Local Enterprise
Aisha Rashid Obaid Al Rashedi Founder and Owner of Rashat Sukar
By: Faisal Chareuf
L IK E MO ST of our readers, our local entrepreneur of the month is also a public sector employee who has been working with the Ministry of Education for the past 23 years. In this feature of “Local Enterprise,” Ms. Aisha Al Rashedi tells our readers how she manages to juggle a full time job and a business of her own, among other major responsibilities.
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HEN WE ASK Ms. Aisha to give us a brief about her, she gets straight to the point. “They call me Umm Mansoor. I am originally from Ras Al Khaimah. I married in Sharjah where I have been residing ever since with my family. I am the mother of seven children and have 23 years of experience in education.” We laugh as she realizes that her response sounded like a scene from the movie The Gladiator. She then continues to introduce how she first uncovered her entrepreneurial potential: “I started my business from home in 2007. I have always loved to cook and my food usually receives good reviews! At first, my business was to cater to friends and family and through word of mouth for gatherings, buffets, and all other sorts of events. I was one of the first Emiratis to start a home based business in the Emirates. Thanks to my friends and family who love my cooking, orders starting coming in and I was delivering buffet-style meals to all sorts of events and social gatherings in no time.” When Umm Mansoor saw the potential from her smallscale home-based business, she decided to give it a real shot. “In 2011 I decided to start a formal business and registered ‘Rashat Sukar’ (Arabic for ‘A Hint of Sugar’),” says Umm Mansoor. In the same year, a royal decree announced that the Khalifa
Issue 5 - MAY 2015
Fund for Enterprise Development, Abu Dhabi’s government sponsorship local business start-up fund, would expand its funding reach to cover all seven Emirates. Umm Mansoor decided to try her luck and applied for funding from the Khalifa Fund. “Al Hamduli Allah, I was among the first UAE nationals outside of Abu Dhabi to receive funding from the Khalifa Fund.” Umm Mansoor received diplomas in entrepreneurship and hospitality from The Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development. As part of the program, she enjoyed an internship at the Burj Al Arab, where she learned the tricks of the trade in the hospitality and service industry. However, her experience in the kitchen came naturally. Umm Mansoor says, “I love to cook. I always have and always will enjoy cooking. This is what I am passionate about and I have always been good at it. However, I have had some great support. The Khalifa Fund together with the Ministry of Foreign Trade, have organized many trips to some of the best international trade and food and beverage exhibitions in the world. I have been fortunate enough to be part of groups that travelled to Hong Kong, Malaysia, and mainland China to participate in some of the best trade shows in the industry.” In
addition to the post-funding support she received, Umm Mansoor tells us that she received a lot of support from the Khalifa Fund even before receiving funding. They supported her with workshops and tutorials on market analysis, feasibility studies, and business planning to help her put a successful business plan together; a plan worthy of funding. “Khalifa Fund held a conference in Abu Dhabi to introduce their services, inviting Emiratis from the Northern Emirates to participate and encouraging us to start our own business. H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed himself was there in person and I got to meet him personally! It is amazing to see our leaders get so involved in supporting small businesses. We are truly blessed!” she says proudly. Umm Mansoor goes on to tell us the very familiar story of the rough start up that most entrepreneurs experience. “In 2011, I opened Rashat Sukar on Mohammed bin Zayed Street in Sharjah, thinking that location was one of the key factors. Right after opening, major construction started on the street which was estimated to take three years, blocking access for customers to my shop!” Umm Mansoor says rather