Conduct a review of your business operations on a weekly and monthly basis. Assess the challenges you are facing and see how you could pivot. Getty Images
Conduct a review of your business operations on a weekly and monthly basis. Assess the challenges you are facing and see how you could pivot. Getty Images
Conduct a review of your business operations on a weekly and monthly basis. Assess the challenges you are facing and see how you could pivot. Getty Images
Conduct a review of your business operations on a weekly and monthly basis. Assess the challenges you are facing and see how you could pivot. Getty Images

How the power of pivoting can help entrepreneurs grow their start-ups


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I may not have been very confident about some decisions in my life, but what I was certain about was the career path I wanted to pursue.

Ever since I was a teenager, I knew I wanted to work in the communications and creative field.

When I graduated from university, it was my plan to get as much experience as possible, so I could establish my own consultancy one day.

When that day finally came more than a decade ago and I launched my consultancy, I had numerous services on the list; some of which I was exceptionally great at compared with others.

The more, the merrier, I thought. I also believed that an extensive services menu would open the doors to a wider client base.

However, because my service offering was diverse, my client base wasn’t exactly niche.

I remember a number of customers telling me how they didn’t know what kind of clients I catered to because it wasn’t clear in the way I described my business offering.

In addition, because I offered a wide range of services, the areas I was great at didn’t stand out.

I knew that if I had kept at that rate, I wouldn’t be able to attract the clients I was targeting.

I learned that to truly stand out, whether in the consulting sector or the business world in general, my services had to be unique, something that other competitors didn’t offer and, most importantly, to offer services that I was great at and had a strong track record to show.

Realising when things aren’t going to plan and the need to pivot and change course aren’t always as clear as one may think.

At the beginning, I doubted myself, thinking I wasn't working on the projects I wanted because I didn’t have the skills or the market was too saturated.

But then I realised my business wasn’t focused and my competitive advantage was lost in the sea of services I offered.

So, it was back to the drawing board, re-evaluating my work and how I wanted to work from that day onward.

What many start-up entrepreneurs tend to not keep in mind is how many times they will have to pivot throughout the course of building their businesses.

In some cases, pivoting will happen within months, such as in my case. In other cases, challenges such as an economic crisis or unprecedented pandemics may force entrepreneurs to switch gears.

I’ve launched many ventures and learnt that everything I forecasted in my three- to five-year business plan may completely change.

Pivoting is something I always need to consider and include in my plans.

Some of the best things that happened to my career are when things did not go according to plan. Pivoting helped me to open doors that I didn’t know existed.

Pivoting helped me to open doors that I didn’t know existed
Manar Al Hinai,
communications adviser

My advice is to conduct a review of your business operations on a weekly and monthly basis. Assess the challenges you are facing and see how you can pivot.

Doing so helped me to save a lot of time rather than focusing on the wrong areas. It also showed me where I could grow and develop my business further.

But here’s the thing about pivoting: Don’t wait too long.

In the business world, time is money and, as the saying goes: “When you snooze, you lose."

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications adviser based in Abu Dhabi

Andor
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Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate 

WHEN TO GO:

September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.

WHERE TO STAY:

Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

The specs
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  • Torque: 760nm
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

THE%20SPECS
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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

Company%20Profile
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SPECS
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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
General%20Classification
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Updated: October 16, 2023, 4:00 AM`