Omani businessman listed among Gulf’s top 10 talented entrepreneurs

Muscat: An Omani businessman, Qais Al Khonji, was listed among the top 10 most talented entrepreneurs in the Gulf region. Gulf Business has listed the businessmen and Al Khonji is the only businessman from Oman to get the nomination. Gulf Business will select the best entrepreneur from among the 10 nominated entrepreneurs through online voting.
The selection was based on the audited financial results of Al Khonji’s companies. The panel has also carried out research, based on financial growth. “They only asked for audited financial revenue, which they have promised will be classified,” said Al Khonji.
Al Khonji started his business from scratch in 2013, and today he has contracts with companies like Occidental Oman and on trials with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic). He is also a board member of three public companies.
“I have started Genesis Projects and Investments and Genesis International.” Genesis Projects and Investment offers laboratory services for both upstream and downstream oil analysis.
“We do Cores analysis, which leads to enhancing the oil production. Our clients include companies like PDO, Oxy and Daleel.” The lube analysis helps enhance the performance of the machinery.
“At Genesis International, we manufacture the equipments that do all the above work, but we only sell them to educational institutes so we do not create our own competitors.”
Al Khonji is a board member of Sharakah, which supports entrepreneurs to start their business with funding support, as well as provide advice, based on experience.
“Also, I have been invited by several universities and colleagues to speak about my journey to business students.”
Talking about the future of Omani entrepreneurs, he said there is always risk involved in starting a business.
The normal challenges are still there, from finding funding to obtaining all the certificates from ministries concerned. But nothing is easy; it all depends on the will power to succeed. “If you have all the resources needed, then success is a state of mind.”
Al Khonji added that there are ample opportunities in the service industry and the quality of service is important in the field. In the case of products, it will be difficult to sell if the product is not branded properly.
There are a lot of sectors that have potential in Oman, from real estate to food, manufacturing and oil and gas.