She Started It
Think back to the time when you may have heard or said or thought about these words.
Close your eyes and imagine that exact scenario (or scenarios) in your mind.
This will only take a minute.
We’ll wait. Go on.
.
.
.
Done?
Now quickly go through all the scenario(s). Think about how you felt.
Positive? Negative? Neutral?
Our guess is, much like the word ‘Quitting’, ‘She Started It’, did not evoke any feel good vibes.
Sheraa, in partnership with the US Consulate General in Dubai, arranged a special screening of the Award winning and much acclaimed (and rightfully so) film She Started It.
The itinerary mentioned special guests, film and lunch. However, the afternoon went beyond the average Show and Tell.
Christine, Education Officer, at the US Consulate General in Dubai, started things off, by speaking about the Partnership between the two institutions, creating the opportunity of education.
We watched, listened, questioned and discussed. The intention of the event was to facilitate a conversation about female entrepreneurs and the challenges they face, in the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The first guest, Anna Al Qasimi – Roberts, with heart and humour, had everybody hanging onto her every word. Her employment career began as a Broadcaster on a Radio Station. It made her ill, to wake up and go through the motions of the day, not realising her full potential. That pushed her to plunge into the ‘Trep journey. There have been some super highs and few breaking lows. We’ll have you know, it is far from over.
‘The marriage and twins (she gave birth to twin boys 6 months ago), was not a part of my 5 year plan. It was the support from home and the amazing people from Mums@Work, which helped me forge ahead. People do not realise, how difficult it can be for new mothers to get back into the workforce. It takes everything you have and more to keep going.’
She has grown and helped grow the confidence of many an entrepreneur in the region and beyond. In her own words, she is ‘Growing a business and raising babies with style.’ We could not have said it any better.
The second guest, Helen Al Uzaizi, CEO of BizWorld, began by asking the audience about their understanding of the word grit. Her journey thus far, including the cast on her left leg, indicated she had the authority to define and personify the word.
She set out on her journey of personal discovery, writing a bucket list of 164 items, each crazier than the last. She has scaled heights, literally and figuratively. While the goal-date to run her first full iron-man has been reset owing to her injury, she is not resting. It is impressive, considering she does all this while helming her social enterprise. An Award Ceremony celebrating the success of Youth Entrepreneurs is in the works. She is also busy helping two teams, involving children whose average age is 10 years, to set up their own companies.
Only one word suffices the experience of listening to these two speakers - *Goosebumps*
This whetted our appetite to watch the film. Now what is a movie experience without snacks?
The Mail Room, stepped up to the plate (pun intended), serving 4 varieties of gourmet popcorn. (Yes, we counted) They also had cotton candy.
She Started It, the film, boasts an impressive IMDb ratings of 7.8. It released in 2016, however it is as relevant two years later. The rooms that we move in, as entrepreneurs, have not changed dramatically, if at all in spirit.
Thuy, Stacey, Sheena, Brienne and Agathe are five incredible women. It is not lost on us that female entrepreneurs do not have it easy in spite of having previous success (million dollars worth). Mind you, it is a global phenomenon. We have been in similar rooms, with similar absence of feedback or lack of interest.
The reality of dearth of venture capital funding made available to women-led companies is in your face throughout the movie. There is no beating about the bush.
There are many takeaways from the flashes that are shown.
The pitch impacts your ability to attract investment.
Exude confidence. Investors invest in you. Then the idea.
Do not shy away from reaching out to those who have traversed similar waters.
Network. Network. Network.
Know when to exit.
Success and failures are integral to present the complete picture. Kudos to the makers for bringing out the phenomenal stories. They deserve all the praise that has come their way and will in future.
What when the end credits have rolled?
Time for an activity!
The audience was split into groups of five. The objective was simple. Introduce yourself to your group. Discuss responses to a question within the group and subsequently with the other groups. There was a different question for each group, all simple yet important, about the female entrepreneurs in the larger picture of the Start Up ecosystem.
In a group of 16, the sole gentleman who attended the event was applauded for participating. Naser (the only other gentleman in the room) and Sali, facilitated the course of events. Finally, it was time for networking and lunch (The Mail Room, Thank You once again!).
Sheraa, true to tradition had a bag full of goodies ready for us as we got ready to leave. Check out our Instagram post for more on this.
In conclusion, it was quite the afternoon. Be sure to check out events organised by Sheraa.
There is always more than meets the eye, in the best possible way.
