Founder CEO, Instaglam.co
The UAE was a short-term stopover for Haifa when she came here in the summer of 2004 and loved it. “My intention was to stay two years [in the UAE] and move back to Canada. Look at me 17 years later, it’s home.”
She came with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised with what the country has to offer.
I am very fortunate to be in the UAE at this time, and it is a time for empowering women. And providing opportunities for entrepreneurs to launch their own business.
Great leadership, proper planning and execution, positive PR, and the ability to bring and retain the best talent from all over the world along with attention to detail is what Haifa believes is the secret to UAE success in such a short span of time in the life of nations.
Haifa found in the UAE “the best living conditions in terms of safety and luxury for a family,” and the time to create and innovate, leading her to establish Instaglam in 2016, when she noticed a gap in the beauty industry, she was keen to address it. She felt that the pioneering beauty brands, the talented professionals and the diverse population of the UAE needed a platform to connect and create opportunities and lasting partnerships. The result: beauty services to your door through the Instaglam.co app.
But “if you want to start a business, have a proper business plan, and validate your idea within your circle of friends and family, identify the customers and the value you are adding, and manage your time effectively.”
Talking about what to expect from the UAE she advises newcomers to “be open, meet people from different parts of the world, learn as much as you can and enjoy the beautiful weather half year long,” in the country, which she simply terms a “dreamland.”