1. 8 | The Edge
As part of our editorial focus, The Edge
magazine has committed to featuring and
supporting various aspects of entrepreneurism
and small businesses in Qatar regularly. This
inclusion is mostly not premeditated, but takes
place naturally as start-ups and small firms are
an integral part of the domestic economy.
Indeed, in many developed and emerging
nations such as Qatar, small and medium
businesses (SMEs) are recognised as important
sources of growth and employment. Expansion
in this area is of course also an aim of this
country’s National Vision 2030, as it moves
toward the ultimate goal of making the
contribution of the non-hydrocarbon private
sector to the economy outweigh that of the oil
and gas sector.
Yet besides our regular organic coverage
of SMEs – in both the success stories and
obstacles they face –The Edge has undertaken
to publish at least one major feature a year
dedicated to the subject. This is our annual
snapshot of what is now commonly referred to
as the ‘entrepreneurial ecosystem’, or in plainer
terms, all of those involved in forming, running,
augmenting and regulating SMEs in Qatar.
In our first such offering, in March 2012, we
looked at the status quo of the local ‘ecosystem’
as a whole, profiling and obtaining the
perspective of a selection of prominent national
and Doha-based expatriate entrepreneurs
on their triumphs and challenges, as well as
outlining all of the organisations involved.
At the time, the concept of entrepreneurism
was arguably enjoying an unprecedented
high profile in Qatar, with many new entities
entering the market intending to support SMEs,
institutions such as banks facilitating finance
packages, and other assistance at a level
unheard of previously.
The impression The Edge received from
the small business owners in early 2012 was
one of enthusiasm and great potential, bound
only by the limitations of the arduous and
expensive company registration process (CR)
and requirements, access to funding and a
sentiment of limited general support.
Indeed, with regard to the latter, one
conclusion that The Edge drew from delving into
this realm last year was that the perceived level
of activity around SMEs in Qatar was to a degree
overhyped. Though there were well-publicised
and well-intentioned competitions and many
initiatives for entrepreneurs, it was ostensibly
not being translated into tangible results and
successful start-ups, it seems, are not as
widespread in the country as a casual observer
of the SME scene here might be led to believe.
To be fair, the entrepreneurial movement
in Qatar is still in its infancy, and it might have
been too early to judge. Which is partly why we
focused this issue’s SME feature, compiled by
senior business editor Aparajita Mukherjee on
page 58, mostly on the entities supporting and
nurturing Qatari SMEs. And this time we relied
instead on feedback from a small selection of
established Qatari entrepreneurs, to see if they
feel enough is now being done to sustain SMEs
in their country in the long term.
Without giving away their answers, I can tell
you that there is far more activity in this realm
than there was when we featured it in The
Edge just 14 months ago. The opinions of the
entrepreneurs were also more pragmatic and
varied more greatly on whether what is being
done is effective, and how conditions for small
businesses in Qatar could still be improved.
But can an organised and well run start-up –
with a good business idea and solid work ethic
– grow into a strong corporation of tomorrow,
something Qatar’s economy will increasingly
require as it moves away from dependence on
its depleting natural resources?
That, it turns out, is a good question.
Miles MastersonManagingEditor
editor’sletter
Theopinionsofthe
entrepreneurswe
interviewedvaried
greatlyonwhetherenough
is being done to improve
the conditions for small
businesses in Qatar.