Entrepreneur Tara Rose Kidd and her family have three to six months' worth of savings, but most of their money is in investments. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Entrepreneur Tara Rose Kidd and her family have three to six months' worth of savings, but most of their money is in investments. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Entrepreneur Tara Rose Kidd and her family have three to six months' worth of savings, but most of their money is in investments. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Entrepreneur Tara Rose Kidd and her family have three to six months' worth of savings, but most of their money is in investments. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Money & Me: ‘Cash will not make you happier unless you have a purpose’


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  • Arabic

Hairdressing entrepreneur Tara Rose Kidd went from struggling financially after arriving in the UAE in 2009 to owning salons in Abu Dhabi and Dubai with 80-plus employees.

She opened her first Tara Rose Salon branch in 2015 with a bank loan after conquering mental health and self-belief issues via self-development courses that “unlocked” her potential.

Ms Kidd, who co-owns a Palm Jumeirah salon, will launch her flagship Dubai-based beauty and education academy for both men and women in September, while expanding her e-commerce presence, training and bespoke product range.

Aged 40, she lives in Al Bandar, Abu Dhabi, with her husband, co-owner of Dubai car showrooms, and their son, six.

Did childhood shape your money views?

I am the eldest of three sisters. My dad owned his own company while mum looked after us. We were middle class, were not loaded, but we did not struggle. We did not have the latest everything, but we did not want for anything. We were grounded and knew the value of things.

I admired my dad, how hard he worked, provided for his family, and his work ethic was instilled in me. I knew that is how I wanted to be … in charge of how things were done.

Did you work young?

A little waitressing while at school, a Saturday job here and there at 14 or 15, just to have extra cash, that independence.

I was not very academic and lost confidence and self-worth. In the British school system, if you are not fitting in, you are almost struck off and I left with almost no education (qualifications), feeling pretty lost.

Luckily, I found a hair salon job at 16 and connected with people as a junior apprentice, earning £80 ($103.5) a week.

Even so, I suffered from mental health issues in my late teens and 20s. School does not teach you things such as life skills, communication, about being OK with the person you are.

How did Dubai happen?

My sister was a teacher here. I came 14 or 15 years ago on holiday, absolutely loved it. Six months later, I was living here, worked in a couple of Dubai salons and within a few months, I met my husband. He had just left the army, wanted a new career and got into oil, starting at the bottom.

Was that tough financially?

Initially, we were earning Dh10,000 ($2,722) between us, had our electricity cut off a couple of times, but this was our fresh start … going home was never an option.

It took a couple of years struggling with money but my husband got a better paid job and housing in Abu Dhabi, and worked his way up.

I struggled to find anywhere I wanted to work. I was feeling uninspired, so we said: “Why don’t we get our heads down, save and try to open somewhere?”

We got a bank loan and, eight years ago, I opened the first salon and we have gone on our entrepreneurial journey together as he now has businesses.

Did investing in courses prove worthwhile?

The more I have invested in myself, my education and personal development, the more I have unlocked. My confidence grew and I found my voice.

Before, I hated education; now I fell in love with it. We went to a self-development day, started to look at life differently and worked out we could create our own opportunities.

And this is where my academy comes in. It is about focusing on building the girls who work for me. We guide and educate, informed by my experiences, a 360-degree approach to personal development.

There is so much opportunity here, so much people can do by believing in themselves. Working with different mentors and coaches opened up the way I look at life.

How are you growing wealth?

We have three to six months of savings, to take care of personal expenses, in case anything goes wrong, but most of our money is in investments.

We have a UK property company investing in joint venture commercial-to-residential conversions, an account for foreign currency, commodities trading and we built this (salon) business we can grow arms and legs from – altogether, different streams of income.

Any spending priorities?

For a long time, there was no money, no holidays, everything went back into the business, but now having a nice home is really important to me. We have got a sea view with a big balcony.

We decided early on we did not want money locked up in property; there is always been some type of investment coming up we were getting much more back from. Eventually we want to buy our own house here.

Tara Rose Kidd took a bank loan eight years ago, opened her first salon and has been on an entrepreneurial journey since. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Tara Rose Kidd took a bank loan eight years ago, opened her first salon and has been on an entrepreneurial journey since. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Do you treat yourself?

The last couple of years … I have started to buy myself nice things – handbags, a Range Rover Sport SVR.

We want to start investing more into experiences as a family, because it can all be about work. For years, there has been that chase, but we need to make more time for ourselves and our little boy, so taking more holidays and enjoying moments we have worked so hard for.

Any financial milestones?

My Saadiyat salon. Everybody told me not to. I signed shortly before Covid, did the fit-out and launched mid-pandemic. Within a year, it was doing what my first salon was doing in five years.

Everybody was cutting back, getting scared, but something was pulling me towards it. I have two in Abu Dhabi (plus three in Dubai by September).

How do you view money?

You feel more comfortable but if you don’t understand all the other stuff about yourself – who you are, where you are going – you are never going to be any happier.

And you need to have purpose with it. I have had no money, and I have got money … it is about going back to those core beliefs of who you are.

People end up chasing money here; it is hollow, you need to chase your passion, which, in turn, gives you money.

Are you wise with cash?

As a (married) team, we use it wisely, we make a good partnership.

We sat down and rather than working out what we had not got, we worked out what we needed. And set budgets … how much do we want to be able to spend going out a month, on dining, on personal development – putting those numbers together and working out that we needed to have X amount.

Doing that early on was a game-changer.

Any blips?

A couple of wrong investments early on, trying to invest into other people’s businesses … There have been mistakes along the way.

It is about not getting too wound up, just seeing them as massive lessons. These mistakes are crucial in business to move you forward.

What is the future plan?

We are growing a brand, I am launching an e-commerce site and my own product range … different income streams off the original business.

It is about building systems, a loyal, trustworthy team … I want to, at some point, sit back a little more, maybe get a place in Spain or Greece and start travelling.

The biog

Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos

Favourite spice: Cumin

Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia on October 10

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Mobile phone packages comparison
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At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020

Launched: 2008

Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools

Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)

Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13

 

Impact in numbers

335 million people positively impacted by projects

430,000 jobs created

10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water

50 million homes powered by renewable energy

6.5 billion litres of water saved

26 million school children given solar lighting

Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021

Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.

Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.

Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.

Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.

Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.

Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.

Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”

Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI. 

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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Juvenile arthritis

Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.

SQUADS

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
ICC match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

The specs

Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel

Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry

Power: 1877bhp

Torque: 2300Nm

Price: Dh7,500,00

On sale: Now

 

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Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

SPECS
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Updated: July 24, 2023, 3:49 AM`