Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center CEO Sara Al Nuaimi and entrepreneurs from Sheraa share candid lessons on growth, purpose, resilience and turning ambition into lasting impact on World Entrepreneurs’ Day.
By Imran Malik | Business & Entrepreneurship Desk | SharjahNews.ae | Courtesy: Sharjah24
Entrepreneurship is easy to romanticize. The idea that arrives in the middle of the night. The courage to begin. The dream of building something meaningful from nothing.
What is harder to romanticize, and far more important to understand, is what happens after the idea. The testing. The listening. The pivoting. The seasons of doubt. The moments when data and instinct pull in opposite directions. And the question that every founder eventually faces: is this problem worth continuing to solve?
On World Entrepreneurs’ Day, Her Excellency Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi, CEO of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), and a group of entrepreneurs from Sheraa’s community shared the lessons that have shaped their journeys, in words that cut through the noise of startup culture to offer something more honest and more useful.
Sara Al Nuaimi — The Courage to Test, the Discipline to Listen
At the heart of Sheraa’s vision is a conviction that H.E. Sara Al Nuaimi articulates with the precision of someone who has helped hundreds of founders navigate the gap between ambition and execution.
“Founders should have the courage to test their assumptions, the discipline to listen to the market, and the openness to build the relationships and pursue the opportunities that can move their businesses forward,” she said.
Her framing is deliberate. Courage comes first, but it is immediately paired with discipline and openness, qualities that temper courage into something sustainable rather than merely spectacular.
For Al Nuaimi, entrepreneurship’s value lies not just in individual business success but in what it makes possible at a civilizational level: new solutions, stronger economies, and opportunities that did not previously exist.
“This is what we continue to strengthen through Sheraa,” she said, “connecting entrepreneurs to markets, capital, partnerships, and opportunities that enable them to grow, compete globally, and create lasting value.”
On World Entrepreneurs’ Day, she reaffirmed Sheraa’s commitment to ensuring Sharjah remains a place where entrepreneurs can “build with confidence, grow with purpose and make an impact that lasts.”
Under Al Nuaimi’s leadership, Sheraa has established itself as one of the UAE’s most dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystems, supporting founders across technology, creative industries, social enterprise, and beyond. Her leadership combines institutional vision with genuine personal investment in the founders Sheraa serves, a combination that has made her one of the most respected voices in the Gulf’s entrepreneurship community.
Noora Al Suwaidi — Growth Comes From the Details
Noora Al Suwaidi, co-founder of Teel Floral Studio, draws her entrepreneurial wisdom from an unexpected source: flowers.
“Entrepreneurship has taught me that growth rarely happens all at once. Much like working with flowers, it comes from paying attention to the smallest details, understanding what needs care, and knowing when to give something the space to take shape,” she said.
Her observation about business seasons is equally grounded. What matters, she says, is “continuing to nurture what has potential, learning from each experience, and trusting that something meaningful can be built with patience, consistency, and a clear sense of purpose.”
Tayeb Hassan — Stay Close to the Problem
Tayeb Hassan, co-founder of digital mental health platform Nafsi, built his business around a gap that others had simply learned to accept. The DHA-licensed platform now serves more than 10,000 users and has secured over 30 corporate partnerships across the Middle East.
“Entrepreneurship often begins with recognizing a gap that others have learned to live with, and deciding that it can be addressed differently,” Hassan said.
His advice to founders is to maintain that original connection to purpose even as the business grows and complications multiply. “When challenges arise, as they inevitably will, knowing why the problem matters can give you the clarity to adapt, keep moving, and build something that genuinely improves people’s lives.”
Andy Coxall — Take the Leap
Andy Coxall, Managing Director of Evolve Careers, offers the group’s most direct call to action.
“There’s never been a better time to take the leap of faith and become an entrepreneur. We can’t wait for others to address the issues we see out there. We’ve got to step up and own them.”
He points to ecosystems like Sheraa and events like the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival as the support infrastructure that makes that leap less lonely and more survivable.
Nuno Veloso — Let Go and Let’s Go
Nuno Veloso, founder of integrative coaching venture Dragon Within, offers perhaps the most counterintuitive advice of all.
“Let go, and let’s go. We tend to intellectualize and rationalize most things, getting comfortably stuck following models designed to structure learning, not execution,” he said.
His prescription: “Let your gut feeling be the counterpart to your metrics.”
What These Five Voices Share
Five entrepreneurs. Five different sectors. Five different journeys. One consistent message.
Start. Test. Listen. Stay close to the problem. Pay attention to the details. Trust the process through the difficult seasons. And when the models and the data and the overthinking threaten to paralyze you — let go and move.
On World Entrepreneurs’ Day in Sharjah, Sara Al Nuaimi and the founders she supports are making that message impossible to ignore.
