Spend 5 minutes with Meenaxy Vasishtha as shares the stories of her entrepreneurial adventures in Dubai
Born from passion, Go Organic was Meenaxy Vasishtha’s gamble that paid off and how. In spending 5 minutes with the entrepreneur, she shares her learnings, and more importantly, the importance of building a strong support system.
Through community and networking groups, Meenaxy shares her story of building a successful brand in Dubai.
Can you tell us a little about your background and journey starting a business in Dubai
Before starting the business, I worked in different sectors. With a Hotel Management background, I started my career working in the best of the brands in India including Taj and Oberoi.
When I took a break from the industry due to personal reasons, I got an offer from a Dubai bank that I thought I’d attempt for a year and return to India. Well, that time never came as I met my husband in this beautiful country and had two beautiful boys.
A time came when I had to take a break as I had two kids back to back. Post that, it was a decision to either go back to full-time work or do something else. That’s when Go Organic was born out of pure passion and doing something while I was with the kids. I also live a plant-based lifestyle so starting something I was passionate about was easy.
What led to your decision to start a business in Dubai, and how has the experience been so far?
The business started as an experiment to fill the gap between me juggling with the kids and doing something. It grew instantly, though. The experience has been great.
How has being an entrepreneur in Dubai influenced your connection to the community and your sense of belonging?
Being an entrepreneur has given me a lot of freedom in terms of time and it is relatively easier in Dubai. One of the reasons is that there are many support groups, which really helps. Also because it is a close-knit country, it really helps with the connections and networks that are needed. People are generally quite helpful here.
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Could you highlight someone in Dubai who has played a significant role in supporting your business journey, and what impact did they have?
The networking groups have made a great impact on me. When I started the business, I did not have any networks and was more dependent on family.
Being in many networks helped me open my mind, be confident and the growth gradually happened. The strongest impact was made by BNI. Earlier, Go Organic was running like a mom-and-pop store. But when you meet other similar business owners, your vision and goal change. There are other groups like The Fun and Focused as well as local community networking groups. I live in Green Community, DIP, where there is a group as well.
What do you appreciate most about conducting business in Dubai, and how does it contribute to your entrepreneurial journey?
It’s really easy to do business in Dubai. The people in the country support local businesses. Getting business is relatively easy. With many support groups and networks, the journey is seamless. There were some hiccups in the beginning, with the major ones being that I really didn’t know how to run a business or delegate things.
As with every entrepreneur, we all go through our own levels of burnout. Thankfully, we learned this quickly and focused on growing the team. But it’s a must that all get into some strong networking groups to get sufficient support.
What common misconception about starting a business in Dubai would you like to dispel based on your experience?
The common misconception that Dubai can be difficult for women is not true. I don’t think it is true anywhere. There is enough support in this country and everyone works together.
Share a memorable moment where you experienced the genuine hospitality and support of the Dubai community in your entrepreneurial endeavours
There are so many. There was a time when we had invested in a new brand by increasing the shelf life of products. We had reached out to a lot of retail markets and honestly, we were surprised as all of them were more than receptive to getting our products onboard.
The general perception that people have is that people are not supportive. I suggest that you actually go there and try, and you will be surprised by the amount of support you get. Your community, networks and even the peer groups support you. If you do the right thing, people can see through it.
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