas
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
ICC Intercontinental Cup
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium
Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
more from Janine di Giovanni
PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
Why are you, you?
Why are you, you?
From this question, a new beginning.
From this question, a new destiny.
For you are a world, and a meeting of worlds.
Our dream is to unite that which has been
separated by history.
To return the many to the one.
A great story unites us all,
beyond colour and creed and gender.
The lightning flash of art
And the music of the heart.
We reflect all cultures, all ways.
We are a twenty first century wonder.
Universal ideals, visions of art and truth.
Now is the turning point of cultures and hopes.
Come with questions, leave with visions.
We are the link between the past and the future.
Here, through art, new possibilities are born. And
new answers are given wings.
Why are you, you?
Because we are mirrors of each other.
Because together we create new worlds.
Together we are more powerful than we know.
We connect, we inspire, we multiply illuminations
with the unique light of art.
Ben Okri,
Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
Watch live
The National will broadcast live from the IMF on Friday October 13 at 7pm UAE time (3pm GMT) as our Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi moderates a panel on how technology can help growth in MENA.
You can find out more here
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
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
