The Learning Curve Podcast | Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East.

Earlier this year I interview Laura Holland, a Dubai based Entrepreneur specialising in nutrition, holistic weight loss & a Well Being Coach. I had read her article in the National , here in Abu Dhabi and wondered if she could elaborate a bit more on her 6 reason's why you might be struggling to lose weight.  I to have had an ongoing weight battle. I consider myself relatively fit but I wasn't losing weight so I wanted to explore this further using this article as a bouncing board.  That is what we did in this podcast.  Have a listen.

The questions I asked her can be found on our website

The Learning Curve Podcast - THE Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa Region: We sat down with Ludmilla Figueiredo, Head of Business Development for Eureeca to find out more about the concept of Crowd Investing and how Investors and business could benefit from this innovative funding strategy.

How would you like to take your business to the next level?  As an entrepreneur have you ever thought about Crowdinvesting? As an investor, looking for opportunities have you ever thought about crowd investing? What is crowdinvesting?  Its a process where by businesses raise capital to expand and grow from a crowd of investors in exchange for shares in the business. Nicholla sat down with Ludmilla to find out more about this concept.  We explored the opportunity for both businesses and investors and how both parties could benefit from Eureeca's funding strategy.

check the website for more details.

The Learning Curve Podcast - THE Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Meet Aline Kamakian - Owner of Fig Holding which has established: Mayrig, Batchig, Made by Mayrig, M Catering and K the kitchen.  Re-capturing her grandmothers recipes she has carved a career spreading her Armenian heritage and the taste of Armenian food through the Armenian restaurant, Mayrig. She is also the co-Author of the book 'Armenian Food' and now she is working to Franchise her Armenian restaurant and take in Global. 

Aline was a fantastic guest.  She shared so much great advise learnt from her own entrepreneurial journey. I felt really quite privileged to be sat next to her hearing all this great information first hand.She is the co - owner of the first Armenian restaurant in Lebanon and Dubai called Mayrig. Which means 'little mother' in Armenian.  Her Dubai restaurant in in Downtown Dubai on the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard.  She describes herself as a talker not a writer and is passionate about her Armenian Heritage and Armenian Food.  She's also made the short listed for the caterer awards 2015 . I hope she wins because someone like her leading a unique restaurant with her business acumen would be such a fantastic blend and inspiration for women out there that want to be restaurateurs like her.Her first job was a financial consultants which she still does today and has a great success of this role too.  It  was a surprising role for a passionate foodie and cook but her story explains this journey too.  She also written a book entitled Armenia Food.  I was super excited as they day I interviewed her was my birthday and she kindly gave me a signed copy. How lucky am I?? :) An action based person full of drive and ambitions, she has BIG plans to franchise her restaruant and share a bit of armenia with the world. Enjoy this interview.

Want to set up a company in Abu Dhabi and have a ton of questions? Don't worry we have given you a bit of heads up on some great advise and information from Jenny Hunt. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gateway Group of Companies that specialise in company formation. We sat down to have a chat about setting up a business in Abu Dhabi and she shared the key information we need to know to help you make the decisions that are right for you.

See the questions we asked her at our website.  

Meet Sana Bagersh - CEO of BrandMoxie, Managing Editor of Tempo Magazine, Founder of Tamakken & Chair of the Amcham Business Women. A UAE serial entrepreneur with a passion to bring people, culture, innovation and ideas together.

Inside this episode

Influencer, Connector, Bridge Builder, Enabler, Loves to give back. Just some of the adjectives that I would use to describe Sana.  A warm and delightful guest she shared her story with me and showed that if you have a dream, anything is possible.  If you haven't met Sana or have heard of her and would like to know more about her and her ventures then this is the podcast for you.  Our interview was more like a chat over coffee where she really opened up about her entrepreneurial journey from her early days with Gulf News to being a serial entrepreneur and encouraging others to do the same.  I enjoyed her company very much and felt quite ignited after our chat and motivated to make this  podcast show even better.  Thanks Sana for our time and your wisdom. Keep being amazing.  :) Check the question I ask her at our website and details of how to get in touch with her. 

Meet Jenny Hunt, CEO and Co - Founder of 'The GateWay Group of Companies.  She specialises in helping you start your business in Abu Dhabi. She fell into this niche business and is successfully moving new companies into the Abu Dhabi Market.

INSIDE THIS EPISODE

'I was always love how 'things just happen' and meeting Jenny was kind of like that.  I met her to help someone else and quickly learnt about her career and what she did.  Dubai is always on the forefront of business starting up in the region and here I was talking to Jenny who has carved a niche for herself as a 'Company Formation Specialist' in Abu Dhabi.  I just knew she was someone I had to have an 'entrepreneurial journey story' interview with.  Her background is Marketing /Communications and now she helps bridge the gap between company formation in Abu Dhabi and understanding business culture.'  A people person at heart and a natural ability to spot a niche market and solve a problem she is working towards evolving her business into a 'one stop shop' for all things related to business start up 'onshore' not free zone in Abu Dhabi.  

Check our website for the questions we asked her and her details.

Meet Jo Barnes, the Creator and Founder of Online Marketing Addicts. She's also created, The Social Networking Academy & Jo Barnes Online, Online Marketing Addicts. She helps entrepreneurs and small business owners increase leads, sales and passive disposable income! Using there tested systems and strategies Jo teaches you how to have fun with your marketing campaigns and increase your profits, while working less hours and finding more time to enjoy life!

You know, what its like when you meet one of you 'guru's, one of your 'go to ' people that you just seem to connect with because the way they talk about a subject or share a subject you totally get? Well that was, what it was like when I first listened to Jo Barnes back in 2010.  I don't personally know Jo, but you feel like you know her because the way she talks about social media and entrepreneurship.  So when she agreed to be on my show I was just SUPER-SYKED.  She has created a community for those that need help with social media. Her Facebook Fan Page alone has over 29000 fans so she's definitely doing it right.  She carries her business with her as she travels with her family and works bloody hard but she's done it.  This is her story!  Her 'how I did it'.  She also offers up some great advise and tips. Thanks Jo for being part of my show.  Stay Awesome! :) Head over to our website to check the questions I asked her and the show notes. 

Nicholla sat down with Julie Lewis and Anna Heystek, the co-founders of the Woman's Peak Performance Summit to find out what this event is all about, what to expect, who the speakers area and what could be our take away. Full of energy and passion, these ladies have created an event which isn't your usual 'sit, listen and take notes' type event. This event will be interactive, inquisitive and developmental master class covering 7 key areas all in one day.  All the ladies that leave today could be going home to make some transformational changes in their lives.  This event is open to all ladies where ever you are in your life.  Check the questions I asked them and listen to the interview below and then sign up below. We will see you there. :)

More information at www.thelearningcurvepodcast.com/episode31

Writer, global nomad, artist, a seeker of human behaviour, Jody Ballard is the son of a Montana Cowboy who has lived in eight foreign countries.  Having moved over thirty times (so far), Jody has emerged not only as a prolific agent of change, but also a master of the inter-cultural and international dynamic.  During those three decades journey Jody founded a thriving business, Strategic Wellness Systems, principally dedicated to the five essential components of health: physical, psychological spiritual, relational and mental. In this episode she shares her experiences and insights on what it is to be an Expat

This is her story and her insight into what makes a successful expat entrepreneur. She has a more holistic approach to entrepreneurship and I think the lesson I learnt from this episode was that we don’t always have to have our foot on the gas and be ‘go go go’ We do need to take a step back now and again and trust that a solution will be found.  Constantly working and pushing forward can be counterproductive.  The second ‘take away’ was that you would think nutrition and entrepreneurship would be quite different subjects but actually there is a similarities and a correlation between them that I never thought about before.  That relationship was brought to light in this interview with Laura Holland.  Her specialty is nutrition, well-being and weigh loss. All of which are goals we have at some point in our life.  They all aim to be us feel lighter, feel better and more in control of our health. As an entrepreneur we aim for success, read more