More Qatari women influencers turning into entrepreneurs

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Lani Rose R Dizon | The Peninsula

Doha: After years of engaging in influencer marketing, more Qatari women influencers are now turning it up a notch by launching their own businesses. Armed with huge following across the Gulf region, and even beyond, these empowered young women are braving the ever evolving social media landscape, and taking their business acumen with them in their new journey as entrepreneurs.

Two of the most popular Qatari influencers – Haneen Al Saify and Samar Al Ahmad – are also among the brave souls who took the risk to launch their own brands during the pandemic. 

In an interview with The Peninsula, the ladies shared their experiences from venturing into social media modeling amid perceived cultural taboos to finding their new passion as businesswomen.

Dubbed as Qatar's 'modest fashion ambassador', Al Saify has over 819,000 followers on Instagram, and has become the face of marketing promotions for many luxurious brands. 

The chemical engineering graduate opened her two restaurants, Eva Lounge and Aurora Café last year; and manages an online store where she sells her own line of makeup accessories and turban.

“Social media has opened the doors for me to create my own businesses. The restaurants were launched at the beginning of 2021 and in November. Though many businesses closed or stopped making product launches, I believe the pandemic has also presented opportunities for many people like me to enter the market with our new ideas. And as for the online business, it was much easier because people are more educated now on online shopping,” Al Saify told The Peninsula. 

It was in 2016, when Al Saify began her career as a social media influencer in Qatar.“Lately, many girls in the Qatari community are becoming more open to the idea of showing their faces and opening their Instagram accounts. I believe this is because of the support we receive. As we see for example, Qatar Chamber is sponsoring an exhibition like Merwad. We believe that the important authorities in the country are supporting us. So we will feel motivated,” Al Saify said. 

And more ladies are putting their entrepreneurial skills into action through social media, Al Saify said, and added:“We want to express ourselves through photos, and we want to show how a modest woman can be creative, fashionable, powerful, and how we can also do business and travel the world”. 

• Mandatory health insurance to have positive impact on Qatar's economy
• 28,000 babies screened for hearing issues a year
• 6th Mahaseel festival opens today at Katara

Al Saify said her years of being a brand ambassador for various fashion and beauty products helped her learn how to start and grow a business.

“We saw how businesses grow. Many of them do campaigns with us. So they give us the key messages and objectives of the campaign. We understood what brands do and what companies do to promote themselves. So now it has become easier for us, because we learned from the ones who advertised with us,” she added. 

For Al Ahmad, who is one of the first, if not the first Qatari influencer here, starting her own business has always been a life goal. But it was only during the pandemic that she finally took that brave first step to actually put her business ideas into reality. 

The owner of Mais studio, Al Ahmad is also exhibiting her abaya and other traditional dresses at the Merwad expo which will conclude today. Since 2015, Al Ahmad has been modeling various abaya designs on her Instagram account, which now has over 460,000 followers. She has also worked as head of design for the upscale, luxury brand Al Motahajiba for several years. So when she finally opened her own business in 2020, it was easy to guess that it was going to be a women's fashion store. 

“I always wanted to open my own business, but I wanted it to be different. I wanted to make abayas and other ready to wear dresses in a different way,” Al Ahmad told The Peninsula. 

And with the growing popularity of abayas and other modest Arab women's dresses in the global market, Al Ahmad decided to mix the Arabic design with the Japanese kimono style. 

“So now, my creations are different. Even the fabrics are from Japan. Even though it's really expensive, including the shipment from Japan, I still prefer this because I want my creations to be different and unique,” she added. 

How did she get started? Al Ahmad said:“Because of corona. There was not much to do at home. So I said why not start my own business? I studied business management, and I also have experience in managing business while working with a big company in Qatar”. 

Speaking about her journey as a social media influencer, Al Ahmad said it all started when several ladies kept asking her where she was buying her abayas.“I said why not showcase the abaya globally through social media. And it has taken me to various countries ever since. At the time, there were only few Qatari influencers unlike now. But people liked my content, because it was very informative about abaya designers. From the beginning, I received a lot of support and love,” she added. 

Her advice to younger Qatari women who also want to start a career in social media and business, but feel hindered by their doubts and fears:“I would say believe in yourself. And try even with small goals, don't jump. Also, ask the other ladies who are in this community, because they have the experience. Many ladies are willing to give good advice or become mentors, including me,” Al Ahmad added.

MENAFN07032022000063011010ID1103805435