It seems every female entrepreneur these days wants to do a Sheryl Sandberg and write a motivational business book. The latest is Jessica Herrin. The founder and CEO of direct sales jewellery company Stella & Dot, her Find Your Extraordinary is essentially a Lean In for the direct selling industry.
This is a quick and motivational read and it may even make you think of dabbling in direct selling – surely, at least in part, its aim – but the new Lean In? I'm afraid I leaned away before the end.
Ms Herrin set up Stella & Dot 12 years ago and says it now employs 50,000 “independent business owners” who have made US$300 million collectively in commission by selling $1 billion worth of her jewellery, accessories and now skin care. She previously co-founded a wedding planning guide and registry, WeddingChannel.com, at just 24, dropping out of Stanford Business School when a venture capitalist invested in the company, and selling it on nearly a decade ago for $78m.
Passing on nearly two decades of learning, Ms Herrin writes that it’s “not about having it all but having what matters most to you”.
While “ordinary success” is about making money, climbing the ladder and being well regarded, getting to extraordinary – in Ms Herrin’s world – is to do well at something you love and be well regarded by those who matter to you, “especially yourself”.
Pursuing your “own version of happiness”, she believes, will lead to success, and the best way to do that is by “embracing your entrepreneurial spirit”.
She says that doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a Silicon Valley entrepreneur (which “would not make most people happy”) but it does mean taking charge of your life.
“I see myself as a success today because I’ve learnt that only I decide what success looks like for me,” she writes.
Ms Herrin pledges not to sugar-coat it, but that’s very much what this book does, with glowing tales of sellers who have made a success of their Stella & Dot careers, creating the flexible workplace she says was at the heart of her building the company as a young mum herself.
Find Your Extraordinary is available in hardcover in the US from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones priced $16.85, or on UK Amazon in paperback for £13.48 (Dh61) or Kindle for £9.99. Note that the author is listed as Jessica DiLullo Herrin in US and Jessica Herrin in UK.
q&a entrepreneurial rules
How do I embrace my entrepreneurial spirit then?
The book breaks down the entrepreneurial spirit needed into “6 Ps” – finding a very personal “passion”, creating your own unique “path”, keeping a “positive” mindset, identifying the “people” who matter to you and inspire you, having “perseverance” and being “productive”. Pretty generic stuff, nothing too new, deep or insightful.
Which “P” should I pick?
Flip to the back and read the Productivity section – the best tips are here. The most valuable lesson Ms Herrin gives is to value your own time to be most productive. Business owners, she warns, often allocate their time to their least scary, or favourite, activity, and avoid doing higher-value, income-producing ones. So before cleaning your house, she says – a job you might pay someone else US$20 an hour for – think about the “opportunity cost” of what you could be doing instead for $20. Or even how you could spend that time learning something that might, in the future, pay you $50 an hour.
Who are some of the other female entrepreneurs who have written business books?
Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post has written Thrive; Annabel Karmel, the baby food queen, has written a book for mumpreneurs; the Body Shop's late founder, Anita Roddick, wrote Business As Unusual; Karren Brady, of West Ham football fame, has written Playing To Win and 10 Rules To Success; "shark" investor Barbara Corcoran, from US TV show Shark Tank, is the author of Shark Tales … it's a long list.
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
UPI facts
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
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11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Simran
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
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