Tag Archives: opinion
If they can do it, so can you!
If they can do it, so can you! 10 September 2013 Christina Voskou speaks to Dubai-based female entrepreneurs to learn about the challenges they faced in establishing their businesses and finds inspiration in their stories IN THE 19th century, Margaret Ann Bulkley disguised herself as a man, James Barry, to study medicine and finally become one of the top-ranking medical officers in the British Army at the time. Much has changed since those days with women having easier access to education and opportunities, using their knowledge and taking an active part in driving the impact they want to have in the world, not only as wives, mothers and careers. For Fiona and Mariam, it’s all about teamwork for a successful business. — Photos by Christina Voskou Women are gaining power in the labour force, in politics and in their domestic environment, and many of them are becoming entrepreneurs empowering themselves and their communities. Your wound is also your light At 26, Rasheda Khatun, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a very serious form of cancer, which in most cases implies slim chances of survival. She battled the disease and won. Taking strength from her experience, she says it allowed her to discover the road to healing and how to influence others positively into making life-changing decisions. Now, as a wealth and wellness coach, the British-Bangladeshi is on a “mission to empower and inspire people to live the life they love.” She believes that in order to do that you need to shape up your finances and your health and she’s made a career out of advising people on the right ways to go about doing that. Since her work is very personal she decided to create a brand with which she could support the various levels of businesses she works with and formed the Edwards Khatun Advisory Group with a partner. She says that as a woman, she found the process for establishing her business to be quite easy since there are usually “no queues in the women’s lane.” In fact, she feels that “the UAE is very accommodating to new ideas and business set ups unlike any other country I know of.” However, she strongly recommends that any person starting up their own business should have sufficient savings to support them while getting established, in order to avoid financial difficulty. Family ties Fiona and Mariam Tokempash are not only mother and daughter, they are also business partners. Together they have set up the Knowledge and Human Development Authority-accredited, Royal English Language Centre in Dubai. Since its opening in 2012, the Centre has been offering customised English courses of all levels and has recently added Emirati Arabic to their course offerings. They both agree that working as a team has made the business development easier. Fiona, the director of learning at the Centre mentions they “wanted to start a business here in the UAE to contribute to the developing growth of the country and to be a part of that energy, both on a business and personal level.” Mariam, Fiona’s daughter, and the Centre’s Managing Partner, has grown up in the UAE and feels honoured to be able to give back something to the community that has given her so much. “Offering English and Emirati Arabic classes is something that I believe can benefit both UAE nationals and expatriates in Dubai to improve their personal life and help them communicate with one another better,” she says. Mariam’s advice to her fellow entrepreneurs is to “do the homework and research the market thoroughly before jumping into a new business venture. The research and planning were the most time consuming elements of conceptualizing our business.” According to Fiona, three elements are crucial for a successful business: passion, patience and preparation. “Allow your passion and ideas to translate into impacting people’s lives. Networking and advertising through all media and personally are key in today’s business environment. Celebrate your achievements along the way, to measure how far you’ve come and continually reinvest financially and creatively to sustain further growth.” As challenging as it may seem, ladies possibly have an advantage here. Mariam mentioned that on several occasions she felt that perhaps due to the fact that government officials are predominantly male, “they were willing to go the extra mile to help us on our entrepreneurial mission.” Peruvian flare Veronica Smulders, a Peruvian expat, says that she would hear “numerous comments from many women regarding the dissatisfaction of the services of brands and the inability to address the different needs of women in the region.” This led her to identify a business opportunity to bring Michèlle Belau, a well-known Peruvian brand, to Dubai. As the managing director and regional franchise owner for the brand, “created for women by women”, Smulders is hoping to cater to busy women of diverse backgrounds and cultures. “There is so much that goes into the Michèlle Belau brand. Our philosophy is that each and every being is beautiful in their own unique and special way,” she says. For Smulders, setting up the business came with its own set of challenges, the biggest being the nine-hour time difference between Dubai and Peru. Also, like any other business, it was important for her to learn the UAE rules and regulations and she admitted that finding the right information was often a challenge. Veronica’s advice to other female entrepreneurs is that any business idea should be validated for the selected market. She recommends being prepared to get involved, even physically, and to anticipate possible delays, however she warns that entrepreneurs should “not get discouraged from the challenges you will face. If everything was easy, it wouldn’t feel as good when you fulfill your goal”. “There is no greater satisfaction than seeing your business flourish and being able to offer something exciting and positive to your customers and community,” she says. Continue reading
Land Owners Warned Of ‘Pitfalls’ As Values Strengthen
Farmland continues to rise in value according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and, with a slow upswing in the economy, greater pressure will be brought to bear on those who own farmland to release it for development. “The attraction of disposing of parcels of ground for development is bound to increase as land values continue to rise, and many farmers and farm businesses will have land covered by option agreements with developers waiting to move,” said Mike Harrison, Partner in the Landed Estates and Rural Business Group of Saffery Champness. “Our concern is with those who intend to sell not only being totally aware of exactly what they are selling and the terms of that disposal, but also who actually owns the property in the first place. “Particularly where farms have expanded over time, and comprise a number of different businesses or structures, then the owners of the land and those who operate their business over it may be different and such differences may only come to light at the time of disposal. In addition the tax treatment of the sale may vary depending on the type of structure in which it is held, for example whether the disposal will be taxed at 10 per cent or more likely 28 per cent.” While many farm businesses will have everything well thought through, properly structured and the consequences taken into account, others will not, and such a process can open the inevitable can of worms. There are many pressures on getting the ‘vehicle’ going forward right – whether joint venture, option agreement or promotion agreement for example – and an assumption made over the ownership of the land in question. It may not be until both parties are well into proceedings that the consequences of such a sale become apparent. Mike Harrison also said that with the RICS survey predicting continued future strengthening of farmland prices the same applies for farms wishing to expand and to buy neighbouring land should it become available. He says: Any purchase requires careful thought in terms of the entity that will take ownership of that asset, and the consequences particularly in the longer term, of its retention or future disposal. Agricultural land prices in the south are outstripping the national average, with non-farming investors helping push the market along and to the south of the M3 and M4 corridors. Richard Liddiard, head of farm agency for national property consultancy Carter Jonas based in Newbury, says that while the national average price per acre for arable rose to £8,193 and pasture to £6,689 the strength of the market in Berkshire and Hampshire has driven values far above that level with arable regularly achieving £10,000 per acre and pasture £8,000. The larger difference between the two land types in this region illustrates the emphasis on arable crops rather than livestock farming. The strength of commercial farmland demand is not broad-based. Indeed, surveyors note that farmers in the main are discriminating in favour of large, top quality, neighbouring plots with as small a residential component as possible. As such, there is considerable price dispersion, even in the same areas; plots that are smaller and of lower soil quality are attracting much less interest and achieving lower average per acre prices. Looking forward, surveyors are very optimistic about commercial farmland price prospects over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, price expectations in the residential arena, whilst relatively modest, have turned positive for the first time since H2 2010. This may reflect developments in the broader national housing market. “We have seen some exceptional transactions during H1 of 2013 with the larger sales being dealt with ‘off market’ showing the strength of land as a safe haven and hedge against economic ills,” Richard Liddiard from Carter Jonas. “Whilst the UK economy is showing the green shoots of recovery I am still of the opinion that we are at the peak of the market for average or less well equiped farms. This will indicate that the best in class will still rise in value and be keenly sought after by the non-farming investors who are seeking the safe haven status and IHT tax advantages that land offers. We are also seeing more farms in the market and there are some holdings that are sticking particularly if they are overpriced or do not have strong local demand to push the values higher.” Continue reading
Wood Could Bring Power To Those Without Electricity
05 SEP 2013 SIPHO KINGS Biomass energy could be the answer for the two-million rural households that are not connected to the electricity grid. The largest renewable source of energy being used in South Africa is one that has been used for millennia – wood. More than 10% of households use this as their primary source of energy supply, with 80% of these relying on firewood and charcoal to cook and warm their houses. A fifth of urban households and half of rural households are still not connected to the grid. This equates to over three-million households. The two million in rural areas are especially problematic because they are far from the main grid so connecting them is very expensive. The white paper on renewable energy identified biomass as an important source of renewable energy. It would rank alongside the more sophisticated sources like wind, solar and hydro in supplying a third of all energy by 2030. This is also the target set by the department of energy. But the problem is that biomass is currently collected in an unsustainable manner – mostly from people chopping down whatever trees at nearest for firewood. Several reports have investigated the pros and cons of biomass as a source of energy. One of these, written for the non-profit Trade and Industry Policy Studies in 2008, said South Africa should become a world leader in renewable energy technologies. Together all the renewable options could supply half of the country’s energy needs by 2050. It did however warn, “Biomass is a renewable resource only if production is sustainable.” If crops were planted specifically for bioenergy, which includes conversion to biofuels, the impact on food and water security would have to be monitored. But the sector had the potential to be a big driver of jobs, given how labour intensive agriculture is. Continue reading
