“Do your very best in every living moment,” says Noor Al Tamimi, entrepreneur and founder of UAE-based investment company Shelex. The Abu-Dhabi-born businesswoman has indeed strived to live up to this motto in every aspect of her career. Alongside her sisters Sara, Dana and Boudour, Noor founded her former company, Bedashing Beauty, in 2008 with a clear goal of growing the business while empowering women, be they staff or customers. The beauty company grew from four members to an impressive 800 employees before Noor and her sisters decided to take a step back in 2021, when the firm went public and sold to a new owner, leaving Noor to focus on new ventures.
After gaining significant entrepreneurial experience through her first successful business venture, Noor realised the potential for assisting other businesses in their growth and development. With a particular focus on female-led companies, she decided to create Shelex, a private investment fund that would empower companies and initiatives in the region to grow. “The vision of the private fund is to help women-led companies grow to the next level,” states Noor. “I have set myself a target to assist at least ten companies in the coming few years.”
Noor is no stranger to company growth. Her first business grew exponentially, becoming one of the most successful homegrown beauty brands in the UAE. “It was a purpose-led company, and it always focused on spreading confidence amongst women,” she explains. “That has always been the core of what I do, and then I saw this gap in the investment world, where women have very limited access to capital.”
After extensive research, Noor realised there were many women out there who would benefit from support in business growth both financially and at a mentorship level. She decided to specifically focus on companies in the fields of education, fashion, technology and modern marketing, assisting with everything from financial advisory and growth, to strategic planning and expansion. “I specialise in accelerating top-line revenue, which is, of course, essential to the success and the continuity of any business. Driving the companies to new revenue heights is the most important and valuable thing I bring to any partnership,” Noor confides.
In some cases, a brand requires rebranding or repositioning, another area Shelex deftly supports. “Before investing in a company, there is an assessment of that company’s brand and positioning, and suggestions will be made to the founder. If necessary, we will provide a winning strategy for that,” says Noor. “Every stage a company goes through requires new sets of skills within the founder and the immediate team members – this is an ongoing requirement.”
Businesses can join the fund at any stage of their development. As Noor explains, there is always work to be done: “Sometimes, founders get stuck, especially when their company is growing, because, in the beginning, they gave it all their knowledge and expertise. Then, to take the company to the next level, a new set of expertise would be required within the founder to go to the next level and so on as the company continues growing, and this is something that Shelex can assist with.”
Despite her entrepreneurial success, Noor remains grounded and humble. She cites the recognition she has received from the UAE’s royal family as her greatest achievement. “Being recognised by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and trusted with the huge responsibility of being appointed as a board member in the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce is truly my biggest achievement,” she says.
In addition to running Shelex and serving as a member of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, she is also a board member of the Abu Dhabi Business Women Council. Aiming to use these platforms to help aspiring entrepreneurs, she notes, “I’d like to give back to my country and serve it in the best possible manner using all the experience I’ve gained during my entrepreneurship of 25 years,” she says. “This is my top priority alongside my great fellow board members. We have great goals of assisting and helping our female members.”
Noor notes that the work done by these platforms and others in the UAE has already encouraged a transformation in women’s attitudes toward business. “Definitely, the level of confidence I see in many businesswomen has increased in recent years,” she says. “They are less hesitant now and more decisive. They know what they want, and they are working towards their goals.”
While Noor aspires to use her expertise to advise others, she also strongly believes there is no better teacher than experience. “No executive programme can teach you more than actually running your own business. There are countless lessons I have learned during this amazing journey,” she notes.
And the biggest lesson of all? “Enjoy the journey and celebrate the wins. If I were to repeat the past 20 years, the only thing I’d have changed would be to focus more on enjoying the successes I had along the way.”
Follow @nooraltamimi and @shelex_invests
on Instagram; visit shelex.com.
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