Sanja Milosavljevic: Hi, hello, my name is Sanja Milosavljevic and I’m going to be your host today. Today, my guest is Bedoor and she comes from Kuwait and she wears different hats, as some people like to say. Because she doesn’t have just one occupation or one job, or business that she runs, she has multiple interests and multiple jobs and businesses. This whole project is supported by the US embassy in Belgrade, so I hope you’re going to enjoy our conversation. Hi, Bedoor, how are you?

Bedoor AlSumait: I’m fine, thank you. How are you?

Sanja Milosavljevic: I’m fine, and as I said in some previous interviews or talks, I really appreciate and I’m grateful for this opportunity to speak with you and to share your story with the world with people here in Serbia. It’s- how should I say, it’s a rare honor to be in this position as I am. So, can you tell us something about yourself? Like what is your educational background, what businesses do you run, what are your future plans, what are your interests and something like that?

Bedoor AlSumait: Okay. My name is Bedoor, I’m president of Business and Professional Women Networking here in Kuwait. I started my business actually when I was 19. I started with a very small shop, flower shop and I put my business through many kinds of projects until I find myself which part that I like. My study is- I have two certificates. One of them is a diploma of accounting, other certificate is in business. Also, I’m a trainer, so I have many certificates in training, quality management, customer service, marketing also. So I give some of my study, I give them as a workshop for the people that need them. In our country, in Kuwait, we have a youth ministry, so I give them these lessons.

Sanja Milosavljevic: That’s nice, I didn’t know about that. I didn’t know that you actually started with a flower shop and this is a bit of a surprise for me. So how was it like to be a very young woman? You were basically a girl – 19 years old, for me that’s a girl. So how was it to start a flower shop or any kind of shop in Kuwait in those days?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes. I started in 1999. It was a very strange- when they saw me that I have my own business. Because in Kuwait we don’t have a business woman as much as you’d think in this year, in 1999. So everyone was surprised when they saw me that I’m working with my hands, in my shop. Also, when I went to a Ministry to add the license for the shop, they did not accept because I am young and because I’m a Kuwaiti and a lady. First they surprise and they did not give me the license, so my license in the beginning was in my father’s name. After that, they understand that the people they don’t want it to be like every time – when they graduate they went to any kind of Ministry to have a job, or any kind of job, not just like what you study. For example my study is accounting and they add me something different, very different that I do from what I study. So after that they understand the people want to change in Kuwait, the ladies want a change in Kuwait. So the government added a program, but the program started maybe in 2007 about the people that they want to join the special sector. Not the government sector and they give us a salary if you join this sector, to help us to survive in our project. Or in our business.

Sanja Milosavljevic: So- sorry. Sorry for interrupting you, but was that mainly for women, or for men? Or was it just equal both for women and men.

Bedoor AlSumait: The help was for all – women and men. Because they want the people that went to special sector, not the government sector like when you graduate. They support us by giving us a salary.

Sanja Milosavljevic: That’s nice. So was that enough to be sustainable as a business? Or at least at start? That salary, or that amount of money.

Bedoor AlSumait: Actually, it was good before the Corona, but- yeah. You can’t survive. Because you have many things that you need to pay. Like first we pay for the paper- for the license, we need to pay. Then after that we pay for the office or for the shop. It’s very expensive. The rent is very high in Kuwait. Very high. Then, the other part is how you will work if you have a big company – how can you work with them, if you are a small business. This is difficult also. After the Corona now, also the government try to help us. They give us like 6 month’s salary as a gift for making survival of your business and they are planning to give us a loan but without benefits. You can return it by five or ten years, if you need it. Not all of the businesses need them. So this is a good help from the  government. They are planning to do something and we are also some plan with them how we can survive. Some business are- maybe 30% of businesses are closing when Corona came here. So it’s very bad for them, for the people who have closed businesses. And they have loans, they already have loans. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: I know, that’s a problem. So, who is closing? Small businesses or large businesses and corporations?

Bedoor AlSumait: Actually, the small business. Not the large business. Because the large business they have the sharing holder and they can do the other side- they can manage the problem. But small businesses – nobody can trust with them to make sharing with them. The big companies they can make share with other companies and they can survive. Like some of the banks, some of the big companies for dairy. We have it one kind of model we can set, but in the small business, nobody can trust you. You are a small business, you run it, but when you say I have a problem, I need to share this problem with someone, we share other problem together, we can make partner and we can make this business a big business, they cannot trust you. And more that they don’t have cash money. Because with Corona we have closing down. Maybe equate most country they had the closing time. Because they close- they had timing when Corona is beginning, then we have close time maybe one month and after that also we have timing. Then they open it until now, the shop they cannot open more than ten PM. Like in the malls, they cannot open more than 10 PM. Also the famous business we have in Kuwait, the food. The restaurants. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: What about them? What is going on there?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yeah, first they have a big problem because closing. They cannot deliver. Also there is problem with delivering. They are not accepted for somebody would deliver for you. They thought the Corona maybe would be the delivery man. He had Corona, maybe. So that’s- there’s too much problem with the food. So after the opening we thought- I thought with this weather, now it’s very nice in Kuwait, I thought they would return their loss. Everybody want to go out because one month you are inside home, you cannot move. And the kids also. Now every restaurant outside door – full. Because the weather is good and the people they need the change. So I think the food sector is now a little bit better than the other business. Some schools, special schools like the nurseries – they are still closing. They lose. Some of them close, they sell everything inside – like furniture, toys, books – they sell them. They sold them. Salon also, some of the owners of salons they sell their salons because they not accept before the government to open the salon and you cannot join and you cannot do anything inside salon and also salon closing. There is some kind of business closed. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: Well, it’s same here. Plus, our restaurants are working from 9-5PM they are closed  during the weekends, so it’s basically similar. Our shopping malls are closed at I think 8PM, so it’s the same, pretty much the same here. But when you say salons are selling their equipment – who are they selling it to? If no one can work? Who is buying now? Who is investing in equipment or in space, when you don’t know when you’re going to open again?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes, good question. But you know because I am the consultant in the business, so you know some of my clients have the money, but they don’t have the idea. When they get the idea, they went to buy these things. For example when she have money and she doesn’t know what she’ll open. And she plan for example to open a salon. When she wants to open the salon, she search about the one kind of salon in the lockdown. She go and buy it. She said maybe she don’t have cash, I have cash – maybe I can run this salon, she don’t have to run this salon. I want to try my luck here. So there is people that they have money and there’s people they can open a new business. Still, we thought nobody will win after Corona. We said maybe all the malls will put- the rent is very low because they need people to come after the Coronavirus. But actually it is not really. Because when I want to move my office from one place to other one, let’s say before Corona the price was 900kd. Around 3000 dollars. After Corona I thought maybe he’d make it less because nobody would rent. When I checked, he put it higher. One more one thousand dollar, like 4000. So…

Sanja Milosavljevic: That’s not such a smart business decision when you raise the prices of the rent because this is going to end at some point. 

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes, the real-estate sector they don’t like the small business in Kuwait. Yeah really, because they do not help them. But they can do the other side, because if they help us with little rent, somebody will come again and the place will be full. But they don’t want. They don’t want. They put it high and they thought that you need them, because there’s no other place.

Sanja Milosavljevic: I know, but it’s the other way around. They need us, plus it would be perfect if we all cooperate, so…for the sake of the both businesses. Yeah, I know. But it’s interesting for me, I was- what is the state of the real-estate market in Kuwait? Generally? Like in Belgrade, the prices for the- if you want to buy a flat in Belgrade. The prices per square meter is extremely high. If you want to buy in some nicer part of Belgrade, if you don’t want to go somewhere in the deep suburbs. So they keep raising the prices of the square meter in Belgrade. So 10 years ago it was maybe 1000, or 1200 euros, now it’s 2000 euros per square meter. So what’s the situation in Kuwait?

Bedoor AlSumait: The similar of you. Similar what you have. Maybe we are more. Because you know by joking they add one kind of value in USA and one old house in Kuwait and this one with a river and tree, other one is nothing and they compare price here and here. This one is around like 380k and other one is 1 million kd. Yeah. We cannot – if you do not have a house in Kuwait, you can wait more than 15 years to get it from the government – it is very high. Also with the highest loan you cannot buy it. And our government give us like 70 thousand kd like help for family to take this loan and buy the house. With this loan and my own loan and my husband’s loan, we cannot buy a house. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: Oh, that is a problem, I must say. But- why is it so expensive? Who is earning money?

Bedoor AlSumait: I don’t know why it’s high for now, but I get my house in 2007, so I’m survive. But they make it high for some reason maybe. Like it’s when they make it high and you cannot buy, you’ll go to rent. So they need you to rent their spaces and the rent is also very high so it’s benefit for them.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Yeah it’s easier to pay rent monthly than to just buy a whole house or a flat. So, can you tell us something about the state of entrepreneurship in Kuwait. You said it was strange when you opened your flower shop 20 years ago. But has something changed in the meantime and what is the state of entrepreneurship now in Kuwait?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes, for sure there was a change from 1999 until now. Now they know what’s entrepreneurship, they know that the women do in their work. Before they don’t know, or they did not see that the lady can have any kind of job. Like she can work flower shop, I work also on decorations and also a recycling company, I work with them. And now no, everyone knows what the lady can do. I have in my business and professional women’s society I have many ladies that have a factory. Men cannot understand that the Kuwaiti lady she had and ran a factory. One of them she makes glass for the car or house, other one she have factory for the food. And she sell the food inside all of the markets. So when you said that one kind of lady she had, she had and ran a factory, they shocked. But now they- yeah. They thought that lady she cannot do anything. I think in all the wards they said that the lady, she cannot do anything. But for now in Kuwait no, and they join the media, we try to push them to the media. Like TV like instagram. Each one that had a business, we said to her you must talk in the media. Let the people know that you have and you can run this job. Also when one of my colleague- she had one of the first factories for recycling plastic bottles. And this one, because she’s the first one and we have like a funding from the government, they give the people that have businesses,they give them loans. She’s the first one who got the loan – they gave her half a million kd. Also she had a good, good media for her because she’s the one, the first one and initially she- she’s the one who started to change their mind about the factory that cannot- the ladies. So it is good. For now it is good, more than before. Before, it was very hard to tell them that I am running my business, nobody is running my business. But now no, you can go like to the ministry, you can find many ladies they do their own paper, their own. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: So you said it’s important to have support from the media, I agree. We have to share good examples, we have to share successful stories, like I’m sharing your story right now. But do you think that could change if there wasn’t support from the government? Government is basically the one who decides if they’re going to promote female entrepreneurship or not.

Bedoor AlSumait: For sure, if the government supports the woman, it will be a big difference for the women. From all kinds of sectors, you know. Because we need the government support, but like my- I’m trying and I’m trying to join and once I’m one kind of place for the business in Kuwait it is the government sector. I tried to tell them that we need support from you and they said “We cannot give support to the woman”. Because we thought that woman similar of the men, so why you need special support.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Okay. I mean it’s a joke. Sorry, but it’s a joke. Because we are not the same, that’s why we probably need more support or more help. Whatever. So do you- your association, how many women are there in your association?

Bedoor AlSumait: More than 630 women. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: Are they all from Kuwait, or all they all from the region or Saudi Arabia? 

Bedoor AlSumait: From all kind of countries. Because before we had from Australia, from India, we had from Iran – all kind. Any lady who want to join us but she live in Kuwait, it’s better because if we make a meeting, so better she live in Kuwait. She can join.

Sanja Milosavljevic: For basically I can join your association?

Bedoor AlSumait: For sure you can join.

Sanja Milosavljevic: I thought it was a local association. We met in the States two years ago, I thought it was local or for Saudi Arabia, not for the rest of the world. That’s good. So we can actually invite ladies to join your association.

Bedoor AlSumait: For sure, they can join us. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: I mean, it’s also a good opportunity, maybe they can offer something for your market, maybe ladies from your market can offer something for our market, so basically it’s a sound idea.

Bedoor AlSumait: Yeah. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: So, you said- let me just continue the previous question. So you said there is a lady in the food sector, a lady in the recycling sector, what other examples are there? Ladies that are part of your association and they run their own businesses? 

Bedoor AlSumait: All kinds of businesses. The makeup artists, we have consultants, we have some of doctors they run their own clinics. All kinds of business, we have it in our society. All of them they are working on their own, not that they rented to someone.

Sanja Milosavljevic: So they are from different sectors. Are there ladies from IT or the tech industry in Kuwait? Not just in your society but in Kuwait? Are ladies interested in IT sector?

Bedoor AlSumait: Actually some little of them- because the IT- I think the IT is new in the world. It’s not very old. So we have it, but not that much. Old vision, they need to renew all their study. So we have it but not as much as you think. Also in government planning for the next five years they said that they need the IT and coding. That they know the coding.They need around 4000 jobs – the government need from Kuwaiti people. And up until now they don’t have maybe 20. Really, about the coding. Because I was in a meeting with the people who run this seminar for the Kuwait for the five years incoming.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Well that’s interesting. How are you going to support this 5-years plan? Do you teach IT engineering in your schools or your colleges? Do you- how can you produce that number of programmers in 5 years?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yeah, one of the ideas I suggested to them is that we teach the people in high school about the coding, about the great need in this job. And after that, we like collect of some people that we know that are good at math or science and we offer them good college outside of Kuwait and the government will pay for them to study. This way you can make more people what you need in the job. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: I mean, that’s a huge number. In Serbia, we had that plan for producing the IT sector or educating engineers to do that. But it’s maybe 10 years now and we still lack the good high profile programmers, because once they reach a senior position they usually go somewhere else, or work for some company from abroad, not for domestic companies. Okay, so how does the pandemic change? 

Bedoor AlSumait: How-?

Sanja Milosavljevic: How this pandemic- how this Corona and Covid-19-

Bedoor AlSumait: Change me?

Sanja Milosavljevic: Change you, change your everyday life? I know you’re a mom, I know you have kids so I don’t know how the school looks right now in Kuwait.

Bedoor AlSumait: The school is online. And the first that aftershock after Corona and everything is closed and you cannot travel and you cannot move like before, I was happy. Because I need this rest. Because I was very hyper, very move and that’s- I need this calm of the- after that, I was thinking about my companies. How can I run my companies in this situation. I don’t have only one, I have four companies. One of them- we have a- we had a concert in November, so we cancelled all this and we returned all sponsors’ money for them. It’s one of our problem with Corona. But after that I was thinking what can we do in this situation. So me and my partner thinking about some broad way we can bring it to Kuwait and that can help people to protect from Corona. And now we have the fourth container, we bring it and it surrounds very well one kind of product that you can use it like bedsheet and pillow. You can use it one time, it’s pure cotton, it’s hygiene and you can throw it and it’s good for the- the weather. I mean the weather, the ecosystem.

Sanja Milosavljevic: So, is it- sorry, I’m not sure I understood. It’s disposable bed-sheets?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes, disposable bed-sheets. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: And do you recycle it? Or no? Is it recyclable? 

Bedoor AlSumait: It’s like- I cannot understand to say it in English, but when you throw it, it will go with the floor. With the sand.

Sanja Milosavljevic: It’s decomposable? 

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: Decompostable, okay. So is it for hospitals, or hotels or where do you use these kind of disposable bedsheets?

Bedoor AlSumait: You can use it for like hospitals, for health. And people use it when they travel, for the travel for now. And because we have in Kuwait like places it’s name is chalet. It’s near this- and when they went there, it’s all ready-rent. So they not use them, the people that they rent the bedsheet, they use our bedsheet. So it is good for them. If they need to protect more, if they’re scared if anything is not clean. So it’s clean and hygiene.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Nice. So, what are the other two? You said four businesses.

Bedoor AlSumait: Yeah, one of them is translations office. It is with my partner also. We translate books, letters, anything and any kind of language. And the other one is my specialty – the perfume.

Sanja Milosavljevic: I know, I remember. I remember the promotion.

Bedoor AlSumait: So, this one and this other one. And the one I said it’s Safira, the one they make- the one we cancel the conference is Safira, my company Safira. And the fourth one is for furniture and decoration.

Sanja Milosavljevic: And what is going on with furniture and decoration? Because in Serbia during this lockdown, people started to notice that they had some issues in the house and that their furniture is old and they don’t want to see that. So people started buying some paint for the walls or new pieces of furniture. What happened in Kuwait?

Bedoor AlSumait: The similar exact thing (laughter). At least in some places that they need to change some furniture. Like if you need to buy bed, full, everything is finished and you add your name like waiting lists for other new furniture. Because also the shipment is very, very, very, very expensive.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Oh, really?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes. With Corona, it’s very expensive and very high price. So what the people- they need to change because they sit many hours and many days inside their house so they need the change. And they know what they need to change. For example, my husband when I said we need to change this or this color, he said “No, no, no” because he not sitting at the house, he work morning to evening. But when Corona is come and he sit every 24 hours inside house. After that when we open he said “We need to change!” And we go and…

Sanja Milosavljevic: Jao, perfect. I know because it’s something that is happening here in Serbia, or at least in Belgrade with my friends. They’re all crazy about decorating their house or buying new pieces of furniture, so…I can’t wait to speak with Aya because she’s also from the furniture business, to share her story. So, how do you- what do you feel about supporting other women. Why is that important to you?

Bedoor AlSumait: For me, yeah it’s very important to share with them and to help them. Because you know, when I stand now with all these businesses I lose a many, many, many money and many of my health also. So when I advise her, I give her the shortcut how to start. The shortcut. That’s much better way to run her business and low cost. Because when I start, I did not start with the low cost because nobody teach me. Also my father. Because my father, he just give me the license and he leave me alone. When I work, for example, I don’t know how much it cost the decoration of my shop. I don’t know how can I buy the first of order from the flower, from the store. I buy many because I need my shop to become full. But when I understand that when you keep it for 3-4 days it will die. So all this money will go out. So after that I’m learning without losing money. Yeah. But for now, I feel that the important thing that my letter for the ladies, that they need to start with the smart way and they need to start with a consultant. Because when you join with someone before you in the business, she give you the shortcut way to run your business. And without losing, like what I lose. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: I know. I wish I had a consultant or a mentor or whatever when I started. Because I was also basically throwing money away from me. Because you don’t know. It’s normal that when you start you don’t know everything you need to know. How else can you support other women? Not just with advice, but how else can you? Can you recommend to some client or what else can you do to support ladies’ businesses?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yeah. So in our society we make meetings each months. So they can like- they can do like partnership. Not really partnership like they put the money or they run a business together. But for example, if I sell makeup and she’s a makeup artist, we can make like one project together. And they add the money less when they need some model to add for her the makeup. Also the third one join them for the dress, we have like a cloth cutter. So this combination is very good for them, it’s healthy for the women to be together. So we help them to find the same category of the mind for business. Because when you sit with your friend, maybe they don’t have the mentality like you have for the business. But when you sit with the people who have the business, they will understand you easier. So our sector is- our society it’s good for them to be together and make some business together and also- one shot. Like one shot business, they can do one-shot business and one expo, like one expo. It is also good.

Sanja Milosavljevic: So, you have a daughter? Or two daughter?

Bedoor AlSumait: I have five.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Five daughters?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Perfect. I thought you had boys and one girl or two girls. Okay, nevermind. How do you teach them how to behave in their grownup life? How do you give example with your life to them?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes. First of all, I have the big one. The big daughter. She graduates and January she study outside of Kuwait in Glasgow. Everybody said “How you send your daughter” – she’s only 16, she was 16. She’s young because she’s in British school. Everybody said why you leave her like 16 and she’s very young and you leave her alone. I said she want, and I don’t want to cut her passion of studying outside. Because you know actually in Arab people the man is number 1. So when they said, they said “She don’t have a brother with her, how can you send her alone”. But I give them the support to my daughter. I say you close your ears to everyone outside, just listen to me. Whatever you want, you can do it. No man, no women. You can do everything men can do. And she go. She went to the college there. About the all of my kids, I teach them how to become like economic. 

Sanja Milosavljevic: (laughter) Perfect!

Bedoor AlSumait: Really. They need to know that this one is expensive, you cannot buy it now. This one you can work and you can get money and then you can buy it. I let them like do something and we buy from them. Like when she make the pasta, we buy the pasta from her and she make some money. She got some money and she had something in her mind to buy it and she got to buy it. Because they need to know that the money is not a gift. It’s hard to come. It’s very hard to come. So they need to know the value of this money. So this is my teaching of my daughters how to run their money, how to know everything they have it – the cheapest thing or the highest thing. The brand, the cheapest dress or anything. I teach them to wear everything – the thing you like it, you can wear it. They said, my friend said why you not wearing the ring like brand-something? I said why you buy this one? Why she wear it? It’s 100-something kd. It’s not cheap. And she said but every people they wear it. I said no – you wear what you like. Do you like it? She said no. But it’s a brand. I said no – the thing, you like it. Also, if it’s not expensive. That’s why the people they need to know. Because the market is like a thief. Really – they do everything, marketing is to take money from you. In many, many ways. Go inside your mind. Like, go inside your soul “oh, I like this”. They give you- because I study marketing. They make you feel like you’re not a good human if you don’t have this. So you work very hard to get one kind of shoes, or one kind of bag. You add more money for one bag, and then what? And then when you buy it, you say it’s 3000. Okay, then what? Then nothing. Just for the people they saw me in this bag. It is good that you have this bag, this brand. But if you have more money. Not like if you worked very hard for this one. That’s my mind, that’s the thing I add to my daughters. Do not the run with the brands.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Perfect. I like that. Who was your role-model when you were growing up? Your mother, your aunt, your any- who was your role model?

Bedoor AlSumait: My grandfather.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Your grandfather?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yes, my grandfather because I lived with him. My grandfather he start from zero and he worked very hard, until he died. He never take off from the work. And he was nothing and then one of the years, he got a plane. Special plane for him. Yes, he was very, very rich but also he lose the money. Because action came to Kuwait in 1988 or 1989? Or before that? ‘84-85 maybe. There is one kind of crash with the stock market and all the men in Kuwait that had very high money it’s gone down. And after that they add new rules for stock market in Kuwait. Before there’s no rules. You can join the stock market with 100kd and tomorrow you have million. But after that they have rules for highest and lowest stock market.

Sanja Milosavljevic: That’s interesting. We came to the end of the conversation. What will be your message? What will you say to the world and to people in Serbia?

Bedoor AlSumait: Yeah, I said we like to know the ladies more in Serbia. I really- I like to know them. I love to know the experience of how they starting their work and their business. And I said one of my book, when I signed for the people, I said in Arabic it’s la mustahil. That’s mean nothing- everything, you can do. In Arabic we say la mustahil, but in English everything you can do – go for it. Everything, you can do. So this is my word for them – everything you can do. Don’t’ say I cannot, don’t know how, don’t say maybe they don’t accept me. Just you put your target and go for it. And write. You must write the date that you will do this and run for this target and you can do it, you will do it.

Sanja Milosavljevic: Thank you Bedoor, thank you so much. This was a very nice and warm and pleasant conversation. So, good people of the world. You were listening to Bedoor from Kuwait. I hope you really enjoyed it, and I hope you heard and learned something new. If you like, you can always follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and you can listen to us on different audio platforms. And you can always subscribe to our YouTube channel. So, until the next week – stay good and stay in good health.