Harmeek Singh is the founder and chief executive of Plan b Group. He arrived in the UAE in 2003 on a visit visa after his family’s business in India – then the second-biggest electronics manufacturer in the country – closed owing to increased competition with China. He found a job in a Dubai advertising company – an industry he knew nothing about – starting on Dh2,750 per month. Within two years and two changes of company he was earning Dh200,000 per month and set on opening his own business, launching Plan b Advertising with himself as the sole employee. Today he employs 300 people with four offices which includes Plan b Advertising, Plan b Events, SiO2 Events and the group’s PR, social media & strategy wing bSocial. Mr Singh, 41, says his company is called Plan b because if a strategic plan isn’t working he will make sure he has another option.
What are your favourite things to do on the weekend?
Considering how busy the working week is, an ideal weekend involves unwinding by spending some quality time with the family. I usually end up going out for dinner with my wife and two kids and we quite often end up watching a movie together after that. I am always looking to try new and exciting thing with some extreme sports activities on the list for the coming weeks. I love the thrill adrenalin gives you, it can be similar to closing a business deal, except with extreme sports there generally isn’t a plan B.
What do you consider to be your favourite hobby?
I enjoy the dedication, freedom and artistic expression of writing, I love writing poetry. This has been my means of self-expression for quite some time and allows me to focus, collect my thoughts and communicate with myself. I live deeply within my head and once my creativity peaks, it seems I enter into a trance-like state. The creative side of me keeps yearning to break through. All in all I find poetry is quite therapeutic and relaxing. While I have an overwhelming work ethic I have a contemplative soul that requires expression and enlightenment.
What can’t you live without?
Air, water and my phone for the obvious reasons. Really, my smartphone is my everything. All my contacts, schedules, important notes, my emails, my gateway to social media sites and my browser to the broader web, where I can get all the updates. A business owner today has to be connected 24/7, if they are not then the business will not be as fruitful as it can be. Clients and customers need to know that their business partner is responsive, reliable and ready to roll at a moment’s notice – smartphones allow that connection, it is now the most important business tool.
What do you consider the secret to your success?
The world today is fast-paced and challenging. We operate in a creative and competitive environment which makes it all the more challenging. Hence, I have lived by the philosophy that straight lines are the best routes – add focus and passion to it and you have the perfect recipe.
What advice would you offer others starting out in your business?
In any business roadblocks are pertinent and one should learn from experiences as they lay the foundation for a fruitful journey. Every bad experience is an opportunity, hence keeping an open mind always helps. Honesty and hard work are two other elements one must not neglect.
How do you achieve a work-life balance?
In spite of a hectic work schedule and demanding nature of the industry, I always make time for my loved ones and try to sync work time and me time. A play date with my son and daughter sure helps me unwind even on the busiest of days.
How do you relax after the working day?
My colleagues are my extended family so I spend time connecting with them. Indoor games come in handy for instant relaxation and I am a fan of foosball. Sometimes a workout session is rejuvenating too.
If you weren’t running your business, what else would you be doing?
I am not into this business by default but by choice. However, if it wasn’t for my business instinct I would have been a writer. I keep the writer in me alive by penning down my thoughts, experiences and emotions.
ascott@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
THE%20JERSEYS
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
SPECS
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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
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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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