A new way to fund your business in Qatar!

Us 'Mavens' are always looking for ways to support entrepreneurs in Doha, so we were delighted to be introduced to the Founders of Angels Den and find that they had similar interests.  We are now setting up their regional presence in Qatar, so look out for further details of local Doha based events!

Angels Den (www.angelsden.com) connects business owners that need funding with Angel Investors (High Net Worth individuals.) It is one of the largest global Angel networks with over 4000 Angels registered worldwide.

It is also one of the most active Angel Networks in the world running over six SpeedFunding™ events per month in the UK, Asia & now Qatar.

SpeedFunding™ is a highly effective matching mechanism with 90% of business owners finding at least one interested Angel and vice versa. Over 5,000 individual pitches, on average, take place a year between business owners and investors giving our business owners the best chance of securing funding.

Angels Den provides a fast track to meeting Angel investors – business owners can be meeting Angels within days and deals can be done in weeks.

Angel’s Den is a centre of excellence for business funding and is now operating in Qatar.  We would be delighted to hear from local business owners and local 'Angels' who want to know more.

Contact us for details of our next Business Clinics and ‘SpeedFunding’ events

Telephone: +974 6692 3427
Email: elaine@angelsden.com

How to increase your likeability

We have followed the work of Guy Kawasaki for some time - we like this, and thought you might too:

Social Media

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I think this will be a continuing series of short updates on this subject - the latest stir has been caused by one internet 'guru' Gary Vaynerchuck who stated that "99.5 % of those who call themselves social media experts are clowns" !  Will it has to be said that in recent years many people have started to market themselves in this way, yet if you examine their credentials you might be surprised!  However, there is much to learn and every day new information on sites, tips and apps to enhance your profile.  The most sensible quote is 'content is king', never forget to ask yourself the question 'why should anyone want to read something you have written?' - whether it is a short tweet, status update or blog.

Hope you have enjoyed reading this! 

Advance Notice - Qatar Fashion Week - November

Introducing Qatar Fashion Week 2011!

Qatar’s first fashion week, hosted in November 2011, will showcase the ultimate in luxury and haute couture fashion, including the best of international, regional and local fashion designers.  Qatar Fashion Week will continue to position Qatar as a leading cultural hub amongst the Arab nations, driving awareness and prestige through world-class events at an international level.

www.qatarfashionweek2011.com

Summer Events for Businesses in Doha

We will start to list various activities going on over the Summer months to help those of us still staying through Doha during the Summer.  Please let us know of any activities you know of.

The first news we have is of a programme of summer training activities to be run by QCCD - see below:

Great News for those who are spending their Summer Holidays in Qatar!
Maximize your potential for success. Give your career the cutting edge you deserve.

The Qatar Center for Career Development has great pleasure in announcing our special Summer Courses scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, during June, July and August 2011.

So if you are staying back in Qatar during your holidays, this would be an ideal opportunity to benefit from courses designed to give you a competitive edge over others.

Extremely cost‐effective, highly interactive and motivational, these internationally acclaimed and recognized 1‐day courses are useful for anyone at any level aspiring to greater professional success. Please take a few minutes to read the following:

345 Goal Setting and Focus for Success 09th June 07th July  04th August
346 Leadership and Managerial Skills for Career Advancement 10th June 08th July 05th August
347 Problem Solving & Decision Making 16th June 14th July 11th August
348 Time and Stress Management for Personal Effectiveness 17th June 15th July 12th August
349 Effective Presentation Skills 23rd June 21st July 18th August
350 Effective Communication Skills 24th June 22nd July 19th August

Since we will only accept a maximum of 25 delegates per course, places are strictly limited and offered on a first come first serve basis. To avoid disappointment, early booking is strongly recommended.

SPECIAL OFFER: Book your place on any 3 courses, and qualify to attend any 1 of the remaining ABSOLUTELY FREE

For details on course contents, costs, venue and timings please email your query to:
ARSIFEL LEE PONCE, Marketing Executive, at: arsifel.ponce@qccd.net for an immediate response. Conversely, you
may also call ARSIFEL on 00‐974‐33466101 cellular and 00‐0974‐44694848 office

Will Qatar be reclassified as an 'Emerging Market'?

It is interesting to read the current discussion regarding the announcement  next month from index provider MSCI, who will announce whether Qatar’s stock exchange will make the crucial leap from ‘frontier’ to ‘emerging’.

One of the reasons for optimism offered by BMI’s analysts is Qatar’s political stability in a tough neighbourhood, the Middle East & North Africa (MENA). Qatar came out as the most stable in the Economist’s February ‘Show-Thrower’s index’ and is widely touted as a less risky way for investors to get exposure in the region.
BMI, in common with some other analysts, expects Qatar to be the fastest growing economy in the world again this year. Tom Tuite Dalton, analyst at Oriel Securities (brokers for Qatar Investment Fund) adds that Qatar’s diversified economy stands out in ‘today’s harsh, debt-ridden global economic environment’ and should be largely unaffected by all but the most dramatic and sustained fall in the oil price.  City Wire's article today gives further comment.

As we noted previously, Qatar is experiencing a boom post the 2022 World Cup Bid win (and we are not going to comment on recent accusation regarding that bid, being confident that all was fully above board, and the decision a brave one).

The next ten years are going to be extremely interesting for Qatar and we are confident that whatever the decision next month, more investment will flow into and out of Qatar, with more large and SME companies being launched here.

Islam and Business

Islam permeates most aspects of life in Qatar.

Some considerations when planning business visits are:

· On Fridays, the Islamic Sabbath (weekend is Friday & Saturday), the community gathers for prayers at noon. Offices and many shops are closed on Fridays. For this reason, Friday is an excellent day to drive and explore as traffic is reduced.
· The religeous festival of Ramadan occupies the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the dates vary each year (according to the moon). During this month many Muslims fast during daylight hours spending time on reflection and purification.
· Ramadan and its ending, or breaking of the fast (Id al-Fitr, a three-day holiday) impact strongly on business activities. If visiting during Ramadan, be aware that there may be limited time for business meetings.

Arab Customs

A number of expressions punctuate conversation in Qatar and the most common is the term Insh'allah ('if God wills'), which underlines a strong belief that the course of events cannot be controlled by the individual. While that's undeniably true, the term Bukra Insh'allah ('tomorrow, God willing') conveys the sense that, 'We will do things as soon as possible but God will determine when that may be'.

Because Arabs don't like to say no, it takes time to determine which individuals use these terms as a 'figure of speech' and which use it to excuse their own inefficiency...

Customs that are common throughout the Islamic world are well known. Some of these are not unique to the Arab environment, but are standard behaviours in a range of international situations.

· Use your right hand, particularly for eating. If unsure, put your left hand in your pocket or behind your back. Never point.
· Avoid postures where you may show the soles of your feet - which may be considered an insult.
· Avoid any display of anger or impatience - unless whilst driving, where you'll struggle to compete with Arabs who excell in agressive driving.
· Maintain eye contact with your host. Rapid shifts in eye contact may be construed as a lack of trust.
· Handshakes may often be a clasp. Do not offer to shake hands with an Arab woman, unless she offers her hand to you. Even then, only a gentle touch is appropriate.

When offered snacks, always accept, even if you do not consume it all. Displays of chocolates may be found in offices. You may not be the first to wonder if the Arabic culture of generosity is reinforcing their growing obesity problem.

· The offer of tea or coffee is a feature of Arab meetings and a mark of hospitality and should not be refused. The cups are small and when you have enough, a polite 'wiggle' of your cup signifies to the server that you have had sufficient.

- Arabic Coffee looks and tastes rather like tea with herbs/spices, often used to refresh the palate.
- Turkish Coffee, in a similarly small cup is commonly served in hotels and restaurants.
- Tea may be extremely sweet and made with condensed milk.

· Learn the art of polite small talk, which will open most meetings, particularly introductory sessions. Talking about family and children always goes down well.
· Learn to relax and not exhibit signs of tension, which may transmit uncertainty.
· Assume a calm demeanour, avoid brash conversation and maintain a body posture that is non-aggressive - unless you are driving when you will notice changes, in your body posture (cringing to avoid pending collision) and vocabulary, which becomes exceedingly colourful.