Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
They may be as young as 9 and 11, but aspiring entrepreneurs at Abu Dhabi's Future Founders Market are already learning lessons many business owners encounter much later.
They are figuring out how to price products, attract customers, market ideas, handle rejection and, above all, keep going when sales are slow.
Launched by Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED), the market was an extension of the Future Entrepreneur Programme 2026. It gave young Emiratis aged four to 18 hands-on experience in developing, marketing and selling their products.
The market was held at Bawadi Mall in Al Ain from August 7 to 9, and then at Reem Mall in Abu Dhabi from August 14 to 18, alongside workshops and family activities.
Eleven-year-old Latifa Al Ameri took a stand at the Reem Mall market and showcased her "educational and entertainment box”, filled with puzzles, books, colouring materials, games and activities — put together in the hope that children and families would love it.
Al Ameri was grateful for the opportunity to turn an idea into an actual product, and to experience what it's like to run a business. "I learned marketing, how to attract and speak to customers, how to sell and how to set suitable prices," she said.
Al Ameri believes children can benefit from experiencing entrepreneurship early, particularly by building their confidence and discovering abilities they may not have recognised before.
Aisha and Mayasa Al Kaabi, 11 and 9, sold bracelets and squishy toys — but before meeting their first customer, they made sure to brush up on their maths. "[We learned how to] calculate prices and money and how to set suitable prices," they said.
For 11-year-old Subha Al Shamsi, the biggest lesson from becoming a young entrepreneur has not been about the product itself, but learning to be patient when customers do not come immediately.
"If I don't get a customer today, that's okay. I have to be patient and keep going until customers come," said Al Shamsi, who turned her love for puzzles into a business idea.
Her advice to other children is to start early and give both themselves and their ideas time to develop. Khalifa Fund, she said, helped her take the project further.
Fourteen-year-old Sara Al Kindi also learned resilience and perseverance as she sold handmade flowers, stickers, crochet pieces, and other crafts. Handling customers, she found out, requires more than simply having something good to sell.
Her advice to other young entrepreneurs is to "start with something small" and offer items that people need.
Sara Al Hashemi, 12, encouraged children thinking of starting a business to “keep going, even if success takes time”. Time, she said, was exactly what she needed when she set up her DIY business for handmade keychains, glasses and bracelets.
Khalifa Fund, she said, helped her understand some of the fundamentals needed to turn her creativity into a business. "The fund helped me turn my idea into a project. I learned how to set prices, design a logo and understand the importance of its colours."
Other participants at the market advocated for causes close to their hearts. At 12, Mesaed Al Khuzaimi is already combining entrepreneurship with environmental responsibility.
His project involves a unique paper sheet made at home from recycled materials. The paper can be used for writing and later planted to grow into a plant. The project won first place at UAE level at an entrepreneurship festival in Sharjah.
Through the market experience, Al Khuzaimi learned that having an idea is not enough — an entrepreneur must be willing to pursue it. "I learned not to hesitate. If I want something, I have to work and strive to achieve it," he said.
