Turning The Tide: How Going Digital Is Enabling The Success Of Female Entrepreneurs In The UAE (And Beyond) – Entrepreneur

Turning The Tide: How Going Digital Is Enabling The Success Of Female Entrepreneurs In The UAE (And Beyond) – Entrepreneur

After having her first baby, Sarah Seklani was looking for a way to keep working while looking after her daughter. Inspiration struck at a friend’s baby shower. Sarah ordered a candy cart from England– and the other guests loved it. So, she started her own business -Laila’s Candy Cart, named after her daughter- catering events in Dubai with tailored candy boxes.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, all her events were cancelled, and orders dried up. Overnight, Sarah had to completely rethink her business. With stockpiles of candy in her home, she focused all her attention online to try and sell it. She sold gift hampers, activity boxes, and other products through her website, and used personalized ads on Instagram to reach potential customers. What started out as a necessity soon became a huge success. Her web traffic surged, and sales soared. As a result, she’s gone from working alone in her home, to opening her first office and hiring five employees.

Sarah’s creativity and resilience helped her triumph in the face of adversity, but not every business has survived the pandemic. The last year and a half has been hard on small businesses across the Middle East and beyond. When Facebook surveyed businesses in the United Arab Emirates towards