Being an entrepreneur is probably one of the toughest ‘jobs’ one can hold. It is the one in which you can blame no one but self, its where financial risk may be shared but never the fear of failure. And yet many an entrepreneur has taken the plunge and come out smelling of roses.
The most famous and current example that comes to mind is ‘Apple’
Apple started in the garage of Steve Wozniack. Wozniack was an electronics hacker, and he and his long time friend Steve Jobs had this idea to create a personal computer. In 1976, the two approached a local electronics store to see if they would be interested in buying a personal computer that Wozniack had built. The owner of the store became interested and said he wanted 50 units. Wozniack and Jobs, both penniless at the time, went to a local computer parts supplier and ordered the parts on credit, based on their first purchase order. This was the start of Apple. From the garage of Steve Wozniack to being ranked 103 on the Fortune 500 list.
Mattel’s Barbie continues to be the aspiration toy for every little girly girl. However, Barbie too, came from humble beginnings.
In 1945 Ruth and Eliot Handler and Harold Mattson launched a company from their garage in Southern California making picture frames, not toys. Ruth Handler began taking the scraps of wood from those frames and making doll furniture, a side business which proved quite successful. Because of this, the entrepreneurs decided to change their focus to toys instead. In 1959, they introduced the first Barbie, and have since become a household name.
Here, in Dubai too, we have many such success stories.
Donna Benton moved to Dubai in 2001. She loved the life here, fine food and sun shine, but it was expensive, especially with having a big family. And that’s how a business was born.
With only $3000 to her name Donna launched the Entertainer book, an annual two-for-one incentive book.
In its first year of launch the book sold 997 copies.
Over the past 11 years the brand has grown to become the region’s best-selling discount and incentive books, selling 150,000 books in UAE alone. The 2013 Entertainer Books bring together two for one incentive vouchers from over 4,000 merchants distributing offers across 21 books in 14 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. The company has recorded 30 to 40 per cent growth year-on-year, every year since 2002, including during the global recession in 2008-2009.
Never mind the big idea, or the best location, or even financial backing, if there is an entrepreneur lurking in there within you, let him out. It is something you owe to yourself.
