Areej Al Hemly Decoration | 2014
Adi Khamis Al Dahmani from Al Rustaq did not originally consider entering the business world. He has very deep artistic abilities with an affinity towards beautiful artworks and environments, but he always considered these talents more of a hobby than a path to business success.
2009 proved to be a turning point in Dahmani’s life; one which came about almost by chance. After showing friends and family through his newly self-decorated home, he received a large number of positive comments and requests from others to transform their houses in a similar manner. After a thoughtful period, Adi decided to invest in his talents and turn them into a sustainable business, one that would over time grow to become his primary source of income, as well as a source of immense pride for him. Having made his decision, Adi requested an early retirement from his daytime job in order to fully focus on the setup and launch of his new business, one that would specialise in residential and commercial interior decorations that he named ‘Areej Al Hemly Decoration’.
As in the case of any new business start-up, success is not guaranteed merely by possessing talent, as planning, sound business knowledge and perseverance are required in order to truly succeed. In fact there are a multitudeoffactorsthatmakeanenterprisesuccessful, with wise management, smart marketing, as well as being able to accept and learn from knock-backs and disappointments in order to move ahead. Adi quickly learned these valuable skills after gaining membership with Zubair SEC in mid-2013.
Before joining Zubair SEC, Adi’s new business suffered from stiff competition within the Sultanate, with factors like brand recognition, sound pricing strategy, and a limited customer base. Therefore, his immediate priorities turned to developing a unique brand identity and putting in place a professional marketing programme in order to differentiate his business in the crowded market. In addition, professional project management could draw the line between success and failure and Adi was very well aware of the magnitude of details needed to manage his projects professionally. But, this was all before he joined the Centre, and now the outlook is bright for ‘Areej Al Hemly Decoration’. Adi as an aspiring Omani entrepreneur was selected to join the Zubair SEC Direct Support Programme, where he has gained the necessary support and consultancy to grow his new business, placing it on the best footing for the years ahead.
Zubair SEC provided Adi the necessary support to establish a fully furnished office to manage his project. The management skills he gained also played a key role in reducing fixed costs by 15%, which reflected positively in the capability of the project to move forward.