A Moment With

By Carolyn Lee

Is there a secret to success ?

Born in Melbourne , Donna had several part time jobs during her teenage years . She credits those experiences as the stimulus that made her keen to join the workforce instead of attending university . At the age of 26 , she moved to Dubai for a job that turned out to be the wrong fit for her . It was then that her entrepreneurial spirit kicked in .

She observed that there were numerous restaurants and attractions , but no incentives to attract customers . This led her to develop a proposition to attract customers to these businesses by offering incentives that would be mutually beneficial to both merchants and customers . She decided to start The Entertainer and worked tirelessly and diligently to grow it organically .

Today , The Entertainer is the most popular voucher app for securing twofor-one deals in over 19 destinations and fifteen countries worldwide . With over 10,000 merchants and more than 15 million redemptions per year , The Entertainer is without doubt a very successful business that continues to grow in value and volume each year .

The success of The Entertainer is driven by a business-savvy , yet firmly grounded Chairwoman , Donna , and a staff that believes wholeheartedly in the ethos of the company .

In this special interview , Donna provides valuable insight into how it all got started and dishes out a few tips that could help you decode your own formula to success .

Who was your favourite teacher ? Why ?

Throughout my school years , my favourite teachers were always in the PE department . I was pretty sporty and loved PE , but I think it ’ s because they always seemed to be active and fun rather than boring . I ’ m a great believer in the importance of sports in the school curriculum – keeping our kids fit and active should always be a priority . It ’ s one of the reasons I ’ ve become a partner in Dawson Sports , the UAE ’ s only supplier of sports and preschool equipment in the region .

How did you come up with the idea for starting The Entertainer ?

I saw the huge number of restaurants and attractions launching every month in Dubai , and of course , the ones that didn ’ t make a success of it . I realised that if I could make the incentive work for both the merchants and the customers , then it ’ s a win / win for everyone . I kept it simple on purpose – the offers always needed to be ‘ Buy One Get One Free ’ and they needed to be valid 7 days a week with as few restrictions as possible . I wanted people who bought The Entertainer to know what to expect and that they were getting quality offers and substantial savings .

Share two major challenges that you faced when you started . How did you overcome them ?

One of the biggest challenges was to convince people that it wasn ’ t too good to be true . It ’ s always tough to sell a concept rather than a tried and tested product . So getting the right merchants on board in the first year was so important . Can you believe my first ever meeting was at the Marriott ? Most other people would have started with a local café , but what can I say , I have high expectations . The manager there signed up 5 of their outlets to the first book there and then . That gave me a huge confidence boost and made me convinced that I could get the best merchants on board .

In those first years , I managed all aspects of the business from legalities , government formalities , printing , distribution , and of course , selling the books . It was challenging , but I ’ m a big believer in being very hands on in all aspects of your business . By doing it yourself , you learn everything you need to know . It might take longer , but it ’ s the only way to get a business off the ground . I kept managing a lot of the areas until I absolutely needed to bring someone else in to manage it for me .

What are three key things that every entrepreneur should consider before going into business ?

1 . You ’ re going to have to be brave ! If you have a good idea for a business , but you ’ re always putting off taking that leap into the unknown , don ’ t be afraid to take some risks and put your fears to one side .

3 . Remember , you can love what you do , but if the figures don ’ t add up , it starts to become more of a hobby rather than a business .

Share an important life lesson that you have learnt and how it has impacted your life .

40 | May - Jun 2017 | | Class Time