Verne Harnish, described by Tom Peters as the guru of fast growth companies, says Dubai’s enterprise friendly business climate will spur growth in the region in the same way as Hong Kong is the catalyst for growth in Asia.
Speaking to entrepreneurs at the Knowledge Village Conference Centre, Harnish said that the combination of tax and bureaucracy free Free Zones together with the city’s audacious growth plans will continue to lure entrepreneurs in increasing numbers.
“Since Dubai launched the first Palm development and announced that expatriates would be able to purchase property there has been an explosion in development right across the region. Most cities don’t even have a vision, whereas Dubai has a strategic plan looking forward fifty years,” said Harnish.
Harnish introduced the 200 plus delegates, who are all clients of the bank’s recently formed Business Banking Division which focuses on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to his one-page strategic plan for achieving exponential growth.
A firm believer in keeping things simple, he said: “If you can’t state your underlying business strategy in a single sentence, you probably haven’t figured it out yet!”
The author of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits also took the audience through check lists for strengthening their company structure, optimising cash flows and developing business habits like the legendary Rockefeller, who still ranks as the most successful businessman ever.
“Verne Harnish is an inspiration to small and medium size businesses because he provides practical and actionable suggestions that can be implemented right away. We are delighted to have been able to share his wisdom with some of our entrepreneurial clients,” said Omar Bouhadiba, Senior Vice-President and Head of Corporate Banking Group, Mashreqbank.
“Our Business Banking Division is itself an entrepreneurial venture that aims to go beyond being just a financial partner by bringing fresh ideas and opening new ways of doing business to the local SME community,” Bouhadiba added.
