Baaqah on a mission to redefine gifting with flowers
Baaqah is a platform that brings all your favorite florists together.
Young entrepreneur AlReem AlAmmari, Founder of ‘Baaqah‘ shares with us how her love for flowers paved a way for her entrepreneurial journey.
Baaqah.com is an e-commerce platform that allows users to view and order different flower bouquets offered by different florists in the UAE, browse, pick your preferred bouquet of flowers and get it delivered at your convenience. Baaqah fills the gap with an aim to maximize reachability for the florists and variety for the consumers.
How did you get the idea or concept of Flower Boutiques? What motivated you to start ‘Baaqah’?
I’ve always loved flowers. It was always a dream to have a flower shop “one day”. I was so inspired when Sheraa, Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, opened their hub on campus during my last year at university. I insisted to become a part of Sheraa; I’d volunteer in their events, sign up for their part-time jobs, attend their workshops, but it was never enough. I had to become an entrepreneur.
And so; on my last semester, I was daydreaming in class and I randomly got the idea of Baaqah. I said “why not approach my love for flowers in a different way? Instead of it being a typical flower shop; it can be an app for a flower shop!” As soon as that class finished, I approached Sheraa and in one hour – I knew this is the career path I want to be taking, and I never stopped.
Can you tell us about yourself and what you did prior to starting your own company?
When I got the idea of Baaqah, I was a 20-year-old -almost-business graduate from the American University of Sharjah. I always aimed to become an entrepreneur. In 6th grade; I tried to convince my mom to allow me to sell pens to my school friends. I grew up with the idea that one day I will be on Forbes; even though I had no clue what that was. A few years later, I attempted selling makeup on Instagram which was a trend back then, but that didn’t really work out. I’m only 22 now and I’m excited to see for what life has for me.
Tell us about your start-up ‘Baaqah’, what are the services you provide? Does a customer get to browse, pick and customize their preferred bouquets?
Baaqah.com is an e-commerce platform that allows users to view and order different bouquets offered by different florists in the UAE, launching in the next few weeks. Baaqah fills in a gap with an aim to maximize reachability for the florists and variety for the consumers.
What were some of the biggest lessons that have impacted the way that you work? What was the lesson, and what was it like before and after?
Self-worth, definitely. To be able to take such a challenge, you need to trust that you can. And as cliché, as it sounds, you need you before you need anyone else. You need to be ready, you need to be accepting failure before it happens, and more importantly, you need to be committed. Whatever happens, it will always be your responsibility and you need to be ready to take that.
How are you marketing your business? Which tactics have been successful?
For an e-commerce platform, I was taught that the main marketing tool is SCM, and in Baaqah’s case, SEO as well, which works perfectly fine, But I never really realized the impact of word of mouth until people referred to Baaqah because of their friends or family.
To be able to be market Baaqah organically and comfortably; customer service is our number one goal. So if I were to answer what’s the best marketing tool, it’d definitely be keeping people happy.
Can you describe/outline how your typical workday looks like?
No such thing as a typical working day for a start-up. It’s a roller coaster; every day is an adventure.
You think you can walk into the office with the founder/boss hat on but you don’t really. At one point, I had to deliver 11 orders myself across Abu Dhabi and Dubai because other drivers were too busy. It’s so much fun though, I look forward to this every night.
How many employees are currently employed at your company? What are the top 5 things you consider before you hire?
Two- We’re still a very small team. When I interview, I look for driven employees. With my little to non-existing experience in the corporate field, I look for people that are willing to teach and to be taught. The learning curve never ends, but people tend to get demotivated. Family-like spirit is the main goal, always.
What are the challenges you face as a female entrepreneur in the UAE? And How to overcome them?
As a young Emirati, I’m very blessed to say I got the support and the motivation from our leaders. It’s one of the reasons I keep going. However, this doesn’t stop people from underestimating your young age and inexperience in the field. I would enter a meeting a feel the energy go down when I introduce myself, but I make sure I leave that meeting only after I prove them wrong.
Who is your favorite female entrepreneur? What inspires you about them?
Alia AlMazrui and Kawthar Bin Sulayem. Both fought hard to be pioneers in their field, became successful and are now investors themselves.
Why will customers stay or do repeat business with you?
Because we make lives easy. With Baaqah, you can complete an order that would usually take 4-5 hours in only 2 minutes. It’s that simple.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
When people ask me if I’ve heard of Baaqah
What’s one thing we can all do to support women as leaders?
Believe in a woman the same you’d believe in a man.
What three pieces of advice would you give to other female entrepreneurs who are about to start the next big thing?
- Find something new to learn every day. Expose yourself to new challenges as much as you can.
- The closer you are to giving up, the closer you are to making it. This really changed the way I look at things
- Time is more valuable than money at this point. Don’t work hard, work smart. Always look for the easier way to do things.
