5 things to consider when hiring your first employees
January 31, 2021
Series: Built in the UAE – Part 4: PropertyFinder – Building a real estate giant
February 15, 2021Series: Built in the UAE – Part 3: The Entertainer – Building a business from downtime
Welcome to the third instalment of our ‘Built in the UAE’ entrepreneurial series. Today is the turn of the Entertainer – a leading leisure discount app with over 3 million members globally.
The Entertainer was established in the UAE way back in 2001 by Donna Benton, a young Australian with a clear vision. Originally a printed discount booklet, since going digital in 2013 it has become a global powerhouse. Following a slew of investments from various stakeholders, Benton made the decision to bow out entirely in 2020 with a tidy ‘nine-figure mark in USD’.
For those in the UAE unfamiliar with the Entertainer – and there can’t be many – this mobile platform offers buy-one-get-one-free and other types of discounts across food & drink, beauty & fitness, attractions & leisure, retail & services and hotels worldwide.
But there’s more: recognising the economic power of women in business, the UAE government has increasingly focused on gender equality in the workforce. In 2017, it pledged $50 million to the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative. The Entertainer has a part in both these narratives of change.
What can other budding entrepreneurs glean from Donna Benton’s success story if they want to follow in her shoes?
- Have a clear vision from the start: Benton knew right away which outlets she wanted to approach to partner with and she took a ‘highly curated approach’. Her first signups were five outlets at the Marriott in Deira. Clearly, this belief in her fundamental concept paid off.
- Grow with the times: A printed discount booklet was all very well from the start, but of course it wouldn’t survive in our digital age. Benton’s initial investors – Abraaj Capital – enabled her to take The Entertainer digital to meet the more complex needs of today’s consumers.
- Stay fresh – add extras: A successful business is continually looking for the next customer group or the next market niche. In addition to its consumer-focused discount offering, today the mobile platform is also used for ‘Entertainer business’, a B2B offering enabling corporate clients to launch incentive & loyalty solutions; ‘Entertainer go’, for tourists; and ‘Entertainer guest’, aimed at hotels. As a business owner, you can never stay still.
Let’s end with a bit of her personal philosophy: “There are three kinds of people – those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, ‘Oh, what happened?’.”
We will leave you to decide which of those she is.
