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TRANSPARENCY KEY TO ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
London Business School brings together region ’ s entrepreneurs as part of an inaugural conference
Transparency has been recognised as key for entrepreneurial success in the Middle East , especially during times of economic uncertainty . This and other topics related to small and medium business growth were discussed recently at the inaugural Middle East Entrepreneurship Conference , hosted by London Business School in Dubai .
The event , which took place at Conference Centre of the Madinat
Jumeirah Hotel , welcomed members and founders of well-known regional ventures such as Souqalmal . com , Ochre Brand and Fetchr to share their insights as well as the challenges and opportunities for business development .
According to Ambareen Musa , founder and CEO of Souqalmal . com , being transparent and recognising genuine investor interest in your market play a key role in fundraising for new business ideas – especially at times when securing capital can be more challenging .
“ As a founder , there is always going to be enough on your plate , so it ’ s always good to filter who is and who isn ’ t interested in your business . The key is to be really transparent , and the last six months have been really tough due to oil prices going down and companies slashing their budgets . We ’ ve been very lucky but it hasn ’ t been easy , and that ’ s exactly what I tell my investors – and they still want to invest ,” says Ambareen Musa .
“ The trick is to always fundraise when you don ’ t necessarily need money , it ’ s a good idea to be networking with investors , whether you ’ re looking for money of not . There are a lot of investors out there who are just interested in the market .”
More than 109 students and alumni from London Business School met with experienced entrepreneurs , investors , and experts from across the region during the event .
During the discussions , attendees identified the Middle East to be a
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