Insydo – Your city guide to the best places in Dubai!
From Accounting and Finance to launching your own business – how did you stumble upon this idea to build a search-centric product?
I always had that entrepreneurial hunger within – to build, to create and grow something that would add value.
In a city where inspiration is endless, there was a need for a curator… and Insydo became just that. While there are a lot of sources for information, there was no digital platform that filters and curates information to provide relevant and insightful content to the city, and this is exactly why the idea of Insydo came about.
We’re a young team of go-getters who love to explore Dubai and curate top experiences across all lifestyle verticals. Since day one, we have been on a mission to build a branded identity that speaks to the Dubai audience and delivers content that they crave.
What is your business about? Tell us more about ‘Insydo’?
Insydo’s role is to inspire people with everyday choices and high quality video and editorial content. We wanted the experience to be purely digital, offering an on-the-go, mobile-first experience to our users.
You need to stay updated with what’s happening in the city in order to provide people with the information. How do you curate content for your website?
Insydo shifted its focus from expecting users to search for content to working within Facebook and Google’s ecosystems in order to deliver engaging content to audiences that results in company profitability.
Insydo optimized data and built internal platforms to deliver insights to its Content Team and develop data-backed information that allowed content to develop at a pace. Insydo also understood the market need for native branded content within the region’s media landscape. To meet this need, we began to generate branded content and built an in-house solution that provides a start-to-finish creative approach for brands, offering everything from concept to execution to date-led insights on campaign performance.
Are there specific strategic decisions or measures you’ve taken to ensure high customer satisfaction?
We had two pivotal focuses: to inspire Insydo’s readership with rich and authentic online content and to strategically adapt to changes in user behavior in order to meet expectations and stay ahead of the content game. We have an incredibly creative team who ensure quality content is at the forefront of everything we do; this has also allowed us to build a portfolio of regional and global brands.
What made you decide you wanted to leave your corporate job?
I wanted to build something and empower its growth! I have always had a passion for product development, and I thrive on new challenges.
Did you have to get any outside investment to get going?
Insydo was able to break even within 2 and a half years of its existence. The brand has even accomplished $1.1 million revenue within the first year of monetizing the business.
What were some of the mistakes you made early on as a first time founder of Insydo and avoided it when you launched Brand Ripplr?
Investing too much time in building without seeing whether the need was there in the first place. Insydo started out with two native apps and then we realised it wasn’t needed. As such, we pivoted the business model. From this learning, we now build incrementally for Brand Ripplr.
Your start-up was awarded as ‘Start Up of the Year’ by Arabian Business 2016 and ‘Start-up Brand Penetration’ by Enterprise Agility Awards 2016, and you received various other recognitions. How does it feel?
We’re extremely proud of our team; we have managed to achieve a lot, and there’s so much more to come!
How do you manage your time? Do you take certain days off?
It is tough to juggle between two businesses; time is definitely a struggle. However, prioritization and delegation are two skills that have become really important. I also try to switch off by traveling to at least two new countries per year. This year, I took time off to visit Bali and Zanzibar.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to women who want to start a business?
Make the most of the networking opportunities and the generosity of the entrepreneurial community here in the UAE. The country has done exceptionally well to build a real community of entrepreneurs from across the region; there’s a genuine buzz around the start-up scene.
Both the country and its residents have long fostered the idea of what is possible – and that’s important for those who strive to create. The UAE has plenty of incubators that give you the opportunity to fund your concept, and there are plenty of government-supported projects that have helped young Emirati women in their pursuit of success.
