THE BEST KEPT BUSINESS SECRET IN LONDON

By Reena Dayal

Are you serious about being an Entrepreneur in London? There are many reasons why London is seen as a vibrant hub for entrepreneurs. The networking forums, the accelerator programmes, the diversity of people, the openness in accepting entrepreneurism as a career choice, the advancement of cutting edge topics, the understanding by many government bodies that entrepreneurship is a viable ticket to London’s growth post-Brexit, the success stories of both young and old entrepreneurs...The list goes on.

Yet, we know that there are many entrepreneurs that simply ‘shut up shop’, contributing to the almost 80% of start-ups that fail. So why is this happening when London offers such a conducive playground? I hear some of you say that the environment is not that perfect, that there is some bias due to age, gender and ethnicity which works against entrepreneurship. I agree, and it can be a huge dampener, even more so when coupled with the hardships of running one’s own business. One could argue that the freedom to work with who you want to, on a topic you are passionate about, offers entrepreneurs an attractive counter proposition. For me, taking the decision five years ago to start working for myself, reduced my mental stress significantly, and I know this also rings true for many of your fellow entrepreneurs out there. Yet, we accept that the burnout and high levels of struggle that entrepreneurs often experience is very real. The concept of an accelerated ‘exhaustion curve’ can lead to fatigue, clouded judgement and, in the most unfortunate cases, exit from entrepreneurship. Why is that? I am not saying the eco-system is perfect in London or that it could not do with significant improvement, as there is always room for this. What I am eluding to is that, if you are an entrepreneur in London, or are thinking of becoming one, you are in THE right place. It is also THE right time and has huge personal benefits. The question comes down to whether you are THE right person? The truth is that for entrepreneurs to succeed it is not so much what happens in the ecosystem, but what happens inside the head of the entrepreneur. After all, we all want to be winners, we just might not always know how to be winners.

Today in London, Accelerator programmes are big business. However, what I have learnt, and what I have seen multiple entrepreneur clients of mine really benefit from, is the time and attention they invest in redefining, reframing and refining themselves.

The concept of self-leadership is undervalued. What I find lacking, is the quality of personal development or self-leadership training that is offered by some Accelerator programmes. Some of them have that entire module missing, or simply play lip service to it, failing to make a real connection between productivity, business impact, personal strategy and purpose. We know this soft stuff is now the hard stuff in today’s highly chaotic and disruptively opportunistic environment. If you reflect for a moment, it is actually the game-changer as it allows entrepreneurs to win. Think of world-class sportspeople and the efforts they make to excel in their art. They spend hours to develop a winning mindset, physically fine tuning themselves and practising their sport (with rules/strategies et al). Being an entrepreneur is a similar parallel. To be a skilled entrepreneur you need to train like a sports person and you WILL win. It requires hard work and discipline and structure and that’s why I ask the question - are you really serious about being an entrepreneur? London has a lot to offer and the time to disrupt and grow big is NOW. Make sure you are not getting in the way of the success you, your team and business can experience. "We must never become too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw.” Dr Stephen R. Covey announced his 7th habit of highly effective people ‘Sharpen the Saw’. I urge you to do the same - do it well - with rigour and strategic intent. You will be amazed at how good you are and the new ways you can put together all your talent and skills and experiences to become entrepreneurs of purposeful businesses.

By Reena Dayal, author of The Brilliance Quotient and is currently the Acting Chair of The Institute of Directors - London Region

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DESI DOLLS WHERE FAITH, FAMILY AND FUN MEET

The Desi Doll Company was set up in 2008, it designs, manufactures and distributes unique and interactive educational Islamic toys. This North London based company has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade 2020.  Farzana Rahman, Owner & Director, speaks to Centric about her experience as a busy mum and entrepreneur.

Tell us about Desi Dolls, where did the idea originally come from?

The idea came from my children’s need to learn about their faith.

 I was searching for toys that would help consolidate their Islamic learning but I couldn’t find any. At that time, I was a busy Mum in London juggling work in an investment bank with day-care, commuting, meal planning and bedtime. Finding the space to also create a fun atmosphere to teach my children about Islam seemed nearly impossible. As a mother, I knew I had to do something to change this. I left my city job, and I designed Aamina and Yousuf talking dolls that recited Surah Fatiha and Surah Ikhlas, some Islamic phrases and fun songs about Islam.

Aamina and Yousuf are global citizens of the world helping children from around the world to learn about Islam. Designed to be a fun, educational toy, these talking dolls recite verses from the Quran in Arabic and then translate them into English, French, Turkish and Malay. The dolls include fun, catchy songs targeted at kids between the ages of 3-6 years to help them learn basic Islamic teachings.

Starting a new business is never easy, what obstacles did you have to overcome? 

 It was a steep learning curve. I don’t have a design background, or any knowledge of running a business. But I embraced every challenge as they presented themselves, such as funding, researching, sampling, visiting factories in China, marketing and sales to name just a few. There have been highs and lows of course, but thanks to the Almighty, my toys have been well received by customers all over the world, and 11 years on we have an ever-expanding range of toys with a strong future.

How has Covid-19 impacted your business and what measures have you put in place to overcome them? 

Covid-19 has had a huge impact on our business. Firstly, on our production lines in China, which as a result meant our Ramadan lines were severely delayed, and secondly the impact on our ‘resellers’ business. With physical stores shut all over the world, many of our Ramadan orders were cancelled. We had to shift our sales mindset from being B2B to B2C almost overnight, relying on online selling platforms to meet the demands of our savvy online customers.  

What advice would you give to someone looking to start a new business?  

From my own experience, I would give the following advice to anyone looking to start their own business. First of all, make sure you have a unique product, and make sure there’s a demand for it. To achieve this you will need to do research, and figure out your sales channels. You will also need to get the pricing point right from the start, allowing good margins for both Distributors and retailers.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time, I like to exercise, usually running 5 km. I enjoy going for long nature walks with my family, and playing board games with them. I also enjoy reading about Islam and cooking.

What was it like winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade?

Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise is an amazing feeling as it is the most prestigious award a British Business can achieve. I really felt that I had accomplished something very big and that my hard work was finally being recognised. I am especially proud because we are an Islamic business and it’s a great achievement for both my business and for the community that we serve, to have this recognition from Her Majesty.

 Farzana Rahman - Owner

Desi Doll Company toys online at www.desidollcompany.com

THE DIGITAL PANDEMIC

By Selina Seesunkur

As Covid-19 became a worldwide pandemic, and governments were putting their countries into lockdown, I was in bed with a cold. Having spent months organising a community Fashion and Talent show, which was subsequently cancelled due to early fears surrounding Corona Virus, I was tired and worn out.

I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so when my body wants to sleep it will, but I am also incredibly energetic and the prospect of staying in bed unnerved me. I watched a bunch of movies but quickly got bored as my brain began to itch. I opened up my laptop only to find a social media frenzy of bulk buying reports, shouts for help where the elderly could no longer walk down to the pharmacy to get their prescriptions, and cries from people who had gone to the supermarket only to find all the shelves bare! It was soul-destroying watching this unfold as I lay in bed.

Being a social person, I was really looking forward to catching up with friends in a few weeks’ time, but it was clear that this was now not going to happen. I get irritable if I am at home for too long without speaking to people so I could see this was going to be an issue. But my craving is just that, a craving. I know people who would go into depression if they could not go out and be part of the world, I also know people who would also spiral at the prospect of being alone, so completely alone. But what to do?

My best ideas tend to come to me in my sleep, and it was in this way that the concept of the Self-Isolation Plan, a SIP, was born. The idea was to get people to think about a routine, something I was told by my own physiotherapist was a good idea for people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My friend was also given the same advice for something he was going through. He was also told to keep his mind busy during the day to help him sleep at night. To get my concept out there, I launched a Facebook help group, which attracted over a 1000 members in over two weeks. Whilst this was exciting, I had to ensure the page remained meaningful, so I used my network to provide areas of expertise on issues such as mindfulness, fitness and gardening. We have people who post regularly on these subjects, but most surprising was how much people love sharing humour, which has been tricky to manage as people tend to get offended by different things, but the key rules are nothing offensive, nothing political and nothing which incites hatred or violence. I also have a team of 3 admin and two moderators to help.

I did not anticipate the amount of positive feedback we are getting, and one member said he thought the page was a lifesaver! I do wonder what will happen to the page once we are over the Corona Virus, answers on a postcard!

Selina Seesunkur

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