While I never expected to start my career in a fast-paced industry like e-commerce, looking back on my time with Barakatalan, a platform that has helped hundreds of thousands of shoppers across the Middle East find exclusive deals and coupons, it is obvious to me that my past and Barakatalan as an organisation are similar in that we both arose from our curiosity and determination to create a platform that is just as rewarding for the shopper who saves money using coupons as it is for those who purchase the product.
The Women Entrepreneurs in the GCC Region
Women throughout the Middle East are becoming more active and are taking the initiative to convert their ideas into viable, profitable businesses. I am pleased to know that my efforts at Barakatalan have contributed to this positive evolution of the GCC and the women who live and work there.
The area is a fast-growing hub for small business development and entrepreneurship; due to the availability of financial support for start-ups, a growing interest in innovative products and services, and government regulations supporting women in growing their businesses. Although the number of women becoming founders in the region is increasing, women need to build their own support networks, establish credibility, and create opportunities. This is positive because I am optimistic about the future of entrepreneurship and women in the Middle East based on what I see happening now.
It All Started With Me and My Shopping Habit
Prior to starting Barakatalan, I was an avid shopper just like the majority of online consumers, tirelessly looking for the best deals. I would devote hours searching through different websites trying to spot savings on clothes, electronics, travel, and even food and often contemplated why the process couldn’t be simpler. I personally experienced the anxiety of overlooking an amazing deal due to the fact that all offers were so widely dispersed across the internet that you could only find them if you knew exactly where the best offers were located.
It didn’t really matter to me if I could save a couple of dirhams on something; however, I wanted to give people (specifically, those with tight finances) the opportunity to shop smarter than they would have been able to otherwise. Eventually, this insight became the basis for Barakatalan.
Finding My Calling in Deals and Discounts
I believed something needed to happen not only for myself, but also for other people. We needed a more efficient way of finding higher quality websites to help us shop smart. This led me to literally put the outline of my idea into a sketch. The idea was to build a platform for customers in the Middle East to collect coupons, promo codes and exclusive offers from a variety of popular e-commerce retailers worldwide. Each of these retailers, while they have websites that cater to the residents of the Middle East, needs to have a locally relevant yet globally savvy platform that customers would use as a way to maximise savings through their purchasing power.
Thus, Barakatalan became my ultimate goal. The name was derived from two words: ‘barakat’ (meaning ‘growth’ or ‘blessings’) and ‘alan’ (which means ‘right now’). In essence, these two words combine to define my company’s purpose: to provide customers with immediate savings on their purchases as well as to have their purchasing power increased every day.
Bootstrapping, Backing, and Belief
Coming up with ideas is one thing, but making them happen is another challenge entirely! In the beginning, venture capitalists weren’t beating down my door, but I did have family and friends that believed in me and not only what I was trying to do! So instead of looking to find traditional sources to invest in, I created a business model as a “strategic partnership” with a small group of supporters who were willing to invest a certain amount of money from their paychecks on a monthly basis until we got our business off the ground. The fact that they were willing to do this was also a tremendous morale boost during what were some of the most difficult months of building my business. Bootstrapping has taught me a great deal about discipline and allowed me to build my business in a very lean, customer-focused manner. And since I was not responsible to outside investors, I was able to focus on creating something that would benefit real people!
Growing Beyond Deals: Redefining Shopping in the Middle East
What started out as a basic coupon aggregation website evolved into many things, as we worked with hundreds of big-name brands across the UAE and Saudi Arabia to offer consumers access to fashion, travel (including savings like 12GO promo codes), and premium lifestyle offers. We even took our platform a step further by enabling VIP shopping notifications so our users don’t miss their chance to shop limited edition releases. We have continued to grow and adapt, improving the mobile user experience, curating deal collections based on popular demand and keeping up with the fast-paced growth of e-commerce in the region through the introduction of new features such as personalised recommendations, making shopping more intuitive and enjoyable.
What This Journey Really Means to Me
As I reflect on how and where Barakatalan first started (with great passion for an idea but with limited resources and on a small scale) to its current size and success, I feel Barakatalan is more than just growth in volume; it is about opportunity. Specifically, there are growing opportunities for women across the Barakatalan region to take the lead and shape their respective sectors through innovative thinking.
Barakatalan’s platform is also a testament that every challenge can yield a new business idea, and once you put your heart into executing your vision, that idea can be developed into something worth fighting for.
To the individual reading this who may think they don’t fit “the entrepreneur model,” please remember that I did not either; however, I can assure you that there are always opportunities that arise from taking an unconventional route.
