January 2019 www.womanthismonth.com 18 showcase EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING In the latest in a series tackling issues faced by women in business, we look at the importance of action. Hosts It has been said that ideas are not enough. What would you say are the three major steps to successful execution? The first step is to make sure that your idea makes sense and that there’s a market for your product. I always give the example of designer baby clothes – if you look at the Bahrain market, you split it into the people who are too old or too young for kids and the people who can’t afford designer, it doesn’t leave you much of a market. Second, being very aware of costs and how to price your product so you can make money is essential. A lot of entrepreneurs believe they need someone to help them make a business plan – someone who’ll find a property, set out costs etcetera. When I built my first shop, I thought I was getting a good deal. The second one cost me 60 per cent less! These days I know the price of everything from tiles, to glue. And drill down on those details, find ways to squeeze those costs. Thirdly, get really involved. Not everyone can be there running the business dayto-day, they may have another job. But certainly, very close involvement is the best thing you can do for your business. So many people rely on a manager to run their business for them. In my experience, this can work, but you’re never going to get the same level of success as if you are running things yourself. What was your vision when you set out to offer a service? And how did you reflect this in the product? I started seven years ago and, at that time, it was hard to find products in the market that were fast, tasty and fresh. Going to a restaurant takes longer and is expensive. There is also the quick and cheap which is super-low quality. I don’t want to spend BD5 on my lunch each day, I want to spend BD2 or BD3. A lot of my clients do that every week. Provide fresh, clean, high-quality food and you get people hooked. What market research did you do? We did a lot of guerilla market research. I would go to a location, walk into every shop on the street and interview people – asking them about their business. It’s about understanding what’s a good location. I will go there and park and watch people going in and out. Look to see if there are hospitals and banks etcetera, which bring people to an area. I look at competitors’ prices and I check everything on Instagram. How important is recruitment, retention and training of staff in the successful execution of a business plan? Fast food will always have a lot of turnover, it’s frustrating. But we have gotten better and put in incentives to keep people with us. What would be your message for anyone who believes they have a good idea but is looking for ways to get it off the ground? This comes back to what I said at first. You have to make sure you have a good product, you can’t just plough ahead with something because you love the idea if it’s not going to work as a business. Have a business partner who you trust; I would have struggled to do this alone. Also, make sure to consider how long it will take you to get your business up and running – do you have that time? When do you need to start to break-even? Become profitable? You have to think one to two years ahead. NARISE KAMBAR It has been said that ideas are not enough. What would you say are the three major steps to successful execution? Yes it’s true, great ideas aren’t everything but planning well and having a great strategy for your company is what’s going to make you distinct and guarantee a successful execution. We need to ask ourselves these questions: Do we have clarity? Is our vision clear? Is the structure of our company, our systems, in alignment with what we have in mind? One of my mottos is ‘right tools, right people’, this is another very important element. Are we on the right track for what we want to WEJDAN ISMAIL owner of Burrito Loco, Noodle Wok and Sandwich Guys. owner of Saffron by Jena and Jena Bakery.
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