Mona Ataya founded Mumzworld in 2011 to fill a void for mothers that she herself faced twice: firstly while preparing to become a mother of twins and couldn't find local resources, and then later in trying to buy her children quality, affordable toys. Prior to Mumzworld, Mona co-founded Bayt, the first online search engine for jobs in the Middle East. Mona actually started out in the corporate world and spent 10 years working for FMCG giants Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson.
We discussed Mona's career drivers and how her desire for social impact shaped her path. We talked about lessons from the corporate world like resourcefulness and accountability. We addressed the challenges of e-commerce and how to overcome them, and how to build a company culture that is ìcustomer obsessedî. I asked about support and coping mechanisms - because none of this can be easy! Finally, we discussed what to look for in investors, given her experience raising 5 rounds of funding for Mumzworld. (Hint: it ain't just the money!)
This episode was extra-special as it was recorded in a Careem! For international listeners, Careem is the Middle East's leading ride-hailing app. So yes: this was my first ever WWW interview in a taxi - and we had loads of fun. A big thank you to Careem for making it happen. You can find them at www.careem.com or @CareemUAE on Twitter.
If you would like to follow Mona Ataya you can find her through Mumzworld.com or @Mumzworld on Twitter and Instagram.