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 Masterson Managing Editor

editor’s letter

The opinions of the entrepreneurs we

interviewed varied greatly on whether enough

is being done to improve the conditions for small

businesses in Qatar.