RIYADH: Saudi families exhibited various homemade products at the weeklong fourth Montijoon expo at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.

The expo, launched last Tuesday, was organized by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf).

Hadaf showed training programs dedicated to supporting small-enterprise owners as part of its efforts to support productive families, including programs that offer solutions to entrepreneurs with small and medium-sized businesses via its website.

The expo, which concluded Monday, also included participants from families that benefit from social security, as well as orphans and the handicapped.

Several participants related stories and inspirations behind their businesses. Munira Abu Haimad, a perfume-maker for seven years, acquired the tools and equipment before getting a permit to make perfume and import aromatic oil.

She said her major challenge was convincing clients not to buy foreign products and she succeeded in winning their trust.

Artist Basma Al-Yami said she started painting three years ago but decided to go professional recently. She has started using Instagram and Snapchat to market her pieces, saying she has garnered many clients. She plans to host her first art exhibition soon.

Najla Yahya, owner of I-Fix Store, which repairs mobile phones, said she started learning to fix mobile phones four months ago by working in a Saudi-owned shop. She also attended several training courses in Riyadh.

She said she opened a store with support from the Ministry of Labor and Social Development. She added that there was high demand among women to go to women-run repair shops because of privacy and trust.

Amal Abdul Aziz is exhibited her enterprise Relaxation Bath, which manufactures body-relaxing products that contain natural ingredients and salts.

She said she entered this field seven months ago after studying for a year, researching and testing. She added that her inspiration came from a Saudi studying for a Ph.D. in the US, who explained soap-making on her Snapchat account.