Paula Jacobson is the founder of Do The Most, a “people culture and impact enterprise” that consults with small and medium-sized enterprises to help make their work more meaningful.
Born in Britain to Scottish and English parents, she was previously director of people and culture at Huda Beauty.
Ms Jacobson has worked in hospitality, luxury travel and as cabin crew for Virgin Atlantic.
She also recently launched a surf therapy organisation.
Ms Jacobson, 41, arrived in Dubai 10 years ago. She lives with her Chihuahuas, Hermione and Minerva, in The Views, Dubai.
Was there wealth in your family?
My mum and dad came from humble beginnings. Mum lived in a council house, a shared bathroom with three other families. She walked to school with holes in her shoes. Dad grew up next to Liverpool Football Club's training ground.
Both worked and we had a really comfortable childhood. From what I’ve been told, there were early years when they couldn’t afford heating, but my memories are of me and my sister in a nice house, all the creature comforts.
Did you recognise monetary values?
Dad was in telecoms software and would go into a struggling company and turn the revenue around.
Mum probably made us understand the value of money with the stories about her tough upbringing. She would acknowledge how grateful she was. She would say things like: “If you look after the pennies, the pounds look after themselves.” She would always hunt for a bargain, negotiate a discount. She had a strong work ethic, as we did.
When did you first earn?
I worked throughout school and university, bartending, waitressing jobs. I wanted the feeling of earning my own money, not relying on others, being able to treat my parents.
Virgin was my first full-time job. As a kid I wanted to do something creative, like be a photographer, an artist, but it was not going to earn me money, so I thought I’d think about it by travelling and getting paid for it.
I stayed in the industry and went to luxury tour operator Cox & Kings. People were spending tens of thousands on one holiday. I thought: “I’m not sure I’m going on one of these holidays if I continue to work here.”
Why Dubai?
I wanted a life change and this is a place where opportunities are huge, people are very ambitious and career-focused.
I wanted to propel myself, career-wise. I travelled here a few times with Virgin and had a friend I went to university with who moved out and set up dubizzle.
What prompted Do The Most?
I wanted to help businesses do more meaningful work. I’m not going to do that working for one company, trying to drive it from inside one organisation, I needed to be out there campaigning and working with several people who are influential, big thinkers, visionaries.
Any impact a company has, has to come from within. That starts with the company’s purpose, and usually that purpose comes from the founder, owner or senior people.
Was it tough leaving a salary?
Financially, it was a massive sacrifice. I could have stayed with Huda Beauty, gone for a C-suite position, but money isn’t the be all and end all.
A lot of people don’t realise the amount companies invest in you, not just salary, on your visa, health insurance.
I knew the value of it and took a massive gamble by leaving. I actually didn’t know what I was going to do, took time off to figure it out and travelled for four months.
If you work solidly until you retire, you never get the chance to reflect on how you can do better. I volunteered for redundancy, so I had a little to play with.
Has your spending outlook evolved?
I’ve been more thorough monitoring where money is going, adjusted in terms of what I used to fritter because it adds up.
I’ve supercharged my sustainability mindset. Instead of spending on fast fashion, for example, I am wearing what’s in my wardrobe or buy something to last 10 years. I also try to sell stuff I’ve got instead of throwing it away. It’s not just about wasting money.
I’ve always been a people pleaser with spending. I find talking about money in a lot of scenarios uncomfortable.
I don’t like asking people to pay me back. I would pay the bill in a restaurant rather than have the awkwardness of splitting it.
And saving?
I wish I’d started sooner. It wasn’t until 2021/2022 that I put a decent chunk of my salary into an offshore account. Shares and stocks feel like a massive blind spot. I’d love to find smarter ways to invest and build more pots in different ways and places.
I’ve never learnt properly about money, but have found a way to make peace with it.
I want time and money to be able to focus on things that aren’t necessarily paid, but for environmental impact, people and the planet
Paula Jacobson,
founder, Do The Most consultancy
What were your smartest buys?
A foundational course on leading sustainable corporations I did online during my time at Huda Beauty – to upskill myself so that one day I could do things that make a difference.
That was an amazing investment. It’s given me so much confidence to enter new networks that can lead to business or make an impact.
My house by the beach in Newquay, Cornwall (England), is my best investment. Prices are going up and I have it rented on Airbnb so I can go and enjoy it myself.
Any meaningful purchases?
Plane tickets to the UK to see family. My mum had cancer and my regret is not spending more going to see her more. To me, that’s meaningful.
She died in 2018. Me and my sister spent a lot on things to make us feel better; retail was our form of therapy. It was not money wasted because it helped us through a really tough time.
Can money bring happiness?
Yes, because it provides security. Health is number one, so if you’re not healthy, you’re not happy and for me, you need money to be healthy. Having peace and health in your life costs.
I splurged by moving apartments; it’s twice the price of the one I was in, but I’m much happier. I know the value of that.
I also bought art I like and it’s helping an artist who wants to make his way.
Any future goals?
As long as I believe in the work I’m doing, I’ll happily work until the day I die, but having flexibility and enough money and comfort to be able to say no to projects I don’t believe in.
A milestone in the future will be getting back to where I feel I can really treat myself.
I’m also doing a couple of pro-bono projects … I want time and money to be able to focus on things that aren’t necessarily paid, but for environmental impact, people and the planet.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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
The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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Company%C2%A0profile
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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More Iraq election coverage:
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Wonka
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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
Bangladesh tour of Pakistan
January 24 – First T20, Lahore
January 25 – Second T20, Lahore
January 27 – Third T20, Lahore
February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi
April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi
April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Barbie
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