Sunday 29 / September / 2024
There is something special about being the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of your own company than being one in an organisation owned by someone else. Again, this is not as easy as it sounds, as it requires not just the necessary funds, but also the drive and the passion to succeed. Life would have been all roses and honey for Faiza Al Mazroui, if she had not nurtured the dream of doing something on her own. So, she dared to get out of her comfort zone, trusted her instincts, and took the plunge to be a successful entrepreneur.
“I had a wonderful, lucrative job in the marketing department of Oman Oil, where I worked for nine years. I was happy, content, and had a great career growth, but perhaps, that was not enough for me. I always wanted to be the CEO of my own company,” recalled Faiza, who now runs a fashion boutique and a restaurant. And, if you think that’s too much on her plate, then there is more. Recently, she took the additional responsibility of being the marketing director of Panorama Mall.
Faiza started her entrepreneurship with Fizziz, a fashion boutique in Muscat. “When I left my full-time job to start something on my own, I was not sure what to do. I had three areas of interest. They were event management, food and beverage, and fashion. I decided to start with a fashion boutique. My boutique which is now in Panorama Mall was earlier in Ghubra. It also has a presence in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I started it with a small investment and in due course it grew,” said Faiza, recounting her initial days of entrepreneurship.
Last year she started Savannah, a South African cuisine restaurant in Panorama Mall which she affirmed was her focus. Faiza, a mother of three young daughters, has managed to prove her mettle in the most intricate and cumbersome world of entrepreneurship.
“Work-life balance poses the biggest challenge for any working mother. Honestly, it is so difficult to balance work and children, but then I manage my timings. I try to work when they are at school, and by the time they get home by 4.30pm, I am through with most of my business meetings and commitments.”
Faiza, who admitted that she has even fixed meetings at odd hours when it is sleep time for her children, feels that a lot of pressure is taken off her head, as she often involves her children in her little business decisions.
“They are children and they think differently. I always take their inputs. Another reason to involve them in such decisions is to make them aware at a young age itself. When I involve them, they do not feel left out. You can call it my smart planning,” revealed Faiza, while highlighting the challenges she faces as a working mother.
She recollects how she involved her children before launching Savannah. “When we were planning the Kids’ Menu, my daughters came up with the ideas for it,” she added with a smile.
Talking about the interest in business that she had nurtured since her childhood, Faiza strongly feels that women have come a long way globally, and in Oman too, where there are hardly any gender stereotypes now.
“I have grown up in Muscat, and I come from a business family, but unfortunately, as it always happens here among Omani families, children were never involved in the business decisions of the family. I think it is a big mistake, as parents continue to take the pressure, and the children grow up knowing nothing about the business. They remain clueless,” pointed out Faiza.
Savannah, which serves African cuisine, is a project that is close to Faiza’s heart. “Going back to our country’s history, many Omanis, including my great grandparents, left Oman and settled in the east coast of Africa. My parents were born there, and when they returned to Oman they brought with them Africa’s food and culture. That is how I learnt a lot about African food, some of which my mother used to make, and as I love cooking, I work on the recipes,” she remarked.
Being a woman, doing all this means ensuring proper time management, but nothing deters Faiza from fulfilling her dreams. “Women have lot of commitments, but in the food and beverage industry there are certain areas where you cannot do without women,” asserted Faiza, whose plans include a wish to franchise Savannah, expand the catering division and also take her fashion boutique to new heights. No doubt she is not just the CEO of her own company but also of her own life.
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