Entrepreneurship is a highly fulfilling passion


July 13, 2017 | By Rupkatha B

Paul Kenny came to Dubai a decade ago in his early 20s. While he pursued three 9-5 jobs, it couldn’t satiate his desire to start something of his own. Eventually, he did set up his own business, not one but three – Cobone.com, Safarna.com and AYM Commerce.

In conversation with Rupkatha Bhowmick, Kenny talks about his early days in the region and the evolution of the online retail landscape

I grew up in Ireland, surrounded by my family, who also happen to be a group of entrepreneurs. My family, the Kenny’s, is quite popular back at home. They are into retailing of books and arts. I was quite fortunate, which I didn’t realise at that time, being surrounded by a family of reputed entrepreneurs. I would visit our store doing the windows, sorting the shelves although I didn’t add much value. I would see my family members either engaged in sales or speak with different authors and artists who would frequent our store. By the age of 18 when I went to the university and studied commerce, I started thinking of setting up something of my own. But I didn’t figure out what is it that I’d like to do.

In 2004 I came to Dubai on holiday, and I realised there was nothing on the internet. There were a few online news companies, but you couldn’t buy anything online. A thought struck me – what I could do to bring my family business to this region, selling books online. Back then, more than a decade ago, what sold online were books, CDs and DVDs. I returned home, went back to college and studies, but I was quite distracted. Finally, in 2007 I dropped out of my Master’s programme. I accepted an internship job in Dubai with the Jumeirah Group, earning around AED3,500 per month.

Read the full article in the July/August edition of RetailME

Previous Article Next Article

SHARE


TRENDS


Elmoataz Obada, Co-Founder, Monkey Distribution

The power of pop

From butter beer to brooms. Dobby themed coffee mugs and keychains to 

Continue Reading

May 6, 2024 | By Rupkatha B




YOU MAY ALSO LIKE /


Lulu and MoIAT join hands to promote UAE-made products

The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) in cooperation with Lulu 

Continue Reading

December 6, 2024 | By RetailME Bureau
Sunil Kumar, CEO, Spinneys

Starting as a shelf packer in 1994, Sunil Kumar saw his way 

Continue Reading

October 29, 2024 | By RetailME Bureau
Sunil Kumar and Debashish Mukherjee at MRF 2024

What does it take to sustain profitable growth in the post-IPO phase? 

Continue Reading

October 23, 2024 | By Anurima Das

Mahalle began its operations in 2022 as an “Authentic Turkish Grocery in 

Continue Reading

October 7, 2024 | By Anurima Das
Naresh Kumar Bhawnani, Founder & Chairman, West Zone Group

“Retail is a people’s business. When building a retail brand or the 

Continue Reading

October 3, 2024 | By RetailME Bureau




Download Images RetailME Magazine