Dubai ‘mompreneur’ finds nursery brand expansion a labour of love

Emirati businesswoman Randa Al Hemeiri juggles two nurseries and a family as she plans expansion of her early childhood education business.

Randa Al Hemeiri, founding team-owner, Potentiel Nursery. Satish Kumar / The National

In a villa on a quiet street just off Sheikh Zayed Road in Al Manara, Dubai, Randa Al Hemeiri manages a year-old nursery that is already in expansion mode.

Growing up, several members of the Emirati’s family worked in education, running schools in Jordan. She wanted the same for her own ventures.

“I wanted to have a place with lots of children,” says Ms Al Hemeiri, 34, the owner and co-founder of Petit Bout’ Chou and Potentiel Nurseries in Dubai.

Potentiel, located just off Sheikh Zayed Road, is her second nursery venture in partnership with Tejar Dubai – a programme that aims to develop promising Emirati entrepreneurs. Now the businesswoman, who was nominated as an Emerging Emirati Entrepreneur in November at the Enterprise Agility Awards, plans to open several franchises of her brand over the next three years in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and across the UAE. She is also developing a centre for learning difficulties for children aged two to 13 in Dubai, again in partnership with Tejar Dubai. It is expected to be ready in Business Bay by the end of next month. Her plans are a big leap from her early steps into the education sector in 2006 when she opened the first Petit Bout’ Chou nursery.

Back then, she had only five children enrolled, which included two offspring of the co-founders. Ms Al Hemeiri recalls it as a nerve-racking year.

“It was a challenge. There were already some other well-known nurseries, but I took the challenge and [decided] I will go ahead and won’t let it stop me,” she says.

Petit Bout’ Chou was one of many nurseries to launch that year in Dubai; since then the market has expanded further, thanks to the growing population and demand for early childhood education catering to various curricula.

In Dubai, about 120 facilities cater to children up to four years old, according to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. These include stand-alone nurseries as well as K-12 schools.

“This is one of the hardest businesses as you are taking care of the most sensitive section of the society,” Ms Al Hemeiri says.

Her first nursery now has 85 children. The second, which now has 90 children, will add another 35 places to that tally after an expansion expected to complete this month. The academic year runs from September to May. For students six months to a year, there is one teacher for every two babies; for older children, there is one teacher for every five children.

Both nurseries are a blend of the French, English and Arabic curricula in keeping with the UAE culture.

The two nurseries required an initial investment of Dh2 million, which came from Ms Al Hemeiri and her two Lebanese business partners – Diana Roukoz, 34, and Linda Nassif Yaziji, 44, besides Tejar Dubai.

A former employee at a retail outlet, Ms Al Hemeiri says she had to learn the ropes from scratch. She now handles the management, procurement, marketing and government relations for the businesses.

Ms Al Hemeiri also brings up three daughters, two aged 13 and another 12.

A full-time job in itself, the “mompreneur”, as Ms Al Hemeiri refers to herself, says, though rewarding, raising a family and running a business doubles her workload.

With more nurseries opening in the emirate all the time, the businesswoman says she welcomes the competition. “It keeps me up to date,” she adds.

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter