Dubai: In 2008, Abdul Raheem quit his fish cutting job at the Deira Fish Market to start a labour supply business and nine years later, fate has brought him back to the fish market, but this time as the owner of the entire fish cutting section at the newly opened Waterfront Market.
For a man who barely earned less than Dh100 per day, cutting and cleaning fish at the Deira Fish Market, this is a massive change in fortunes.
Hailing from the Seraiki community in Pakistan’s southern Punjab, a dominant community in every section of the fish business in Dubai, Raheem came to Dubai in 1998 following the footsteps of his father and uncle who were among the first from his community to work in the old fish market.
- Abdul Raheem, Owner of the fish cutting section at the Waterfront Market
After working for 10 years as a fish cutter, Raheem decided to quit in search of better pastures and, investing his savings, started a labour supply business.
Savings
“I had saved up around Dh50,000 working hard for 10 years. I had done enough of fish cutting and wanted to move forward in life. I had known a few of my community members who were successful in the labour supply business so taking the cue, I started on my own and soon tasted success,” said Raheem, who has now set up ARB Fish Selling and Cutting LLC that operates the fish cutting section at the Waterfront Market.
Take a peek at the new fish market in Dubai:
Though he initially did reasonably well in his labour supply and construction-related operations, not all went smoothly for Raheem, who claims to have supplied labour for big projects.
While he made big money through his involvement in major projects, he also made losses as his payments got stalled in some other projects, so much so that he had to sell his property units back home to get his business back on track.
“Initially, I did well, but like all businesses you have your share of highs and lows. At one point in time, I went through a pretty bad phase and lost my business and all my investment, but I didn’t lose hope and somehow with a combination of hard work and luck, I recovered,” said Raheem about his journey after quitting the fish cutting job.
Always on the lookout for new opportunities to invest, Raheem couldn’t resist when he saw the new fish market taking shape and approached the developers to acquire fish stalls at the Waterfront Market.
“When I approached the management for the stalls, I was told that the stalls will be allotted to the old fish sellers only, but I could take part in the auction for the fish cutting section and so I tried my luck and I couldn’t believe my luck when I bagged the deal. It was like a homecoming for me,” said Raheem, who refused to divulge the amount he paid to acquire the modern fish cutting section at the Waterfront Market.
Though it is a big investment, he says it’s worth the risk.
“I think this market is going to be a big hit. There are great facilities here and with parking and air-conditioned market area, more people will come to buy fresh fish. I did my study and then decided to take the plunge and I am sure this will be a great success,” said Raheem.
Employer
Raheem now employs dozens of fish-cutters, most of whom were his former colleagues at the Deira Fish Market.
The fish-cutters now work on commission, making up to Dh4,000 depending on how much they work.
“Since I have been a fish-cutter, I know how hard the job is and how little they used to make. That is why I came up with this commission system that will help them make as much as Dh4,000 if they work harder. During my days, we would hardly make Dh2,500 per month,” added Raheem.
The fish cutting section at the new market is more hygienic and is equipped with modern token system, a bigger waiting area and seating arrangements.
