Kyrgyztan expat racks up Dh450k in savings over 2 decades to start a UAE beauty business

Kyrgyztan expat racks up Dh450k in savings over 2 decades to start a UAE beauty business

For Dubai resident Cholpon Djusueva, skills like saving and budgeting money were gained back when she studied in school in Kyrgyzstan, when the landlocked country in Central Asia witnessed the split of the Soviet Union in 1991. Her family faced multiple challenges in those times, but her parents involved her in money-related planning and were transparent about the routine money management process. "My father involved me in creating the budget for my university tuition fee. He would give me a certain percentage of his monthly salary for my education," she shared. “My first experience with money and budgets set a basis for my business when I learned that careful planning makes 80 per cent of your entrepreneurial success.” Djusueva launched an organic skin care and hair care business, Foxyskin, in 2020. Although money management isn't part of the curriculum in the education system, Djusueva considers it essential for schools to teach financial management basics to children to help them learn basic monetary techniques, planning and understanding basic profit and loss statements (P&L). "It will equip the new generation with the basics to manoeuvre better in the future," she added. With a passion for sustainability and minimising plastic usage when it