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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Student entrepreneurs come out with flying colours

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SALALAH, Feb 13 - Perseverance is the most important factor to be successful. Seven graduating students of Business and Communication stream have proved this and are bubbling with confidence after success and well deserved recognition at a meet in which 72 ‘college companies’ from several Arab countries took part and displayed their business skills. The event was held recently in Muscat. These girls from Salalah College of Applied Science formed a dummy company titled ‘Jewel Tree’ to take part in the forum and were adjudged the best for their acumen to invest and get good profit in return. Among the Jewel Tree partners, five are from Accounting, one from International Business Administration (IBA) and one from Communication streams.


From Accounting are Malak al Mardoof, Fatma Saar, Asma Qwas, Khloud al Mahri, and Arouba Bait Saidm while Muna al Kathiri and Tamadher al Ghafri are from IBA and Communication departments respectively. They formed the ‘company’ with a meagre amount of RO 900, invested in their own ‘stock’ project and re-invested the principal and profit to expand it. Under the banner of ‘Jewel Tree’ these girls renting their products, taking orders and selling them if someone is interested in buying. Not only this, they are in touch with some big hotels to customise their needs and supply products.


“People are not sure about your capabilities when you start something. You have to be humble, consistent and assertive to achieve your goals… this happened with us when we started. No one was serious about our success, but we seven were sure about our own capabilities. We insisted that we would take part in the Muscat event where many colleges from outside Oman were taking part.


Not only everyone liked our idea, many of them offered to have joint venture with us.


Our stall stood out and products caught everyone’s attention,” said Malak, who was beaming with confidence and acting as a true representative of the company.


“We have a range of products, mostly recycled from coconut leaves, its trunk and locally available wood. We source our raw material also from scrap, where we get old doors and recycle according to our requirement,” she said.


Their products include authentic Omani souvenirs made by Omani craftsmen, tables and wooden trays to display food products, platforms to display perfumes. “There are not enough authentic Omani souvenirs available in the market.


Among our souvenirs, mobile holder, key rings and hand fans with Omani national symbols are receiving very good response.


We are enhancing our capabilities to produce more and target right market for them,” said Malak.


The Jewel Tree group is earning some regular income and sometimes “it goes as high as RO 2,700” in a month.


The Jewel Tree team has big plans for the company as it wants to rise beyond its current engagements with birthdays, marriage parties and some select corporate events.


Kaushalendra Singh


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