Business Bureau, Gulf Today

The Ajman Businesswomen Council (AJBWC) of the Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a virtual forum entitled “Entrepreneurship between Present and Future” in  cooperation with the “Thanks for Your Giving” programme to discuss the reality of creativity and innovation in entrepreneurial projects, challenges of entrepreneurship and future solutions for projects.

The Forum’s speakers were Dr. Amna Khalifa Al Ali - Chairperson of the AJBWC, Dr. Hoda Al Matrooshi - SMEs and Innovative Business Incubators Management Adviser, and Moza Al Mahkoum - Entrepreneurs Skills Development Coach. The Forum was moderated by Nouf Al Yafi, and joined by over 200 participants.

Speaking during the Forum, Dr. Amna Khalifa pointed to the abilities and skills that should be possessed by entrepreneurs, such as: creativity, innovation, the ability to continue despite the challenges, and excellence in linking the project with modern technologies, choosing the appropriate projects that serve individual and society, focusing on future projects that meet requirements of the society and building digital-based projects to cope up with the current changes.

She explained that successful entrepreneurs rely on the knowledge and information that serve their projects and make use of the services provided by the concerned institutions.

Dr. Amna also said, “The challenges have strengthened four aspects in entrepreneurs, namely: projects should be based on science and knowledge, projects must have alternative plans, projects are based on sustainability, and imitation does not serve projects.”

Dr. Amna further pointed to the Council’s flexibility and adaption with the pandemic, and that it relied an alternative plan to support its members. It launched an “Invest in Your Project” initiative to help entrepreneurs add an activity commensurate with nature of their existing business in simple and easy steps to enhance creativity in marketing the products and increasing the sales.  In addition, the Council inked a number of cooperation agreements with electronic platforms to market the products of its members, including “Akshaak”, “Bugsha”, “Manassah.Com” and “Fassal Trading” platforms. It also carried out a number of specialized workshops through visual communication programs in partnership with government and private institutions.

For her part, Dr. Huda Al Matrooshi stressed that a specialized study is not a condition for success of entrepreneur, while aspiration, passion and understanding of the project are prerequisites for success.

She also noted that the UAE directed the relevant authorities to provide courses, workshops, training and technical consultations for entrepreneurs, stressing the need to consult experienced people when starting up or developing a project.

Dr. Huda also gave some tips for starting-up, such as the need to fully understand the project’s objectives, clear feasibility study and roadmap, consulting and involving the qualified people to ensure success, choosing the appropriate timing of market need for the project or idea, and a strong and successful contancts network.”

Meanwhile, Moza Al-Mahkoum explained that entrepreneurship and owners of SMEs faced various challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, among them were stimulating sales and controlling expenses. However, the bright side is that the challenges created by the pandemic have begun to ease and many affected sectors have begun the gradual recovery.

She explained the recovery mechanisms for entrepreneurial projects, since that the previous months fostered the creativity and innovation among entrepreneurs, in addition to relying on electronic trade and online shopping. She valued the efforts of the UAE government in providing incentive packages directed to the economic sector in general, stressing the importance of tackling the changes with adaptation and flexibility to enhance competitiveness.

The Forum concluded with opening the discussion and inquiries for the participants on consumer protection mechanisms and the role of government institutions in supporting entrepreneurs.

Earlier the Ajman Businesswomen Council (AJBWC) of the Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) organised a virtual workshop entitled “Challenges Management” in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council (ADBWC) and New Technology Consultants, with the aim of identifying the fundamentals of leadership. It also aimed to enhance productivity and challenges under exceptional circumstances that SMEs may face.