In an interview with Arab News, Al-Sudayri said she was encouraged and supported to go into business after graduating from King Saud University with a BA in kindergarten education by her father.

The Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, she said, opted to help and serve Saudi businesswomen. “However, Saudi businesswomen themselves still need enlightenment and more awareness about the role of chambers and what they can provide to businesswomen. The chambers have to also play a role in increasing awareness about their services ... among businesswomen,” said Al-Sudayri.

“The current support that women receive from the chambers is not enough to market their work locally and outside Kingdom. We have seen what the chambers have done to help Saudi businesswomen market their businesses in the US, as well as to present their ideas and exchange experiences with others,” she added.

In 1998, Al-Sudayri established Najd Computer Company — two of its branches sold computers and computer accessories, while a third provided training courses in computer and English for women under the name “Women Special Services Center.” Al-Sudayri now manages Hanad Trading Industrial and Contracting Co. Ltd., which operates a chain of restaurants and shops, including Coffee Lenoter, Lenoter Boutiques, B2B Restaurants and Enter Café. The main challenges Al-Sudayri faced when she established her first business was her gender. Back in the 90s “the Saudi market was not yet ready to deal with women. The difficulties we faced were in getting commercial records and licenses, as well as the struggle we all faced to get a legal guardian to represent us as businesswomen.”

The challenges facing women in business have been significantly reduced lately, said Al-Sudayri. “Compared to 12 years ago, women have forced themselves into every business sector. The world is moving rapidly toward globalization and is becoming more open,” she added. Speaking about the chances available to small businesswomen, she said, “If the eagerness to initiate a business is accompanied with an insistence to succeed then this will make everything easy.”

When asked if her social class has helped her succeed, she said, “It was not easy to enter business as my social class is not used to women going into business. However, since some of my family members went into business before me, this meant I was not the only one.” The Saudi market, said Al-Sudayri, can accommodate  women graduates, unemployed women and housewives. “The Saudi market is a large and promising one. The number of workingwomen do not yet constitute one third of the Kingdom’s workforce. Through hard work... small businesswomen are able to own their own leading fashion boutiques,” she said. Al-Sudayri, who is against copying of business projects, said, “There is no problem in duplicating projects if they are distinct in what they provide. It should be remembered that the market is unable to thrive on a single business project in any one area.”

The future of Saudi businesswomen is promising and the market is open to all Saudi women, she said, adding that Saudi businesswomen have, within a short period of time, been able to develop knowledge, understanding and logical thinking which will allow them to become outstanding businesswomen. Women with small businesses, she said, could help boost the job market by providing more job opportunities to graduates and benefiting from their eagerness to work. This, said Al-Sudayri, will balance the Saudi market by reducing the demand for expatriate workers.

Even though women make up a small part of the Saudi job market, they possess massive economic power, said Al-Sudayri. “The finance that women have is huge. If there were a move to invest all the money that women have in banks then there would be a huge economic revolution in the Kingdom,” she added. As a top Saudi businesswoman, Al-Sudayri’s ambition is to serve her country, and help it develop and advance, and move away from being a developing country into becoming a developed country.