Saudi women are determined to succeed
LOCAL VIEWPOINT
Last updated: Thursday, December 19, 2013 5:37 PM
Rashid Al-Fouzan
A-Riyadh
A-Riyadh
I am always fascinated to read stories about self-made political and business leaders from Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to Suleiman Al-Rajhi as well as stories of self-made businessmen and businesswomen who rose from rags to riches. A recent newspaper story about Umm Abdullah, a local small business entrepreneur, says that she learned the trade of making “kleja” biscuits from her mother Haila in Buraidah. This traditional biscuit has been popular in Saudi Arabia for a long time.
Umm Abdullah has been baking these biscuits, which are made of whole wheat flour, for the past 40 years. She was in dire need of earning a decent living when she first began and there is no record of her receiving any sort of funding or training to start her business. She relied fully on what she had learned from her mother.
Umm Abdullah is a Saudi woman who started her business when the working conditions and the societal acceptance of women working were much tougher.
However, Umm Abdullah was determined to make a living by selling homemade biscuits, at first to close friends, and gradually to more people. She managed to outshine men who are not ready to do any job or learn a craft and who instead believe that only a government job is worth their time and effort.
The important thing is that she achieved her goals after years of patience, suffering and difficulties. What would be the situation if Saudi women had the same facilities and incentives that men are provided with? Men can get financing from a number of government agencies. They can approach any government agency and open a store at the location of their choice. They face no logistical difficulties in running a business of their own. Then what else do they need to become successful? They need good intentions, determination, discipline, hard work and patience. However, these qualities are most often seen in Saudi women not Saudi men.
The example of Umm Abdullah should be widely publicized. She should be invited to deliver lectures on her success story because she is a model for other Saudi women on how to become successful without relying on a formal education. There are, of course, several other Saudi women who are also models of success like Umm Abdullah.
It is important to realize that success never comes without its fair share of difficulties. Life is like that. Don’t remain idle or weak or blame anyone else for your shortcomings and remember: Almost all successful businessmen and businesswomen started from scratch.
Umm Abdullah has been baking these biscuits, which are made of whole wheat flour, for the past 40 years. She was in dire need of earning a decent living when she first began and there is no record of her receiving any sort of funding or training to start her business. She relied fully on what she had learned from her mother.
Umm Abdullah is a Saudi woman who started her business when the working conditions and the societal acceptance of women working were much tougher.
However, Umm Abdullah was determined to make a living by selling homemade biscuits, at first to close friends, and gradually to more people. She managed to outshine men who are not ready to do any job or learn a craft and who instead believe that only a government job is worth their time and effort.
The important thing is that she achieved her goals after years of patience, suffering and difficulties. What would be the situation if Saudi women had the same facilities and incentives that men are provided with? Men can get financing from a number of government agencies. They can approach any government agency and open a store at the location of their choice. They face no logistical difficulties in running a business of their own. Then what else do they need to become successful? They need good intentions, determination, discipline, hard work and patience. However, these qualities are most often seen in Saudi women not Saudi men.
The example of Umm Abdullah should be widely publicized. She should be invited to deliver lectures on her success story because she is a model for other Saudi women on how to become successful without relying on a formal education. There are, of course, several other Saudi women who are also models of success like Umm Abdullah.
It is important to realize that success never comes without its fair share of difficulties. Life is like that. Don’t remain idle or weak or blame anyone else for your shortcomings and remember: Almost all successful businessmen and businesswomen started from scratch.
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