I always asked myself the question “How can I be an inspirational figure to those around me?” This was my dream. They say life begins at 40. It was then when I actually began to pave a path of applying my gift to do what I love and be an inspiration at the same time.
Growing up in a family that was very loving and supportive contributed to my success. My parents were my heroes. My father was a great businessman that helped many begin their own business and was instrumental in starting the ministry of commerce and industry. I grew up in a family with a high standard of living that I know most people would be grateful for. “The weapon of a woman is her education,” my father always told us. Earning a university degree was an expectation of my family and extended family. Being the youngest of five, I saw my sisters and brothers all do well in school and go on to university in different parts of the world. School was always difficult for me. When I was nine years old I was diagnosed with Dyslexia which led me to have mixed feelings. I was relieved that there was an actual medical reason as to why I was struggling in school, but I was also disheartened. How was I going to complete school with a disability? I was then sent to specialized school for Dyslexia in England.
My years in high school proved to be difficult. My father was gravely ill which influenced my decision to return to Oman to a school with no assistance for people with disabilities. My father passed away 6 months prior to my graduation. He was the first one to see my love for art as an untapped potential that would later lead to my success in life. He gave me my first canvas and set of paints at the tender age of 10. My gift in the arts would not be utilized until much later in life due to multiple family situations hindering my progress of developing my talent.
I was privileged enough to be able to return to the United Kingdom and study the Arts and Interior Design in college. This allowed me to harness my artistic aspirations and carry out my professional ambitions for the future.
As we all know, life seldomly proceeds as planned. In Oman it is important for woman to get married to men who come from respected tribes. My two older sisters each ran away to get married to men of whom they perceived our family would not approve of. When the 2nd sister ran away to the states to get married to an American, my university education came to a halt and was forced to return to Oman and find a suitor. A number of suitors came to propose, and I finally agreed to marry my former husband as he promised to allow me to continue my education.
My then husband did not hold to his promise. Being the “the good wife” I stuck by my husband’s wish and remained at his side. Blessed with two beautiful children I honed my success through my children. Investing my time researching the best schools and tools they need in order to attain success. Each of my children was also diagnosed with my disability but I ensured that this would not hinder them but give them the assistance they needed in order to overcome their disability.
Though I lived a life of luxury my marriage was an unhappy one. I was married to a man that believed a wife’s duty was to bring up children and tend to the household. I was not allowed to work nor develop my own talents for success. If I disobeyed his wishes the use of verbal abuse was a norm for him. I had to be creative in attaining my dream. Charity was something we all believed in. It was through this belief I found countless ways to evolve my creative abilities to give to society in my spare time. He allowed me to have my personal studio. It was here I unleashed my creative ability through painting. I donated my paintings to various organizations to raise money. I developed my interior design skills through families and companies planning events and designing homes for free.
Now that my children had grown and are on a successful path, I decided to take a leap of faith and implement a difficult decision I had been toying with for several years. This was to leave my husband regardless of what the financial consequences would be. Against my entire family and friends’ advice, with the exception of three or four persons, I went from living in the lap of luxury to looking at what little savings I had to provide a roof over my head. This choice was a challenging but proved worthwhile.
Being a woman who comes from a prominent family and having been married to an established family, people could not understand why I left it all to go out and begin my own business. Getting your hands dirty and going out doing “meaningless” tasks was not highly looked upon. Tasks such as opening a bank account, keeping track of expenses in order to ensure you have enough to pay your bills are things I learned at the age of 40. I would be sitting in my new home on a pile of boxes not knowing where to start. How would I be able to get my house sorted and be able to live a “normal” life without help? When a light bulb would go out how would I change it? If there was a power or water outage whom do I call? These were only the beginning of my questions
My former husband and his family decided to cut me off financially and I was left to start my independent life with little education and a wealth of talent. My dear father had left us an estate. My eldest brother had accrued a big debt. My siblings and I decided to sell the building and I took my portion purchased a house of which I would rent out to generate income. I opened my first company Mevents and employed young Omani assistance and started my dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
Mevents organizes and coordinates corporate and private events. I didn’t have a pile of money to go out and hire many staff, I was the one who would oversee the laborers placing the chairs and tables. If things were not done right I would roll up my sleeves and do it myself. Again a no-no in our society, one obstacle amongst many. I would lose a lot of potential jobs in the beginning of my career, as most of the big companies owners are friends of my ex husband, being an influential person in society, in order not to upset him they would cancel the contract at the last moment. It reminded me of his last words prior to finalizing our divorce, “I can’t wait to see you on the streets begging for money.”
Being that there are many “big” events companies and the market is not big enough to host us, I needed to stand out by doing something different and memorable that would make my clients continue to return to my company. I was able to grow Mevents and a year later went ahead and opened my second company Mdecor. This company concentrated on sharing my design talents with the public. I would create beautiful spaces for both living in and working in. Both Mdecor and Mevents have gone on to be profitable companies.
As I mentioned earlier giving back to the society is a priority of mine. I help women develop their talents to transform hobbies into careers. My first success story is a woman I met through an organization. This particular woman loved photography. I went out and purchased her a camera, along with a printer, and paired her up with another photographer. She is now takes photographs for weddings and other events all from her home. I later went out and sought out talented young Omanis, in the area of interior design, and made one a partner in my company.
In becoming an entrepreneur, I am able to fulfill my desire of inspiring others by being recognized in several Medias. Due to my accomplishments as a business woman, I have been selected to speak at multiple international events including the Arab British Chambers of Commerce and Chinese Women Business forum. Several articles in both newspapers and magazines have featured my accomplishments. I also had to opportunity to speak on radio talk shows and have been featured in the book Those Who Inspire.
My distant dream started as a small freelancer business and has grown to a thriving success story; creating a new life for me and helping others develop a success story of their own.