He managed to expand his project during the "pandemic" with 120,000 users
Small enterprises .. An entrepreneur developing an app for home maintenance services
Khamis Al-Sharyani: “The emerging project must be characterized by flexibility and the ability to adapt and make changes in the event of emergencies.”
More than 1000 companies provide their services through the “Rafiq” application.
From the source
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The Emirati entrepreneur, Khamis Al-Sharyani, was able to develop a new application to provide maintenance services in homes, as he was able to expand the services it provides, despite the Corona pandemic, to include also providing finishing services, interior design and facilities management.
Al-Sharyani told "Emirates Today" that the number of application users currently exceeds 120,000 users, through which they obtain various services through more than 1,000 companies that provide services through the application.
He added that he faced difficulties during the spread of the Corona pandemic, but he was able to transform them into opportunities, indicating that any emerging project should be characterized by flexibility, the ability to adapt, and make the necessary changes in the event of an emergency.
Beta
In detail, the Emirati entrepreneur, Khamis Al-Sharyani, owner of the Rafiq application, said that he started thinking about his emerging project after he faced many difficulties in obtaining good and reliable maintenance services, pointing out that he had bad experiences that were not at the required level in this field.
Al-Sharyani added to "Emirates Today" that in 2016 he started the experimental phase to create the application, as it was limited to providing some maintenance services on a small scale, concentrated in electricity, plumbing and air conditioning services, indicating that he noticed an acceptance of the application services, which encouraged him to communicate With the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development to obtain financing to expand the project.
He stated that he submitted to the fund a preliminary technical feasibility study for the project, which was approved by the fund, then supported it further by providing technical assistance to it through consultants in the fund to develop the feasibility study, after which the fund approved the financing plan.
starting point
Al-Sharyani stated that obtaining financing from the "Khalifa Fund" constituted a great starting point for him, pointing out that he benefited from the financing in expanding the project to include the whole of the Emirates, after it was limited to Abu Dhabi only. He also expanded the project to include other areas besides maintenance, namely Buildings finishing and restoration services.
He pointed out that he also decided to include car service to the project instead of renting it from car companies, so that it would be used by the companies working with it to make it easier for companies to provide services, explaining that the project currently has 30 cars, while it is expected that it will rise to 100 cars before the end of This year.
expansion
Al-Sharyani indicated that he worked on a new expansion of Rafiq application services during the Corona pandemic, to include application services, facilities management services for government agencies, indicating that he was able to enter and win tenders for major projects related to government agencies.
He added that the application has also started providing new services, namely interior design services, to government agencies, individuals and embassies since the beginning of this year, despite the pandemic.
Al-Shariani revealed that more than 120,000 customers are currently using the application to obtain various services through more than 1,000 stores and companies that provide their services through the application.
Challenges
Al-Sharyani confirmed that he faced many challenges, but he managed to overcome them, explaining that the first of these challenges were the legal problems related to providing services, which prompted him to develop a complete framework for the legal regulations and systems for customers, to ensure their satisfaction with the services that are provided, and to act in an appropriate manner. Appropriate legal in the event of any problems, such as a company delay in providing a service or a dispute with any customer.
He added that he faced difficulties at the beginning of the Corona pandemic, especially that the situation is unprecedented, and that any error may seriously affect the reputation of the application, indicating the importance of the emerging project being characterized by flexibility and adaptability, and to make the necessary changes in the event of any emergency. Calculated.
How-to guide
Al-Sharyani pointed out that he issued a guideline for the shops and companies that deal with the application, which includes the precautionary measures and the strict policies that must be adhered to during the pandemic, such as sterilization, wearing masks, and social distancing, with the clarification that the application will completely stop dealing with shops and violating companies that Do not adhere to the precautions described in the manual.
He mentioned that the guide also included a part related to awareness of the customers themselves of the procedures that they should take when dealing with application services.
Study the project
Entrepreneur, Khamis Al-Sharyani, advised young entrepreneurs to develop realistic feasibility studies for the market in which they work, along with confidence in success, while not rushing it, and not resorting to liquidating the project at the first challenge or stumbling it faces.
He said that a large percentage of entrepreneurs, up to 90%, face great challenges in the first stage of starting the project, but they should realize that success and reaping profits takes a period of about two years.
Al-Sharyani stressed the importance of an entrepreneur’s passion in order to be able to succeed, pointing to the importance of the entrepreneur not entering any field until after studying it well in all aspects, and verifying that he can achieve added value to his society before entering, and not just make a profit from it.
Al-Sheriani asserted that obtaining financing from the "Khalifa Fund" was a great starting point for him.
The project encountered difficulties during the Corona pandemic, but was able to turn them into opportunities.
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