ASPIRE - An Entrepreneur and Lifestyle Magazine - Oct-Nov 2021 by ASPIRE Business and Lifestyle Magazine

O C T- N O V 2 0 2 1 ISSUE 13 aspiremagz.com —

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Dr. MF Sameer Mind over matter for holistic wellbeing

Hana Sadiq

TAKING THE AR ABIC WORLD’S FASHION RUNWAYS BY STORM

TARIQ AZEEMI

DR. MOHAMMED NA JI

TOWERING HIGH

AS A DENTIST, INVESTOR, AND A YOUTH MENTOR WITH GADHA

" KETO HEALTH

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Inside 20 TOWERING HIGH

Dentist, businessman and now youth mentor with GADHA, meet Dr. Mohammad Naji, a consummate professional who is towering high bringing his vision and values to every field he approaches

Bulletin Bytes

Interesting news from around the world!

The Power of networks

Explore how communal unity amongst entrepreneurs is the key to business success

Game on

Probe into the world of Gaming and the seemingly unlimited potential the industry holds

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INSIDE 16

Opinion

Are humanoid robots really our star-trek future. Do we need them in every place?

Events

Important events in the region

The Feminine Divine

Hana Sadiq, has turned Arabic art and culture into wearable luxury taking the world’s fashion runways by storm

Some key learnings from few of our featured entrepreneurs and ASPIRE as we round up our first year as a startup

Mind Over Matter

Dr. M F Sameer is helping people battle psychosomatic issues through his holistic wellbeing centre, Meraki

As a woman entrepreneur here are some ground rules to follow to make the path more navigable

Tariq Azeemi’s extraordinary career and impressive credentials has enabled many strategic economic and business achievements for the UAE

The New Work Force

Skillopedia founder Monica Arya is the entrepreneur who turned networking into concrete business opportunities ASPIRE — O C T- N O V — 2 0 2 1

The Year In The Making

Game Plan for Winning Over

Man With A Mission

Access Consciousness to Raise Your Success Learn all about Access Bars and Access Facelift and how it can help you raise to your highest potential

The Ninja CEO

Being a CEO of a startup is challenging as there are many roles you will play when you are in that chair

PUBLISHER

The Pink Ribbon Warriors

Sumeet Gupta E: sumeet@aspiredubai.ae

#PINKtober is here! This is how big brands are standing up for Breast Cancer Awareness

Comedy nights and city lights

CHIEF EDITOR

Shagufta Patel E: editor@aspiredubai.ae

The Corporate ‘Met’re

HONORARY EDITOR

From Comedy Nights to Big Business, there is a lot that New York City offers

Meet the ‘Met’ Gala at work with these unique twists of the event’s best outfits

The Keto Story

Aspire+

Where you must eat and what must you watch this month

The Unlearning Curve

Presenting the Genesis G80 2022 Sedan as the new luxury sedan to take the roads

Rizwan Bhutta JUNIOR EDITORIAL MANAGER:

Qiraat Attar EDITORIAL

A personal success story that turned into a business, offers a fresh perspective on the Keto diet

Luxury on Wheels

CONSULTING EDITOR

Sangeetha Shinde Tee

Is learning the secret to your exponential growth? Here is the real truth

Ayaat Attar Misbaah Mansuri Bindu Gopal Rao Arvind Rajasekhar EDITORIAL INTERN

Clarilda Sharon Sreeram Vishvanath Pallavi Biju MARKETING & SALES

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The Purple Stroke M: +971 508 498820

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Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the persmission of The Purple Stroke FZE LLC. All the information carried herein is checked and verified to the best of our knowledge and abilities. In matters of views expressed and opinions held, it is solely that of the authors and contributors themselves. The editorial or publisher or ASPIRE cannot be held responsible for unintended errors and oversights if any.

Email: hello@aspiredubai.ae 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Editor's note We are One!

iguratively and also from a space of Interconnectedness, if you know what I mean. What seeded as an idea, has in a year, taken root and sprouted as an entity that we are so pleased to behold. The year that passed by did come with its ‘teething issues’ and all sort of ‘growing’ challenges as one would usually expect. We went through it all! Along the way, we fell, got up, crawled, walked and tripped, and even won an award. Never once did we lose sight of our vision – that of growing up to be a magazine with a purpose of connecting ‘YOU’ to your audience, inspiring many along the way and setting the tone for people who aspire to Be More! Every passing month proved to be a delightful milestone, as we caught up, chatted, and showcased the who’s who of the Entrepreneurial and Business circuit, some of the most prominent names and faces gracing our covers. Stories of grit, determination, humility, and courage springing forth from the pages, edition after edition. People from all walks of life sharing their varied life experiences. They shared, and we narrated. And because we understand the value of knowledge and the importance of work-life balance, matters beyond business and lifestyle elements naturally made way into the magazine. Our well-rounded and engaging

ASPIRE — O C T- N O V — 2 0 2 1

approach got you to love us even more. One year old and One with You! Young does not always mean a novice. Young can be dynamically accomplished too. A perfect example of this is Dr. Mohammed Naji, dentist, businessman, and youth mentor with GADHA. Monica Arya’s Skillopedia and its members are yet again another example of what young success looks like. Tariq Azeemi, who is shaping the economic landscape of UAE with his impressive credentials; Hana Sadiq, who dresses queens and royalties with her ‘haute’ designs; and Dr. M F Sameer, who helps people overcome psychosomatic disorders at his center Meraki, all have seen early success in their careers. David Tee brings to light the many hats one must wear as a CEO, while Nousheen Mukhtar spills the game rules for businesswomen to emerge as winners, and I help you breeze through all of this using Access Consciousness tools. Trending showcases entrepreneur communal unity and collaborations as the cornerstone to triumph, and Tech explores Gaming as an exploding industry. Shirley D’souza offers a special discount to our readers on her Keto

Chief Editor Shagufta with Publisher Sumeet Gupta

coaching (grab the code inside). Shop for your work clothes with the ‘MET’ Gala outfits as the source; zip down the road in the Genesis G80 2022 Sedan luxury sedan; or fly down to the ‘Big Apple’ for a comedy night show and all that the city has to offer. So much packed and rolled into just one copy. One is such a delightful number. Completing One is a celebration. Feeling One with all our patrons is such great joy. Being ‘The One’ magazine of choice in the UAE and the region is where we aim to be, taking YOU with us. For, didn’t we say that We are One! ✪

ASPIRE has been recognized as the region’s fastest growing Business & Lifestyle Magazine

Credit Union assets surpassed the $3 million mark for the first time after growing 23%

! WOCCU President, Elissa McCarter La Borde

Bulletin

WOCCU 2020 statistical report on Credit Unions

reveals unprecedented credit spurt worldwide World Council of Credit Unions’s (WOCCU) newly released 2020 Statistical Report states a 29+ year-toyear increase in international credit union membership. As of December 31, 2020, Global Credit Union has 375,160,065 credit union members in 118 countries. The rise in the number of members is accredited to improved supervision and data reporting in India, the world’s second-most populous country, which has more than 91 million credit union members. In 2019, India had only about 20 million credit union members. Despite the onset of the pandemic and global lockdowns, the international credit union movement grew by more than 14 million members in the rest of the world. Asia saw a membership increase of 114%,

Latin America grew at a rate of 10%, and African and Caribbean credit unions saw an individual increase of 7% each. According to the report, Credit Union assets surpassed the $3 million mark for the first time after growing 23%. Member savings grew faster than credit union loans, following global trends in increased risks in credit portfolio quality and weaker demand for credit. As compared to 2019, the dollar amount of member savings went up by 24%, with loans increasing just 11% globally. In developing and emerging markets, the difference was even more evident as in Africa, savings grew by 65%, and Latin America saw a growth of 14%. Additionally, in 2020, the WOCCU included demographic data in its Sta-

tistical Report, compiled from surveys of 34 member associations. The results indicated a considerable gender gap, as the number of men surpasses the number of women in credit unions, both in terms of membership and in chief executive or board director positions, by a huge majority. Men account for 60% of all credit union members in Asia, Africa, and Europe. In August, WOCCU’s board of directors chose their first women president/ CEO, Elissa McCarter La Borde. “There is no question credit unions have work to do when it comes to attracting more women as members and leaders...World Council looks forward to working with our members to address these challenges and improve outcomes in these areas,” said McCarter LaBorde. 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Bulletin

Saudi Arabia customers ditch traditional banking for better service, digital accounts and crypto-curiosity

According to the US Consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG), 52% of Saudia Arabia’s customers would actively switch to a new bank, and 63% are looking for new offers. Additionally, 88% of customers were willing to open digital-only accounts, and 79% said that they did not mind sharing personal data. As customer expectations and demands continue to increase, the competition in the banking sector of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) intensifies. These findings were published as a part of BCG’s 2021 Consumer Sentiment Study in Banking, which surveyed over 2,000 respondents in Saudi Arabia, helping the banking sector understand the evolving retail banking segment. To back the fact that customers are continuously looking for improved banking services, the research showed that only one in two Saudi customers has been loyal to a bank for more than five years. Increased interest rates, poor customer service and

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products, not fitting personal needs were stated as the major reason due to which 49% of the customers changed banks in the last five years. Conversely, excellent customer service, strong brand reputation, and superb digital experience were the top reasons the customers would recommend a bank to their near and dear ones. Bhavya Kumar, Managing Director and Partner of BCG, says, “Retail banking players losing customers due to such factors should re-evaluate and ultimately improve the services they provide.” Although banking products like fixed deposits and personal loans remain behind 2020 levels, credit cards and current accounts are

Research showed that only one in two Saudi customers has been loyal to a bank for more than five years

increasingly witnessing an uptake in acquisitions in the past year. This is, reportedly, because credit cards and current accounts offer customers ease and simplicity when acquiring them during the pandemic, especially when physical banks were temporarily closed since they are already digitalized technology. However, a factor supported by national priorities, the survey shows an increase in the desire for innovative savings products across the retail market. The willingness to open digital-only banking accounts among customers comes as a threat to traditional banking players. Most customers expect to do their transactions from the comfort of their homes, on their smartphones. Instantaneous account opening, payments, and loans are only some of the most interesting and appealing features of digital-only banks. Moreover, with the popularity of cryptocurrencies, 44% of respondents confirmed that they were planning on investing in cryptocurrencies if they hadn’t already done so. Based on this year’s findings, the vital areas of focusing for banks in the coming year are: • Acceleration of digital transformation and serving the increasingly demanding customer needs • Launch of innovative savings and digital lending propositions • Personalization of marketing apropos customer’s financial lifestyle • Embedding of new asset classes leveraging increasing customer demand. • Building of external APIs and account integrations to build new use cases with the help of open banking (Source: Ameinfo.com)

ADNOC and OCI’s joint venture, Fertiglobe, is predicted to raise up to $830 million in an initial public offering. This prediction comes after the company priced its shares, consequently selling more than 1.145 billion shares, representing 13.8% of the company’s share capital. Implying an equity valuation of around $6 billion, Fertiglobe’s shares are priced between Dh 2.45 and Dh 2.65. According to the minimum price range, the company is expected to raise at least $765 million from the listings. After the listing, ADNOC will hold a 36.2% stake, and OCI will own 50% plus one share. “This IPO represents a milestone moment for ADNOC and Fertiglobe, as well as for the growing depth and development of the UAE’s equity capital markets,” said Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Compa-

ny (ADNOC), and Chairman at Fertiglobe. Formed in 2019 as part of a strategic partnership between ADNOC’s fertilizer arm and Dutch Chemical producer OCI’s Middle East nitrogen fertilizer business, Fertiglobe is the world’s largest export-focused nitrogen fertilizer platform and the largest producer in the MENA region. It is the second company backed by ADNOC seeking a listing on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). The company plans on capitalizing on the newly emerging demand for low-carbon ammonia, which is an essential part of the clean hydrogen economy. They have also stated that they’ve secured three cornerstone investors: Inclusive Capital Partners, Abu Dhabi Pension Fund, and Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC. The three investors have been included with commitments of $231 million. “Our complementary partnership with ADNOC has grown

The company plans on capitalizing on the newly emerging demand for low-carbon ammonia

from strength to strength, and Fertiglobe’s listing on the ADX, a pre-eminent financial hub in the region, will bolster visibility in the global markets,” says Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris, the biggest shareholder of Fertiglobe. Fertiglobe has also stated their intention to initiate Jeffrey W. Ubben, an American businessman and well-known activist hedge fund manager, into their board of directors. Ubben is known for co-founding the socially and economically conscious fund, Inclusive Capital Partners and growing ValueAct Capital into one of the world’s most powerful activist hedge funds as its Chairman. Global coordinators Citigroup, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd., and Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC will be managing the deal. International Securities L.L.C, EFG-Hermes UAE Limited, and Goldman Sachs International have also been announced as joint book-runners. The final offer price is expected to be announced on 20th October, and the listing of shares in Abu Dhabi will be revealed on October 27th. J 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

(Sources: Bloomberg.com, Reuters, Zawya.com)

Fertiglobe to raise close to $830 million in IPO

Trending

The Power of N Humanity’s ability to collaborate successfully is the reason we, as a species have risen to the top of the food chain. Sreeram Vishwanath explores why communal unity amongst entrepreneurs is the key to business success

uilding a business is not for most people,” said Gary Vee, and isn’t that gospel truth? It takes great grit and resolve to be an entrepreneur, and it can all crumble with one misstep. It is a lonely affair, with the burden of critical decisions, harsh circumstances, failures and rejections, and even the pressure of maintaining fleeting success falling on the shoulder of a lone wolf, armed with nothing but motivation. The most successful entrepreneurs have hacked this journey by surrounding themselves with like-minded people who travel the same path and know its trials and tribulations. This article explores how such a community of support could encourage and spur these risk-takers to greater heights for their own benefit and that of society-at-large.

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What is an Entrepreneurship Community?

An entrepreneurship community refers to a group of entrepreneurs having differing experiences, varied skill sets, layered perspectives, a plethora of resources, often brought together by overlapping networks, an event, or mere chance. They say that 20% of small businesses don’t get through the first year, and 79% of businesses have an outstanding debt. The mission of such communities is to help entrepreneurs avoid this fate. The community becomes a hub to help out entrepreneurs in their challenges, pooling their collective capabilities while also pointing each other in the right direction for matters beyond the immediate community – be it highway access for industrial projects, incubators or access to

etworks financial capital, connectivity, and other essential policy tools.

Why are entrepreneurship communities important?

“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.” - Simon Sinek Funds, investments, marketing, customer retention – an entrepreneur has plenty of reasons to scratch their head. However, a major obstacle perennially remains their mindset. Caving in to the siren call of the ‘comfort zone’ is easier than to persevere and get ahead. This is where a sound support system, people who can relate to your goals and can support your plight, can offer the necessary objectivity and emotional support. A group of like-minded people who can lend a shoulder or a hand of support could just be the difference for aspirants who seek to make a difference. Apart from internal backing, an entrepreneurial community can only be strong if it is thoroughly

supported on numerous ends. It is no surprise that entrepreneurs prefer business hubs like Mumbai, Dubai, or Silicon Valley, CA, when they are grinding away at their idea because these are examples of places that are ripe with opportunity. Thus, support has to reflect in public policy that upholds the business structure - entrepreneurs, resources, capital, technological prowess, transportation, and customer reach. As these threads are woven together, the community can strengthen its resource base and succeed in their endeavors.

Community Platforms

Over the years, platforms have proliferated to make the process of meeting driven business owners easier. Here are a few for your purview: Tugboat Institute: This is for those who believe that businesses are inherently anti-sustainability, willing to sacrifice the environment for crisp green money instead. Say hello to Tugboat, a Silicon-Valley based institute to encourage ‘evergreen entrepreneurs’. The institute works with the object of supporting ‘Evergreen’ leaders, their teams, and their

THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY BUSINESSES FAIL IS THAT THERE’S NO MARKET NEED

46%

OF SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 41 AND 56.

20%

OF SMALL BUSINESSES FAIL WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR

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Trending companies through recognition, publications, and programs to bring forth inspiration, new ideas, proven best practices about business, family, and life. In addition, their membership system seeks to offer Evergreen CEOs, presidents, and future leaders with a unique and authentic platform to connect with a network of peer groups while helping them access their rich library of content.

Funds, investments, marketing, customer retention – an entrepreneur has plenty of reasons to scratch their head Mastermind Talks: It all began in 2012, when Jayson Gaignard began curating dinners in Toronto, Canada, with a small group of entrepreneurs. These invite-only dinners became Mastermind Talks—conferences meant for entrepreneurs driven towards health, wealth, self-improvement, and networking. Today it is a well-renowned institution having extended support to pioneers such as Tim Ferris, A.J Jacobs, Guy Kawasaki, and Mark Echo. Mastermind talks, which goes by the motto – “Great entrepreneurs are not self-made, but community made” - is a voice-enabled coaching session that caters to various aspects of wellness that determine success in business and life. Support is offered to a select group of entrepreneurs with

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thoughtfully designed digital and live experiences. Bumble Bizz: Bumble, the app more prevalent for its dating feature, also houses a business-networking feature that helps people connect for professional networking: Bumble Bizz. Unlike Bumble Date and Bumble BFF, Bumble Bizz has a separate profile supplemented with information about your work experience, education, certifications, skill-sets, interests, and strengths. The network lets you browse the names of professionals in the respective industries and connect with potential employers, fellow experts, recruiters, making it a place where demand meets opportunity. However, in keeping with the app’s tradition, when members of the opposite sex match on Bumble, women are required to make the first move, thus shifting old-fashioned power dynamics and encouraging equality at the outset. StartupNation: Described as ‘crafted by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs’, is a website launched in 2002 by Jeff Sloan, a riveted entrepreneur himself, providing millions with an arsenal of resources for a successful startup, starting with information and inspiration, as well as connections to grow and manage their business. Networking for Professionals: The network was

founded in 2002 (when Facebook or Orkut was not even a wild fantasy) by professionals who wished to offer a twin-networking portfolio of online networking and face-to-face meetings. Their coolest feature is the POD Membership – which gives you the option of joining a ‘focused group of successful and supportive professionals who meet once every two weeks’. Now just how effective is that? While social media such as Facebook and Instagram weren’t designed with hustle or even productivity in mind, entrepreneurs are nothing if not tenacious in making even unconventional avenues work for them. There’re hundreds of small communities on these platforms educating people on entrepreneurship, investments, and the nitty-gritty of sustaining a business, who further connect them to mentors, customers, and for content creators, even the right audience.

fully functional.

62%

OF SMALL BUSINESSES DON’T HAVE ANY STAFF

79%

OF SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE AN OUTSTANDING DEBT

Shaping The World in Their Vision

Entrepreneurship renders the community with an identity of its own. Can you ever imagine California without Silicon Valley? Why is the World Trade Centre still a phenomenal memory that no terrorists can ever destroy? What would the UAE be known for without its prowess in being a haven for businesses? How could Bangalore employ millions across the world without the inspiration of Infosys? Places with a strong presence of active, riveted, enthusiastic entrepreneur communities are an inspiration, for they uplift the entire locale with the energy of drive, innovation, ambition, and transition. There are stories aplenty of entrepreneurs

Key Ways to Support Entrepreneurs

It’s easy to imagine an entrepreneur community to be a self-sufficient organism, equipped to withstand any turbulence, but that is a rejection of responsibility by other aspects such as government, policy, finance, infrastructure, and societal perceptions, which form the world around them. Let’s understand some indirect ways that external systems could supplement entrepreneurs: The Influence of the Elite: Established entrepreneurs with thriving businesses can play a defining role in using this community-based approach to focus on economic growth, prioritization of incentives, and strategic planning. Events That Connect and Motivate: The best way to integrate entrepreneurs is to bring them together on a single stage. A setting where they are rewarded for their hard work and risk-taking, as well as being under the same roof as their own kindred souls, is an invigorating and validating experience for any entrepreneur. Ease of doing business: Entrepreneurs face unforeseen hassles and find it far less fulfilling to establish start-ups in countries and communities where ease of doing business is low. Governments, civilians, and the respective local administration bodies must play the vital role of reducing gatekeeping for those who like to enter the world of new ideas and aspirations so that entrepreneurship doesn’t remain restricted to the uber-rich. In this regard, Dubai is one of the easiest countries to do business due to professional incubators who, apart from helping ease company formation, renders diversified services that simplify the conduct of businesses after their enterprise is

27%

OF ENTREPRENEURS, THE HARDEST THING IS TO FIND TALENTED STAFF OR CONTRACTORS

62%

OF SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS USE PERSONAL FUNDS TO DEAL WITH VARIOUS FINANCIAL CHALLENGES

Source: smallbizgenius.net

The community becomes a hub to help out entrepreneurs in their challenges, pooling their collective capabilities while also pointing each other in the right direction who could have risen high and yet fail to make the mark after displaying mammoth potential. Entrepreneur communities are proving to be real change agents, reducing heavy reliance on external factors and making it easier to carve their entrepreneurial path. In keeping with their indomitable spirit, more and more communities will emerge and transform the way we introduce entrepreneurs into this world and spur them on. Here’s to a society of fulfilled aspirations, reduced unemployment, and networks and identities that can make the world a more enriched place to live in. J 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Tech love

We’ve come a long way from Space Invaders and arcade racing. Pallavi Biju probes into Gaming as a big business today and the seemingly unlimited potential the industry holds

rom arcade games that dominated in the early 1990s to virtual reality-oriented games, video games seem to be maintaining their popularity and exponentially rising in prominence, regardless of the generation. Furthermore, with the onset of the pandemic, more people began gaming than ever before, resulting in an overall of 2.69 billion gamers globally by the end of 2020 (Statista, 2021). This jump caused the entire global gaming market to climb to $162.32 billion. Gamers are mainstream now, no longer the minority as portrayed in popular media. So how have video games endured and grown in popularity through the ages is a question worth probing into.

A PLAY ACROSS PORTALS

Video games are often defined by the platform on which they are played, ranging from mechanical arcades to the Xbox or PlayStation. However, since smartphones came around, they have also become widely popular as mobile games or those played on tablets and even remote cloud gaming services. Ultimately, recent strides in technology have enabled video games to be integrated with Virtual and Augmented Reality. Genres of video games are defined by their gameplay, i.e., type of interaction, and not by their narrative or visual style. For example, there’re action games, memory games, those that test physical skill (like those played on Wii), or those that test stealth and survival, most in a simple format of scoring points to

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ascend to the next level. Another popular category is Role-playing games (or RPG games), where the player takes on the character of the game protagonist as they navigate the game’s narrative.

ELEMENTS OF IMMERSIVE GAMEPLAY

Back in the days of blur and static, text-based games were the main fodder because systems could not support video display options. Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1983 that started a new wave of graphics with the 8-bit systems. Now, in the 21st century, most games are filled with detailed imagery that is almost photo-realistic, and the games, themselves, utterly cinematic in scope. Creating the graphics for 3D games starts with creating and modeling the characters and assets according to the videogame’s concept. Then, after being textured, painted, and animated, they are added to the model of the character

ANGRY BIRDS MADE ROVIO

$200,000,000 IN 2012 ALONE

using a process known as UV- unwrapping and are collectively imported into the game engine where the programming, audio, and visuals are merged to create the final in-game world. The sound in video games builds emotions, creates tension, and allows for an immersive experience. Everybody can recall the ‘jump’ sound effect from Mario Kart or the opening theme of San Andreas. Gaming studios are now hiring orchestras or even popular bands to build original masterpieces. For instance, Riot Games’ League of Legends has its own K-pop group called K/DA (an in-game term which is an acronym for KILLS, DEATHS, ASSISTS). The group was revealed at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship with a live performance of their song “POP/STARS” with the four pop girls performing their song alongside their virtual reality persona. Other than soundtracks, video games also make use of in-game sounds to enhance the experience of playing. Sound effects (SFX), soundtrack, and dialogues blend and layer together to surround you in the setting. Sounds in video games can either be sourced, bought online, or made with a foley (reproduction of everyday sounds for media, a niche art in itself ). Whatever the means, it is safe to say

34% OF PEOPLE HAVE TRIED

A NEW VIDEO GAMING ACTIVITY IN THE PANDEMIC

that video game audio has reached on par with big-budget films.

LEGO TOWER OF POPULARITY

In September 2020, there was a 23% increase in video games sales in the U.S. compared to the same period last year, resulting in a net profit of $29.4 billion. While the pandemic popularity is staggering, video games have always been an immersive, downright hypnotizing activity for a multitude of reasons. Video games provide a stimulating escape from the mundanity of real life, often where a person gets to adopt a whole new persona, go on quests and fight the bad guys. Remember how the boys from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ are obsessed with video games, for that is a world where they are heroes? A lot of video game enthusiasts experience this. This need for “escapism” stems from three basic psychological needs of human beings, i.e., the need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness explained by Scott Rigby, founder of Immersive. Video games satisfy all three of these by creating

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Tech love an alternate reality where you are the sole master of yourself. Video games are also “safe spaces” for those who feel vulnerable, even ostracised by their peers, like those with autism spectrum disorders, social anxiety, or even insecure attachment styles. In the gaming world, they experience comfort, seclusion, surrounded by other like-minded people via screens without the need for false cheer and oppressive niceties of social meetings, from the comfort of their own bubble. This advantage of ‘socially distanced interaction’ is what gave video games a competitive edge over other forms of entertainment during the pandemic. Another primary reason for the popularity of video games is their accessibility. Across kids to teens to even working professionals, from free games on the App-store to console versions, video games have evolved keeping in mind diversity and inclusion. Since people with disabilities are also highly vulnerable to social exclusion, gaming companies are now taking a step forward by making gaming consoles accessible to the differently-abled. AbleGamers is one such pioneer of accessible gaming consoles, and in 2011, they unveiled the Adroit Switchblade. Microsoft took note of this and worked with AbleGamers to create its successor, the Microsoft Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC). “Thanks to video games, I’ve been able to make friends, experience life, fall in love, and become a part of something greater than myself– something that will last far beyond this disabled body I call home. Everyone deserves to experience virtual worlds where you can run, jump, soar and fly, just like anyone else,” says Stephen Spohn, Senior Director of AbleGamers.

MONEY-POLY

While games are becoming more accessible, their affordability is still a conundrum for the gaming community. So let’s dive into how these games make their moolah. Most games earn their profits from instore sales or being downloaded from virtual app stores. The game developers then receive a percentage of the profits made by the sales. There are many models through which gaming studios

IN 2020,

9,974 GAMES

WERE RELEASED ON STEAM 14

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THE FOURTEENTH INSTALMENT OF GRAND THEFT AUTO DID

$800 million IN WORLDWIDE SALES IN ITS FIRST 24 HOURS. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST LAUNCH DAY EVER FOR ANY PIECE OF ENTERTAINMENT–ANY MOVIE, ANY RECORD, ANYTHING AT ALL IN 2019,

63% OF MOBILE GAMERS ARE FEMALE

K-Pop Group girls in a live performance of their song “POP/STARS” along side their virtual personas

generate revenue. Games like World of Warcraft use the subscription method, where the player pays a fee every month (or year) to access the game. Players are initially introduced to a free version of the game, and once they’re hooked to it, the pay-and-play format is unveiled. A variation of this model is the freemium subscriptions where most of the games can be played for free, but the ‘premium’ version, which packs in more territories, levels, and player perks, will need a subscription. However, the most common method of generating revenue often used by free-to-play games is in-game ad revenues. Mobile games are expected to generate about $39.8 billion as ad revenue per year. Some games even offer the ad-free version of the game for a sum of money, leading to in-game microtransactions. Micro-transactions are the money you pay during the game to make you a better player or buy collectibles or tokens which help you in the game.

THE INDUSTRY IN THE UAE

With an enthusiastic and diverse audience that supports a multi-billion-dollar industry, the gaming industry also enjoys exceptional popularity in the UAE. With the UAE and Saudi Arabia as the biggest players, the gaming market in the GCC is expected to reach $821 million (AED 3 billion) by 2021 (Strategy&,2020). The biggest telecoms operator in the UAE, Etisalat, even launched a cloud-gaming service in 2019 due to the increased popularity of video games among people. The service, created in partnership with French-label Gamestream, allows players to play cloud-based games through their eLife set-top-box. Realizing the untapped potentials for e-gamers in the UAE, Indian expat Saad Khan founded the Gamers Hub Media Event (GHME) to host e-sports competitions in the MENA region. “There’s a huge sponsorship value that has increased, the number of gamers has increased,

23% INCREASE

OF SALES OF VIDEO GAMES IN THE US LAST YEAR

US GAMERS SPENT

45% MORE TIME

PLAYING VIDEO GAMES DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK, AS PER STATISTICS ON VIDEO GAMING Source of all figures: Statista, weforum, money. cnn, mediakix

and I’m also seeing a lot of teams being formed, which was not happening before,” said Khan, about the gaming industry in the MENA region.

A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

Parents find video games worrisome and often urge their children to stop playing video games and “go talk to people.” However, what we don’t notice is that video games are a modern-day tool to socialize and connect, even if players are miles apart. A study found that 77% of boys play online video games with their friends at least once a month. During the pandemic, this became a source of safe and engaging human interaction. Research suggests that a healthy amount of video games engagement boosts cognitive development, improved hand-eye coordination, and infallible memory. It has also been found that doctors who play video games made about 37 percent fewer mistakes in surgery than their non-player counterparts. However, games with irresponsible content and high violence quotient can hurt the development of children. In 2018, a study concluded that children who played violent video games tended to participate in aggressions such as hitting or punching. When people play highspeed games or games that offer high stimulation, concentrating on slower-paced activities becomes harder. Addiction to video games can also lead to loneliness, social withdrawal, depression, and even increased irritation and anxiety levels. Overdependence on video games to feel successful or powerful can lead to a false sense of accomplishment, worsening self-esteem over time. Despite the adverse effects, when played in moderation, video games help in stress relief and even helps improve life skills. Although a relatively new form of entertainment, video games have gained immense popularity. With the latest innovations and technological developments in the field, their popularity won’t be fading anytime soon. J 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

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Opinion

Beam me up, Scotty!

e are at the cusp of a major shift in civilization. For the first time in a 100 years we are talking about producing more electric cars than the ones that chug along on fossil fuels. The major workforce of the world is able to function from the convenience of their homes, putting less stress on public transport, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of the planet. Elon Musk is serious about colonizing Mars, so, one imagines, we’ll start polluting space and/or other planets instead. Back home, on Planet Earth, we’re getting used to the sight of a circular, bleeping and blooping disc gliding along the floor of our homes and keeping it spick and span. While robotic domestic cleaning aids are not yet de rigueur, and they’re most certainly not a substitute for professional house help yet, it is quite wonderful to have Star Warslike tech right in the milieu of our own homes. The future seems to be here, it seems. Self-driving cars? Fuzzy logic, machine learning, robot dogs that can jump and climb stairs, surgical arms for precision surgery, prosthetic limbs with biological dexterity, robots with citizenship that want to have children of their own. Are synthetic human beings the next step? Did we witness the beginnings of story-telling boxes to the millennium man in one generation? What would Asimov say? Here’s the thing about living through a paradigm shift. You’re able to witness both the past and the future with visionary clarity. And that’s what’s happening with homo sapiens right now. As human beings make a transition from mechanical automation to true AI-driven automation, we are able to look back and ahead at the same time and mould the future to perfection. A hundred-odd years ago, humans dreamed of futuristic humanoid robots who would clean our homes, work in our factories, deliver pizza, drive our cabs and cook our food. But, in 2021, that comprehensive robotic reality is yet to materialize, and with good reason. We don’t need human-like robots for everything. We spoke earlier of cars that drive themselves? There’s no android robot sitting in the seat turning on the windscreen wipers because we combined the android robot’s brain with the engine of our car. Instead of having a ditzy, Marilyn Monroe-esque robot tiptoeing around our house mopping the floor, we’ve got perfectly ordinary frisbee-like robots cleaning up behind us. Even when their features expand from the floor and onto the dust on bookshelves and cobwebs on the ceiling, they won’t, in all probability, assume a humanoid form. Why? Because they don’t need to. For example, remember the tactical robots in Chris Nolan’s

Interstellar? There were four of them, named TARS, CASE, KIPP, and PLEX. And they were essentially rectangular boxes that could split into four and gallop along like horses. They didn’t need to be in any sort of biologically recognizable or humanoid form, and therefore, most of the robotic workforce that we will put out there will not need a human form factor either. Fully automated car manufacturing units seem to prove this. Even interstellar travel will probably require Wall-E-style terrain robots rather than nimble-footed bipeds like us. So, where will we require a humanoid fit? Probably in places where human agility plays an important role. Possibly, the major sphere where humanoid robots would find active duty would be in security forces. Not just the army but local police as well. You see, law and order situations require both intelligence and agility. In certain physical altercations, you have to exercise physical force and athletic ability. If you have to chase down a burglar on foot, chances are a nimble humanoid robot with the advantage of an AIbased neural system will be able to complete that task much better. That robot could also probably survive gunshots better than their carbon-based counterparts. A definite advantage. Another field of humanoid robot application could well be sports. Probably not the Olympics, where feats of physical human achievements are celebrated, but who knows... contact sports like boxing, mixed martial arts, etc, could find a specialized niche for robotic participants. We may end up having synthetic humans play football, admittedly slightly inferior to the intuitive capabilities of Messis and Ronaldos, but still highly entertaining. It could just be the future of sports entertainment - a 3D extension to multiplayer online gaming. The fact remains, there’s always a slight gap between human imagination and its ultimate application. But for the most part, we are able to envision with some clarity how (we want) the future to play out. Of course, humanoid robots today may not have positronic circuitry, and while they certainly look like they’re a part of the future, they might not be as domesticated as we fondly hope them to be. They may not hop, skip and jump between planets, but they may just augment our dreams for a utopian future. Nevertheless, we can certainly hope for the world that Steven Spielberg, Gene Roddenberry, and Asimov hoped for, and with some good luck and good management, we may, as Capt Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise often said and well, make it so. I’m keeping my robotic fingers crossed. J ARVIND RAJASEKHAR

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Events

THE ALL-AFRICA FESTIVAL From Table Mountain to Burj Khalifa: bringing the vibrancy of Africa to Dubai

The All-Africa Festival (AFF) is back in Dubai to celebrate pan-African cultures and bring together the region’s residents and expats in experiencing the continent’s vibrant energy, beauty, and diversity. This 3-day extravaganza, which will be held on the grounds of Burj Park in Downtown Dubai from 21 to 23 October, is a celebration of Africa and the African diaspora in all its distinctive expressions. As Africa witnesses significant changes in recent history, garnering global attention on the continent’s diversity and growth opportunities, AFF aims to contribute towards the ongoing quest to redraft its narrative, particularly within the region’s arts, culture, and entertainment scene.

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The organizers of AFF are creating a platform for intercultural exchange and immersive interaction in a destination renowned for its hospitality, diversity, and connectedness. The family-friendly event will be curated to attract diverse African and non-African cultural groups as well as inbound leisure and business tourists in an atmosphere of fun and energetic expression. It will also offer exhibits and experiences interwoven to tell the story of Africa and all people with roots or affinity towards the continent. The event will be free to the public; however, preregistration will be required in adherence to local requirements for social distancing.

Driving the vision of Smart Transportation at the Dubai World Congress for self-driving transport From 26-28 October, the world’s most central names in media, entertainment, technology, production, and satellite are reconnecting at CABSAT 2021. Witness the latest innovations from the biggest global brands in areas ranging from creation to production to distribution at the first global face-to-face event for media, content, satellite, and tech since 2019. More than 450+ brands are participating in the event to boost their regional business profile. Hosting a variety of events and forums with global specialists on all things content, the platform has everything for every business’s needs. Passes for the event are free and can be bought by registering on the official CABSAT 2021 website.

Explore content evolution real time at Cabsat 2021 To support His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s vision of making 25% of all trips in Dubai smart and driver-less by 2030, this 2-day event, taking place from 27-28 October at World Trade Centre, brings together experts in the field of self-driving technology. With the theme of ‘Accelerating innovation, transforming mobility’, this edition will focus on the five key pillars to drive future mobility: Enabling connectivity, User-focused topics, Policy and legislation, Trials and testbed, and Virtual-testing models.

DWTC is the one-stop shop for everything from food to private licensing The Dubai World Trade Centre is bustling with activity, once again, from 7 - 9 November. This time, it’s all things food! yummex Middle East, MENA’s largest confectionery event has created a name for itself as the region’s most established sourcing platform for the sweets and snacks industries and is back for its 14th edition. The annual must-visit for food manufacturing globally, Gulfood Manufacturing showcases all the megatrends and innovations that will redefine the food

sector from robot packing to tech-based ingredients. The gourmet and artisan marketplace, The Speciality Food Festival is sure to bring the finest moments in the fine dining business to the Dubai World Trade Centre. However, if food is not your cup of tea, MENA’s only private label and licensing event is also happening at the same time. Private Label & Licensing Middle East is set to bring you the most advanced solutions from manufacturers, for rapidly changing consumer demands, triggered by greater awareness and worldwide sustainability goals, survival strategies. Registrations are now open for all the exhibitions on the official websites of the event. ✪ 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

COVER STORY

DR. MOHAMMED NA JI

TOWERING HIGH AS A DENTIST, INVESTOR, AND A YOUTH MENTOR WITH GADHA

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COVER STORY

Dentist, businessman and now youth mentor, Dr Mohammed Naji is a consummate professional and entrepreneur who brings his vision and values to every field he approaches. Qiraat Attar captures the journey so far of the man, who is the master of many trades

ho doesn’t want a super smile? Some are blessed with a cavalry-like straight row of pearly whites. For those who don’t, there’s Dr. Mohammed Naji. The youngest of five brothers and one of Dubai’s most prolific dentists, Dr. Naji enjoys fame uncharacteristic to his somber profession. The debonaire dentist handles Liberty Dental Clinic, has his own medical reality show, a sizeable social media following, an entrepreneur across multiple industries, and will now play mentor under GADHA to inspire the youth, and we’re eager to learn how he does it all.

The long way home A former marketing and media enthusiast, his interest in the domain dwindled after a particularly unrewarding internship in junior college. Mohammed Naji then decided to turn to dentistry after being inspired by his brother in the same field. Today, he has married his interests in the two diverse fields, and given his burgeoning popularity, it is fair to say he hits the bull’s eye with both of them. Dr. Naji’s arena where he changes smiles and lives every day is the Liberty Dental Clinic. Established in 1998, it remains the primary choice for celebrities and several royal families from around the UAE and other countries for 24 years. Dr. Naji, who serves as Executive Director, achieved a long-standing goal to make Liberty the first internationally accredited dental clinic in the MENA region by the ACSH accreditation. Evidently proud of the clinic, he eagerly talks about its expansion. “We have our own Liberty Dental Lab, Liberty Charity Initiative, and Liberty Research and Training Center that trains dentists from all over the world. While we’re growing these as much as possible locally, we do have plans to open up internationally. We’re expanding into Saudi Arabia and Egypt next, and also possibly into Morocco and Algeria. And what we’re looking into now is dental hospitals, not just dental clinics.” Dr. Naji admits that being a dentist is challenging.

YOU ARE NEVER RESTRICTED BY YOUR AGE, ONLY BY YOUR EFFORT AND AMBITION TO GET THINGS DONE

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“I entered the industry at a young age. Dentistry is challenging because it requires an amalgamation of art and science, and it’s tough to inculcate both.” He later saw merit in developing his own style and manner of getting things done his way rather than imitating the people he learned from. As an industry insider, Dr. Naji is a keen observer of the shifting trends in dentistry beyond teeth and gums. “While our parents always went seeking dental care only when their tooth hurt, today’s younger generation is intrigued by the concept of conservative dentistry. So now you have people visiting the dentist every 3-6 months to check if everything is in order. We see it with younger parents with their children as well. We’re delighted that people are progressing this way.”

Generational gaps Given some of the prejudices he endured as a young professional, Dr. Naji is attuned to the obstacle of the youth. “A lot of the younger generation is taken for granted. No matter where they go looking for work, they expect 5 or 10 years of experience, which is not realistic, especially in Medicine and Dentistry.” He points out that when it comes to doctors, people are reassured by those with gray hair and wrinkles because we assume they have more experience and thus know better. But newer technologies have come to the fore, such as laser or 3D scanners, making dreaded dental work a relatively painless process. Mostly these are handled by the newer batch of dentists, having become familiar with these techniques while in dentistry school.

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HE USES SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE ONE THING – THAT YOU ARE NEVER RESTRICTED BY YOUR AGE, ONLY BY YOUR EFFORT AND AMBITION TO GET THINGS DONE

It is perhaps his keen insight into matters that the youth deal with that shapes how he projects himself to the youth. For the cause, he uses social media platforms to invite the world into his life, displaying with ease and confidence how a young person embodies all the markers of success typically associated with those who are older and more distinguished - how a young person can be successful, dress professional, even participate on the world stage, everything curtailed to the older generation. To him, social media is communication and he uses it to communicate one thing – that you are never restricted by your age, only by your effort and ambition to get things done. This desire to carve a path for the youth, to raise awareness about societal issues, and to channel the energy and potential of the youth, akin to the one he traversed himself, is what propelled him to join hands with GADHA.

The youth takes charge GADHA is one of the leading companies in the region involved in training the next generation, handpicking influ-

COVER STORY

THE COURSE DR. NAJI IS DEVELOPING IS CENTERED AROUND AWAKENING THE YOUTH TO THEIR TRUE POTENTIAL AND SHARING NUGGETS OF WISDOM AND A WELL-LAID PATH TO SUCCESS

encers or speakers to sign exclusively with them to coach individuals in different aspects of life. When contacted by them, Dr. Naji accepted wholeheartedly. An organized and dedicated way to inspire and motivate the youth was not one he was missing out on. What started in 2005 as a force to inspire, motivate, and reinforce inherent talents, and unearth passions, today, GADHA is an official training agency housing under its umbrella stalwarts whose experience surpasses their name. Prestigious experts in fields of Leadership, Culture, Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, Emotional Intelligence, Humanitarian endeavors, and more from different parts of the world have joined the GADHA family. Absolutely anyone can join the platform – regardless of where they may be. Workshops can be attended through the online platform which operates as an educational institute with accredited certificates from KHDA. Interfacing and consulting with the experts is also available physically and through virtual channels, along with live events, where the speakers get to share their experiences on stage and interact with hundreds of attendees. They make it as easy and smooth as possible to share knowledge and make it reachable to all. The course Dr. Naji is developing with them is centered around awakening the youth to their true potential and sharing nuggets of wisdom and a well-laid path to success. Taking it step by step, he plans on introducing the different perspectives in which people perceive them, the myriad pros and cons of being young today, and the trodden path of how to start young and make it big, shouldering

their obstacles and solutions with ease and aplomb. The course seems peppered with the dentist’s driven and ambitious personality, and as such, it will be a highly sought-after program. In addition, there are specialized topics on how to brand themselves and the right skill set to be successful. Through the journey of the course, GADHA is also on the lookout for high-potential individuals with bankable and effervescent business ideas. These people will gain the rare opportunity to start with GADHA, which will partner up with them to help them start their business. The participants will also see their mentors and idols in their raw, behind the scenes form instead of their home turf performing on stage or displaying their talents during the live events happening with the who’s who of popular culture - personalities, motivational speakers, singers, actors, celebrities and influencers. The achievers disclose the ups and downs in their journey and speak about when they were younger, giving people a sneak peek into the lives of those they look up to and imbibe valuable teachings from it.

Under the spotlight One thing is certain – there always remains a flickering ember of an old flame. Mohammed made a conscious decision to take what he calls the ‘broader option’ in life, and it checks out – as a dentist, he still appears generously in the media; as a marketing professional, he would never be able to transform people’s teeth. While he is an extremely well-known face on screen (as a quick YouTube search will show you), one of his most prominent media appearances is Smile Masters, the first and to date, the biggest medical reality show ever made. Taking us through the personal and professional lives of Dr. Naji, his elder brother Dr. Majd Naji and his wife, Dr. Deema Basim, every episode has them take on challeng2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

COVER STORY

ing cases and offer the patient a new lease of life, often with awe-inspiring artistry on their pearly whites. The show started on YouTube, garnering nearly 1.2 million views in less than 24 hours for the 1st episode, but soon its popularity snowballed, and it went on to air on television. They have three seasons on air and a fourth season is in the works, much to the viewers’ delight. Dr. Naji’s skill also brings him to tryst with the greats. He has worked with decorated, world-class athletes such as bodybuilding champion Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay, Mr. Olympia 2020 and 2021. And when you check out this year’s Social Knockout, the biggest boxing event in the Coca Cola Arena Dubai, it would give you a real thrill to know that Dr. Naji designed the mouthguards and prepped the athletes’ teeth before their throwdowns.

Guiding light Most people are lucky to find one capable mentor in life, whose footsteps they can follow with trust, but Dr. Naji admits his good fortune to be blessed with not one but five

ONE OF HIS MOST PROMINENT MEDIA APPEARANCES IS SMILE MASTERS, THE FIRST AND TO DATE, THE BIGGEST MEDICAL REALITY SHOW EVER MADE mentors – his father and his elder brothers. “I was lucky to learn from each of them, from their mistakes as well growing up.” While having successful, high-achieving siblings is both a sheltered guidance system as well as some pressure to live up to, he enjoys having gained multiple life experiences without necessarily going through each of them. Of his brothers, it is perhaps indelible that no one has had a more profound impact on Mohammed than Dr. Majd Naji, his loving brother and guide into the world of dentistry. He admits they walk the tightrope of personal and professional with practiced ease. “At work, he’s my

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leader and mentor, and I look up to him. At home, he’s my loving brother, someone I respect and enjoy life with.” Through the conversation, it is intriguing to see flashes of not just the decorated dentist Dr. Naji is, but the youngest sibling that Mohammed is first. For instance, his first car was the 1989 Mercedes SL, inherited from his brother. “It was a beautiful vintage but was always in the garage and had no AC. It needed so much work that I probably spent more on it than its actual cost,” he laughs. Admittedly a connoisseur of rare and classic cars, he dreams of sliding behind the wheel of a 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster. His views on fame and success belie a strong value system being raised and a mature view of life far beyond his age. “While being popular is definitely a very useful tool, I was always happy that my fame was dependent on my good work and my success at what I do. I think that comes from simply being popular is not sustainable.” He is clear that he prefers his achievements do the talking for him and taking the long, arduous, and ultimately the sweeter

road to success and consequent fame. Raised in the land of glittering azure beaches, Mohammed has a passion for watersports and takes to traveling every chance he gets, seemingly always on the go. He is also fastidious about his health and fitness and credits Fitvisor for providing a busy man like him with 360 service, meal plans, exercise regimens which keeps him going in his demanding profession. As a true-blue millennial, he emphasizes the importance of mental health and taking breaks to recharge instead of resigning to being a workaholic at the expense of his peace. Guarded about his private life, he nonetheless reveals a little about how he spends his free time. “I have a small group of close friends. And here’s a fact – I have had the same close friends since kindergarten. These friendships of 27 - 28 years are with people who know the real me; they’ve seen the best of me and the worst of me. To me, they’re like family.” With dentistry skills and a strong business acumen to boot, Dr. Naji envisions expanding investments into in-

I WAS ALWAYS HAPPY THAT MY FAME WAS DEPENDENT ON MY GOOD WORK AND MY SUCCESS AT WHAT I DO. I THINK THAT COMES FROM SIMPLY BEING POPULAR IS NOT SUSTAINABLE

dustries he’s passionate about, such as health and fitness, food and beverages, fashion, and product provision services, hopeful about having a holding group in the future. The ambition and drive are also why GADHA approached him – it was important to have a mentor who had successfully forayed into different paths in life.

Living Dubai Dubai’s aura forms the horizon of Mohammed Naji’s life, as his effervescence is palpable as he talks about the crown of the Gulf. “I firmly believe Dubai is the best city in the world. I’ve been all around the world, and no matter if it’s Moscow, Paris, London, but they don’t hold a candle to Dubai. The basic standards of our land are bona fide luxuries in other cities.” The awe emanates from him as he talks about being inspired by Dubai’s reigning monarch, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is credited for Dubai’s meteoric rise and transformation, rightly earning its place in the modern world. “When you are governed by such a ruler, it has a domino effect – it motivates everyone in the chain succeeding him to work hard as well. Like, if you have a hardworking boss, you have to be just as hardworking to catch up. That remains a great motivation.” To be recognized by the country he holds so dear is no mean feat, but Dr. Naji has that feather in his cap too – his brother Dr. Majd and himself were the first dentists to receive the Golden visa back in 2019, and recently the Dubai Press Club membership, which goes a long way in supporting their media-facing endeavors. It is perhaps Dubai’s swift and seamless handling of the pandemic and Liberty’s efficient handling of the situation that what was an unprecedented global catastrophe turned out to be a productive period for them professionally. They picked this opportunity to assuage public anxiety about

hygiene and sanitization by taking their clientele ‘behind the scenes’ as he puts it, using their vast social media following to post content about how Liberty carries out the task of delivering world-class service 24x7 to its clients. That massively helped the dental conglomerate not losing customers through the dreadful pandemic. In fact, Dr. Naji reveals, “We focused on improving Liberty by daily virtual management meetings during the lockdown. We also didn’t lose a single employee, whether doctor or staff. We came up with a different financial strategy, and some doctors actually earned more during COVID than during regular times.” With an unvarnished reputation of nearly 25 years, COVID didn’t affect the medical group as much as could have been expected. In fact, patients who trusted them were compliant with all the rules and regulations put in place. While Dr. Naji demonstrates an ambition and drive that is only privy to a chosen few, a core belief governs it all – his desire to help people. As one flips through pictures of transformation made possible by Dr. Naji and their team of talented dentistry artists, why they do what they do becomes crystal clear. As he explains, “One of the best compliments I have received in my dental chair was when a woman looked at herself after the dental treatment and broke down in tears and uttered, ‘Today is officially the first day of my life’. It was highly emotional and humbling to feel yourself be the cause or reason behind someone’s rebirth.” What the world needs is people who use their intelligence, drive, and resources to embolden those around them, help bloom what is barren, and Dr. Naji is on the right path to ensure that he plays a role in making that possible for countless lives. For despite everything he has achieved, Dr. Naji is just getting started. J 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

The Feminine Divine She started with nothing other than three young children to support and went on to become the designer to queens. Sangeetha Shinde talks to Hana Sadiq, the lady who turned Arabic art and culture into wearable luxury and built a business that took the world’s fashion runways by storm

he was born in Iraq and married a Frenchman who first lost his job and then his life. As a young widow with no family to help her (they had all been lost to the ravages of war in Iraq), she fell into the world of haute couture by chance rather than design. However, Hana Sadiq had always nurtured a passion for art and anthropology. In her travels around the Arabic world, from Morocco to Yemen, her keen interest in all things fabric and jeweler-related resulted in her studying these aspects of design in the most detailed of ways. She studied the roots of the designs in traditional costumes, handpicked antique and interesting pieces, and began to create costumes for herself that linked the common threads that lay in the embroidery and design between the various countries she visited. At the Jerash Festival in Jordan her unique ensemble was noticed by Queen Noor of Jordan who asked her to design a few traditional costumes for her, and from then on there was no looking back. And it all began from her home in Amman in Jordan which housed her atelier, and from where she still retails to an exclusive and discerning global clientele. Over the years, Hana has carved a niche for herself as not just a designer of exceptional caliber but as an intellectual who has taken the intricacies of Arab artistry into palaces, institutions, and academic circles. It was not easy starting out, managing the daily stresses of a business as well as raising her family, but Hana does all things with exceptional grace. She says in her beautifully modulated voice that carries with it a hint of Arabic exoticism and French flair, “I now look back on this as chance,

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but believe this is what I was meant to do. I started by creating beautiful dresses of high value, and this is because I have utter respect for the beauty that is contained within the Arabic traditions of art and design.” Hana did not have a business model or a business plan. She had no investors or accelerator programs to help her get started. What she did have was a passion, a need to earn, and the will to make a success of her life, interests, and talents.

Runway success Unsurprisingly her fine work and dedication has earned her global recognition and she is invited regularly to participate in high-end, international runway shows to showcase her work. She was asked to exhibit her work back in her home country of Iraq twenty-five years after leaving it, and going back after over two decades was a poignant experience. She went at the invitation of the Minister of Culture and her work received much acclaim but, despite the professional glory she received, she says she was saddened to see the effects of the war on the country of her birth. It was a sadness she encountered in many places she traveled to in search of her design ideas and fabrics. War devastates design,” she says, her voice dropping. “Thousands of years of culture and design and fine living are lost to violence in a matter of months, and it is heartbreaking.” But Hana channels this pain into her work determined to preserve the rich heritage of Arabic design through her work for all to see. In Rome, at Alta Moda, one of the most prestigious fashion shows in the world, she was named the ‘Ambassadress of Arabic Fashion’. When she

! With President Jacques Chirac in France

$ With famous Egyptian actor, Nour Al Sharif

! A letter of commendation from Queen Noor $ With Queen Noor of Jordan

At the Jerash Festival in Jordan her unique ensemble was noticed by Queen Noor of Jordan who asked her to design a few traditional costumes for her

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INTERVIEW

accepted the accolade, she was, with her customary humility, surprised at the honour bestowed on her and even asked them why they had awarded her this title. Their response warmed her heart. “Your clothes embody the beauty of the female form without overt exposure. They are sensual yet elegant,” and these words have stayed in her heart since that time.

UNESCO invited her to showcase her beautiful lines at a heritage show at the UNESCO building in Paris. And yet with all these glittering events, she was part of her most memorable time was the fashion show she did in Greece, where the stage was covered with gardenias and the sight of the flowers filled her with more wonder than the glittering footlights of the runway or

the applause of the crowds as her designs made it down the runway. She has done shows all around the world. London, Indonesia, Lebanon, France, and she has met with overwhelming success everywhere. She recalls in Indonesia, she had to improvise headgear for the models at the last minute and says she thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of creating them from scarves and shawls and jewelry she had with her. Through her work, Hana has dressed queens, princesses, sheikhas, members of the elite, and she has partied with an Italian Contessa on her yacht where everyone was asked to only wear Arabic clothes. She has had some of the world’s top models wear her clothes, yet through this glittering existence she has enjoyed via her professional life, Hana Sadiq is very much in touch with other realities.

Business with a heart “I love all things that are handcrafted,” says Hana with a smile. “These things possess a soul, a beauty that machine-made things never can, and so all my ensembles are individually created and use the talent of women who are skilled in embroidery and hand embellishments.” Of course, this makes each gown, each robe a thing of absolute beauty, using traditional motifs, fabled Arabic love poetry, and delicate threadwork. But more than all this, Hana provides employment to a team of women who are from lower-income segments of society and acts as a mentor and guide to help these women navigate life and find financial self-sufficiency. For her, her work is a means not just of preserving dying crafts and skills but of making a world a kinder and more beautiful place in every way within her means.

" First solo art exhibition in Baghdad At work painting in her atelier With her late husband, Guy Baradou

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While she has dined with queens, her friends are from all walks of life and from all around the world. She is equally at home in a palace as she is in a market stall in India, eating street food and discussing life with all whom she encounters. She firmly believes that everything one does should be done with passion. Kindness, honesty, and service are also forms of beauty, and one sees this in Hana’s interaction with her work, her designs, her travels, the people she interacts with, and the graceful serenity she brings to all she touches. From her home to her personal attire to the food she makes to the clothes she designs, she lives life true to her ideals of beauty and elegance, which goes way beyond her couture creations that live in discerning wardrobes around the world.

A legacy of a lifetime Hana’s life reads like a bestselling novel. From travel to marriage to raising children to losing it all to starting over, she is the proverbial phoenix. For 35 years, she has sustained her atelier, changing, adapting, and moving with the times. She began a pret-a-porter line but found it did not tie in with her ethos, and so despite the hard work she put into the creation of it, she let go of that venture. She travels avidly to collect fabric and ideas for her clothes. She researches and collects pieces to inspire herself and surround herself with beauty. A gifted artist in her own right, her art hangs on the walls of her own home along with other works, each one as interesting and unique as Hana herself. Her personal collection of a 1000 pieces of traditional fabrics and costumes and over 5000 pieces of antique silver jewelry is a finely curated collection that in itself documents the richness of traditions in style and fashion in and around the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Hana would love to bequeath this to a museum someday but is insistent that the collection find its way into the right hands and the right space. Her book, written painstakingly over almost a decade, documents the history of fabric, design, art, and culture of the region, containing over 4000 images, and was launched to rave re-

She is equally at home in a palace as she is in a market stall in India, eating street food and discussing life with all whom she encounters views. It was used as the source for a doctoral degree by a Cambridge scholar, and she was awarded an honorary degree from Cambridge College for the creation of this unique anthropological literary effort. With Hana the creativity never stops. She continues to plan her travels, she designs each day, her artistic mind giving shape and form to material and fabric to create garments that are collector’s items. While her entrepreneurial journey started from neces-

sity, it was nurtured with love and passion, and she is walking testimony that when you do what you love, you never really work. The flow is effortless… and you see it the tilt of her head, the graceful movements of her hand, the curve of her smile, and in the fall and flow of her designs that, like her, are the very embodiment of the feminine divine in physical form. J FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT www.hanasadiq.com 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

Mind Over Matter

Using the possible potential of consciousness and holistic psychotherapy, Mohammed Faizuddin Ahmed Sameer (Dr. M F Sameer) has helped people battle a gamut of issues from as simple as worry, anxiety, uncertainty, fear to hypertension, and depression writes Bindu Gopal Rao

r. M F Sameer’s journey towards holistic sciences started when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. This was a turning point in his life to help people come out of physical and mental diseases and create a better future for themselves. He tells us all about how one can harness the power of mind-body-energy and spirit’s cybernetic mechanism to beat physical diseases and bring peace to mind. Founder & Owner of Meraki Wellbeing Center, Sameer is a Holistic Psychotherapist, Research Scholar in Psychology and Parapsychological sciences, Advance Energy Healer, and Transformational Life Coach empowering individuals and transforming their lives through the power of the mind-body-energy integration. Being a Master in Psychology, certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Master Practitioner, and Trainer in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Sameer also has many credentials in Integrated Energy Healing, mind-body integration, and Spiritual Healing. He also holds a Masters in Islamic Education, Reiki Master Teacher, and Ph.D. in Neuroplasticity. “Complex cybernetic mechanisms of consciousness and the art of knowing people as well as psychology was always ingrained in me since childhood. My initial education was a combination of Vedic sciences, philosophy, mind and social sciences, and possible human potential. I did Masters in comparative religious studies to understand the human phenomena better and deeper.” Naturally, the tag line of his center is ‘transforming lives with

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the power of the mind’. Explaining this, he says, “it is an evolutionary science, and we have been looking into what is the best possible way to bring wellbeing to our lives. Consciousness literally keeps on evolving, and it’s a journey from body approach with medicines to alternative ways to bring balance to the body. Psychology has taken a big leap in the journey of evolutionary science, where we have come to a point of awareness that 90% of the disorders and diseases are psychosomatic in nature and manifests as autoimmune disorders in the body.” Emotional Intelligence Training, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Integrated Clinical Hypnotherapy, Integrative Psychology, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Unlocking Subconscious Blocks, Subconscious reimprinting with Neuroplasticity,

Yoga, Breathwork (Pranayamas), and Chakra Balancing, Meditation and Mindfulness are some of his spheres of work. While he has been very active for close to six years, his new center is plugged in at The Retreat Palm Dubai M Gallery by Sofitel as a strategic partner to create and expand holistic wellbeing. Sameer’s premise is based on how psychology affects the mind, and he has done comprehensive research and survey on about 3800 plus cancer patients. “80% of those people had issues at the psychological level. They were either holding grudges, hatred, or intense anger. Most of them had grief and loss patterns, patterns in life with uncertainties, fears, phobias, and unresolved mental issues manifested as disease and disorder in the body. Using Neuroplasticity, in combination with other integrative modalities, I have seen the change that happens not only on the psychological level but as deep as the cellular level where not only behavior and perspective towards the world changes but the neurochemical and biochemicals in the body also changes hence creating an amazing transformation which nullifies all diseases and disorders.” At The Retreat Palm Dubai M Gallery by Sofitel, on The Palm Jumeirah Dubai UAE, where he works as a strategic partner for the wellbeing of guests and people in the vicinity, he does free talks every Saturday to create awareness about emotional wellbeing, holistic healing and to unlock human potential. In addition, he conducts regular meditation and group healing sessions for the community. “I also train corporates in emotional intelligence so people can develop more sweetness in their emotions and have a deeper understanding of the behavior of people around, that increases productivity in all spheres of life.” Sameer is inspired by all his teachers. “I was a very sensitive child right from childhood and could see people’s faces and tell what they were feeling. My teachers recognized and nurtured this ability. Most of the time, behavior and action or the personality projected is the tip of the iceberg, and no one looks at how and why it’s being projected the way it is. I still teach people to be curious because curiosity is actually the way of evolution.” Celebrating the diversity in people and appreciating that each person has a unique perspective is what he believes is the crux of his approach. “The more information that you add to your brain, the more complex it becomes. The worry of the future, the regret of the past create unnecessary anxiety. I don’t believe in planning and believe

Dr. Sameer in one of his training sessions

to be the most flexible person on the planet. Whatever comes, I usually adapt to it and change accordingly.” His advice to stay away from diseases and come back to the default state of being, that of health, happiness, ease, and growth, is to make this process a journey. “The average age of people who come with anxiety and other psychosomatic issues is 33 years. So if there is a problem that is 33 years in the making, then you must at least give it reasonably 33 weeks to nullify, and you should be committed to unlearn everything that you have learned and is not serving you.” There are five dimensions that you need to focus on - the physical body, mind-consciousness, awareness of storage, the intellect, and the spiritual connection. The secret is to stay with the theme of creation and fulfill the essential dimension of life. Change is the constant theme of life, yet we expect people around us not to change, which often creates disappointment. This is because there is an innate yearning for at least one thing in life to be fixed, non-changing. “Hence it is important to have one fixed entity in life that can bring fulfillment to this dimension, which is where the whole spiritual or God-consciousness comes into play, the moment we expand our awareness and connect with spiritual consciousness and become consciously aware of our creator, the transformational change starts to happen effortlessly. This is what brings fulfillment and balance to all dimensions of life. I always tell people to start affirming this and check what is causing the resistance.” So, the mantra is ‘Life Is Easy’, and reinforcing this can be therapeutic as you start your journey on the path of holistic wellbeing. ✪

“If there is a problem that is 33 years in the making, then you must at least give it reasonably 33 weeks to nullify”

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INTERVIEW

Man with a Mission

This banker’s vision has enabled many strategic economic and business achievements for the UAE. ASPIRE magazine caught up with Tariq Azeemi about his extraordinary career and impressive credentials

ith over 15 years of experience in sectors ranging from Retail Sales Network Supervision to Retail Banking and Corporate Services in Pakistan and UAE, Mr. Tariq Azeemi is a dynamic, results-driven entrepreneur and Advisor to the Private Office of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al Qassimi with comprehensive experience as a business consultant directing sales, customer services, business strategy, planning, and development. As the director of Red Berry Corporate Services, he has helped form new companies, make business investments, and economic development in the UAE. He is also the person to go to for advice on all legal forms of businesses, structuring, and restructuring of legal entities, setting up holding and branch companies. With expertise and knowledge in topics ranging across business advisory and corporate services, Mr. Azeemi is a widely read man who is ever willing to help with all things business and law.

As the business advisor, what does your position entail? What is the nature or realm of counsel you provide as a consultant to investors in the UAE? I am a business advisor to the private office of His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Bin Faisal al Qassimi. Besides, I have also been working as a business advisor to various corporate and new investors helping them with legal structures, business establishment, and strategic investments. Business incorporation is one of my strengths, overseeing the process for new companies that are

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branching out to Dubai. I have played a vital role in helping businesses related to medicine manufacturing, industrial plants and factories. As someone who understands business establishment and company incorporation inside and out, I believe I have made a mark among the leading business incorporation professionals in the UAE. Under my supervision, companies belonging to sectors such as nanotechnology, AI, medicine, pharma, consultancies, biotech, and retails have been established.

Tell us a little bit about your journey so far - your life before holding this office. Before becoming a business owner, I was a professional and seasoned banker working for eight years at the United Bank Limited in Pakistan as a Manager. It instilled in me a customer centric approach in business dealings and many empathetic soft skills as people management. After coming to the UAE, I worked for two years as an Assistant Vice President for corporate services leading a team of seasoned business consultants whereby, I was contributing to the 20% of the company’s gross revenue.

How did business formation and advisory become your area of expertise? What all does Red Berry offer? Red Berry corporate services started in 2016 as a company formation enterprise wherein we have serviced hundreds of new companies for legal structures and establishment processes over the years. I strongly believe that every client wants great services, therefore, listening to the client and understand-

ing them fully is the cue to achieve success in winning more clients. My dream to add to the economic development of the UAE and create more competitive business opportunities in the country is evolving with time, and I work strategically to make it true. The transition from banker to a company establishment consultant was not challenging. Having a growth mindset has allowed me to adapt quickly. I am a die-hard learner and never let an opportunity to learn slip through. Working in the banking industry in Pakistan for eight years set the foundation for me and I was fairly learning the corporate and banking law that supported this transition. I believe in evolution; life is a journey that teaches us. Mental abilities continue to evolve and build through exposure and experience. Skills can be acquired and expertise can be built.

What kind of businesses has Red Berry supported in its journey? Red Berry served clients such as Mermaid Subsea Services International from oil and gas sector, Ecolog International which is big in the field of logistics and facility management, and Sunrise which is the largest food processing company in Australia to name a few. Global Petro storage, a Singapore based company, and Seguro Private Wealth and Insurance Brokerage are few of the amazing corporates I have helped establish in Dubai.

What has been the most exciting business you have to set up? One of the very interesting businesses set up by Red Berry include the license for Insurance brokerage. The require-

As the director of Red Berry Corporate Services, he has helped form new companies, make business investments, and economic development in the UAE ments are comprehensive and it is hard to fulfil them, getting approvals may take longer than expected. It required very comprehensive services and I had to work on the minutest of details to make it possible.

• Develop your financial model and make a financial plan. • One year working capital should be with you; one year expense should not prove to be an upset. Have a backup plan to meet the financial hiccups.

Given your business acumen and vast experience, what do you think are the makings of a successful business?

Where do you see UAE going, in terms of business and growth, in the next 50 years?

Multiple factors make a business successful, here are a few that I believe really count: • Know your client and the market. • Products and services offered should be matching those needs and market gaps. • One coin with two sides, one side is market and other is your product and it has to be a perfect union – they should compliment.

The UAE is growing exponentially. It has overcome the Covid-19 shock very fast and with 95.78% of the population fully vaccinated, most of the road to recovery has been treaded fast. We are delighted to see that the economic growth has accelerated with the Expo 2020 and businesses are thriving. Billions of delegates are arriving in Dubai to make best of the opportunities. The vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai is once again the foundation of the way the whole nation is progressing. The Projects of the 50 and his Centennial Plan 2071 are likely to make the country progress by leaps. In 2009, 85% of the economic growth was dependent on oil exports, now things have changed and other sectors have developed with the superior planning of the leaders to make prosperity and growth possible. We look forward to a brighter future.

What does the future look like for Red Berry Corporate Services? Red Berry Corporate Services will play its pivotal role in supporting business growth in the UAE. We will continue to support economic development by helping new businesses launch and grow exponentially. ✪ 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

THE NEW WORK FORCE Qiraat Attar meets Monica Arya, the entrepreneur who turned networking into concrete business opportunities

hen Monica Arya, a successful marketing professional for nearly 16 years came to Dubai in September 2020, her plans to start a brand-new chapter of life seemed invincible. But after cold responses when searching for a job despite her vast experience, she was forced to revisit the drawing board. “I’m an action taker,” Monica asserts in our conversation, so she decided to create her own networking group, a hub of opportunities for learning and growth, so that no one would feel discouraged from fulfilling their dreams. Thus began the journey of Skillopaedia. She observed countless Indian expats scrambling for extracurricular classes for their kids. Through Skillopaedia, she gave them access to develop their kids’ talents at robotics, debates, photography, and the like, emboldening them with critical and creative life skills. Additionally, Skillopaedia prides itself on empowering entrepreneurs with small businesses by enabling the right people to reach their services. Offering a complete circle of networking help, Skillopaedia functions as a marketing and advertising group where companies promote their products and services and find a customer base for their products. Monica is adept at making a business go “from zero to 100%’,” as she puts it, and puts her skills to work to empower the lives of people. Despite its brief lifetime of 4 months and counting, Skillopaedia has students participating from the USA, UK, Dubai, and India, galvanizing a growing community of teachers and small business owners via WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook groups. While teachers post fliers for parents to contact them, members create referrals for each other, augmenting their chances to be noticed in the community rather than in the ultra-competitive market, thus helping them hit the ground running with their business. The community comes alive with the in-person meetings, a converging point where bakers, florists, decorators, and other small business curators can bring samples of their wares. Similarly, the teach-

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ers and counselors can offer a consulting session to the parents.

Making a gameplan It is imperative for any business person to know their end goal from Skillopaedia’s vast network. Monica explains, “Whenever somebody approaches me, we get on a meeting and I try to understand their focus area. Is it revenue, is it growth, is it getting more people attached to their business? Then we strategize a plan for them and provide them a referral on the group.

Skillopaedia prides itself on empowering entrepreneurs with small businesses by enabling the right people to reach their services

Skillopaedia member meet

On there, it is a balance between giving and taking referrals, where everyone helps each other out.” Monica recognizes that while sustaining a small business has always been a challenge; it is doubly so for women because common perceptions often work against them. “A woman’s major challenge is building the trust factor because they are often seen first as a wife or a mother, rather than a business person. As a

result, people assume they won’t be able to do justice to their business. But to me, it is the other way around. Women are excellent multitaskers. They are also very focused and network efficiently for their businesses.” It is no surprise that Monica, who feels strongly about collaboration over competition in business, had the brainwave for a thriving networking platform. “Even if we’re in the same domain, we don’t have to compete. Instead, we can collaborate and create something unique!”

From strength to strength Skillopaedia is still finding its footing, but its founder is brimming with ideas for the road ahead. “We intend to have separate platforms for sports, languages, subjects, and events as we grow further. Essentially, any parent looking to develop a unique skill in their child, and any woman looking to grow her business and expand its customer base, should first think of Skillopaedia. The platform will evolve to an extent where any search offers 10 or 15 options to choose from.” In fact, in the upcoming Bur Dubai Fest organized by

them, Monica welcomes all small businesses to have Facebook lives on the platform and place advertisements to publicize their business, affording them a shot at a wider audience. Monica credits digital media and wordof-mouth publicity for contributing to their growth and garnering them suitable attention. “Nearly all top creative dance, music, and sports institutes of Dubai have partnered with us, now offering classes on Skillopaedia. Additionally, every time we have our business meetups, two to three guests join in, so with every passing meet, the whole corpus keeps increasing.” She also credits her parents and family for her success, and is especially thankful to Saurabh, Kishore Dharamrajan, Anumeha, Sunil Chacko and Ankur Bahel who are the group support and experts on this journey. Skillopaedia also doubles as the social media partner for many brands, introducing them and their services to the Skillopaedia family, which is 15000+ strong today. In recent times, they have been partners for several businesses like Yameen, Funtastic Family, Ms and Mrs India, and Be Unique Kids. Success stories abound for those who have utilized Skillopaedia’s network to grow their businesses. Glowing testimonials from small business owners themselves shine a light on Skillopaedia’s contribution in organizing them into a community. Tappy Toes nursery saw their business grow and requests for admissions rise after Skillopaedia did a video shoot for them. Other ventures to taste success through the platform are Young Studio, Dramapaedia, Vasa LiveMusic Academy, Kareer Propel, Prashant Dance Studio, and many more. The students, too, have emerged with flying colors through the skills nurtured through this network. While one videography student recently made a film that has garnered much appreciation on YouTube, another student started a bakery brand, now baking cakes for Dubai’s elite at just 15 years of age. Monica is determined to make Skillopaedia reach its highest potential. “Every day I get up and ask myself What is Skillopaedia’s focus? What have we achieved and what do we have to do next? If we keep exploring our business and our opportunities, that will always lead us where we want to go.” But, of course, Monica’s story is only one side of the coin. The other side is the stories of the self-motivated women who form Skillopaedia’s energized network. Read on to acquaint yourself with the rising entrepreneurs that Skillopedia has helped enrich with opportunities for their business and vision. 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

Reenu Mohiindrra

Diva of Interior Design

caling up great heights with her creative vision and business acumen, Reenu Mohiindrra’s venture—Reeraj Royal Decor is winning the interior world, one project at a time. Her signature designs are a hallmark found in grand residences and the most sought-after luxury hotels. Reenu’s work has helped her achieve heights of success, and her brainchild Reeraj Royal Decor is charting growth and how! The interior designer has been living in Dubai since 2012 along with her twin daughters and husband. Since young, Reenu has always been inclined to creativity and has channeled it passionately into a successful business. No wonder, her design sensibility along with exposure to different cultures, have made her firm a unique and finest interiors decoration firm in Dubai. Reenu has completed the prestigious Women Entrepreneurs program jointly conducted by the Indian Institute of Management—Bangalore and Goldman Sachs. After that, she went International and founded Reeraj Royal Decor in Dubai, Bahrain, and Delhi in 2012. Since its inception, there has been no looking back as the company has since taken on diverse projects ranging from Hospitality and Commercial to Residential. It also specializes in short-term/long-term rentals and budget luxury, including childproof furniture with a minimalistic approach. What gives the venture an edge over the others is that it can take on large projects and also has the design appetite to take on smaller works. “We aim to give people an amazing experience in the spaces we design. The staff in an office; the fami-

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ly at home; the children in school; the guests in a restaurant – we wake up and go to work for them. We’re changing what it means to be an Interior design firm with a better culture and a better way of working,” remarks Reenu. Today, Reeraj Royal Decor has accomplished high-end and spectacular projects for Kempinski Hotel Villa, Fairmont The Palm Jumeirah VIP lounge, Dusit Thani apartment, Banyan Tree apartment, Emirates Hills, Arabian ranches, Penthouse downtown, among others. It has grown significantly due to its prowess and efficiency when it comes to forging long-term partnerships with significant brands, using email marketing to its advantage, leveraging influencer marketing and social media to the fullest. The biggest marketing channel for her though has been references through word of mouth from happy customers. Reenu believes that design is the final destination of an artist’s meditation. “On the canvas of spaces with color of stories and tools of emotion, an artist draws art conceived by amplifying the incubators or loved ones to come and celebrate the occasion called life,” the passionate interior designer cum entrepreneur states. And there seems to be no looking back for this power-house of talent whose philosophy is to learn and improvise every day!

Reenu believes that design is the final destination of an artist’s meditation

Rowena Coelho

Blossoming Creations

Gomathi Seetharaman

15-Minute Health

rom being a US CPA by profession with a management program from IIM to taking on the wellness world as a passionate Health Advocate, Yoga Teacher, Wellness Coach, and Health Motivator for Individuals and Workplace, Gomathi Seetharaman’s journey has been about power, perseverance, and passion. She founded Aroya Yatra to help everyone lead a healthy and sustainable lifestyle by getting them to ‘Eat Right. Breathe Well. Stay Fit’. Today, Arogya Yatra helps people balance their health and work with their signature program, ‘15-Minute Arogya’. “These days we spend hours being glued to technology, straining our eyes, posture, neck, and spine. Taking care of eyes and posture is paramount. With that in mind, through ‘15-Minute Arogya’, we teach organizations a combination of stretches, asanas, pranayamas (breathing techniques), and meditation in just 15 minutes done online either once or twice a week to make you feel more energetic, to make you feel more rejuvenated, to make you feel a lot better,” she says. Gomathi also helps people power their nutrition plans. These are not enforced diet plans but rather nutritional plans that fuel up their nourishment along with Yoga classes for fitness. Arogya Yatra has worked with Mittal Steel, HSBC, City One Tourism, Brand Options Advertising, Starlink Innovations Centre, among others, hand-holding and guiding them in their wellness journey.

Arogya Yatra helps people balance their health and work with their signature program, ‘15-Minute Arogya’

s a highly skilled and creative individual, Rowena Coelho leveraged her artistry to bring her passion to life with her entrepreneurial venture-Gifts and Flowers LLC, which designs stunning premium flower, gift, and chocolate arrangements. “Our aim is to create the perfect gift for your dear ones, creating a wow experience when received. We cater to both individuals and corporations for various occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, festivals, housewarming, graduation, milestone celebration, and much more,” Rowena shares. With unrelenting zeal, Rowena selects every item at the store and ensures that no creation is repeated as she believes every individual is unique and deserves something wonderful and different. Among her creations are beautiful floral bouquets, centerpieces, creative setups for special occasions, scrumptious handmade ice creams, among other things- every creation is made possible in her one-shop store. The sprawling store also serves fine Belgium chocolates with a unique mix of flavors. Today her wow-inducing creations enthrall people who queue up to place orders for special occasions and customizations. In addition, the company is conceptualizing a unique sweet offering in a festive box for Diwali for both corporates and individuals that are sure to win over tastebuds.

Rowena selects every item at the store and ensures that no creation is repeated

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INTERVIEW

Shanti Padmanaban

Math-e-Magician

Smreeti Drolia

Vegan Sweetness

mreeti Drolia’s passion for baking was ignited at the young age of ten. Being a mother of two and nurturing them in all ways, she might have started late but having trained under some of the best in the UAE business, Smreeti’s work today manages to delight taste buds quite seamlessly. Having a diabetic spouse, Smreeti decided to work on vegan and gluten-free creations that people could indulge in without feeling guilty. “I want to take the experience of gluten-free and vegan products to a different, more enjoyable, mouthwatering level. Once I started homemade products like Vegan Brownies, whether made of Chickpea or Lentil or Pumpkin, Sugar-free Nutella, Almond and Vegan butter, my husband and our close friends couldn’t stop raving about it. That also gave me a sense of responsibility along with happy and healthy faces. That was the driving force behind my venture,” Smreeti expresses. One of her niche areas and the most appreciated ones by her clients is the 100% Eggless cakes and products she creates. “Yes, we are 100% Eggless creators and do a variety of cakes, bakes, and related healthy stuff,” she assures. Her entrepreneurial venture- Smreeti Bakes (@smreetibakes) aims to deliver and serve happiness all over UAE.

I want to make the experience of gluten-free and vegan products more enjoyable

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n a bid to fuel mathematical excellence and creativity in children, Shanti took the leap and kickstarted two training centers for children: Brain Prep Institute, Ibn Battuta, Dubai, and Vision Kids Training Center, Musaffah, Abu Dhabi. “We take the responsibility in imparting good knowledge to the children and motivating them, and that’s what keeps us going,” says Shanti, who aims to empower reams of minds, making learning fun and less intimidating. The institute imparts the following training to children between the ages of 6 to 16 years: • UCMAS, an International Arithmetic Program from Malaysia, is based on Abacus and mental Arithmetic that helps improve concentration, memory, reasoning, etc. • VEDIC MATHS, a highspeed Maths Program that makes maths an easy and enjoyable subject for children taking away the fear of the subject. The method is totally unconventional and provides a new thinking and approach to Mathematics that is very powerful, yet simple and fun to work with. • DINO ART, the International Arts Program from the UCMAS group, is an advanced arts program that takes the children from the basic level to the artistic principles of drawing. • ADVANCE FINE ARTS comprises Advanced Drawing, Acrylic /Oil /Water/ Fabric colors, and Photoshop to fuel and scale-up children’s creativity. • ROBOTICS created the interest in digital electronics. It deals with the assembling of electronic components leading to the enhancement of hand-mind coordination and also develops software skills that is useful for programming and coding. You can find more information on all the above at https://courses.brainprepcenter.com

INTERVIEW

Ali Sadeddin

Eazi-Apps for Business Growth

Nisha Parmani

Energy Nurturer

rom being an HR Manager, an MBA with ten years of Corporate Experience to a healer, Nisha Parmani’s journey has been about self-realization, determination, and the passion for bringing what she knows and has learned to the forefront, which forms the genesis of her venture-NurturewithNisha. It offers holistic healing through services like Access Consciousness Bars, Access Energetic Facelift, Pranic Healing, Money Reiki, and Body Whispering. “I never had any major medical issues. However, I always had excessive fatigue. It hit me the most post-delivery, and that’s when I decided that I needed to deep dive into my soul, intuition, and knowing. Going deep within me got me to start the Twin Hearts Meditation. When I saw that by just doing the meditation alone, my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual world changed literally by 360 degrees, I got more and more curious about different modalities. While undergoing sessions for myself, it occurred to me that there are so many like me, who would be going through immense challenges without even knowing them, and that’s where my journey to bring this to the forefront started,” shares Nisha. Her vision for the company is to enable everyone, to empower them to create the life they desire. Therefore, and rightly, the gratifying result of NurturewithNisha enables one to create the life and the body they desire.

Her vision is to enable everyone, to empower them to create the life they desire

acked by a vision to help small and medium businesses to compete with larger enterprises, Ajman-based business, ECCC, an official licensee of Eazi-Apps, is helping small businesses locally and nationally tackle the next frontier in technology with mobile apps. Ali Sadeddin, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Elite Coaching and Consultancy Center (ECCC) and his team realized that with the current economic climate, businesses throughout the country are looking at ways to reduce costs and increase competitiveness. With this thought, Ali kickstarted ECCC and associated with Eazi-Apps. The company is now working with several high-profile clients in the UAE to offer their customers another way to interact with their respective businesses. “The last two years have seen phenomenal growth in the mobile app market, and businesses are now realizing they need a mobile marketing strategy to meet their customers’ expectations. However, most small and medium businesses are currently outpriced when it comes to developing a custom app. ECCC, with the support of Eazi-Apps, is working with businesses throughout the country to offer a mobile app solution that allows businesses and customers to engage on a platform that is active 24 hours a day,” remarks Ali. Identifying this price barrier has allowed ECCC, with the help of Eazi-Apps, to provide a solution that is cost-effective. J

Businesses throughout the country are looking at ways to reduce costs and increase competitiveness

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SPECIAL FEATURE

A YEAR IN THE MAKING

AS ASPIRE COMPLETES A YEAR, WE GIVE YOU OUR LEARNINGS AS A START-UP AND SUM UP THE LEARNINGS OF A FEW OF OUR INSPIRATIONAL FEATURED ENTREPRENEURS

e’re inundated with success stories of legendary businesses that had humble origins how Google’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page set up shop in Susan Wojcicki’s garage (who is also the CEO of YouTube), or how Elon Musk coded through the night and slept on a couch in his office during his early years of business. First years in business are messy, tumultuous, exciting, crushing - in a word, unforgettable. The difference between a successful business and one that goes belly-up or sold for parts, more often than not, is the plan and execution of the very first year. Intent, vision, mission, plan, execution, and uncountable miscellany all come together to create a recipe that can set up that strong foundation on which your business builds up and thrives, or the loose, sparking wire that causes it to metaphorically go up in flames. As ASPIRE wraps up one year in circulation, we’re proud to have been illuminated by steadfast, pioneering dreamers, creators, and risk-takers who have graced the pages of our magazine, making it brighter with their stories of struggle, grit, and triumph. Here are some of the lessons that have made us wiser, and we’re happy to share our pearls of wisdom with you, our reader.

You’re going to introduce yourself... A lot When people don’t know you, they have nothing to go on to trust you, be it buying from you or soliciting your service. So with every potential customer, you have to start from the start - the name of your business and what it does, why you think you’re the best bet for your client even though you are less than a year old. You have to believe in yourself and your enterprise before anyone else does. Raj Bhatt, the founder of the Hozpitality Group, who graced our cover for the November edition

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last year, turned introducing himself into an art form - which helped him foray into Hotel Management, secure a job in Mumbai, and even set up his online job board Hozpitality.com, that has helped exclusive brands from Hilton to Hyatt over 12 years. The takeaway is simple - know your stuff, know your worth and the value you bring, and you will soon command an audience. When the client knows nothing about you, the clean slate is a blessing - one chance to make a great, lasting impression. So, don’t patter out a rehearsed, robotic pitch, but cover all bases. Simple rule - Know it, don’t by heart it.

The math will break your heart This is especially true for passion projects, small businesses, and artistic endeavors. Your skill set and interest might actually seem incongruent with what fledgling businesses demand - finances, economics, and multiple strategies to keep a profitable bottom line and stay out of the red. Nothing tanks a business faster than not knowing where your money will come from and where and how you will put it back into the business and keep a cut for yourself. What’s more, investors won’t be impressed by someone with a lot of passion but befuddled by money.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Bitcoin mogul Carl Runefelt, our April 2021 cover star, risked the same fate when he decided to pursue his fascination with finance. His biggest hiccup - he worked in a grocery store and had no formal financial training. Undeterred, he hit the internet for ideas to make more money, where after a few hits and misses, he explored alternatives to paper money and hit the Bitcoin mine (no pun intended). In fact, through his journey, he has given back to those trawling online looking for sound financial gyaan, with his own YouTube channel called ‘The Moon’. So, if you are doing it all on your own (major props to that!), you will find yourself googling the mundanest of money questions like a double-edged game of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. So go forth, and remember that as the business expands, delegation will be the smarter game rather than pretending you’re a lone wolf, and getting a financial advisor might be on the cards.

Uncertainty will be your bunkmate In the beginning, your enthusiasm for business might be so high it likely unsettles a feebler human, but in the upcoming weeks, you will second guess everything. From your business model to your marketing plan, from your luck to your finances, maybe even your core idea itself, nothing may seem right as you put your business into action and start seeing results, which may not be all good. This uncertainty is why many startups tank in the first year - not because of the failure of the business, but because the treacherous path causes the entrepreneur to lose faith in themselves. For Hiral and Deepanshu, who talked about their financial advisory firm Richelieu financial in the

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September 2021 edition, uncertainty is all in a day’s work. Whether it is knowing the stocks themselves or convincing their clients to take calculated risks, they’ve found that extensive research, domain expertise, and reducing the variables with hard work and discipline is the only way to beat uncertainty.

Success might look a lot like failure The beginning is a frenzy of activities, with things happening at breakneck speed, and with an exponential learning curve. It is also a time that is perhaps filled with the highest amount of effort with little to no rewards. Going from unknown to familiar is perhaps the hardest thing to achieve as a brand, business, service, or even a magazine. So you have rejections. Emails unreturned. Business cards which seem squandered on people who do not match your client profile. Deals dropped at the last minute. Pitches that miss the mark despite your rehearsal. The odds seem stacked higher than the tower of Babel against you. It’s hard to look at the bright side or even believe it exists. But what looks like your business faltering are actually disguised hints of success. Yes, there are rejections, but they’re helping you sculpt your next pitch. Business cards travel from those who don’t need your services to those who do. Pitches get naturally refined by showing to actual clients. The first attempts are you making a bid at getting your business into high gear. To falter is inevitable, and you will learn that the less you treat it like a shock, the faster you can recover from it and move on to the next thing. The same is true for Faisal Ibrahim. Before the success of Brainciti, he experienced losses in a coffee shop venture. To gain better experience, he launched three more companies with various degrees of success. The lessons he learned from these ventures paved the way for his online learning platform Brainciti, which has now grown to over

100,000 minutes of informative content and more than 200 people tuning in each day.

You’ll have a different job... every day Some say having your business is like being your own boss. Well, sure, but it hardly ends there. Before you become a full-fledged businessperson, you will be a quarter of a businessperson and three-quarters of everything else - assistant, proofreader, coffee person, HR, manager, accountant, analyst, the list goes on. Your first year will be chaotic as your roles bleed into each other - strap in and enjoy the ride. As your business grows, you will branch into a team that takes these responsibilities

You will form relationships for life In a period that will test you and hold you witness to great highs and lows, in the crucible of hardships, you will find your tribe. Be it a mentor who shines a light on the right path or a teammate that goes from just an employee to an instrumental leader, this is a period that will unveil the potential of those around you in more ways than one. For Nuseir Hussain of NAS Daily, whose life has subverted expectation, his entire instinct centered around making connections with people across the world, he revealed when he featured on our June 2021 cover. Today his wish has come beyond true with 20 million strong followers, an admirer in Mark Zuckerberg, and most importantly, the daring to challenge perspectives with his work.

A different person stands in the mirror Before a business starts, you’re the most common of humans - a person with a dream. After starting your business, you’re one of the rarest - a person who took steps towards realizing that dream. Yet, with every passing day of that first year, you will find your excuses turn to dust as you try to meet every commitment, every meeting, every deadline. In its place rises a motivation to stretch your 24 hours to pack in the work of 36, and a desire to do everything it takes to make your output perfect - be it your product, your service, your content deck, and in our case, every edition of ASPIRE. J

off your hands and turns them into well-organized departments of its own. While it may seem overwhelming, this is the period that proves make or break for both an entrepreneur and their business. The upskilling that takes place in this period is a business school on steroids, and entrepreneurs who can weather the shifts while moving ahead are already setting themselves apart from those who crumble in the storm. Proving this theory right is Sanjay Vazirani, who had to earn his badges as a restaurateur by displaying his skills at everything else first - kitchen design, menu design, staffing, training and pre-opening, customer satisfaction, and good food service. Even when reviving a sick unit restaurant, what turned it around was Sanjay’s hands-on approach to the gig - be it taking orders or serving patrons. It is no surprise that with such skill and patience, his enterprise ‘Foodlink’ has left a global imprint, and Sanjay is fast expanding with ‘Art of Dum’, India Bistro, China Bistro, and Glocal Junction. 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Game plan for

PRO TALK

WINNING OVER

CEO Nousheen Mukhtar International, YesGulf & Stylfemina

Nousheen Mukhtar

The entrepreneurship adventure is filled with twists and turns. Here’s what an old hand at the game has to say to make the path more navigable for women in business

rom an idea to a profit-bearing business, the journey is not simple and easy. The ebb and flow involved in the process asks for a lot. As a woman entrepreneur, some would refuse to work with you because they think you started from a kitchen table, and on the other hand, many would work with you for the reason that you started from there. The battle for “winning over” demands more than just working in your business, finding clients who would pay for services, and keep things going. Here is

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what I believe a businesswoman must look after while she focuses on her business:

Herself As women, we are very sensitive. It is easier for us to feel down, become self-conscious and take things too seriously. I believe every woman entrepreneur (and even men) should indulge, have retreats, relax and pep themselves up. The more we love ourselves, the more love and care we attract from the world. We can put our best face up when we are cool and happy inside.

Happiness Entrepreneurship demands us to be the best version of ourselves all the time. There can be many times in a week when team mates let us down, a cranky client becomes difficult, the supply chain is not as efficiently functional as we expect, or just the dog is sick. We cannot let all these things get to the best side of us. We will still be our great selves. We will be happy no matter what goes on in life or around us. We strongly believe it is an inward thing!

Tribe No battle can be won alone! Every entrepreneur must build a tribe that will surround her,

calls and talk to people when they need to talk to you. Care for them so that they return the same care.

Map

support her, and uplift her when needed. Your tribe is your most reliable and valuable resource; it becomes more promising with time. Here is a great way to build your tribe: • Surround yourself with passionate people who in some ways think like you and would want to grow with you. Remember, positive people who believe in learning and doing more are great to have around as they would bring positive energy. • Help them. If you want people to like you and stick with you, you must help them. Support them where they are least expecting. The more hearts you win, the larger your tribe grows. • Prune your network, purge it of negative people or those who are unwilling to help just anyone. • Be consistently social; it will help the tribe to grow. Your network should find you in many significant places, playing a significant social role. This will help in creating a stronger social bond as obviously people like to connect with people they know and can approach. It will also build a sort of charisma that will keep people attracted towards you. • Remember, you should always do as you say. Your values should not just be a script, walk the talk and be very credibly you. Return

Have a road map for business. This will keep you going in the right direction, and you will be able to avoid traps, set milestones, celebrate achievements, and win more in less time. Every warrior needs a strategy. His strategy or game plan makes his success possible. If you do not have your road map, strategy, or game plan ready, you will find it hard to reach your goals. The challenges will get harder than they should be as your resources will likely be used inefficiently due to the absence of your road map. 75% of small businesses fail because they do not care about making a comprehensive map for their year. You must review your map during the year to update it to meet any new challenges. I set my game plan multiple times in a year: I have a yearly plan and a quarterly plan. The basic strategy remains the same, but minor evolutionary changes happen according to the external changes in the economic ecosystem.

Style I have observed, successful entrepreneurs are never ‘salesy’. Many entrepreneurs do not un-

Successful entrepreneurs are never ‘salesy’. Many entrepreneurs do not understand in their first three years that STYLE matters derstand in their first three years that STYLE matters. If you will be pitching bluntly to whoever you meet, you will have ‘no style’. People avoid meeting those who are always trying to sell themselves or their services. If you are more friendly than salesy, you will win. If people find that you understand them, empathize with them, and are ‘willing to help’ instead of ‘too busy selling your services/products’, they will be more willing to have business with you. Working on your brand to attract people can sell better than your pitching to people to sell. Work on building your personal brand. Reveal how unique you are. This will surely increase the demand. ✪ NOUSHEEN CAN BE REACHED AT office@nousheenmukhtar.com 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

PRO TALK

Purposeful Parenting Coach, Access Bars Facilitator

Shagufta Patel

Access Consciousness to

Raise Your Success The movement is almost three decades old and has been embraced around the world. Learn all about Access Bars and how it can transform you to reach your highest potential

ave you noticed that you’re very tired during the day, but the moment you are in bed, you can’t seem to sleep? Or that you can’t quiet your mind for long enough regardless of yoga, journaling, and meditation? Maybe, you’ve tried everything to calm your mind, but nothing seems to help you relax? Access Consciousness is the solution to all your problems! Access Consciousness, also known as just ‘Access’, is a movement founded by Gary M. Douglas in 1995 and later joined by co-creator Dr. Dain Heer in 2000. It aims “to create a world of consciousness and oneness, where everything exists, and nothing is judged.” It’s a set of practical and dynamic tools, techniques, and processes that helps one become more conscious of their daily life and empowers one to create the life of their desires in practical yet easy ways. The movement, which is now available in more than 170 countries, includes everything and everyone while making sure to judge nothing and no one.

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The Bars to Your Consciousness Access Bars is at the core of Access Consciousness as it helps undo the limitations you’ve set for yourself and hence, start fresh. It is a gentle, hands-on, and non-invasive alternative therapy technique that has been proven to be very effective. The bars are 32 points on the head that when gently touched, can help release anything that’s been holding you back from feeling ease, joy, and comfort in your life. Each Bar represents one area of life and stores electromagnetic components of your feelings, thoughts, or any view you have about anything or anyone. For example, any thoughts or feelings you’ve had in your life about, say, health is stored in the Bar called ‘Health’. These 32 points in your head stores all the thoughts, emotions, ideas, beliefs, and anything else that might be stopping you from living your full potential. When these points are touched, the Bars release the pentup energy resulting in more space within you, and in turn, more consciousness and aware-

ness. According to the founders, Access Bars help “stimulate positive change in the brain, release physical and mental blocks stored in the body, and help facilitate greater ease in all varied areas of life.” Hundreds of people have used Access Bars effectively to change many aspects of their life that they found undesirable, including money, sex, sleep, health, relationships, and many more. To put it metaphorically, you can see Access Bars as Ctrl+A and Delete on your laptop. Except, in this case, your laptop is your brain. It helps delete all unwanted things from your brain and helps create space for everything that you desire. Access Bars enables you to start anew! It also helps increase clarity, motivation and has been proven to decrease and eventually eliminate intrapersonal conflicts. The process is not cognitive, just like how the limitations you’ve imposed upon yourself are not done consciously. You don’t have to know why or when you created something in order to clear it, you only have to be willing to let go and receive everything you desire. It is really that simple!

For A New and Better You Like the Access Bars, the Access Energy Face-lift uses points on the face and neck to address the stresses on the face and body that cause signs of aging. During the facelift, the bars help by erasing any memories of judgment that our cells have held on to. After the face-lift, many have reported more youthful-looking skin, firmer and toned bodies, as well as less judgmental of themselves and their bodies. People have also reported that they’ve seen light and luminosity of the face, improved elasticity of the skin, clarity of the eyes, glow in the hair, lifting of breasts and buttocks, as well as improved energy and increased relaxation. It is a 2-in-1 process that

Benefits Of Getting Your Bars Run A session of Access Bars is known as having your “bars run”, and it is said to feel relaxing and peaceful, like a massage for your brain that is quite literally, life-changing. The session also has quite a few benefits, including but not limited to Facilitates more ease in the body Changes negative behavioral patterns and belief systems Allows one to be more present Increase awareness and receiving Dissolves judgment from within Enhances capacities to receive

The Non-Invasive Face-Lift It IS possible to look and feel younger without going under the knife, injecting chemicals, or creating other outside trauma to your body. Access Energetic Face-lift helps reverse signs of aging and rejuvenate the face through a non-invasive, non-surgical process without involving any kinds of creams, chemicals, or injections. It is a more gentle, kind, and easy procedure that works like a massage; a gentle, soothing touch applied to your face and neck works with the cells in your body to relax, restore and rejuvenate your body on a cellular level. Since it operates from within the body as opposed to on it, it is also more effective, and if done repeatedly, it also shows permanent results.

You don’t have to know why or when you created something in order to clear it, you only have to be willing to let go and receive everything you desire helps rejuvenate the face as well as the body. Just as all the benefits reported proved, Access Energy Face-lift is not just something that reduces signs of aging but is a holistic alternative technique for improved overall health. It also offers an opportunity to clear any and all negative judgments that we have, unknowingly or knowingly, passed about our body and face and hence, mitigate the effects of these judgments. So, are you open to new possibilities? To be able to relax, rejuvenate and revive and have a healthier relationship with yourself? Gain access to a much happier and more fulfilling life through Access Consciousness that has a lot more to offer than just these processes mentioned above. ✪ SHAGUFTA PATEL CAN BE REACHED AT shagufta@changewithrenae.com 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Serial entrepreneur, Speaker and Author

David Tee

PRO TALK

The

NINJA CEO

Being a CEO of a startup is the most exhilarating yet challenging of roles and everyday brings new learning… here are some of the hats you’ll have to wear when you are in that chair

he role of CEO / founder in a startup is probably one of the most diverse jobs it is possible to have. You do everything from buying the printer paper, to paying the bills, to developing the strategy. But the diversity is also the reward as you see your whole business grow and appreciate what went into that success. In this series I will consider some of the things I have learned over 35 years in and around startups and share some advice for new CEOs. This month, we look at Leadership, a crucial aspect of any CEOs personality.

Head up As CEO you are the leader of the team. And you must lead. Everyone will be looking to you for direction, confidence, vision, wisdom, logic etc. But also, as leader you are ultimately responsible for the human resource of the

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company. This can be very time-consuming and as you grow, you will need support. The first company I worked at had around 250 people. And there was an HR Director. No one respected him because of the seemingly illogical outputs from his department, and we wondered why we were spending money on such a senior role. Fifteen years later I became managing director of a 20-person organisation, and I immediately understood! People problems can take up an inordinate amount of management time and having a professional HR manager between you and those problems is vital to keep your mind focused on running the business.

Hire up It can be tempting, as founder and CEO of a new business, to think you know everything. It’s your idea, your vision, your baby. And in

this temptation, it is possible to hire people who just agree with you, do what you ask and don’t question your decisions. This can be a big mistake. No one knows everything, no one has the complete, optimised solution to the problem. So, your challenge is to hire people smarter than you, in all areas of the business. People who will then challenge, in a positive and productive way, your assumptions, in order to deliver a better product or service to the market. This can be bad for your ego, but better for the business. And as CEO your role is to support your team, fully exploit their skills and experience, and create value for your investors.

Step up As CEO you are the one who is going to have to step up when there is that crucial investor or sales meeting, when a key customer has a real problem that must be fixed, or when there is an HR issue between team members that is disrupting work. Stepping up at the right moment to solve the problem, in whatever area of business, is a vital facet of the CEO of a startup.

Suck it up When things go wrong, people let you down, sales fail…. just suck it up and carry on. That’s life!

Bottoms up On the other hand, whenever you have successes, crack open the champagne for the team. The first circuit boards are returned from manufacture, and they work! You close that big sale you’ve been working on for months. The investor who has been dangling cash in front of you finally agrees to come on board. All reasons for celebration. ARM - the Cambridge chip designer whose products are in evey portable device you own - has a wall full of champagne bottles, each one representing a successful new chip being returned from the foundry. It motivates everyone to keep pushing forwards. Do it, do it well and, hopefully, do it often.

Stand up As the founder or CEO of a startup one of your main roles is to ‘stand up and be counted’. You are the responsible person for both the good and the bad things that happen. Either way, you need to be visible in your market, with your investors, and with your staff. No hiding your light under a bushel! Also, the buck stops with you. Customer problems, if

The role of CEO / founder in a startup is probably one of the most diverse jobs it is possible to have. You do everything from buying the printer paper to paying the bills to develop the strategy they cannot be solved down the line, will inevitably end up on your plate. You have to stand up and take it on the chin (and hopefully learn from the experience). As CEO you get all the praise when things go well, and all the crap when they don’t!

Crack up Overall, being in a startup is a lot of fun and part of the CEO’s role is to keep morale up. Having a laugh with the team from time to time is to be encouraged, and allowing the team to crack up over a joke is also acceptable.

Brew up Finally, whether it’s tea, coffee or beer, startups run on brews. As CEO, make sure supplies are always available to keep your team happy. There are 63 more ‘Ups’ (Crack up, Free up, Light up, Make up etc) in his book Upstart Ninja: So, you want to be a startup CEO?, and at https://upstart.ninja J DAVID CAN BE REACHED AT davidphtee@gmail.com 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Pink Ribbon Warriors

From Marriott International to Avon, several companies across sectors are doing their bit for breast cancer awareness. Misbaah Mansuri chalks out how these brands are embracing Pinktober, one initiative at a time

very October, people, world-over, show their support for those affected with breast cancer and spread awareness on the Breast Cancer discourse that requires addressability. The month has been given the moniker, Pinktober. So be sure, the world is about to get a whole lot pink. And for a good reason. As brands step up to raise awareness and do their bit for the cause, we

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spotlight various initiatives rolled out by companies and how they are contributing towards it.

Purposefully pink As one of the biggest initiatives, over 60 of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of properties in UAE will join efforts to contribute towards Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October and raise funds

for Al Jalila Foundation in partnership with ‘Brest Friends’ which provides essential support to patients and survivors. The #PINKtober campaign will see every property in Marriott’s portfolio in the UAE host a variety of activities from pink-themed brunches, ladies’ nights, afternoon teas to raffles and wellness activities. This includes a Stay Pink offer at Lapita, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Autograph Collection, Think Pink Wellness offer at Soul Wellness & Spa at Sheraton Grand Hotel, Dubai, special pink editions of the London Social Friday Brunch at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai, and the B.I.G Brunch at W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island and many other activities. In addition, each participating venue will collectively donate a portion of the proceeds from the #PINKtober campaign to the Al Jalila Foundation. The month-long schedule of culinary events and offers can be viewed on Marriott’s dedicated dining platform www.morecravings.com/offers/ pink-october. Sharing the genesis behind the initiative, Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating officer, Middle East, Marriott International, said, “We look forward to our annual #PINKtober campaign and supporting the amazing work that Al Jalila Foundation does to advance breast cancer awareness, treatment, and research in partnership with ‘Brest Friends’. We want to encourage our guests and residents of the UAE to help raise awareness and precious funds for a cause that continues to impact so many lives.”

Power partnerships The not-for-profit healthcare organization, Al Jalila Foundation, has been front-running the breast cancer awareness cause in partnerships with several brands in a bid to support breast cancer patients and survivors. Speaking about the same, Dr. Abdulkareem Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer of Al Jalila Foundation remarked, “We are delighted by the enthusiasm we receive from our supporters and look forward to working with them to amplify our message and rally the community to join our mission to make a difference to the lives of people affected by breast cancer.” In support of the month, Dubai restaurant Alici Dubai too will raise awareness and provide aid to local breast cancer research. For the whole month of October, Orange Hospitality’s restaurant will be offering a special Pink Menu, which features a variety of enticing creations with a pink twist. Alici’s Pink Menu will be available from October 1st till October 31st, and a certain portion of the proceeds will go to Al Jalila Foundation’s breast cancer campaign. To mark the campaign, Alici’s menu will be an

exquisite pink affair that will include carpaccio di rape rosse (heritage beetroot carpaccio with mascarpone cheese and walnuts) and risotto ai gamberi di Mazara (risotto with Mazara prawns). On offer are also Alici’s delightfully unique dessert, gelato alla burrata (burrata ice cream). For a complete experience, Alici’s bar team has also crafted a refreshing pink mocktail, Al Jalila Flower. On this initiative, Orange Hospitality owner Omar Saideh remarked, “We are honored to support the cause in raising awareness on the importance of early detection of breast cancer and investing in crucial breast cancer research. As a cause that is near to our hearts, a percentage of Avon will be the proceeds from our Pink Menu at running a Breast Alici will be donated to Al Jalila for the second consecutive year.” Cancer Crusade

which will continue one year long and will donate these proceeds towards the noble cause

One initiative at a time

The Conrad Spa too has joined the cause by conceptualizing a treatment called the “Pink Aromatherapy Massage” at Conrad Spa where guests can experience a full-body Aromatherapy massage with balancing geranium, frankincense, and rose oil, with the hands and feet being treated with a warm, nourishing pink clay mask, and an indulgent triple rose exfoliation. The spa will be donating the proceeds collected towards the medical research and treatments of breast cancer patients in the UAE. Speaking about the same, Todori Kalamaris, General Manager, Conrad, said, “We are thrilled to be a part of the PinkOctober campaign with the Al Jalila Foundation. Conrad Dubai is doing its part to support the cause and raise Breast Cancer Awareness among employees and guests. The pink ribbons and pink masks we are wearing are a simple but effective way to remind ourselves of the importance of early detection, as well as to support research and patient treatment. We launched a series of initiatives to raise funds for the foundation at our Conrad Spa and Isla lobby lounge, and we hope to see many people join the cause.” Meanwhile, Avon will be running a Breast Cancer Crusade which will continue one year long. The brand will be promoting a Pink Cosmetic Brand with Crusade Ribbon Logo for AED 20 and will donate these proceeds towards the noble cause. These will be vital in helping needy individuals, cause foundations, clinics, and hospitals in the breast cancer awareness fight. It is heartening to see companies across sectors contributing towards the cause, looking beyond profit and championing purpose and awareness. No better time to start this conversation! J 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Beyond Business / tr avel NEW YORK

Comedy nights and city lights

From Manhatten to Times Square to the Bronx to Central Park no city in the world is better than known than this one. As the skies open up again, PALLAVI BIJU urges you to take a break from business and fly over to take a bite out of the Big Apple

ow that we are entering the post-pandemic period and the world is opening up again, have you thought about your next travel destination? Could it be the famed Big Apple? Verify it being ‘the greatest city in the world’ while you check out the New York Comedy Festival, back after a year’s break to the Boulevard, for a bundle of laughter and tongue-in-cheek humor, served New York-style.

Laugh Your Heart Out This November After a temporary break due to the pandemic last year, the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) is back. Slated from November 8th-14th, the seven-day festival has more than 150 shows lined up featuring more than 200 comedians. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has featured the best and brightest of comedy stars across New York’s most prestigious stages, including the Apollo Theatre, Carnegie Hall and even, the Madison Square Garden. The festival boasts of not just comedy but also panel discussions, podcasts, film screenings, and art installations,

tr avel

/ Beyond Business

so there is something for everyone. This year’s festival intends to shine a spotlight on the small venues that have been worst affected by the pandemic. The festival has always strived to meet the empathy quotient along with entertainment. In 2019, The New York Comedy Festival partnered with The Female Quotient (FQ), a women-owned business that strives to advance equality

in the workspace to increase female representation. The FQ lounge brought together comedians, writers, producers, and business leaders to the festival to ensure representation of women both on and off-stage. Another highlight of 2019’s festival was the ‘Hungry for Laughs’ event, a charity event that showcased the talent of New York’s finest chefs, donating a portion of its sales to local organizations to help fight the world hunger crisis. “We are especially thrilled to bring back the festival this year after having been canceled last year due to the pandemic,” said Caroline Hirsch, founder and owner of the NYCF and Carolines on Broadway. “We are committed not only to bringing the laughter back to New York City but also to creating opportunities for neighborhood venues across the five boroughs that are the backbone of New York’s comedy scene,” Hirsch adds. Vir Das, a comedian and actor popular for his sarcastic and daring takes across both India and the USA, is bringing his much-awaited ‘Manic Man’ world tour to this mega event. Ronny Chieng, The Daily Show-permanent who is also known for his performance in Crazy Rich Asians and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, will also be performing. This year’s line-up also includes Bill Maher, Brian Reagen, Tom Dillon,

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Beyond Business / tr avel Nick Kroll, Michelle Wolf, Alok, Andrew Santino, Gary Gulman, Megan Stalter, and many other spectacular comics. The entire line-up isn’t even announced yet, and one can feel the palpable excitement in the air. The festival will take place throughout the five boroughs of New York, i.e., Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens. You can find tickets on the official website as well as Tick-

This year’s festival intends to shine a spotlight on the small venues that have been worst affected by the pandemic etMaster, with the price varying based on which shows you want to attend and how many. Visitors have to purchase individual tickets to see separate shows and as tickets dwindle, prices may shoot up. Ticket prices start as low as $35, but a standard ticket with a good view can cost around $50. Tickets for headliner shows at Town Hall can set you back $125 to $278 per head. Once you’ve had your fill of uncanny observations, comedic political jabs, and a bellyful of laughs, remember that this is only the tip of experiencing New York, and if you’re looking for some input, let us point you in the right direction.

Many Apples On A Tree But Only One Big Apple Used first in the 1920s, the term “Big Apple” was thrust into the

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limelight in the 1970s when the tourism authorities of New York launched a campaign to improve the city’s image and attract tourists. A big red apple was made the city’s logo and volunteers handed out apples to passers-by. The term has stuck since, the nickname becoming the legacy. With its bustling young crowd and busy streets, it’s no surprise that ‘the city that never sleeps’ is a monumental cornerstone of popular culture. Shows like Friends, Sex and the City, How I met your Mother, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and countless others are all set in this timeless city. Who could forget the iconic ‘Central Perk’ cafe and its orange couch that was the locus of the ‘Friends’ shenanigans and made New York a sitcom classic? That’s not counting the insane number of songs written for, about, and in New York from Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind to Taylor Swift’s Welcome to New York. The culinary palate of New

York is a combination of relishes from around the world, comprising of cuisines that different ethnic and cultural groups hold dear. There are fine-dining menus that cost more than your rent and street fare for less than a dollar. Hot Dogs, Pastrami, New York-style Pizza… the list is endless. The city is peppered with food trucks so your food cravings never go unmet and are part of the New York charm.

Where The Man On The Ten-Dollar Bill Performs There’s no dearth of tourist hot spots, but Broadway takes the cake for being the most recommended place to visit in New York. Known as the heart of the ‘American commercial theatrical industry’, Broadway also passes through Times Square, New York’s most vibrant and famous landmark, housing the largest LED display in the world. On Broadway (which is also the street’s name, but usually just refers to the theatre), there are live performances staged in the 41 professional theatres located in the Lincoln Centre and the Theatre District, situated along Broadway Street. Despite the emergence of new favorites, New York City remains one of the world’s leading metropolises for fashion, food, and art. Known for America’s most

tr avel memorable site, The Statue of Liberty, New York prides itself in having world-famous tourist attractions including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center (also known as Freedom Tower), Madison Square Garden, Rockefeller Center, and innumerable others. If art is your cup of tea, New York is also home to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, and the American Museum of Natural History, among many other renowned museums. With such amazing and famous places to visit, no wonder New York is a must-visit for urban nomads.

/ Beyond Business

find talent, expand the business as well as try your hand at new ventures, often from the comfort of your neighborhood. Small businesses especially occupy a large portion of New York’s business scene. In 2018, 99.8% of the city’s businesses were small businesses. In 2015, 50.2% of the private workforce was employed by small businesses. NerdWallet rates New York as the 5th most entrepreneurial city in the USA due to its population, size, venture capital funding, and other business advantages. The

Sell Me This Pen - Business In New York In New York, there really is nothing you can’t do. The culture, art, and traditions of New York are iconic, sure, but the popularity of New York stemmed from its establishment as an economic powerhouse. Arguably, the most romanticized city in the United States, New York welcomes a large number of visitors every year. In 2018, NYC welcomed 65.1 million tourists, of which international tourists made up 13.6 million. In 2017, more than $44.2 billion were spent by visitors to New York City, which amounted to an economic impact that totaled more than $70 billion. New York reflects USA’s ease of doing business for expats, who can form a Limited Liability Company (LLC) even if they aren’t US citizens. New York also routinely sees students, artists, and creators from across the globe, often seeking to make a global impact. Due to the number of starry-eyed professionals and risk-takers that make their way to New York every year, starting a business in this city is competitive, but profitable. The city offers several opportunities to make connections, network,

The term “Big Apple” was thrust into the limelight when the tourism authorities of New York launched a campaign to improve the city’s image and attract tourists city is abundant in incubators, multicultural workforce, financing options, and even has the technological infrastructure to rival cities like Seoul and London. IBM, PepsiCo, Bloomingdale’s, American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Deloitte, JPMorgan Chase Co., Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, and many such big names headquarter in NYC, a testament to its business prospects. In conclusion, no matter the industry, New York City is THE place for start-ups and professionals looking for diverse opportunities.

New York, Uninterrupted (At Last) The United States of America is slowly opening up to tourists. Although quarantine is not required for both domestic and

international passengers, it is still recommended for not fully vaccinated tourists. Travelers also need not fill out a travel health form to enter the country. However, proof of at least one dose of vaccination is required for people over the age of 12 (including workers) to enter indoor dining spaces and indoor entertainment and performing arts venues, including Broadway. New York has also launched the ‘Excelsior Pass’, which is the first state-wide digital covid pass in the US. It helps residents and visitors gain easy access to public spaces in and around the city. Tourists are able to get their Excelsior Passes after providing proof of vaccination or getting a negative PCR test result in the New York state. The city of dream awaits! J 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Beyond Business / health

THE KETO STORY

A personal success story that turned into a business, offers a new perspective on the food-health connect

Shirley D’Souza Founder of Ketocanhelp

ive years ago, very unwell, I went to the doctor for a check-up. Several tests later, it was shocking to discover that I was a borderline diabetic and had hypertension and high cholesterol. In addition, I had been through five surgeries which made matters worse. I certainly did not expect to be swallowing seven pills daily in my early thirties. And I still remember the doctor's words, “This is all do to with your weight.”

Trying it all

I had given up on shopping or being slim even though I regularly practiced Bikram yoga and went to a gym. There was no diet I did not try, and some offered temporary results while others none at all. Then I heard about Keto from a friend in North America who had successfully lost weight and managed to get pregnant after seven years of trying. With nothing left to lose except my excess kilos,

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I decided to give Keto a try; and several Google searches later began the FAD version of Keto. This involved eating cheese, steak, butter coffee (aka bulletproof coffee), and bacon. I lost five kilos in the first two weeks. That said, I was 35 kilos overweight, so five kilos did not make dramatic changes to my body, but it felt unbelievably good to watch the scales drop every day. But the unvaried diet suggested by Google was boring and unsustainable for long periods. The quick results told me Keto was the way forward for me, albeit with a few fixes. I contacted my friend and hired the coach she had been using. It was expensive, but this was an investment in my health and myself. I was intrigued when the coach told me to have a spoonful of rock salt and to consume my carbs in the form of greens. She instructed me to make curries and use the spices my palate was craving and advised me on how I could satisfy my Chili's molten cake addiction and pickled onion monster munch crisps - things

some of you might relate to! I began, with coaching, to transition to a clean ketogenic lifestyle and lost over 30 kilos in 5 months. I reversed my diabetes, lowered my cholesterol, and eliminated any signs of hypertension. And I no longer had to have morphine injections to handle my dysmenorrhea; I was free from medication at long last. It helped to know that a celebrity like the beautiful Halle Berry has used this diet for decades to manage type 1 diabetes and maintain her stunning shape. My impressive transformation had my friends asking me for help, so I went back to my coach for advice. She encouraged me to become a coach myself. A month later, en route to Canada, I stopped in the US, met my coach, and enrolled in my first course. I then further developed all five levels and added Primal and whole food nutritional certification to my Keto quiver.

Before

After

Before

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This works

So what makes the ketogenic lifestyle so effective? A typical diet these days encourages your body to burn sugars and carbohydrates (glucose) as a primary source of fuel. Your body gets used to having a readily available supply of glucose, so it ramps up carbohydrate metabolism or the pathways within the body that use carbohydrates to create energy for the body. Unfortunately, when you use carbohydrates as the primary fuel source for your cells and body, it also encourages your body to store fat. Excess carbohydrates are readily stored in adipose tissue as fat. When you don’t have access to food for days or weeks at a time, your body needs that fat to survive. But, because today we generally have access to all the calories we need, it’s easy for your body to store more and more fat, especially when we feed it junk and ignore essential electrolytes and micronutrients from seasonal and different types of food groups. Keto has been around since 500 BC when it was used to treat epilepsy and was reintroduced by modern physicians around the 1920s. In 1921, endocrinologist Rollin Woodyatt observed that ketone bodies were produced by the liver as a result of starvation or if one followed a diet rich in fat and low in carbohydrates. Russel Wilder from the Mayo Clinic called this the “ketogenic diet” and used it as a treatment for epilepsy in that same year. And in 1971, Peter Huttenlocher devised the modern-day ketogenic diet which gained popularity due to its high efficacy.

The journey continues

Today I am blessed to have worked with many women and men to lower not only their weight but to reverse their cholesterol issues and get them off their diabetic medication. I work alongside many

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After

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I could satisfy my Chili's molten cake addiction and pickled onion monster munch crisps - things some of you might relate to

Halle Berry

doctors now, and together am able to help my clients get their health back on track with weight loss as the by-product. They say when you love what you do, you don't feel like you are working. Switching from a high-paying corporate job to being a functional coach was not easy, but the wins from the switch were most rewarding, especially helping women with their fertility issues. Being a functional nutritional coach who finally managed to understand my own body and what makes me feel healthy, alert, energetic and, as a bonus, finally comfortable with my weight; today as a fully certified Keto coach, it is a joy to be able to help women, men and families find their way to good health and healthy weight. After all, healthy bodies make for healthy minds, and healthy minds make for healthy societies... a goal we all should strive for. J More information and amazing transformation stories at www.ketocanhelp.com A special discount of 15% on all coaching services for ASPIRE readers. Please quote code ASPKETO 1 while booking your appointment to avail of this one-time offer 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Beyond Business / auto

Luxury on Wheels G. S. Harshita explores The Genesis G80 2022 Sedan. This much-awaited luxury sedan is engineered to deliver a promising impact, thanks to its captivating exteriors, standard equipment and powerful performance

Design

The Exterior • G80 puts Genesis on the map of gorgeous sedans with its eye-catching exteriors. • It’s designed to impress with its royal styling accents and dominating proportions. A large chrome grille with parallel strip style headlights decorates the front. The streamlined tapering body is only accentuated by the sophisticated color palette offered - Casablanca white, Himalayan grey, Victoria black and Adriatic blue. • The advanced trim comes with giant 18-inch alloy wheels, bird’s eye sunroof, 12-way power spacious ventilated seats that can provide exceptional adjustability to accommodate a variety of driver proportions and physiques • A power smart trunk-lid adds to your ease to flip open the

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trunk automatically when you stand right behind it with the smart key in your pocket. Cabin Style and Interiors • The posh interiors comprise of three-zone automatic climate control that lets the driver, front as well as rear passengers control the temperature and air distribution as per one’s needs. • Humidity control features are designed to prevent windows from fogging. • The dashboard is a symphony of leather, premium wood and metal trims, adorned with a leather-wrapped steering wheel that whispers pure class. • Ample headroom and legroom for maximum comfort and relaxed postures, along with heated and ventilated front seats equipped with the smart seat posture all converge to make long rides a breeze.

Efficiency and Mechanics Engine • Apart from serving looks, the G80 also serves from under the hood. While the turbocharged 2.5-litre four cylinder delivers a speedy 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of zippy torque, the 3.5-litre version packs a real punch with 375 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque. • Combining the GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) and MPI (Multi-Point Injection), get set for better fuel efficiency and performance plus reduced exhaust emissions.

Safety

• G80 has the basics - automated

emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring. • The intriguing add-ons are the dual stage airbag with two inflator modules connected to one airbag, making it twice as safe in emergencies as the normal one. Depending upon conditions like speed, seatbelt usage and severity of the crash, the airbag may deploy by firing only one of these two charges while leaving the second “live” charge.

Nemesis

• The car has set a mark which

Mechanics • The advanced four-cylinder unit offers exceptional refinement and efficiency with its lightweight aluminium construction. • Innovative split cooling system that controls coolant flow and temperatures maintains inner machinery and boosts the efficiency further. • The extraordinary fuel economy is achieved through a focus on reducing internal friction and the use of a common-rail fuel injection system that runs at a good 2,200 bar of pressure. Performance • The EPA estimates that this beast will run up to 9.7 kmpl in the city side and 13.6 kmpl on highways

X-factor

• This beauty is all about the

premium updated luxury from its interior down to its smooth handling, while still sporting a humble price tag that brings it closer to the aspirations of new car owners. All in all, a total package!

cannot be met easily but established nameplates like the Audi A6, the BMW 5-series and also the MercedesBenz E-class are near head competitors of this luxury premium car.

Tech and Infotainment • Apart from the ubiquitous

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, G80s come equipped with 12 speakers of a powerful Lexicon audio system with clear and distinct sound. • A circular controller on either the centre console, or buttons on the steering wheel and voice commands light up the high-end huge 14.5-inch touchscreen, the hub for G80’s infotainment system giving it a highly tech-savvy vibe. • Comes with turn-by-turn navigation and real time traffic display. • Features a wireless charger in the 3.5L trim for your personal devices.

• Also comes with smart park,

a system that helps manoeuvre the car into tight parking spots without actually being at the controls. • Offers driver-assistance technology along with a back-up camera. • Armed with rear child safety locks for minors.

Price point

• Starting at AED 180, 142

and goes up to AED 260, 030 depending on the models

Misses

• The G80 sedan is not as athletic

as rival sedans, content to favor its luxury persona. Also, the bold grille design of this car may not be everyone’s cup of tea. The gorgeous genesis G80 sedan hit the ground running expectedly in September 2021. J 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Beyond Business / st yle

THE CORPORATE 'MET'RE

While the MET Gala brings together a cornucopia of fantasy outfits, in between lie creations to boost your everyday corporate wardrobe's style quotient. Ayaat Attar shows you the best pieces from this year's MET Gala to take your boardroom style to the next level arlier this month, the world’s most famous and fashionable faces gathered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the bedazzling city of New York to celebrate the opening of this year’s Costume Institute Exhibition. There is no fashion event talked about as much as the legendary Met Gala. Amidst the pandemic of 2020, the red-carpet event was pushed by a year and finally saw the light of day earlier this month. True to form, just like all the previous times, it evoked scoffs and gasps, inviting several opinions by haters and lovers alike, courtesy of the unabashed display of the most whimsical looks. Every year there is a common understanding that the outfits worn at the star-studded affair are purely for the purpose of the celebration of art and cannot be donned at any other red-carpet event, let alone their emulation by the common public. The event is strictly a one of its kind - the Met Gala outfits are in no way a fashion advice! However, what if we told you that the Gala outfits featured this year had elements that you could incorporate in your corporate clothing? Here’s presenting a compilation of Met Gala’21 inspired outfits that can lift your look on a regular workday!

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BLACK IS THE ONLY BLACK WHO WORE: KIM KARDASHIAN The reality-tv celebrity decided to go black – literally from head to toe, dressed in a stunning Balenciaga ensemble that symbolized celebrity status and sexuality in newage America. Hounded constantly by the paparazzi, the megastar took this as an opportunity to don the anonymous status for the evening. Well, at the end of the day, black is the only black and we bet Kim Kardashian agrees!

$ CHANNEL YOUR INNER KIM-K • Women can rock a power look, donning a crisp black suit and a stellar black clutch to go with. Keep the look contemporary with formal bell-bottom trousers that are back in fashion and how! The men can go classic with a twist, sporting a minimalistic turtleneck that is unpunctuated with detail or embellishment underneath a well-pressed suit.

• Head for that much needed night off with your closest folks from work, dressed in a form-flattering black high neck tee paired with a jet-black faux leather skirt. Throw on a pair of stockings for added oomph and finish the look with a pair of high-heeled stilettos. The men can go glam and throw on a shimmering black velvet jacket with detailing on the shoulders over a pair of fitted trousers. Go for slick gelled hair to further underline your mood for the evening.

PLAY WITH YOUR SUIT! WHO WORE: ELLIOT PAGE The 34-year-old Academy-nominee who came out as transgender earlier this year, proudly adorned an endearing green carnation pinned to an oversized coat. A hat tip to the legendary Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, the carnation stood as a symbol of queer love. From the perspective of pure fashion, the green rose added a pop of color, breaking the monotony of the same-old suit, making it the perfect element you could incorporate in your outfit for that high-profile boardroom meeting.

$ LET THE BROOCH DO THE TALKING

the perfect conversation starter with a fellow believer! • You could also use the lapel pin to break the monotony of the good ol’ suit to add in a pop of color and enhance your overall vibe. This is a great idea to bring out the duality of your “work hard, party harder” persona, making you seem more approachable and attractive almost instantly!

• Want to break the ice in a room full of corporate moguls? Go with a lapel pin that says something intimate about your taste, liking, or even just yourself –your favorite sport, flower, or the initials of your name. Additionally, a brooch that reveals your soul animal could serve as 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Beyond Business / st yle COLOR-BLOCKING MY WAY TO WORK WHO WORE: EVA CHEN Director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, Eva Chen, lit the red carpet up, dressed in a technicolor outfit by the King of Crayola (crayon brand) John Rogers. The outfit is speculated to symbolize the history of American cinema from the black and white era to its present-day glory and beyond!

$ SET THE TONE OF THE DAY, WITH THE HUE YOU WEAR • Don primary colors for work today and let your inner child out to play! Go for layers in your clothing with fabrics that let your skin breathe. Keep jewelry, makeup, and print on the down low and let hues take you over. • Spin the color wheel and carry an accessory of a warring hue with your monochromatic workwear. The color pop can be brought in by a bag, a pair of standout shoes, a scarf, or even an overcoat. Keep the rest of the look minimal, and you’re good to go! J

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+ a spire

/ Beyond Business

An entrepreneur needs to know a lot. Way more than the business idea he or she is growing. ASPIRE brings you a range of know-how to have you effortlessly conversing with everyone you meet.

EAT it

Royalty on a plate!

Initially founded in 1989’s old Dubai, Nawab Restaurant has built a name for serving authentic Indian cuisine. Now, they have opened their very first licensed venue with cocktails inspired by Indian spices, craft hops, and chilled grapes that can be enjoyed with their signature

TEDx Talks!

The PurposeDriven Life

WATCH it

Nawab Restaurant

Nawabi dishes, all while being the perfect affordable community gastropub. Adding to the dynamic food scene in Dubai, the flavors pack in an exotic punch with a healthy modern twist while retaining the traditional touch. With innovative dishes like Beetroot Pops and Palak Patta Chaat to classic crowd-pullers like Butter Chicken and Bhel Puri, Chef Bharat Sarkar and his team make sure that you leave the restaurant full and satisfied. Nawab’s food is well known for its quality, and they have consistently served the same flavors for over 30 years, even during these changing times. Bringing in more taste to their Nawabi delicacies, they hope to take their guests on a journey that depicts the evolution of Indian cuisine as we know it today. Located at the Jebel Ali Recreation Club, which is only a 10-minute drive from the Expo 2020 site, the restaurant has 6 TV Screens on-site, perfect for enjoying your favorite sport live with family or friends. With live music, karaoke nights, and much more entertainment being added to the list, Nawab Restaurant will definitely be a favorite in your weekend dinner plans.

Adam Liepzig has produced and distributed more than 25 movies and has been responsible for more than 300 stage plays and live events. He was the founder of the Los Angeles Theatre Company and he has made it his life’s work to bring entertainment and pleasure to others through his work. This soft-spoken man brings you an inspirational ten-minute video that helps you discover your life purpose in five short minutes. In a series of five easy questions, he walks you through a journey of absolute self-discovery that helps you get to the core of your belief systems to identify the direction of your passions. This inspirational short talk by Adam is a mustwatch for entrepreneurs and anyone else who is looking to discover themselves simply and quickly. https://youtu.be/vVsXO9brK7M 2 0 2 1 — O C T- N O V — ASPIRE

Beyond Business / the l a st word

The Unlearning Curve

Living in our time requires different skills, the most important of which is unlearning to experience true growth

e spend an awful lot of time studying various things. We learn a language to communicate, we go to school and then to college and acquire certificates and diplomas that declare our worth to the world. We understand who is a friend and who is an enemy, and sometimes we learn the two are the same. We realize we like tea and not coffee, and we learn to defend our beliefs and way of life most staunchly. We learn to love those that share these and despise those that don’t. We learn to show off and keep up with the Joneses, and we learn to behave in ways that make us more acceptable to society and our cultures. When we are born, we are given our name, nationality, and religion, and then we spend the rest of our lives learning to defend things we never consciously chose for ourselves. We learn that we are better than others because of class, religion, money, or because we speak in a certain way or went to a certain school. We learn not to trust, and we learn not to wear our hearts on a sleeve. We learn jealousy, greed, and anger, and we learn to seethe silently inside as we present an outer calm. And we learn to treat strangers with greater courtesy than our loved ones. We spend a lot of time learning... But what if we consciously unlearned. What if we started unlearning? Today. Consciously. What if we decided that everything we know is not true. What if we indulged in a little bit of private anarchy. What if we walked away from the friend, partner, or job that was hurting us. What if we supported a different football or cricket team for a few months. What if we decided to do our wife’s household

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chores or we decided to let our husband be stay-at-home dad’s and become career ambitious. What if we read books that challenged us and joined Facebook groups that held opposing views to our own... to understand rather than to heckle. What if we let our children choose their belief systems for themselves, and what if we realized through all of this, that we are not everyone else’s opinion of us. What if we decided to laugh at ourselves more and others less, if we took ourselves far less seriously…? What if we unlearned the shackles of our learning to connect with our higher selves and discovered the incredible interconnectivity between us and the wealth of power that lies in our thoughts. Wouldn’t that be the real nature of progress for humanity? When we blindly stop blundering through the tunnel of learning, we dig for ourselves and learn to collaborate, care, and give to each other and this world with the wisdom of all we unlearn. For as the incredible philosopher and writer David Henry Thoreau beautifully said, “When any real progress is made, we unlearn and learn anew what we thought we knew before.” J

Sangeetha Shinde Tee is an author of four books, editor of 3 international magazines, an acclaimed healer, and reluctant entrepreneur. Also an unconventional traveler, rebellious truth seeker, and inveterate animal rescuer, she is working on her fifth book - a collection of ghost stories from around the world. Find out more about her life, books, and work at www.sangeethashindetee.com

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