The global economic downturn has forced many people to face a new reality. With pay rises, bonuses and even jobs no longer guaranteed, residents across the UAE have tightened their belts to help themselves ride out the financial storm. But while the credit crunch has led to job loss, mounting debts and even a ticket home for some expatriates, for others it has had a positive spin-off. As they often say, ‘when one door closes, another opens'. Aquarius meets three women who say the credit crunch has enriched their lives for the better.
"The credit crunch… helped me achieve my dreams"
Emma Vorwerk, 29, from Adelaide, Australia, is the owner of Berry Behaved (www.berrybehaved.com), an online boutique pet store for dogs and cats. Emma moved to Dubai in February 2007 with her husband Nathan, 32, who works in health and safety.
"My background is interior design, so when I first moved to the UAE I worked for an Italian company that made glass mosaics. I then moved to an Australian furniture company that fitted out executive apartments right down to putting the milk in the fridge.
"As the project manager I was in charge of decorating serviced apartments in a building on The Palm and was incredibly busy. But I finished that project when the credit crunch hit and suddenly I was a project manager with no projects to manage, so the writing was on the wall. After being paid late for the second month in a row I knew it was time to get out. I handed in my notice in January because I had another plan up my sleeve.
"Five years ago I'd had this idea to launch a lifestyle brand called White Berry with lots of different products under its umbrella. I decided it was time to put that plan into action with berry behaved - an online pet boutique store - because I'd noticed so many people walking around the Marina with little dogs.
"Before quitting my job I set up a market stall at the marina in the evening and on the weekends. It did very well and with my job not going to plan was the push I needed to take the lunge and focus on the business full-time. I started by building the website with a web designer and securing my trade licence. I spent Dh80,000 of my savings on startup costs - it was a do or die moment - and a lot of time sourcing products from around the world. I also had my own designs made into pet products such as stylish dog cushions or food bowls in chocolate leather that look nice on the kitchen floor. Because of my background, it's important that there's an interior element to my products.
"I also sell my products wholesale to vet's clinics and plan to have them in pet stores soon too. I'm seven months into the business now and it's still early days. Everything takes a lot longer than I expected and my website is yet to take off but people are still getting used to the idea of buying online.
"I'd like to distribute my products in Australia and expand the website around the GCC region and plan to launch my next White Berry brandy once Berry Behaved is going well.
"Because of the credit crunch I was literally pushed out there and it's done wonders for my confidence. Rather than sitting on the fence thinking, ‘Should I, shouldn't I?' I've gone out and achieved my dream. My negative side used to say, ‘Who's going to buy pet products in a crisis?' but my positive side could see all the animal lovers in the UAE. Now I just roll with each day as it comes and love the flexibility of working for myself.
"When I was working I was always first in the office and the last to leave and when I arrived home I'd still think about work. Now that person is working for me, which is really rewarding because if I'm stressing out about work, it's going to benefit my business, not someone else's.
"My husband thinks it's great too. Because his job is so stressful, he comes home and I'll be talking about seeing some cute puppies at a vet's clinic. It's a very light-hearted job and I find people with pets who don't have kids treat their animals like children. They tell me about their pets and the next thing they've got their phone out and are showing me pictures. I'd love a dog myself but my husband is allergic so I'll have to find something hypoallergenic.
"If my job had kept on going well, I probably would have stuck with it. But the credit crunch really pushed me to go out and do this. The only thing I don't like about my new life is being called ‘the dog lady'!"
"The credit crunch… made me switch my focus''
American Dharmangi Bhatia, 35, is a former hedge fund manager and mother of Swayam, aged two. She moved to Dubai in 2008 from New York, and when she couldn't find suitable employment decided to turn her focus to something completely different.
"I came to the UAE during my maternity leave in November 2007 shortly after my husband Ranjeet, 34, started his new job as an oil trader, but I wasn't ready to give up my career so I went back to New York.
"Life was fabulous there. I had my daughter, Swayam, and though my hours were long, I was able to work from home in the evenings.
"I'd pump breast milk in the office, race home at five for the last feed, put her to bed, finish my work and then do the feeds during the night. It was tiring, but I felt like superwoman.
"My husband was suffering without us, so I shut shop, and looked for a job in the UAE. Finding something that could match my level and New York salary, however, was impossible. It was the worst possible time for the banking industry, so while there were quite a few interviews when I first arrived, they'd dried up by the end of the year. And the offers I did receive were either a step down or on a much lower salary.
"So I decided I should invest my time in Swayam instead. It was a huge switch and it took me a while to adjust to my new home and lifestyle.
"I spent the next year focusing on her, making sure she was happy at nursery and putting a lot of energy into her diet. I wanted her to eat well and it started with basic fruit and vegetable purees. Then, when she moved onto solid food, I experimented with different flavours using beetroot, mushrooms, spinach and fresh herbs such as basil and chives in her food.
"But when Swayam started being invited to friends' birthday parties I hit a stumbling block because the menu was always chicken nuggets and chips. I had to come up with something new, so developed cupcakes out of mashed potato and asparagus and bought lots of different moulds to shape the food. I took great inspiration from the British children's author Annabel Karmel. I loved her party food and thought, ‘Why can't I just use it for everyday?'
"From there I created pretty pictures on the plate such as bumblebees made from almonds, peanut butter, honey and sesame seeds or a snake made with a bagel and egg salad
"Friends were inspired and asked me to cater for their children's parties, but they also thought I needed something to focus my energy on. They'd tell me, ‘You're going crazy' and say, ‘Your marriage is going to fall apart because he's always working and you're baby-obsessed, so get yourself a job'.
"I took their advice and decided to set up Sway2theHeart (www.sway2theheart.com) - a catering company that offers healthy children's food.
"The website is designed and I've started catering for birthday parties and private events as well as holding cooking classes for children. I've still got a long way to go to get the business up and running and while it doesn't replace the buzz of the trading floor, it keeps me busy. Spending so much time with my daughter has at times been mentally tiring, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
"If I'm honest and could go back to my old job in New York I'd jump at the chance, but because my working hours went up to 12 hours a day, I would have missed a lot. And because I've invested so much time and energy into my business, I want to finish this before I consider anything else.
"I told my old boss what I was doing and he laughed. I was a workaholic who'd arrive at work at 9am, get home 12 hours later and then stay on the BlackBerry until after midnight. Now I'd rather be in bed at that time."
