it can be to work with the government and that the government doesn’t seem to offer much, if any, support to young entrepreneurs starting up their own businesses. “Our government doesn’t do anything to help startup businesses,” Omer says. “There isn’t a lot of help for young entrepreneurs and there should be something to help at least to give advice.” He suggests the government could help would-be business owners learn to make a business plan without having to have a degree in business. “There’s just not a lot of support,” he says. “I would like to see a young entrepreneurial community where you can take advice to help you convert your ideas into a real business. Seminars or workshops would be helpful. The lack of resources and lack of knowledge means a lot of young entrepreneurs give up before they’ve even really started.” The two complain there are not always clear instructions of what is needed to start a business.
Issue 10 - Winter 2016-17
“We wanted to register our company in the chamber of commerce. They wanted the name and I told him ‘Rishn’,” Omer says. ‘Rish’ means beard in Kurdish and ‘Rishn’ is the adjective form, essentially meaning bearded. “The man at the chamber of commerce said, ‘What is this? It has to exist in the dictionary. Every company has to have a meaning. Even PEPSI has a meaning.’” (Which he said is ‘Pay Each Pence to Save Israel’) “I tried to make an acronym and they wouldn’t let me. Instead of registering our company, they were making it very difficult.” They consulted a professor they knew and he wrote an essay about how it’s a fully Kurdish name and, of course, it should be registered. The process still hasn’t been easy for them. Despite the difficulties of bureaucracy, Rishn has been successful. They now offer a beard oil and a moustache wax as well as a beautifully hand-crafted gift box set. Of course, that’s not enough for them. They’re now working on another scent called
‘Black Oud’ which they describe as very wintry and very Middle Eastern. Another twist to their business is the addition of a women’s line with a new name and logo presenting a larger volume recipe specified for women’s hair. “We found out a lot of women are using our beard oil, so it was just a natural progression.” While their business is homegrown and still small (most of their sales are through the phone with their customers calling and asking for delivery), the men are proud of what they’ve started and have bright eyes looking toward the future. “Not everyone likes a beard. My mom was always telling me, ‘Please, trim it,’” Omer says. “But now that we have managed to turn the business crisis into an opportunity - a fully functioning business - I have a lot less pressure.” To contact or place an order call: 0750 481 1642 /RishnBeardCare /RishnBeardCare
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