Citizen entrepreneurs reported that the Corona virus created promising opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially in the field of building smart platforms and e-commerce applications to meet the growing demand for many goods and services while staying at home in implementation of preventive measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
They explained to «Emirates Today» that the field of digital media is also important during the current period with the passion of societies to follow up on communication platforms and the media to know the developments of the situation.
For their part, officials and experts in the field of emerging projects confirmed that the consequences of the Corona pandemic have created opportunities for Emirati entrepreneurs in a number of fields, most notably agriculture, manufacture and supply of foodstuffs, as well as opportunities to invest in health-related sectors such as medical devices and equipment, masks, gloves and materials. Sterilization, noting that entrepreneurs must adapt to pandemic changes.
Smart platforms
In detail, the entrepreneur, Jassem Al Bastaki, said that the consequences of the Corona virus have created promising opportunities for Emirati businessmen by creating and developing virtual and electronic smart platforms that link supply and demand in many areas, including goods and services.
Al-Bastaki said that these platforms meet the growing demand for many commodities, most notably foodstuffs, local farm production, medical industries and health supplies by linking consumers on the one hand and manufacturers and producers of these commodities on the other.
He added that investing in smart platforms is currently very appropriate in light of staying home in implementation of preventive measures to prevent the spread of the virus, especially since investment in them is not expensive and fast in light of the concerns of entrepreneurs from entering into expensive investments, pointing out that the cost of establishing the best platforms will not exceed more than 37 thousand dirhams.
Food projects
And Al Bastaki said that one of the promising opportunities now is to create electronic platforms or companies to manage the accounts of companies and manage personnel affairs to provide accounting services and human resources services for companies that cannot bear the burden of employment at this stage in light of companies laying off a number of employees and companies are directed to reduce the cost of business .
He said that small and medium enterprises currently facing difficulties, should work to develop themselves by working through smart platforms, especially food projects, and adding new products that suit the market.
digital media
For his part, the Emirati business leader, Saud Al-Shalat, said that the spread of Corona greatly affected business in general, especially small and medium enterprises, as it imposed major challenges on business leaders.
Balkalat, who owns a company in the field of digital media, added that the past months were exceptional for the economy of the whole world, which prompted some companies to finish their work and lay off their employees, but he stressed that in the midst of all this, remarkable opportunities have emerged in front of different economic sectors, including companies that work In the field of digital media, considering that the media was a popular product during the period that followed the spread of the Corona virus, with a passion for societies to follow all the communication platforms and the media to know the developments of the situation.
He stated that there were other profitable sectors, including the manufacture of health products, medicine and technology, electronic selling and trade via communication and technology platforms, pointing out that the Corona pandemic represented a challenge for the economy, but it is also an opportunity for those who can adapt and search for a positive aspect of a crisis that has major downsides.
Alternative methods
As for the Emirati business leader, Adel Galadari, he said that he was planning during the period before the spread of the Corona pandemic, to expand his business and open a store after years of work and selling products via the Internet through his platforms on social networking sites, but he stated that «those plans It changed with (Corona) and decided to continue working remotely through the Internet, and to think of alternative ways to develop the delivery and transport process for purchases and how to communicate with suppliers in light of the precautionary measures taken to cope with the outbreak of the disease.
Galadari added that the Corona pandemic drew attention to e-commerce, and reinforced the desire of consumers to follow this trend, which provides a safer environment with the spread of the virus, noting that this supported his business as a seller on the Internet.
Galadari praised the support provided by the Dubai government to small projects during that period and the measures that they have taken in this direction.
Challenges
In the same context, the Emirati business leader, Mohammed Al-Seiri, said that the “Corona” pandemic imposed great challenges on small and medium enterprises, pointing out that despite his work in the field of electronic commerce for many years before the pandemic, the changes that occurred in the markets after that were reflected in his work due to Its association with several sectors that are already affected by the decline in demand during the pandemic period.
He added that the challenges of the crisis imposed on entrepreneurs the development and taking the necessary measures to confront, especially with the closure of the commercial activity due to financial considerations, but he indicated that he went to a new sector in the field of public relations, where he can use his great experience in this field through business restructuring And change some sales and marketing policies to accommodate the nature of the new stage.
Agricultural industries
In addition, the executive director of the "Shumookh" group for petroleum and energy services, Dr. Ali Al Ameri, said that the repercussions of the Corona virus have created promising opportunities for Emirati business leaders in a number of fields, chief among them are agricultural industries, establishment of animal farms, and the cultivation of major crops such as vegetables and fruits with modern technologies. .
Al-Amri added that the pandemic showed the importance of having local production and achieving self-sufficiency in many commodities and not relying on imports.
He explained that the pandemic showed the importance of working in new areas, such as digitizing maintenance and repair services for devices and equipment in various sectors such as petroleum services so that the repairs are without touching and the use of artificial intelligence and "robots" in the repair processes, pointing to promising opportunities to invest in related sectors Health such as medical devices and equipment, masks and gloves.
Al-Amiri pointed out that the fallout from "Corona" showed the need to make huge investments in some sectors such as agriculture, which requires an orientation towards collective investment and the establishment of a number of entrepreneurs to establish collective partnerships and conglomerates to start a new era of mega projects by joint work between a number of businessmen.
Great request
For his part, Ibrahim Bin Shaheen, Vice President of the UAE Entrepreneur Association, said that despite the negative repercussions of the Corona pandemic on many entrepreneurs, it at the same time created opportunities for work and investment for entrepreneurs in industrial sectors that were not receiving much attention previously. Such as cleaning tools, disinfectants, detergents, masks, and gloves, indicating that there is a great demand for them so that some sales outlets pay the financial dues immediately to the producers, although it is customary to pay them within a period of up to 90 days.
Bin Shaheen added that the pandemic also created a great demand for the manufacture and supply of food, especially fresh and delivery services, which provides great opportunities for business leaders.
growth
In turn, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry member Hamad Al-Awadi said that the pandemic has created some investment and growth opportunities for entrepreneurs in sectors such as the private hospitals and medical supplies sector and the manufacture of some products such as masks, gloves and sterilization materials, despite its negative impact on the economies of the countries of the world.
He explained that the pandemic provides unprecedented opportunities for the growth of e-commerce applications and delivery services in general, especially for foodstuffs.
Al-Awadi stressed the need for business leaders to adapt to the changes caused by the pandemic and change the concept of work through the use of electronic commerce and guarantee supply chains, noting that these matters did not become a luxury but rather became mandatory to overcome any future difficulties.
Technology sector
The digital media expert and lecturer at the University College of Dubai, Mohammed Al-Feki, said that the technology sector provides promising opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially the establishment of sites for providing remote work services such as designing and implementing advertisements, advertisements, magazines, "graphics" and electronic payment services. Al-Fiqi added that these sites benefited from the services of employees who were dispensed by their companies, as these employees were able to provide their services and benefit financially from these sites, as many companies benefited from the services of those sites, especially those that currently need these services, but they cannot permanent employment under the circumstances The current.
The executive director of the "Al Shumookh" group for oil and energy services, Dr. Ali Al Ameri, agreed with Al-Fiqi that the technology sector provides important opportunities for entrepreneurs in the sectors related to the establishment of websites for trade and delivery services.
The "pandemic" demonstrated the importance of local production and the self-sufficiency of commodities.
The cost of building the best smart and electronic platforms does not exceed 37 thousand dirhams.