She’s the latest successful entrepreneur of the week, co-founder of the “E7 Daughters of the Emirates” project. The project is a leadership program advanced by a community forum in the UAE, Promise of a Generation [POAG]. This project is a leading platform established to prepare young women of the ages 18 to 25 with the relevant skills to explore their talents and effectively deliver to the communities in the most positive and accurate way.
The E7 Daughters of the Emirates took off to a great start in April 2015, when a group of women from each of the UAE’S seven Emirates assembled in Dubai for the first yearly launching of the project.
“E7 stems out of POAG which established itself as an open majlis for all. In its second year, the format of E7 changed to have multiple mentors coaching multiple girls. It has seen a huge growth in young women who are being encouraged to take on more challenges, grow, change perspectives, and create something on their own,” Al- Busaidy says.
After an entire year of training, prudently coordinated groups of young women introduced their ideas about the project before a panel of judges, with the winners provided with guidance and support to deliver to the community as expected. Al- Busaidy’s says, “What we did discover is that there is a lack of mentorship in the region. The youth today need a support system that helps to boost their confidence,” she added. “We also realize that the youth today look more into social media to build their ideas or even promote them, and to create a holistic approach for a business proposition, in which every element from strategy and budgeting to marketing and resourcing plays an equally important role.”
The outstanding initiative recently progressed to its 2016 class where nine [9] winning projects received credit, funding from Emirates NBD.
According to Al-Busaidy, it takes hard work, patience, and good will to mould one to become a successful entrepreneur. She says, “Being an entrepreneur is not a win-win situation all the time. In order to win you need to falter a few times as well. Some of the well-known entrepreneurs started with nothing, working off a few loans out of a garage and at low cost to reach the first consumer.”
However, Al-Busaidy believes that there’s a future for entrepreneurs as the entrepreneurial disease is fast spreading. “Today, most people who consider becoming an entrepreneur already have a big support system, with family, money, education, a job, so they see success in all that. However, when it comes to starting a business, you do not see an immediate success, and that is the beauty of it. It is in constant learning because the market is always changing, consumers are finding new ways to purchase items. Do not let these things bother you. And finally, find a unique selling proposition. It might not seem successful today, but it will tomorrow.”
Further, Al Busaidy’s experience and opportunities extend beyond being the co-founder of the E7 project. After gaining a ten plus years’ experience in communications, she’s had the urge to build a successful career as a Senior Manager of stakeholder communications at the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing [DCTCM]. What’s more, she’s also joined an English publication known as “Sail Magazine”, as a developmental editor aiming to assist young writers and nurture their unique writing voice. This publication is exclusively written by Emiratis.
In the words of Al-Busaidy, “There is no such thing as work and life balance. Working should be something that fulfils you as a person, grows you as an individual, helps you as a member of the community, and enhances you to contribute to something bigger than yourself.”
To all those young adults aspiring to be entrepreneurs, turn your twinkle into a shine and follow the entrepreneurial season. With the leading examples of successful entrepreneurs like Aida Al-Busaidy, the sky isn’t the limit because she inspires you to go beyond the clouds!
