Chasing dream: Lessons from young Qatari entrepreneurs

All that Kummam Al Maadeed and Yasmin Mansour ever wanted was to simply pursue their childhood dreams. For Al Maadeed, it was to be an author. And for Mansour, it was fashion designing. Both young Qatari women did not plan to be entrepreneurs. But their patient waiting and hard work for what seemed like endless years to achieve their dreams, have eventually led them to their now successful businesses.

“For me, it took around 10 years before my first book finally came out. It was like 10 years of learning and failing,” Al Maadeed said while talking to The Peninsula recently.

A well-known Qatari novelist, it was in 2007 when Al Maadeed first thought about her desire for fictional writing. She said: “I told my sister about a dream I had. And then she told me to write about it. I picked up a pen, started writing, and hasn’t stopped since then. I went on to study writing, took workshops, attended forums, and met some writers. In the end I managed to get my first book out in 2016”.

Today, Al Maadeed has authored two books. ‘The Lost Rose’ was published in 2016, and her most recent work titled ‘Calling Magic’, was launched in Doha in March. She’s currently working on a comic and her third book with a local artist.  With a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in communications, Al Maadeed continually develops her creative skills, while successfully managing her business.

She added: “Because I’m self-published, my business degree has also helped me with the accounting and financing aspects, such as pricing the book and marketing the product as well. It’s like a small business. I have to keep going with it”.

Al Maadeed recently received the ‘Creative Work Award’ from the Qatari Businesswomen Association (QBWA) during the first Takreem Awards in Doha this year. Takreem is an initiative seeking to inspire young Qatari women to reach their full potential.

Giving her advice to younger women, Al Maadeed said: “My advice would be to work on themselves to be better, and not to give up when things don’t work out. Because it’s a long journey. If you work for your passion, it won’t be about the money. If you’re fortunate to be able to work while pursuing your dreams and live on it, that’s amazing. If not, there’s a lot of other options. But don’t stop creating and don’t stop pursuing your passion, because that’s what also makes us happy”.

Meanwhile, Mansour, who is the founder, designer, and CEO of her own fashion brand, is another ‘dream pursuer’ turned entrepreneur. Another Takreem awardee, she received the ‘Young Talent Award’ from the QBWA this year.

Mansour’s brand specialises on evening wear and glamorous dresses. Recently, she has also launched her sunglasses collection. Based in Doha, ‘Yasmeen Mansour’ was launched in 2014. However, Mansour’s work behind the scenes started much earlier than that.

She said: “The brand started just five years ago, but I had been studying, trying, and working very hard for over nine years. I also studied in an Italian fashion academy for two years. The brand is under my name, because this has been my dream since I was 12 years old. And calling it with my name is a childhood dream come true”.

Mansour hasn’t stopped dreaming. Her next plan is to open her own studio. She added: “We don’t have a studio right now. We just have a small workshop, with a small team as well. But soon, we’re looking forward to opening our own studio, so that we can meet our clients and it would be easier for them to buy our prouducts”.

A firm believer of ‘pay-it-forward’, Mansour also conducts workshops to support fresh graduates in the industry. “I really love to help the younger generation. I’ve been in their shoes as well. When I was younger, I was also blessed with the support from other people, and it’s awesome. Also, having people appreciating your work motivates you to work even harder,” Mansour added.

With more entrepreneurs and startups engaging in Qatar’s business sector, the country was recently chosen to host the 2020 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Forum.