ALKHOBAR, 17 April 2005 — They were all there, waiting excitedly for Professor Anand Gopal to arrive. It was the last day of class. Thirty-six young Saudi boys and six women were about to complete a business course last Tuesday with Saudi Entrepreneurship Development Institute which is structured by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
Some boys played billiards, few girls worked on their laptops. They were all eager and excited at the prospect of turning their dreams to reality. All of them had hopes of becoming entrepreneurs.
Hanadi, a college student in her early 20s was trying her hand at becoming a professional photographer. “I earned SR15,000 last year working from home. I took this course to advance my knowledge because as Saudi women we have very little opportunity to learn about business. The most important thing I learnt in this course was planning and marketing my product. I found that if I want to succeed I need a more professional outfit. I need to be able to reach more people. I am planning to open my own studio.”
Reem has a B.A. in English language. She just opened a media presentation company. “Times are changing. Before nobody thought that it was possible for a Saudi woman to have a business career unless she came from one of the big business houses,” she said.
Reem has already earned $9,700 in a month since she started taking the course.
She said that some reforms were necessary to help small businesses. “Government and bank loans are geared to serve bigger businesses. If I need a loan, the bank asks me for a collateral which I do not have. I think it is very important to bring about reforms that would help small businesses qualify for loans more easily. Registering is difficult for women. All ministries need to have women’s section, only a few ministries do now.”
Hannan is an artist and she is aspiring to have an Internet-based advertising agency.
The only elderly female in the group was Dr. Hanaa, a retired eye specialist. “In my times society was totally dominated by man. He was always trying to push you off. Times are changing, though slowly. I am retired but still took this course because I am excited at the prospect of having my own business. I want to spend all my earning in charity.”
Anand Gopal was a professor at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, a top ranking business institute in Asia.
Talking to Arab News, Gopal said he was most impressed with students in the Eastern Province. “They are the most focused. They seriously want to succeed. They have very good ideas. We have taught them that they must find out if their business idea is feasible. They had no concept of making feasibility reports, marketing, customer service, punctuality. They have all learnt that here.”
Gopal said he found that women had bigger desires to succeed and were more serious and motivated. “One day we had some trouble in class. A Saudi man came in very angry. He said his wife was attending the course without his permission. He screamed at his wife and took her home. Within half an hour, the wife returned. Very calmly, she said, ‘My husband told me to choose between him and the course. I chose the course.’ The good thing is the man finally accepted his wife’s desire. So now he drops her to class everyday.”
Gopal said: “The Saudi youth is learning that gone are the days when you could make a living without really trying to. This is the age of cutthroat competition. Only those who are prepared and hardworking will survive.”
Ali Ibrahim, in his mid-20s was happy he had taken the course. He has a trading company, which lost a lot of money. “Now, I know where I went wrong. I learnt that I needed to hire the right people, learnt the difference between marketing and selling. I am confident, now I will be a successful businessman.”
