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Because of encouragement by doctors, she started her old passion. Painting. Her
brother supported her a lot during her days in hospital. She still remembers Salman
Taseer ( Ex- Governor of Punjab), as He bought all her Paintings to motivate her. She
did not blame others for all these events instead became a source of positive
energy for others.
Achievements
Muniba has proved her worth in countless ways.
She is an amazing painter.
She is a motivational speaker
She ia social activist
She is a beautiful model
She is a TV anchor Person
She is an excellent singer
Muniba mazari is the UN women ambassador. She is included in BBC 100 women list
of 2015. Muniba is among the Ponds Miracle Women. She is the Brand Ambassador
of body shop and chugtai lab. She also did modeling for tony and Guy. Muniba
mazari has established her own brand, known as Munibas Canvas. The slogan of
her brand is: Let your walls wear colors.
Muniba as a painter
Muniba mazari is a graduate in fine arts and her father was her first teacher in this
field. After accident, she started posting her paintings on her blog Munibas canvas.
She established her own brand with the slogan let your walls wear colors. She has a
unique style of abstract painting and her medium is oil pastels. Now her paintings
are exhibited very often and sold hand to hand.
As an anchor and model
Not only she is an amazing artist but she is also working as an anchor on PTV. She
has the honor of being the first anchor that is on wheelchair. She has also left her
imprint in the field of modeling as the first wheelchair-bound model of Pakistan.
Muniba Mazari has done modeling for famous Tony and guy. She is also brand
ambassador of the Body Shop on Pakistan and a part of ponds Miracle team. She is
also going to start his career as a host as well.
As a motivational speaker
Muniba started motivating people through the platform of TED. Her speeches are
very impressive and inspiring because they relate to her real experiences. She
believes that although how many restrictions are there, your soul must be free.
Freedom of soul helps us to overcome all fears and let the heart shine and dream.
She emphasizes that mere breathing and to be alive every morning is a great
blessing for which we must be thankful for and make it useful.
UN Goodwill Ambassador
The united nations entity for empowerment of women and the gender equality, has
named muniba mazari as PAKISTANS first female Goodwill ambassador to promte
gender equality and the empowerment of women. Muniba Mazari would serve as an
Advocate for UN Womens Campaign.
Muniba mazari got featured in BBC 100 Women list for 2015.
As an activist
Muniba has been an active part of many social campaigns. She has always spread
awareness about child violence, gender discrimination etc. She has always worked
for childrens rights and education and guided people against child abuse. Muniba
Mazari alsi visited victims of APS disaster in hospitals and encouraged them through
her shining heart.
Muniba Mazari , as a role model
In every field, she has been a role model for us. She has taught us that when in
spite of being paraplegic and disabled she has done miracles through her spirit then
why cant us? So, instead of making lame excuses about society, money or
conditions we must follow her courage and bravery. Muniba has taught us that
boundaries exist only in minds and if you are truly passionate about something
nothing in this world can stop you from achieving that
Muniba mazari is no doubt an unbroken lady who was strong and radiant that even
all difficulties fail to dim her spirit. She is so full of positive enery and blessed with a
shining heart that her wheelchair become insignificant in front of her mesmerizing
soul. She is iron lady in true sense and true face of Pakistan.
http://www.maloomaat.com/muniba-mazari-a-story-of-strength-motivation.html/
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270706
December 2016
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"Ifyourelookingtosucceed,keepyoureyesandheartopentoopportunities.Youll
missopportunitiesthatcometoyouifyourenotopentothem.Successisaboutseizing
theopportunitiesthatpresentthemselvestoyou.ThisiswhatNoorSweidtoldthe
audienceduringherkeynoteaddressatthe
EntrepreneurMiddleEastAchieving
WomensForuminMaylastyear,andonelookatherimpressivecareergraphsofar
makesitclearthatthisis,indeed,awomanwhohas(andcontinuesto)putintopractice
whatshepreaches.Sweiddefinitelyseemstohaveanuncannyeyeforgreat
opportunitiesherworkprofilereadslikethatifsomeonewhohas,really,doneitall.
Shesworkedforbignamecorporates(theseincludeCharlesSchwabandAccenture),
shehasfacilitatedherfamilybusiness(theDubaiheadquarteredglobalinterior
contractingcompany,Depa)multimilliondollargrowthandeventualUS$1billionIPO,
sheslaunchedandrunherownbusiness(theZenYogachainofyogastudiosinDubai
thatshefoundedin2006andranuntilitssalein2014),shesbeenaninvestorinand
mentorforseveralstartupsintheMiddleEastecosystem(besidesherownportfolioof
pastinvestments,SweidisalsoamemberoftheBoardofDirectorsatEndeavorUAE),
andshescurrentlyaManagingPartneratLeapVentures,aMENAbasedgrowthstage
venturecapitalfirm.Soyesifthatlastsentenceslengthdidntmakeitclearalready
NoorSweiddoesseemtohavedoneitall.
Butforallofherwinsintherealmofbusiness,Sweidhadnoairsandgracesabouther
whenImetherforthisinterview,duringwhichshefreewheeledoneverythingfromher
workethictotheregionsecosystem.Intermsofwhatshesuptothesedays,Sweids
focusiscurrentlyonLeap,whichlauncheda$71millionfundforLebanonlastyear,and
isnowintheprocessofputtingtogetheran$80millionregionalfund.Aswithany
venturecapitalfirm,wedoseveralthingssimultaneously,Sweidsays.Sowelookat
thepipeline,weinvestincompanies,andweraiseourownfunds.Lastyear,welookedat
about200deals,andwearehopingthatthisyear,welllookatevenmore.Asthe
pipelinegrowsintheregion,andmorepeoplestartcompanies,andmoreofthe
companiesgrow,morewillfilterintoourpipeline.So,weareveryactiveintermsof
lookingatdeals,andthenassessingthemandseeinghowmanyreallyfitintoour
verticalsandourmandate.ItmustbenotedherethatLeapissolelyfocusedongrowth
stagecompaniesnotstartups.So,ofthe200orsoenterprisesLeapsteamreviewed,
Sweidrevealsthatonly17%ofthemevenqualifiedasbeingingrowthstage.Butwhile
thepoolofqualifiedapplicantsmaybeasmallone,theneedforafirmlikeLeapinthe
MiddleEastcannotbeunderstated.
ThereareafewVCfirms[here]thatlookatearlystage,socompaniescanraise$1,$2
or$3millionfromafewdifferentfirms,Sweidexplains.Butwhathappensto
companieswhentheyactuallyhavesolidrevenues,agoodteam,theyhavegrowth,and
theyneeda$510millioncheck?Itsthattheycantraisethatmoneyregionally;they
havetogoglobaltoraisemoney,whichtakesalotoftimeandenergyfromthe
entrepreneurs.Soratherthangrowingtheirbusiness,theyspendexorbitantamountsof
timetryingtofundraisefortheirgrowth.Globally,about2%ofentrepreneursmakeitto
SeriesBgrowthfunding,andtheseareactuallycompanieswefindalotlessriskythan
others,becausetheyhavealreadyovercomethatpart[oftheentrepreneurialjourney].
Andnooneherewasdoingthat.Sowethought,asentrepreneursourselvesthefour
partnersatLeap(besidesSweid,theLeapteamincludesHenriAsseily,HalaFadeland
HervCuviliez)haveeachstartedcompanies,haveeachexitedcompanieswehavedone
thewholeentrepreneurthing,weknowhowharditistoactuallygrowyourcompany,
andweknowthatswhere,forus,theidealreturnprofileisininvestment.Weveallbeen
investors:preLeap,betweenus,wehaveinvestedinabout50differentangelcompanies.
Sowehavelookedatthedifferentpartsoftheecosystem,andasexentrepreneursand
savvyinvestors,thisisprobablywherewecanaddthemostvalue,intermsoftakinga
companyfromIknowwhatIamdoing;IhaverevenuestootoIamaregionalsuccess
story.
NoorSweidatthe2015AchievingWomen'sForum.Imagecredit:EntrepreneurMiddleEast.
Sinceitslaunch,Leaphasfundedonlyafewcompaniesitslatestinvestmentwasa
reported$10millionintheSaudiArabiabasedUTURNEntertainmentnetwork.But
thesearestillearlydaysfortheventurecapitalfirm,andifSweidsenthusiasmforthe
regionsecosystemisanyindication,onecancertainlyexpectmoreannouncementsfrom
Leapinthenearfuture.Therearesomanyamazingentrepreneursdoinggreatthings,
andenablingthemtogrowintoregional,globalsuccessstoriesisreallywhatwewantto
do,andso,wedogetexcitedaboutthedifferentopportunitiesoutthere,shesays.So
wearestillclosingourfirstfundittakesabout22.5yearstoraiseafund,sowearein
thatprocess.Wefindthatthereisalsoahighlevelofenthusiasmfrompeoplearoundus,
whounderstandwhatitisexactlythatwearedoing.Thatsactuallygoingverywell.I
guesstheflipsideofthecoinisidentifyingtheentrepreneurs,workingwiththem,and
reallyenablingthegrowthoftheircompanies,whichiswhatweliketospendmostofour
timedoing.Sothatswheremostofourenergygoes.SowhatareLeapscriteriawhen
choosingentrepreneursandenterprisestofund?Wearelookingforsomethingwitha
reallylargemarketso,itsgreatthatyoucangrowandyouhaveagreatteam,butifthe
marketsverysmall,thentheoptionsarelimited,Sweidreplies.Weare[also]looking
foraleaderanentrepreneurwhocanreallyleadateam,and[has]astrongvalue
proposition.
WhileSweidmaybeheavilyinvolvedwiththeregionsstartupecosystemrightnow,her
backgroundisfromaratherdifferentsphereofbusiness.Shestartedouthercareerasa
consultantforbiotechandpharmaceuticalcompaniesintheU.S.,followingwhichshe
movedtoDubaiin2005andworkedwithDepa,acompanythatwascofoundedbyher
father,MohannadSweid.WhenIcameoverhere,Iwenttohelpoutinthefamily
businessforthreeweeks,andthatturnedintoeightyears,sheremembers.Thefirst
threeyearsofthat,thecompanywentfrom$60millionrevenueto$600millionrevenue.
AndthenIrantheIPOforthat,andIcontinuedbeingveryinvolved.ButevenasSweid
recallsthehighlightsofhertimeatDepa,Icanthelpbutwonder:despiteherfamilial
connections,sheprobablywouldstillhavebeenseenasanoutsiderofsortsatthe
company.Sohowdidshegoaboutmakingherpresencefelt,andensurethathervoice
getsheard?IthinkthatbecauseIhadbeenaconsultantbefore,Iknewmystrengthsand
mylimitations,Sweidsays.AndwhenIjoinedourfamilybusiness,Ididntknowthe
firstthingabouttheindustry.Itseasytolearnanindustry,butthatdoesntmeanyou
havetheexperiencerequiredtobeaCEOinthatfirm.SoIneverintendedtokindoftake
onmyfathersroleasCEO,andIwouldbeverytransparentaboutthat:Icannotwalkon
toaprojectsiteandtellyouwhatsgoingright,andwhatsgoingwrong.SoIhadno
businesstellingmanagingdirectorsorprojectmanagershowtomakemoneyonsite,
becauseIdontknow!AndevenifIweretospendfiveyearslearninghowasite
operates,Istillwouldnthaveasmuchexperienceasthem,becauseIhaventdoneas
manyprojectsasthem,becausesomeofthemhaveplentyofyearsofexperience.SoI
knewthatwasverymuchmylimitationandmyknowledge.Wheremystrengthslieare
inidentifyingouropportunities,ourstrategy,ourgrowth,ourplanning,enablingculture
andwhenitcomestogrowthatalotoffamilybusinesses,cultureiswhats
fundamentallyimportant.Becauseyouvebuiltaculturegreat;now,isthatastrength,or
aweakness?Becauseifitsaweakness,thenyouneedtochangeit.Ifitsastrength,then
thatcanbeyourbiggeststrength.SowhenIcamein,Isawtherewasaverystrong
corporateculture,butwewerelackinginpoliciesandprocessesandsystems.Sohowdo
youbringthoseinwithoutdestroyingtheculture?Therewasanopportunity,inthatthere
wasnodominantglobalplayerinournichemarket.Howdowebecomethat?Why
wasntthereone?So,mystrengthsweremainlythestrategicthinking,theenablementof
thegrowth,thegrowthplanning,identifyingdifferentmarkets,identifyingpotential
partnersinthosemarketsandstructuringpartnershipsandjointventuressoIcoulddoall
that,whichis,ineffect,strategyandgrowth.
Butchangingorevenmodifyingcorporateculture,beitatastartuporaconglomerate,
isnotasimpletask,andSweidrealizedthatfirsthandatDepa.Itsnevereasy,because
humannatureisreluctanttochange,Sweidexplains.AndIgotalotofresistance.ButI
thinkthatwhenyouhaveenoughknowledge,datapoints,experiencetoconvinceenough
peopletotrysomething,andputtheirheartinit,andifinsixmonths,itdoesntwork,we
cangobacktodoingityourway.Butatleast,giveitsixmonths.Andso,whentheysee
thatyouresoconvinced,butyourenotforcingitdowntheirthroatsyouarejustforcing
themtotryitthenitbecomesaloteasiertoconvincepeopletochange.Andthe
companydidchangeduringhertimeasDepasHeadofStrategy,thecompanygrew
from1,000employeesinsixcountriesto8,000employeesin22countries.In2008,
SweidledDepasIPOitwasthefirstprivatecompanyintheUAEtobelistedon
NASDAQDubai.Butmakingthefamilybusinessapubliclylistedonehowdifficultwas
thatdecision?Ithink,inourfamily,wegenuinelybelievethatbuildingsomethingthat
outlivesyouisamuchlargersuccessthanbuildingsomethingthatneedsyou,Sweid
replies.Andnoneofusareveryattachedtoanythingwebuild.Onthecontrary,its
aboutbuildingthingsforthegreaterecosystemthataresuccessesinoffthemselves,
regardlessofwhetheryouareinvolvedornotthatistheachievement.So,forusgetting
thecompanytoapointwhereitspubliclylisted,itcontinueswithorwithoutus,its
strugglewithorwithoutus,itllthenprobably,hopefully,dobetterwithorwithoutus:
thatstheachievement.Atsomepoint,youkindofhavetoletgoofit,andseehowit
doeswithoutyou.
NoorSweidatthe2015AchievingWomen'sForum.Imagecredit:EntrepreneurMiddleEast.
Sweidsanswerisindicativeofherownthoughtprocesswhenitcametothelifecycleof
herownentrepreneurialendeavor,theZenYogachainofyogastudiosthatshefoundedin
Dubaiin2006.TheoriginstoryforZenYogaisquiteasimpleoneaftershemovedto
Dubai,Sweid,whocallsherselfahugebelieverinyoga,foundthecitylackingin
spaceswhereshecouldpracticethedisciplineDubaimayhaveyogastudiosbythe
dozentoday,butrememberthatthiswas2005,andyogahadntbecomeasmuchofa
buzzasitisnow.SoSweidtookituponherselftofillthatgapinthemarketsheput
togetheraspacethathadtheambience,thequalifiedteachers,andthesetupsheherself
waslookingfor,andbehold,hersmallbusiness,ZenYoga,wasborn.Istartedit,sothat
Icouldpractice[yoga],withthethoughtthatifthiswasgoodforme,itsprobablygood
formanyotherpeople,sheremembers.AndifIpersonallywantthisforthebenefitof
myhealth,Iamsurelotsofotherpeopledoaswell.Sothefactthatitdidntexistwas
justthereasontocreateit.Ifithadexisted,IwouldnthavestarteditIwouldhave
simplygonetoclasses!ButwhileshemayhavestartedZenYogaoutasapersonal
endeavorofsorts,Sweidsoonsawthatwhatshehadcreatedwasactuallybiggermuch
biggerthanthat.Iwasrightinthatlotsofpeoplewantedthesamethinganiceplaceto
practiceyoga,withaqualifiedteacheratareasonableprice.Itmeteverybodysneeds,
andso,demandwashuge.Andsowegrewasabusiness;webroughtinmoreteachers
bythetimeIleft[theenterprise],wehad72peopleworkingatZenYoga,andithad
becomethebiggestchainhere.
ZenYogastrajectoryasabusinessmaybelookeduponasastartupsuccessstorytoday,
butmuchlikeanyentrepreneurinthisregion,Sweidtoohadtograpplewithsleepless
nightsthankstoallofthechallengesshefacedwhengettingherbusinessontheroad.
Bureaucraticchallengeswereaplentyforinstance,giventhatyogawasntasprevalent
thenasitistoday,gettingthebusinessregisteredproperlywiththeauthoritieswasatask
byitself.Therunningofthestudioswasanothermajorhurdlefrommanagingschedules
ofallofZenYogascustomersandensuringtheyallhaveafruitfulexperience,tosetting
outprocedures,processesandpoliciestogovernthestudiosdaytodayactivities,Sweid
hadherhandsfullthroughalloftheyearssherantheenterprise.Shethuswentthrough
alloftheoscillationsonecanexpecttoseeinastartupsjourneybutinwhatisperhapsa
testamenttothekeepatittraitconsistentlyseeninsuccessfulentrepreneursaroundthe
world,Sweidtoostucktohervision,andkeptmovingaheadwithherenterprise.
Businesshasupsanddowns,butwhenyoubecomepartofpeopleslives,theywantyou
there,Sweidsays.So,creatingthatcommunityandthatnetworkisveryimportant.
Yes,businesseshaveupsanddownsbutIthinkifyouarepartofpeopleslives,partof
thecommunity,andyoucreateabrandandreallyprovidepeoplewithsomethingthey
likeandtheyneedatthesametime,itisquiteresilient.
Toitscredit,ZenYogaprovedtobeasustainablebusinessinthelongrunSweid,
however,eventuallysoldittoaprivateequityfirmin2014.WhenIaskedherwhyshe
didso,Sweidhadarathermatteroffactreply.Well,IstartedZenYoga,becausethere
wasnowheretopractice,shesays.SoIhadachievedmygoalIhadcreated
somewhereIcouldpractice.Atthesametime,everytimeIwouldnowwalkintothe
studio,Iwouldbeinundatedwithbusinessproblems.SoitnolongerbecameaplaceI
couldpracticesoitendedupdefeatingitspurposeforme,personally.Sowhenoneof
thefirmsherewasconsolidatingwellnessconceptsintheregionandapproachedme,I
thoughtthatmadealotmoresensetheycouldgiveitwhatitneeded,andIcouldget
somewheretopracticeback!Asforwhethershehadanystruggleslettinggoofthe
businessshehadbuiltupfromitsinfancy,Sweiddismissestheideamuchlikeher
thoughtsonthepubliclistingofDepa,Sweidsaysshefeltthesamewayabouthersaleof
ZenYogaaswell.Mypersonalphilosophyisthatyoubuildsomethingthatdoesntneed
you,sheexplains.Youshouldbetherebecauseyouwanttobetherenotbethere,
becauseifyourenot,itsnotgoingtodowell.
Butwaitisntthatatoddswithwhatindustryleaderssayaboutentrepreneurshavingto
behandsonwiththeirbusinesses?Whentheyarefirststartingup,yes,theyneedtolive
andbreathethebusiness;everybodydoes.IdidforZenYoga,myfatherdidwhenhe
startedourfamilybusinesseveryonedoesthatatthebeginning.Youhaveafewyears
whereyouarethebusiness,andthebusinessisyou.But,ultimately,ifyouwanttogrow
ittosomethingsizeable,youneedtothinkabouthowyoucancloseyoureyes,andknow
thatsomebodyelseisdoingthisthesamewaythatyouwouldhavedoneit,oreven
better.Andthatswhereyourpolicies,processes,teamscomein,andthatswhenyou
reallystarttoscale.Ifyouarestillneededineverymeeting,youshouldeitherbeinthe
startupphase,atwhichpointthatistotallyokay.Butifyouareasizeablebusiness,and
youarestillneededineverymeeting,youaredoingsomethingwrong.Sweidusesthe
exampleofAramexcofounderandViceChairmanFadiGhandouroneofthemost
vocalchampionsoftheregionsentrepreneurialecosystemtodriveherpointhome.
LookatFadiGhandourgreatexample.IsheinvolvedatallwithAramex[today]?No.
Andthatsthesuccessofit.Itsthathehasbuiltsomethingthatnolongerneedshim.
Thatsthewow.IfhewasstilldayinanddayoutinvolvedwithAramex,hewouldbe
helpingitgrow,butalsostiflingitsgrowth,becauseeverybusinessneedsnewblood
everyonceinawhile.ThereasonAramexwillgrowisbecauseheimplementedpolicies,
procedures,corporategovernance,structures,soastomakesureeverythingisbeingdone
properlyinthemannerthatheseesfit,withouthimbeingthere.
NoorSweidatthe2015AchievingWomen'sForum.Imagecredit:EntrepreneurMiddleEast.
Thisdrivetocreateasustainable,longlastingbusinessiswhatSweidencourages(and
wantstosee)inalloftheentrepreneursshemeetsinherroletodayasamentorand
investoraccordingtoher,forabusiness,beingsuccessfulandbeingfamousaretwo
entirelydifferentthings,anditscrucialthatentrepreneursdontmixthetwoup.Its
importantforpeopletorealizethatsuccessisnotstartingacompanysuccessisgrowing
acompany,sheexplains.Itseasytowriteabusinessplan,[but]itsnotgoingtoget
youveryfar.Itsnotworththepaperitswrittenonbecausethatsdefinitelynotwhats
goingtohappen.Itsdifficulttogogetyourlicenseandregistrationandeverythingfine,
okay,whatever,thatsjustbureaucracyandmoney.Thenyouactuallyhavetobuildyour
product.Thenyouhavetoconvincepeopletobuyyourproduct,atapricethatmakes
senseforyoutomakemoneysothatyoucangrowyourbusiness.Andthen,youhaveto
dothatathousandtimes.Andthen,youhaveacompany.Andthen,itsworthtalking
about!Ithinkalotofpeoplehereconfusefameandsuccess.Andthatssomethingwe
seeconsistentlycompaniesthathaveamazingbranding,lotsoffame,but,youjustpeel
onelayeroftheonion,andyourealizethatitsmuchsmallerthanwhatonewouldthink.
Thereareverylittlerevenues,theresalmostnotractionbuttheentrepreneurthinksthey
areincrediblysuccessful.Soconfusingfameandsuccessishappeningalotnotjustin
thispartoftheworld,buteverywhere.
Asforotherfaultssheseeswithentrepreneurstoday,Sweidfeelsthattheydbebetteroff
iftheyweretofocusonjustonethingattime.Ithinklotsofentrepreneursaretryingto
dotoomanythingsatonce.Sotheyareall,like,bettingonseveralhorsesbutthatsnot
theirjob,thatstheinvestorsjob.Yougostartonecompany,andputallyoureggsinone
basketasanentrepreneur,thatswhatyouaresupposedtodo,sothatsomeonecomes
alongandbelievesyou.Ifyoubelieveinwhatyouaredoing,otherpeoplewillbelievein
ittoo.Ifyouaredoingtwoorthreedifferentthingsatonce,thenthatmeansyoudont
believeinanyofthemandlotsofentrepreneursdothat.Sweidalsowantsto
seeentrepreneurstalkless,anddomore.Somanytimes,somanyentrepreneurs,they
say,Imgoingtodothis;Imgoingtodothat.Well,whyhaventyoudoneityet?
Donttellmewhatyouaregoingtodotellmewhatyouhavedone.Sweidalsosounds
awarningnoteforthediehardnetworkersintheMENAentrepreneurialecosystem.I
thinktoomanyentrepreneursspendtoomuchoftheirtimeinmeetings,andnotenough
timeactuallydoingstuff.Sounlessyouareinameetingbecauseyouaresellingyour
productorservice,donttakethemeeting.Dontspendhalfyouryearonconferences.I
thinkifyouhaveanawesomeproduct,youllhavetonetworkhalfasmuch.Ifyouhavea
decentproduct,youllhavetonetworktwiceasmuch.Sogobuildanawesome
product!
Atthispoint,IaskSweidtotellmethenamesofstartupsorentrepreneursintheregion
thathaveactuallyimpressedher,orareworthyenoughtobeconsideredasrolemodels.
Shetakesamomenttothink,beforereplyingwithalaugh,Imnotgoingyoutotell
aboutthem!Jokesasidethough,shesstillreluctanttonameanyoneinparticular(she
doesmentionUTURNhere,butIfeelthatsasafeanswerjusttoplacateme,than
anythingelse),andherreasoningforthatagainissothatentrepreneurswillavoid
misconstruingfameassuccess.Ifindthatwhenpeoplebecomerolemodels,thenfame
andsuccessgetconfused,sheexplains.AndIthinkthattheecosystemisnotyetatthe
stagewherewecanaffordthat.Weneedoursuccessfulentrepreneurstobefocusedon
growingtheirbusinessesandbeingsuccessfulentrepreneurs,notonbeingrolemodels
andonaspeakingcircuit.Becauseourbusinesses[here]arenotthatstrongyetthey
arentenoughsuccessstoriesherethatwecanaffordthat.ItmaynotbetheanswerI
waswantingtohearbutSweiddoeshaveapoint.Theregionsecosystemisgrowing,
yesbutweneedittogrowmuchbiggerbeforewecanchampionittotheworldatlarge.
AndwithpeoplelikeSweidalongfortheride,onehopesthatitwillhappensoonerthan
later.
She has among top 100 powerful arab women. She is an example for all the women
worldwide as how to achieve your goals with enthusiasm and hard work. Her ideas
and business tricks are now being learned by new enterpreneuurs. She has proved
that if you are passionate about something you can have it. It does not matter you
are man or woman what your financial status is.
http://www.maloomaat.com/noor-sweid-successful-woman-entrepreneur.html/
Aimee Greaves
Published Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Yoga has become an increasingly popular exercise as people not only look for a way to
shed weight, but want to relax at the same time. A study by Yoga Journal reported that
Americans spent $5.7 billion (Dh20.91bn) on it in 2008 87 per cent more than they did
in 2004.
As such, Zen Yoga, owned by Zein Kamal and Noor Sweid, has grown from one to four
studios across Dubai in just three years as demand quickly outstripped supply. Here, the
founders, who financed the company themselves, tell Emirates Business how the
business grew from a personal need and why it is such a good discipline to take up.
How did Zen Yoga come about?
Sweid: When I moved back to Dubai [after studying in the United States] it was difficult
to find qualified instructors. I practiced at home for a year then thought about opening a
studio so I could do it there. Zein and another friend said they would love to join so we
brought over instructors for the US and opened in Dubai Media City. Very quickly, we
realised there was so much demand that it could not keep up, therefore we opened a
second, third and fourth studio.
Are you turning a profit?
Kamal: Because of the locations of the studios, our expenses are quite high so we are
yet to see a lot of profit but we did not start the business to make money; we did it to
service the community and if you look at any start-up it takes three yeas to break even
so we are treading the normal curve.
Has yoga has been more in demand since the credit crunch hit the UAE?
Kamal: There has been more people taking up yoga since the global recession. They
are stressed and know it is good for them and they would rather spend money on
something they think is good for them.
Since you started, a number of other companies have launched yoga classes
are you worried about this competition?
Kamal: There was room for yoga to grow in this region and because it is proven to help
a lot of ailments, people are bound to be interested. We were the first to have a studio
such as this three years ago but it is a natural progression for others to open. There is
some competition in the market but we do not see big gyms as competition because the
classes are completely different. They target the general public whereas we target
people looking to work out in a cosy, friendly atmosphere. The growth has slowed down
but there is still potential and more room for it to grow further.
Do you plan to go international?
Kamal: We started Zen Yoga to provide a service to the community. The yoga
community is huge, but we did not realise how big until we started the business but at
the moment we do not have any plans to open another centre. We want to imporove
what we have and then we will go from there.
Radhika Punshi is the cofounder and Managing Director of The Talent Enterprise
Deep Patel
Author of A Paperboy's Fable: The 11 Principles of Success
Deep Patel is a young writer and entrepreneur. He is the author of A Paperboy's Fable:
The 11 Principles of Success. In the book, he interviewed 15 industry luminaries including
professors, entrepreneurs, CEOs and General David Petraeus.
In addition, Patel has served as script editor and creative consultant for the comedy She
Wants Me (2012), produced by Charlie Sheen. He has also been featured in Forbes, The
Huffington Post,Entrepreneur Magazine and Elite Daily. Patel is currently finishing up his
second book, The Gray Veil.
by Taboola
DEEP PATEL
CONTRIBUTOR
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THOUGHT LEADERS
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AsentrepreneurandmotivationalspeakerJimRohnoncesaid,Thebookyoudontread
wonthelp.Astheyeardrawstoaclose,manyofusarelookingforguidancetokeepus
movingforwardinthenewyear.Wewanttofeelinspiredandfocusedsowecanlive
happier,morefulfillinglivesandachieveourgoals.
TheseTop10bookscan'taccomplishallthatwithoutactionandrealworkonthereader's
part,ofcourse.Buttheconceptsandexamplestheycontainshouldprovidemorethan
enoughsparktomotivateandenergizeuswellinto2017.
andpsychologybehindresilience,persistenceandmindsettohelpyoubetterunderstand
howtobesuccessfulinthelongterm.
ThisbookbyNeilPatel,PatrickVlaskovitsandJonasKofflerteachesyoutolookatwork
andlifethroughanewlens.Itencouragesyoutodiscoverprojectsyouenjoyandfind
opportunitiesthatsupportyourtalents,incomeandhappiness.Itemphasizestheideathat
youmustownyourdreamsinsteadofrentingthemfromothers.
whichexplores
howwecanchampionnewideas.Grantadvocatesforreaderstobuckoutdatedtraditions
andlearntospeakupwithoutgettingsilenced.
Thebookdiscusseshowtobuildasupportivecoalitionandprovidesinsightsintohowto
choosetherighttimetoact.Asforthebrowserchoice?Letsjustsaythatrejectingthe
defaultoptionisahallmarkoforiginality.
DaymondJohnbeganhisentrepreneurialjourneywitha$40budgetandadriveto
achieve.Hislackofresourcesbecameoneofhisbiggestbusinessassets.In"ThePower
ofBroke,"Johnshowshowfacinghardshipshelpsyoulearnbiglessonsfasterthanyou
wouldwithoutthoseobstacles.
John'sexperienceshavetaughthimthatdiversitycanbeagift.Ifyoustartwithnothing
butadeepdesireforsuccess,youmuststayfocusedonwhatistrulyimportant.Being
brokegivesyouthepowerofauthenticcreativitythatcomesfromhavingtohustlefor
yourbusiness.
offershiscandidviewofwhatittooktorealizethatdream.
TheimportanceofrelationshipsemergesasakeyfactorinbuildingKnight'svision.
Heassembledauniqueandpassionategroupwhosememberscametogethertobuilda
brandandculturethatchangedtheworld.
10. "Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in
Just Five Days."
EveryentrepreneurandbusinessleaderhasbeenbedeviledbyquestionssuchasArewe
goingfastenough?andWhatsthemostimportantplacetofocusyoureffort?
DesignerJakeKnappcreatedafivedaysprintprocessatGoogletotackletheseveryhard
truths.
HejoinedcoauthorsBradenKowitzandJohnZeratskyatGoogleVentures,andtogether
theteamcompletedmorethan100"sprints"withcompanies.Thebookversionofthese
allouteffortsisapracticalguideforteamsofanysizeandforanyonewhoseesabig
opportunity,problemorideaandneedstogetanswerstoday.