A self-made success story of female entrepreneurship
Date:
Defying limitations, Sabreen El-Sayed, 49, embodies the “self-made” success story. Despite lacking a college degree, business experience, and juggling family care for her husband and three daughters, Sabreen dared to dream of running her own business. Fueled by her love for books and computers, she ventured to rent out a small shop in 2012 that would soon turn into her whole world, where she would sell stationary and school supplies, and even offer photocopying and research services.
"This shop is my heart and soul," Sabreen stated, "I poured all my passion, love, and sweat into building it. For years I ran it on instinct and experience, and, while it functioned, many challenges arose. Without a roadmap or strategy, I tackled each day as it came."
Like many other businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Sabreen's shop hard in 2020, slowing down her business. However, as an avid entrepreneur, Sabreen thought that instead of waiting out the isolation, she would take the opportunity of this time to learn and develop by joining Rabeha Joint Programme, especially when she knew that it’s an online training.
“Rabeha Joint Programme was an eye-opener for me and widened my horizon. The trainings empowered me and taught me how to develop a business plan and define my target audience. Putting everything down on paper solidified my ideas and created a clear path for me,” Sabreen shared.
The Rabeha Joint Programme empowered female entrepreneurs like Sabreen to become market experts, with the skills to study market needs and interpret consumer demand to generate income.
“With my new skill for market analysis, I began understanding consumer needs during the shutdown, given that demand for stationery and school supplies were in decline. I expanded into new categories, such as home appliances and clothes, and, thankfully, customers and income started flowing in again,” stated Sabreen.
With changing seasons, Sabreen now focuses on offering in-demand products, stocking toys and appliances in the summer, and stationery during the “back-to-school” season. Understanding her customers' need for convenience, she even added a delivery service, to reach new customers across her community.
Financial management posed a significant challenge for Sabreen's shop, as she lacked any system to track income and expenses. This ambiguity caused her considerable stress and affected her ability to make informed financial decisions.
"Through the programme training, I learned the basics of finance for the first time ever. After practicing correct bookkeeping methods, I have now transformed what used to be a chaotic cash flow into a clearly organized system. Now, every penny goes where it needs to, for family, growing the business, or reinvesting," Sabreen explained.
Rabeha Joint Programme also clarified the complexities of sales tax for Sabreen, as she was unaware of the varying tax rates for different products and services. With this knowledge, she is now able to optimize her pricing strategy to ensure a healthy profit margin.
"I discovered that the photocopying service carried a surprisingly high tax, which cost me money without realizing. Accordingly, I strategically increased the price of photocopying and now I can cover my taxes and still make a profit,” Sabreen stated.
As Sabreen’s stationary shop was a one-woman show, family duties often left her overwhelmed and would even lead her to close shop at times, creating service gaps.
"Rabeha Joint Programme highlighted the importance of teamwork in any business and that made me realize I couldn't manage everything on my own. I thought ‘what better team to support me than my own family?!”, Sabreen stated, “My husband has now taken over procurement duties, becoming a valuable partner in the shop's operations. My daughters are also supporting me with marketing and even help out at the shop when needed."
Leveraging knowledge gained from the training, Sabreen has implemented significant improvements in her shop's operations. This has resulted in a remarkable 70% increase in profits, solidifying her business’s success. The positive financial impact has undoubtedly had a ripple effect, significantly improving her family’s life.
With Sabreen’s shop located in the heart of downtown amongst many other shops, she finds herself working in a male-dominated market, which presents its own challenges. Sabreen recalls that she often finds herself faced with aggressive behavior and transgressions from neighboring male business owners. But being the strong entrepreneur she is, Sabreen always fights to protect her rights and business by either taking a firm stand or involving the specialized authorities.
“Finding myself surrounded with a network of accomplished female entrepreneurs during Rabeha Joint Programme was quite different than what I am used to, and it fostered a powerful sense of solidarity and purpose in me. It undeniably highlighted the significant contributions women make in the business world. This experience instilled in me a profound sense of confidence and a firm belief in my own capabilities," Sabreen emphasized.
"Looking back, the countless roadblocks I faced weren't detours, they were the lessons carved into the very foundation of this business. Every challenge was a push forward, a chance to learn and grow. This shop wouldn't exist without my perseverance to keep going, one challenge after another. That's the biggest lesson I've learned: success takes sweat, grit, and the unwavering belief that you can overcome anything. And the struggle is worth every milestone when you finally reach your goal,” Sabreen concluded, her voice filled with pride for her hard-won success.
Sabreen is one of more than 8,470 women who participated in the “Women’s Economic Empowerment for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Egypt” programme known as “Rabeha”. The programme aims to enhance women’s economic empowerment through increased access to employment and/or self-employment opportunities, by providing capacity building and development support to women entrepreneurs, jobseekers, private sector companies and investors.
Rabeha Joint Programme is implemented by UN Women Egypt and UNIDO Egypt, in partnership with the National Council for Women (NCW), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) with the generous support of Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The training programme that Sabreen joined was delivered by The American University in Cairo.