Lily Kandalaft is the founder of Malaak Mama & Baby Care, the UAE's first maternity focused childcare agency providing prenatal classes, maternity nurses, babysitters, sleep trainers, breastfeeding support as well as other pre- and postnatal services to support families in the UAE. A passionate supporter of working moms, Lily tries to be for others what she needed herself.
In our conversation Lily shared valuable lessons she learned in the corporate world that have served her well in entrepreneurship. We also talked about the challenges on her journey as an entrepreneur: the burden of constant decision-making, how she's had to give up on the myth of perfection to be kinder to herself and how she's learned to say no. Lily has found that managing people and various stakeholder interests becomes both more difficult and important as a small business owner.
For people who see a gap in the market and want to start their own business, Lily's advice is "just do it." She also talks about the value of starting out as a side hustle before committing fully to your passion enterprise. She also reveals how she's managed to And she credits maintining her sanity through this journey to the support of mentors, role models and sympathetic friends.
If you would like to know more about Malaak you can visit www.malaakme.com or find them on Facebook (@malaakuae) and Instagram (@malaakbabycare)