JEDDAH, 20 September 2004 — In a small two-story showroom, Rowida Al-Harbi and her colleagues are taking care of business. Font for Ladies is a women-only center for computer services and printing, catering mainly for female students, academicians and education administrators.
“I married young and four months later I was divorced,” said Al-Harbi. “My father insisted that I stay at home, not getting either an education or a job. I was determined, however, to do something with my life so I taught myself to use computers and learned about different softwares.”
Then as a favor, she began typing documents and making presentations and publications for friends. The next step was to charge for her work. “From word-of-mouth advertising, I got a lot of work and in a year, I made SR32,000,” she said proudly.
A friend then suggested that she open a business offering these services to women but Al-Harbi said that she lacked the necessary capital. The friend then offered to invest in the business and become Al-Harbi’s partner. They found office space which was offered rent-free for the first year by a woman who owned a building.
“For two weeks, I supervised workers to finish the interiors and assembled furniture myself with help from my friends,” Al-Harbi said.
Font, located on Jeddah’s Sari Street, has been in business for nearly two years and it is flourishing slowly but surely. “It is my baby and I’m nourishing it so it will be healthy and strong.”
As in beginning any business, Al-Harbi faced problems but they were mainly about gaining experience, adapting, and making customers happy. The municipality and the chamber of commerce were very cooperative although some people had their doubts about a women-only computer center. “They didn’t think we could do it or be successful,” she said. Some fathers telephoned before bringing their daughters and asked if the center were really only for women.
One of Font’s customers said: “It is more convenient for a woman to come here herself, take off her abaya and work comfortably on her papers rather than sending a man with them to another center or working in a cramped space designated for women as you find in some centers.”
Font offers printing and designing for all kinds of products, copying, PowerPoint presentations, binding, translating and Internet research. “Even if I don’t offer the service here, I will outsource it for my customer and take a commission. My plans are eventually to expand and provide a comprehensive center for all the customer’s needs, including a study room, a small stationery shop and a training facility,” Al-Harbi added.
