[in-depth] FOCUS

32
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33

MOHAMMAD ABEDIN
FOUNDER, THE FOO DOG
Mohammad Abedin combines student
life with a penchant for comic books and
conceptual art. It was when Dubai Men’s
College flew him to Japan as a cultural
ambassador that he realised a latent love
affair with quirky Japanese toys and anime.
That initial impetus led to the creation
of The Foo Dog, a company that supplies
eight-inch vinyl dolls to artists, painters and
customisers. The Japanese-inspired dolls
are essentially a canvas in 3-D, offering a
form of self-expression not restricted to the
ubiquitous uniformity of traditional canvas.
Abedin says the only way to learn the
intricacies of entrepreneur activity is through
trials and travails. He designed his MEGA
doll, and then commenced the search for a
manufacturer in China to produce in bulk
according to his exacting specifications.
Umpteen video demonstrations and emails
later, Abedin received his first prototype. He
also acquired a license, available to Emiratis
from the Dubai Department of Economic
Development (DED) for approximately
Dh1,600 a year, to run a business from home.
He decided an exhibition of customised dolls
34
“The only way to learn to
be an entrepreneur is to be
an entrepreneur. Others
can help and advise, but
you only really learn your
business by going about
it. Tenacity, persistence
and a sense of humour
are essential.”
followed by an auction was an appropriate
launch, and set about recruiting artists.
“I gave them the MEGA vinyl doll at no
cost, and asked them to customise it. The
artists kept the auction proceeds. I decided
on a hundred artists, including a baker,
an illustrator and a photographer. It was a
showcase of diverse urban talent,” he says.
Emirati columnist and commentator
Sultan Al Qassimi is Abedin’s mentor
and former teacher. He notes that Abedin
always had a penchant for exploring
expression through illustration.
[in-depth] FOCUS
SOHRAB JAHANBANI
COO AND CO-FOUNDER, GONABIT
Jahanbani is one of those arcane people
typically identified as ‘serial entrepreneurs’
– people whose life is an endless iteration
of identified opportunities and niche ideas.
Jahanbani, a British citizen, has been in
Dubai for less than three years, but that
hasn’t hampered his enterprising ways.
Together with Canadian business partner
Dan Stuart, he has already set up GoNabit,
an e-commerce portal that leverages the
power of group purchases. Not surprising,
considering that Jahanbani has a track record
of spawning businesses where he goes.
Jahanbani recalls his first meeting with “Being focused, local and performance-based is
Stuart. “I had started pitching ideas on
group buying daily deals to a few people important for small businesses”
in Dubai, when I was told that someone
called Dan Stuart had also hit on the idea. according to the sales the portal generates GoNabit, Jahanbani says the success of the
Coincidentally, I ran into him at a dinner for them. For consumers, the value lies business stems from its local focus and
party that night and we got talking.” in exploring daily deals, hidden gems and its commitment to promoting each deal.
The result of their collaboration is a leveraging the power of group buys to Offering too many deals would dilute focus,
portal offering a marketing and sales tool achieve sizeable discounts. and hence efficacy.
for small firms and entrepreneurs. GoNabit was launched on May 26, The solution, he believes, is to go
The GoNabit model is simplicity 2010 in Dubai and June 26 in Abu Dhabi. hyper-local, for instance, setting up
itself. Small businesses are invited to Jahanbani says the portals have already discrete sites for deals in old and new
include GoNabit in their marketing mix closed over 90 deals, saving consumers Dubai. In addition, Jahanbani foresees
on a no-win, no fee principle. There is more than Dh700,000 in the process. expansion to other leading cities in the
no upfront risk, as GoNabit clients pay When asked what the future may hold for GCC region fairly soon.
“In Entrepreneurship class I noticed that
Mohammad would stay in during the breaks
and work on sketches of characters that were DANISH FARHAN a healthy turnover of over $11 million
Text: Hisham Wyne, freelance writer; Image: Kishore Kumar, Silvia Baron, Grace Paras
inspired by various cultures and themes. He CEO, XICHE per annum. With concerns including a
has gone about starting his own business in Ask Danish Farhan why he chose to become technology house and an interior design
record time after graduating which reflects an entrepreneur and he shrugs wryly, company, the group does over $20 million
the clear thought process he had in mind,”
says Al Qassimi. “Mohammad will go on to
saying “I knew how to do little else.” The
autodidactic CEO of Xiche may have a
in business a year.
Farhan is determined to keep thinking
be one of the most influential young artistic point. He did the rounds of the London big by thinking small. He makes clear that
entrepreneurs in the UAE since he not only Film School, American University of Dubai Xiche is not a supplier for its clients but
pursued his dream but through a creative and American University of Sharjah before a representative that manages suppliers
collaboration process with other artists gave realising academia was perhaps not his forte. on the clients’ behalf. He says, Xiche is a
his peers an opportunity to create and so turn He worked with Emirates Airlines for three hybrid consultancy because it combines
their own dreams into reality.” years, after which he took on a research and three basic tenets of business: the strategy
He is well on his way, with a larger forecasting role with IBM at 18. According that is the core of the business, the brand,
version of the MEGA in the works, and to him, Xiche was set up to “help businesses “A brand is the which is the strategy manifesting through
invitations to shows in London and New answer the very questions I had been asking tangible and intangible artefacts and
York to showcase customised toys. He them in my role as researcher.” manifestation of a business sprinkles of facilitating technology.
is helping the artist community, and
considers himself a member. But the MEGA
But Xiche was almost the victim of
its own success. It expanded rapidly,
strategy through tangible Fellow businessperson, ex-client and
former senior vice-president of Internet
dolls, retailing at Virgin Megastores for and was acquired by once-client Future and intangible artefacts.” Pictures Corporation (iPix) Tim Brookes,
Dh149 a piece, will only generate sufficient Pipelines. Soon, Farhan found himself being says that Farhan, originally from India, has
revenue to cover sunk costs by 2011. marginalised and the company he founded organically. He has never had more than 20 been impeccable in maintaining a people-
“The only way to learn to be an entrepreneur being taken in directions he did not like. people on the payroll since, and is anxious centric innovative streak.
is to be an entrepreneur. Others can help and Eventually he decided to exit, keeping the not to lose the intimacy and flexibly his “It’s been interesting to say the least
advise, but you only really learn your business brand name he had legally registered. In small business offers. watching this young man and his firm
by going about it. Tenacity, persistence and a 2004, Farhan decided to rebuild Xiche. He While Xiche may have the soul and spirit consistently stay ahead of the curve for
sense of humour are essential,” says Abedin. had learnt his lesson and decided to grow of a small boutique consultancy, it boasts almost a decade now.”
35

MOHAMMAD ABEDIN
FOUNDER, THE FOO DOG
Mohammad Abedin combines student
life with a penchant for comic books and
conceptual art. It was when Dubai Men’s
College flew him to Japan as a cultural
ambassador that he realised a latent love
affair with quirky Japanese toys and anime.
That initial impetus led to the creation
of The Foo Dog, a company that supplies
eight-inch vinyl dolls to artists, painters and
customisers. The Japanese-inspired dolls
are essentially a canvas in 3-D, offering a
form of self-expression not restricted to the
ubiquitous uniformity of traditional canvas.
Abedin says the only way to learn the
intricacies of entrepreneur activity is through
trials and travails. He designed his MEGA
doll, and then commenced the search for a
manufacturer in China to produce in bulk
according to his exacting specifications.
Umpteen video demonstrations and emails
later, Abedin received his first prototype. He
also acquired a license, available to Emiratis
from the Dubai Department of Economic
Development (DED) for approximately
Dh1,600 a year, to run a business from home.
He decided an exhibition of customised dolls
34
“The only way to learn to
be an entrepreneur is to be
an entrepreneur. Others
can help and advise, but
you only really learn your
business by going about
it. Tenacity, persistence
and a sense of humour
are essential.”
followed by an auction was an appropriate
launch, and set about recruiting artists.
“I gave them the MEGA vinyl doll at no
cost, and asked them to customise it. The
artists kept the auction proceeds. I decided
on a hundred artists, including a baker,
an illustrator and a photographer. It was a
showcase of diverse urban talent,” he says.
Emirati columnist and commentator
Sultan Al Qassimi is Abedin’s mentor
and former teacher. He notes that Abedin
always had a penchant for exploring
expression through illustration.
[in-depth] FOCUS
SOHRAB JAHANBANI
COO AND CO-FOUNDER, GONABIT
Jahanbani is one of those arcane people
typically identified as ‘serial entrepreneurs’
– people whose life is an endless iteration
of identified opportunities and niche ideas.
Jahanbani, a British citizen, has been in
Dubai for less than three years, but that
hasn’t hampered his enterprising ways.
Together with Canadian business partner
Dan Stuart, he has already set up GoNabit,
an e-commerce portal that leverages the
power of group purchases. Not surprising,
considering that Jahanbani has a track record
of spawning businesses where he goes.
Jahanbani recalls his first meeting with “Being focused, local and performance-based is
Stuart. “I had started pitching ideas on
group buying daily deals to a few people important for small businesses”
in Dubai, when I was told that someone
called Dan Stuart had also hit on the idea. according to the sales the portal generates GoNabit, Jahanbani says the success of the
Coincidentally, I ran into him at a dinner for them. For consumers, the value lies business stems from its local focus and
party that night and we got talking.” in exploring daily deals, hidden gems and its commitment to promoting each deal.
The result of their collaboration is a leveraging the power of group buys to Offering too many deals would dilute focus,
portal offering a marketing and sales tool achieve sizeable discounts. and hence efficacy.
for small firms and entrepreneurs. GoNabit was launched on May 26, The solution, he believes, is to go
The GoNabit model is simplicity 2010 in Dubai and June 26 in Abu Dhabi. hyper-local, for instance, setting up
itself. Small businesses are invited to Jahanbani says the portals have already discrete sites for deals in old and new
include GoNabit in their marketing mix closed over 90 deals, saving consumers Dubai. In addition, Jahanbani foresees
on a no-win, no fee principle. There is more than Dh700,000 in the process. expansion to other leading cities in the
no upfront risk, as GoNabit clients pay When asked what the future may hold for GCC region fairly soon.
“In Entrepreneurship class I noticed that
Mohammad would stay in during the breaks
and work on sketches of characters that were DANISH FARHAN a healthy turnover of over $11 million
Text: Hisham Wyne, freelance writer; Image: Kishore Kumar, Silvia Baron, Grace Paras
inspired by various cultures and themes. He CEO, XICHE per annum. With concerns including a
has gone about starting his own business in Ask Danish Farhan why he chose to become technology house and an interior design
record time after graduating which reflects an entrepreneur and he shrugs wryly, company, the group does over $20 million
the clear thought process he had in mind,”
says Al Qassimi. “Mohammad will go on to
saying “I knew how to do little else.” The
autodidactic CEO of Xiche may have a
in business a year.
Farhan is determined to keep thinking
be one of the most influential young artistic point. He did the rounds of the London big by thinking small. He makes clear that
entrepreneurs in the UAE since he not only Film School, American University of Dubai Xiche is not a supplier for its clients but
pursued his dream but through a creative and American University of Sharjah before a representative that manages suppliers
collaboration process with other artists gave realising academia was perhaps not his forte. on the clients’ behalf. He says, Xiche is a
his peers an opportunity to create and so turn He worked with Emirates Airlines for three hybrid consultancy because it combines
their own dreams into reality.” years, after which he took on a research and three basic tenets of business: the strategy
He is well on his way, with a larger forecasting role with IBM at 18. According that is the core of the business, the brand,
version of the MEGA in the works, and to him, Xiche was set up to “help businesses “A brand is the which is the strategy manifesting through
invitations to shows in London and New answer the very questions I had been asking tangible and intangible artefacts and
York to showcase customised toys. He them in my role as researcher.” manifestation of a business sprinkles of facilitating technology.
is helping the artist community, and
considers himself a member. But the MEGA
But Xiche was almost the victim of
its own success. It expanded rapidly,
strategy through tangible Fellow businessperson, ex-client and
former senior vice-president of Internet
dolls, retailing at Virgin Megastores for and was acquired by once-client Future and intangible artefacts.” Pictures Corporation (iPix) Tim Brookes,
Dh149 a piece, will only generate sufficient Pipelines. Soon, Farhan found himself being says that Farhan, originally from India, has
revenue to cover sunk costs by 2011. marginalised and the company he founded organically. He has never had more than 20 been impeccable in maintaining a people-
“The only way to learn to be an entrepreneur being taken in directions he did not like. people on the payroll since, and is anxious centric innovative streak.
is to be an entrepreneur. Others can help and Eventually he decided to exit, keeping the not to lose the intimacy and flexibly his “It’s been interesting to say the least
advise, but you only really learn your business brand name he had legally registered. In small business offers. watching this young man and his firm
by going about it. Tenacity, persistence and a 2004, Farhan decided to rebuild Xiche. He While Xiche may have the soul and spirit consistently stay ahead of the curve for
sense of humour are essential,” says Abedin. had learnt his lesson and decided to grow of a small boutique consultancy, it boasts almost a decade now.”
35
FOCUS [in-depth]
MOHAMMAD AL AWADI
CO-OWNER, WILD PEETA
“All foods undergo evolution, but this
didn’t seem the case with the shawarma,”
explains Mohammad Al Awadi. He says the
goal was to offer the shawarma its rightful
place in international cuisine, which led to
the idea of fusion restaurant Wild Peeta.
Mohammad and his brother Peyman
contacted malls to ask for space confident the
high footfall would translate into promising
sales. Al Awadi notes, with a hint of annoyed
disappointment, that they never received
a reply; at least not in the affirmative. He
professes to not comprehend this disdain for
new business ideas. Malls had empty spaces,
he explains, and were not cash strapped. A
new culinary venture had very little in the
way of risk, yet there was no interest in the
creation of something new and local.
After trying for a decade, the brothers
revised their business plan. They decided
to operate as a delivery business, and
moved into a restaurant space in Healthcare
City, where rents were competitive and
the location central. Al Awadi notes
that the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid
Establishment for Small and Medium Size
Enterprises was very supportive. They
offered to fund 30 per cent of the business
ASHRAF GHORI
FOUNDER, XPANSE
Ashraf Ghori started out as an artist and
illustrator who drew and scripted comic books.
In his current guise as entrepreneur, he has not
moved too far from his initial passion.
Ghori has been mostly self-employed as
a 3-D animator during his time in Dubai.
When his freelance ways could no longer
keep pace with demand, he started Xpanse
in 2007. It’s a tight-knit community of four
people, offering animation for websites,
concept designs, walk-throughs and
television commercials. Xpanse is doing
sufficiently well to generate revenues that
can be diverted to Ghori’s first passion:
sci-fi superheroes.
“Xpanse’s success gave me the means to
actually put together plans for Dubai’s first
animated sci-fi film,” he explains.
The initial script, about a time travelling
cyborg charged with recording important
historical events, was a bit ambitious.
Hence, Ghori pared it down to an eight-
minute short film called Levity: Xero Error,
which is one of the events witnessed by
36
“The shawarma should evolve and take its rightful place
in international cuisine”
and the enterprising brothers invested over
Dh600,000 of their own savings to get
their idea off the ground.
Their travails had not as yet concluded.
A few months after opening, Wild Peeta
suffered massive flooding that caused havoc.
The business was insured, but Al Awadi
recalls having to “dog the insurance company”
for a payout. During this time, the Al Awadi
brothers continued paying staff salaries.
Al Awadi insists, “Looking after the staff
“If technological prowess
and imagination is at hand,
one has almost a duty to
express oneself”
his temporally displaced historian. Ghori
has been to the Cannes Film Festival to
showcase his short film, and is now looking
for funds to extend the concept to feature
length. “If technological prowess and
imagination is at hand, one has almost a
is a priority. It’s important to be ethical in
business.” Wild Peeta was up and running
again after four months.
With brisk business, Wild Peeta is now
heading down the expansion trail. Two new
outlets are planned in Dubai, with Abu Dhabi
and other emirates next on the agenda. The
brothers are looking for a franchise licensing
scheme where operators can access expertise,
recipes and proprietary information for a
licence fee estimated at Dh300,000 a year.
duty to express oneself,” he says. He
is working on a new script, FOB city,
whose subject matter centres around
expatriate kids growing up in a city very
similar to Dubai.
While Ghori’s films stem from the love
of the sci-fi genre, he feels his projects are
commercially viable and will eventually
do well. At the same time, Xpanse is also
expanding by focusing on very high quality
animation at affordable prices. Ghori feels
the new wave of advertisement is heavily
reliant on online animations that can
capture attention, and that Xpanse stands
poised to deliver.
Farhan of Xiche agrees. “I’ve known
Ashraf for over a decade, and it wasn’t
always for business. One doesn’t need to
look further than him to see the key to
success is in the passion,” says Farhan.
“Over the last ten years, besides
building one of the most creative animation
outfits around, he has built immense
goodwill among his peers and clients that
is possibly unrivalled in this business,”
he adds