Ameena Falchetto is half English – half Egyptian who was born in Dubai. Her previous business experiences in Dubai with her husband John has ensured she won’t be settling for anything other than entrepreneurship. Ameena blogs about being a mother and with her husband, rents holiday apartments that they have refurbished.
Can you briefly describe yourself, some background and your business?
Briefly describe myself? Umm … I’m half English, half Egyptian, born in Dubai and lived in a few other places! I started my own company in Dubai in 2007 doing Marketing and PR, I then started a business with my husband John. At the end of 2008 we moved to the South of France and refurbished an old farmhouse in the centre of a village. That spring we launched “Le 111” holiday apartments in Provence www.provence-apartments.com
What promoted you to start a business here in France? Did any skills or qualifications gained elsewhere help?
After being self-employed in the UAE for 2 years I had no intention of finding a job. Plus when I moved to France I didn’t speak much French at all – so, for me, it was important to find something that I could do in English and from home. I have a degree in History of Modern Art and a Masters in Marketing from the UK so that was not really much help on setting up a holiday rental.
Do you think as a woman it is harder or easier to be in business?
Having come from being a female business owner in Dubai it was so much easier; night and day actually.
Are you able to work you business around your family life?
Yes, that was the whole idea. It’s important for me to be able to have flexible hours and to be able to work from home. My daughter will only be this age once.
Were your business plans part of your move to France or something you became interested in afterwards?
When we were moving to France it was part of the plan to refurbish to farmhouse, create apartments and turn it into a business.
Do you find the various French agencies, such as your local CCI, helpful and willing to assist?
Yes, everyone is very helpful.
Are men that you have to deal with in your business life understanding or treating you differently?
I had a problem in the beginning with older male clients – they seemed to think that they were except from the rental agreement and they would try to bully me or ask to speak to a man after I said no to something. But generally they are the exception. I tend to get treated slightly differently because I’m not French but it’s not a negative thing.
What is your own personal view of social media such as Facebook and twitter? Good for business? I have to admit that as far as my business is concerned I don’t really use social media as much as I should – I have no excuse – it’s in the pipeline … I have recently started using sites like airbnb.com that connect using Facebook and Twitter which adds a social aspect to the whole process which I enjoy. I find that I do really well just using the conventional website listings. And, I am in the process of hopefully, one day, turning my blog www.mummyinprovence.com into another business so that consumes a lot of my FB and Twitter time.
Do you have any thing to say to other women who want to start a business?
DO IT! Do your research but don’t wait too long. Get some good advice, talk to people – bounce ideas – but ultimately get out there and do it. It is important to make sure you have the right support and encouragement – I’m lucky I have my husband to bounce ideas with and he helps me makes sense of them!
