Zuwaina Sultan Al-Rashdi, CEO of Dar al Herfya (World of Handicrafts) discusses the importance of establishing a benchmark of quality in the production and marketing of crafts. World of Handicrafts is a forum and common platform to produce, sell, market and promote traditional Omani crafts made by talented Omanis. The company works directly with them to ensure that the products are consistent with international standards and meet their clients’ needs. ‘Through our intervention and by meeting the unique needs of our clients, we help to protect our heritage and support our national economy,’ maintains the company website http://alherfya.om.
The company supports more than 800 families around Oman and has been in the forefront of several innovative ventures that cater to both tourists as well as the corporate sector. Describing her business portfolio, Zuwaina Sultan Al-Rashdi, Chief Executive Officer of World of Handicrafts, explains: “It is a specialised investment company involved in quality development, packaging, production, marketing and promotion of Omani handicrafts to be sold locally and internationally.”
A graduate of Sultan Qaboos University with a BSc. in Journalism Mass Communication, and a High National Diploma in development journalism from Indian Institute of Communication, Zuwena has more than 15 years of experience in communication and branding in various sectors. She won the Best Female Entrepreneur Award for 2015 – 2016 and has worked with various business entities as senior manager for branding and media, including Sultanate of Oman TV as Director of Marketing and Advertising.
She attributes her spur for taking the entrepreneurship route to the passion she nurtured early on and her growing desire to add value to the society and the country. “I have the faith that I can do more…” she maintains.
Her entry into the world of business can be traced to the home business she initiated in 2013. Little steps led to bigger leaps and today the business has grown to include four outlets and a packaging workshop.
What makes World of Handicrafts so very special is her focus on establishing the business as a development project to market and promote traditional crafts. As the company profile states: ‘Our vision is to become a global platform to showcase Omani products around the globe. We aim to encourage and motivate talented Omani crafts and designers, help them to market and promote their products, urge them to be innovative and creative, and explore new markets for Omani handicrafts – locally, regionally and internationally. We also set up strategies to develop the production, sale methods and marketing of Omani traditional crafts.’
However, success has not come without tackling those inherent business challenges. Marketplace processes and procedures were the most trying, but she overcame them by thinking out of the box. “We relied on creative and innovative products, attractive pricing strategy and a smart way of selecting location of our outlets,” adds Zuwena.
She believes that the entrepreneurial spirit could be inculcated among the youth in the country if they have the skills and the requisite knowledge. All that they need is “passion and dedication” to make a success in the big world of business, she adds.
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