Whether it is balancing work and life demands or overcoming stereotypes, women entrepreneurs in the region already have a challenging enough time running their businesses.

Add the coronavirus pandemic into the mix and things get even more complicated. The two months of lockdown and the regulations on social distancing that followed negatively impacted various sectors of the economy including hospitality, design and retail.

Eight women members of the Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) shared their experiences of how they’ve adapted their business model in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“One of the immediate and direct impact of Covid-19 has been the sharp drop in sales, down to more than 50 percent as customers stopped visiting or ordering takeaways,” says Amna Mohamed Safar, founder of iBakery in Sharjah. She explains that she has adapted to this by opening up her menu for deliveries and takeaways when previously it had been a dine-in only concept.

Businesses in F&B are largely reliant on footfall and so the lockdown came as big blow.

Sara Al Awadhi, founder of coffee and chocolate shop Khayal Boutique, felt it was important to regain the confidence of customers and so she sought the support of her staff to devise ways of improving services, reducing expenses, and creating products "that fit with the needs of the current market".

With many employees laid off from their jobs or furloughed, spending power and consumer confidence have been especially low since March.

“Low demand was a main challenge as consumers focused on necessities, not indulgence in luxury products,” says Muna Bin Barradah, the creative director and owner of La Graine Fine Jewelry. Bin Barradah says having open and honest communications with clients allowed her to sustain her company throughout this period.

Communicating and highlighting certain products over others, such as scented candles versus flowers which were not in high demand during lockdown, also helped Meera Al Rasasi, founder of flower shop The Bloom Room, as she grew her market share even during these difficult times.

“We also raised awareness of the sanitising measures in place to ease the concerns of our clients, and to rope in more business.”

Disruptions in production when factories had to shut down as part of the lockdown measures was something design companies had to be resourceful to overcome.

“To ensure continuity of production, I began to seek out raw material from companies abroad,” Badria Salem, founder and owner of Sharjah-based Abdar Jewelry, explains, adding: “I also liaised with my business partners to address the challenges and find solutions.”

Fatima Al Zaabi and Noora Al Awar, founders of Studio D.04, an architectural and interior design firm, also had to be inventive when international supply chains were disrupted.

“We experienced long delays in material delivery/shipment. This led us to seek out alternative materials from the local markets and look at more creative ways of using materials to achieve the desired effect.”

When all else fails, having the right mind set of using the down-time to grow professionally is an asset. “The cancellation of exhibitions which were an integral element of our communications strategy with potential clients also added to our woes,” says Mariam Al Hammadi, owner of Maroon Design. “Although work came to a complete halt initially, I was determined to face the challenges upfront. Using the time to develop my personal skills, I experimented with high-quality materials to create 25 distinctive summer designs using seven different types of fabrics.”

Hunaida Hassan, founder of Hunaida Photography, also saw the slowdown of photography jobs as an opportunity to develop her skills and think outside of the box. “I have been fuelling my passion by participating in several online photography competitions and live workshops led by experts in the field.”

Hunaida Hassan, founder of Hunaida Photography

SBWC has created platforms for the sharing of ideas and peer-to-peer learning in the rapidly changing market scenario, helping members navigate their way out of the crisis including providing solutions for faster e-commerce adoption.