Ala’a Hariri

Ala’a Hariri was hired by an architect’s office after gaining a bachelor’s degree in interior designing from the school of Architecture and Planning at King Faisal University. The 33-year-old designer resigned three years later because she wanted to open her own office. A golden opportunity came her way and she seized it.

Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Fund to Support Women’s Small Enterprises has given Hariri along with many others the chance of a lifetime.

“The fund helped guide us and gave us the tools we needed,” says Hariri, “We were taught about human resources development, accounting, finance, marketing and cash management, in short everything related to building the business idea you have.”

Established in September 2007 in Dammam, Saudi women of all ages who wish to improve their income, can apply to the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Fund, as long as they have the entrepreneurial spirit and a sound business plan. Each applicant must present her ideas to a group of professionals including the fund’s executive manager Hana Al-Zuhair. After this screening, a list of finalists is put together and the selected women go through a ten-day training course called “Intilakati”or “My launch”.

“The 40-hour program trains and equips women with business initiatives on how to run and manage their own enterprise independently. They also learn how to take decisions and come up with solutions,” says Al-Zuhair.

The training does not mean that the women automatically get funded. In fact, it is the first step of many stages. In addition, the fund is not exclusive to those who want to start from scratch. It is also available for businesswomen of small to medium sized enterprises who would like to expand or develop their businesses or enhance their skills. After completing the training, the women are required to work on their feasibility studies and business plans. Then they are each given one chance to win the hearts and pockets of the sponsors.

This May, Ala’a Hariri completed her first year in business with Ala’a Hariri’s Interiors (www.alaahariri.com). She had already taken part in several small-scale projects. She started working by herself and now her team has grown to seven women members.

Zinah Al-Khalewi, 25, became the general manager of her own business two months ago. She started a women’s student service center and called it “Smart Paper”. A mother of a three-year-old girl, Al-Khalewi graduated with a BA in computer science.

“I didn’t want an ordinary job because of the long working hours and the low wages,” she says. “My in-laws and my husband suggested the idea of starting my own business and I thought it was brilliant.” Al-Khalewi’s center offers students in schools and colleges services like photocopying, printing, research, stationery and Photoshop and PowerPoint presentations. Al-Khalewi now wants to expand her enterprise into a research center that includes a public library.

Another entrepreneur, 34-year-old Nawal Al-Ghamdi came up with an idea similiar to Al-Khalewi’s but with a different approach: a student services center and an Internet café. She has the advantage that she rented premises for her “Rainbow Center” right across the street from the girls’ college in Dammam.

“During lunch time and when the students are waiting for their rides, all the other shops are either closed or cater to men only. I was once a student and I know how inconvenient it can be for women,” says Al-Ghamdi.

Sara Al-Subaie, who currently works as the fund’s PR officer, first arrived at the fund with a box of t-shirts and caps. The 23-year-old admits she felt intimidated when she heard about the other applicants’ projects. “I thought no way Al-Zuhair would accept my idea,” she recalls, “I was stunned that they liked my work.” Al-Subaie set up a store and named it “Fallah Stuff” at Al-Rashid Mall in the west of Alkhobar. She targets teenagers with customized t-shirts and caps for both boys and girls.

“Orders have been steady so far. I never faced any problems with my young customers.”

These are just a few examples of the 32 projects the fund has supported over the past two years. Al-Zuhair, the fund’s manager is proud of the achievements of these women.

“Many predicted that the projects would fail,” she says. However, they did not because the fund not only trained these women and funded them, but also provided technical support, boosted their self-confidence, changed their attitude and taught them how to present themselves as businesswomen and leaders. She insists: “Funding projects is the easy part. Unless you provide the young talent with practical training away from theories, it’s useless.”

Al-Zuhair says that since 50 percent of the Saudi population is female, new jobs and more opportunities for women to invest their time and energy must be created.

Motivating other women is now one of the goals to which Al-Zuhair has committed herself. “In our training, we don’t just teach women the concepts of opening a new business but also to be leaders in many fields, in professional and personal life,” she says. “The more women express themselves, the more they know exactly what they want in life.”