The tagline to Marriam Moussalli’s blog, Shoes and Drama, reads, “Unendorsed. Uncensored. Unapologetic.” It’s this fierce attitude that has gotten her over 33,000 Instagram followers and helped her found her own luxury consulting firm, Niche Arabia. The fashion-savvy entrepreneur took a brief break from running her business to tell us how she does it all.
What’s the best part of running your own business?
Marriam Moussalli: Making my own hours! Just kidding, I actually never shut off from work mode—just ask my husband... he loves it! No, but in all seriousness, I think the best part is having control of what projects we decide to be part of. I’m one of those ADHD creative types, who needs to feel challenged or else I get easily bored. I love that I can push the boundaries and there’s no one upstairs telling me, “No, that can’t be done.” Rather, it’s me telling my team: “Yes, it’s never been done... until now.”
Was there ever a time when you felt discriminated against or stereotyped as a Saudi businesswoman?
MM: I think people are surprised when I say that being a Saudi businesswoman has been one of my greatest assets! In regards to the international world, it’s been a great asset in that I’m often underestimated. I’ve often walked out of meetings having negotiated my way into very one-sided deals in my favor because they thought I was too young or too foreign to take advantage of them.
I’m actually going on tour with King Abdullah Centre for World Culture in the US to talk about the female entrepreneur—it’s called “Under the Abaya,” and is all about this misconception of the suppressed, ignorant Saudi woman. I’m extremely proud that my country chose me to be one of the women to set the record straight.
You have Shoes and Drama, Niche Arabia, and you got married recently (congratulations, by the way!) How do you juggle it all?
MM: I have an amazing team! My people in Jeddah, Dubai and Milan all work together to allow me to have some semblance of a real life! Also, I love what I do—and I think that’s very apparent. You have to love it because it does take over. And I have to mention my current support system: @MrShoesanddrama, aka my husband (He’s going to kill me for calling him that!) But he is why this is possible.
Now, it’s not always easy, and sometimes he will get jealous of my baby, Niche, but he also understands that this is part of me. That my work is just as important as the role of “mom” or “wife.” It fulfills me. And he sees it makes me happy and champions me to do more!
List three traits an entrepreneur must have in order to be successful.
MM: Rebelliousness: I think the best thing my parents did was let me do whatever I wanted, although they may not agree! Yes, it got me into some hot water, but I also learned how to swim. I believe any real “agent of change” is someone who isn’t satisfied with the status quo—so rebel! And do it often!
Gamble: Entrepreneurship is a risk. I left my steady job as editor of the largest English newspaper in the Middle East—people knew my name, I was flown places, got to interview fascinating personalities and titans of industry, yet I knew I wanted to do something more. I didn’t just want to talk about change, I wanted to on the forefront of the movement. I took a gamble and it paid off. It doesn’t always.
Creativity: Being an entrepreneur, you often need to think outside the box. How to execute something with a start-up budget is always a good exercise in creativity. Or taking a business model and tweaking it to have more unique selling points. Those all require a type of creative mind to solve.
What pieces of advice would you give to other Saudi women who want to start their own business?
MM: Marry rich! I’m just kidding!! I would say, know when to have a laugh. Really. We women tend to over think, over analyze, overwhelm ourselves! We take on so much—it’s the maternal instinct in us. Being an entrepreneur is a rollercoaster… make sure you enjoy the ups!
Study! With the Internet at your fingertips there’s no excuse not to be well informed. Research and research some more. You should never stop learning no matter how accomplished you think you are!
Support each other— I started the hashtag #RealWomenSupportWomen and often use @shoesanddrama as a platform to promote other Arab women and their achievements. And trust me, when you’re supportive, the karma comes back! When I was with the newspaper, I would often share my network and my platform to help support emerging Saudi businesses… Today, I know if I pick up the phone, I have at least 50 women who would do the same for me!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
