Ahmed AlSawafiri, Founder, Startup MGZN
A lot of businesses in Bahrain and the Arab World eagerly wait for Ramadan as this is the month where they make most of their money! Many other businesses, on the other hand, suffer from a very slow month. This is just how seasonality in business works. If you are from the second group, let Ramadan be your annual planning month. If you are from the first group, milk it!
Ehsan AlKooheji, General Manager, Kooheji Systems
The biggest change is how slow interactions with others become. There are much fewer calls, emails, and meetings. If you are a self-contained business, that might be fine, but when you depend on interaction with other parties you’re out of luck. Instead of trying to change people, I decided to go with the flow. I prepare myself in advance by working harder and getting more done before Ramadan to make up for the inevitable downtime. So when Ramadan comes the business is not hurt, and I don’t feel that bad about sleeping in a little later.
Eyad Ebrahim, Director, Web Avenue
Let’s face it, Ramadan is a very slow month for generating new business through the normal channels you use throughout the year. First, we must maintain the same project delivery flow and make sure deadlines aren’t affected by the shorter working hours, generating less new business is one thing, upsetting your existing clients is another. Planning social events for your team in the holy month presents a good opportunity to boost morale and strengthen the bond between team members. These social events are great Public relations opportunities as well and could help in generating interest in the business.
I wish you all a blessed Ramadan.
Wafa AlObaidat, Creative Director, Obai & Hill
Ramadan is a slow month for most businesses but is a great month for a design and PR agency. We get busy and creative and collaborate with our clients on greeting cards, catchy promotions, and planning Ghabgha’s! There are fewer hours in the day so we all try to squeeze in what we can, and end up catching up with our work after Futoor. Though Ramadan is also during summer we are still planning the months ahead and paying special attention to September as everyone is back from their holidays and back into a routine.
For businesses who do not do well in Ramadan I highly recommend making sure you push your business forth in the early months of the year and saving for a rainy day, which in this case is Ramadan where sales dip for the F and B industry. For businesses who can max out sales in this month, then plan yourself ahead of time with campaigns and promotions to push your product or service forward and integrate with market trends!
Yazin Alrihayim, Entrepreneur
“Let’s discuss it over coffee” or “Let me buy you lunch sometime.” It’s only during Ramadan that it becomes glaringly obvious the role food has in our day to day dealings – and that’s especially true for entrepreneurs (who often meet random people in the course of work).
That usually means having met during the day (with nothing to lubricate the conversation), or postponing meetings till after Maghrib (which is my preferred way of doing things).