Because, at the end
of the day, business reflects a lifestyle;
and you don't want to have a lifestyle
that you are not enjoying. These are exciting
and challenging times - when a person
can do a lot of things, and enjoy doing
these while performing his regular duties.
For me, it is sheer pleasure to wake
up each morning, go to office and do whatever
I am doing; looking forward to discovering
something new, or something I want to
conquer.
Since we at the Bin Zayed Group are based
in the UAE, anything that we do focuses
mainly on what the UAE market needs. We
don't have any other agenda like the multinationals
that come out here with products customised
for the western market, and insufficient
customisation for local needs.
When it comes to technology, something
that works for instance, in the USA or
Europe, might not work here. But they
still market it here without comprehending
the nature of our organisations and business
practices.
In the GCC, we tend to have smaller organisations
than in the West. We also tend to have
deep, long-standing relationships within
and between businesses/individuals (based
upon agreed terms) and, at the same time,
a greater appreciation of these relationships.
Besides, a lot of Western eCommerce solutions
require you to first buy a solution costing
you hundreds of thousands of dollars and
then change your habit of trading - which
is going in for auctioning or purchasing
through exchanges. This is not really
how business is conducted.
So, instead of rushing and buying eCommerce
solutions from the West, as many people
did, we have invented ours from within.
We have developed 'Vertscape Solutions.'
These automate the relationship between
buyer and seller based on their old, agreed
terms/ conditions - documenting it, making
it transparent and seamless while maintaining
relationships that companies are accustomed
to.
We find that it is such a process of
streamlining that local organisations
are looking for. People don't want to
change their habits of doing business.
So, rather than telling them to do things
differently, we go up to them and say
- We appreciate what you have been doing;
and we are going to add value to your
operations. We will reduce your strain,
streamline your operation, make it simple,
easy and, at the same time, affordable.
We have developed a number of such modules
and then we have tried to customise these
for different sectors of the economy.
At this point in time, we have many users.
At Vertscape, www.vertscape.com, we try
to promote our technologies within small
and medium-sized businesses that most
organisations in the GCC tend to be. While
competing with other eBusiness solution
providers, we usually win because local
companies are looking for solutions that
are ready to be deployed.
Ours sit on a platform that is already
developed, only requiring a little customisation;
while several of our competitors are starting
the customisation process from scratch.
This is the present situation and, as
I was saying, these are exciting times.
But the past had its charms too. Yes,
I did grow up in Dubai and have very happy
memories of it. I don't know of anyone
who doesn't!
The city was so small then, limited to
about 2-3 km, and we were like one family.
It was a comforting, homey feeling living
in an environment where nobody was a stranger
- something I know my children are deprived
of in today's environment.
We were living along the creek, and on
Fridays, all the youth on the Deira side
would get together and we would swim across
the creek to the beach, where Rashid Port
is today, to surf the waves.
We are five brothers and four sisters
and our father was mainly in the real
estate business. But in those days (early
1900s) he used to be in the pearl diving
and trading business - traveling all the
way to India and down to East Africa,
taking dates from here and bringing back
rice, wood, etc.
I am very attached to my father who is
now 92 years old and, Alhumdulillah, doing
well. I learnt a lot from him both on
a personal and a business level. Much
of what I am, and have, today I owe to
him. His friends and business partners
also taught me a lot.
In those days people did business in
an open environment - even their shops
used to be like a majlis. They would move
from place to place, exchanging news,
chatting about their lives and, all the
while, conducting business.
How much time I get to spend with my
family is the most painful question that
you can ask me. I don't spend as much
as I would like to, perhaps because I
enjoy my work so much that it keeps me
too many hours at office.
But I reserve a month in a year to go
on vacation with them, where I become
one of them and it is their call to do
what they want. I become a kid with them.
There are the weekends, of course. I also
devote time to my hobbies such as photography
using a digital camera.
Going to the gym is something I do regularly.
I used to think that I would be exhausted
after a session in the gym, but I find
that I have more energy instead.
The other thing I love to do is scuba
diving - exploring that beautiful world
that is hidden from everyone except divers.
The most beautiful thing about diving
is that you cannot rush it. You have to
go slow.
It is relaxing, soothing, tranquil...
the beauty of the underwater world is
indescribable. Of course, if you happen
to see a shark, your peace and tranquility
can vanish instantly!
I have many individuals I consider my
heroes, depending on which segment of
life I am looking at. If it comes to people
today, it is definitely the UAE President
His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan, who has done tremendous work here
in the UAE.
Look at the development here... all because
of his wise leadership. Compare our nation
with other countries that have similar
resources. Look at the openness of our
country, its infrastructure... people
are eager to come to the UAE. We are in
a very competitive position, not only
in the region, but over a much wider area.
I am happy. To be a happy person is my
motto. My greatest joy is when I get back
home and my youngest kid runs up to me
and hugs me. That makes my day. I believe
that one must enjoy oneself, or else life
is not worth living.
If you are on a path that is not taking
you in the direction that you would like
to go, I think you should change that
path and choose something that you enjoy.
Of course, not everyone has choices. But
choices are something that you make; not
something that you are given.
Have I achieved what I set out to do?
No. I don't think one ever can. Whenever
I accomplish something, I am ready with
another goal. We are living in an era
where there is no limit to what a person
can do. |