Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: A group of female entrepreneurs gathered at the British Ambassador’s house to share the beauty and struggles of being an entrepreneur over tea
and coffee.
There were at least 40 leading female figures at the networking event in sectors ranging from food to fine jewellery. Speaker Rekha Mehr, a British entrepreneur and founder of Pistachio Rose London, has enjoyed the life of a dual citizen in both England and India. She shared her journey from being an employee at Waitrose to starting her own business.
Mehr travelled to India to discover her roots, and found a business idea. According to her, she had not tasted home cooked Indian food in England, and wanted to bring that taste of ethnicity back with her.
“I started with gaining work experience at a cafe. I wanted to know, “‘What makes this operation work?’ I did everything on my own, which was a huge mistake. Without the support and network of other entrepreneurs, it is a lonely journey. Successful entrepreneurial ecosystems are built upon the foundations of strong communities,” Mehr said.
Another speaker was Zainab Al Barwani, who works with the Springboard Programme at the British Council. Her advice to women, regardless of job title, it key to a productive life.
“I thought to myself, I can be more than be a sister, more than a mother, and more than a wife. Take your dreams seriously. Everybody has four types of goals: work related, relationships related, goals for just you, and goals to help others. Make a list of these goals (which should be no more than four pages long). Once you’ve gone through them, ask yourself: is it worth it?”
“Once you say yes, then it’s time to commit yourself and turn those ideas into actions. If you don’t have a goal, then writing down a goal can be your first goal,” Barwani added with a smile.
