A gap in the Omani souvenirs market has given entrepreneur Ahmad Amur al Sawaei an opportune idea - to make miniatures of the sultanates architectural landmarks. He first experienced what was missing in 2007. That time he hadn't visited cities such as London and Paris, but the miniatures brought back by his relatives taught him that these knick knacks could act as ambassadors for destinations. During my first year of university, I participated in a social investment initiative aimed at encouraging the development of SMEs in Oman and I won a prize for best idea, which was encouraging. I later honed my business plan at an 'entrepreneur campus', and my idea began to take shape.

Miniatures of well-known landmarks are available at all tourist destinations, but this was something Oman was lacking. While small tokens such as pens, and refrigerator magnets are widely available, and handicrafts tend to be on the expensive side, my detailed miniatures give tourists other options. While the idea was straightforward, its execution was a challenge. I searched for materials and techniques to use. I found designers, sourced materials and evaluated factories. The biggest problem I faced was finding factories which could undertake such detailed work. The designing stage was very difficult. Sawaei is in the final stage of negotiations with several outlets. The miniatures should be available at select shops in the near future, he said.

Sawaei said that besides tourists, the government and private sector too have shown interest in his work. Because of his ability to produce exclusive miniatures, companies approach him for making scale models of their future projects to gift to visiting delegations. The first miniatures which will be available to the public will be of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the Al Alam Palace, and the Riam Incense Burner.

QUESTIONS:

Q1. How did Ahmed get his business idea? Explain.

Q2. What kinds of difficulties were faced by Ahmed in starting this business?

Q3. How the government and private sector is helping Mr. Ahmed in developing his business?