Her Network:Who is Dima? Tell us about you.
Dima: First and foremost I am a proud mother. A Niger wife with Lebanese roots. I am a business owner and a serial entrepreneur.
Since childhood, I had always loved to create events and social activities. I moved to Nigeria when I got married 10 years ago; this is when I decided to grow my passion and dedicate my time to my business.
I started designing 18karat jewelry for women and created my own brand DDs Charms and page @ddscharms Later, I started expanding my passion for events and their execution.
I’m a truly believer in collective growth and in benefiting the community we live in. We can never evolve individually, we can only grow with mutual assistance and collaboration of ideas.
Her Network: How did your journey into entrepreneurship begin and why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
Dima: I decided to be an Entrepreneur in Nigeria since I was the proprietor of DDSCHARMS Jewelry brand and wanted to expand it to reach many potential customers.
I, therefore, established Fair&Fest Events company in Lagos in 2017 as one of the first markets for small businesses owned by Nigerian and expatriate ladies, housewives, and mothers.
Fair&Fest’s mission was to shed light on local products by bringing owned brands together in a spirit of love and passion.
It was later developed to organize Exhibitions such as the World of Glamour Exhibition’s first and second editions, and seasonal events such as Christmas, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, and Easter full of entertainment targeting both adults and children.
Her Network: What problem is your business solving in the current market?
Dima: As we all know women-owned businesses are currently on the rise. Women seek sustainability – they need a market to sell their products. Therefore, Fair&Fest began to pursue that objective by organizing pop up’s and bazaars, as well as by promoting the event through extensive social media advertisements and through its own database of contacts.
Fair&Fest creates a bonding and a hang out targeting adults and children to enjoy their shopping experience aided by fun activities. Fair&Fest brings together experts in their field through conferences in the World of Glamour Exhibition to benefit the empowerment of women.
Her Network: What or who inspires you in Life?
Dima: The image of women is changing gradually. This positive change has brought about more rights and freedom – freedom to expand their dreams.
I am incredibly passionate about encouraging more women to achieve their potential. What inspires me is my higher self to become the best version of myself and to defeat all challenges whilst exploring my full potential. This is done by applying the principles of the law of attraction.
Her Network: What are five key changes you’d like to see in favor of women in entrepreneurship?
Dima: The five key changes that should be highlighted in my opinion are the following:
Creating a collaborative and supportive system to encourage women’s collaboration and assistance rather than competition between them.
Pushing gender equality in the workplace
Supporting legal rights and freedom of women in society.
Raising awareness about women’s entrepreneurship through training courses and mentoring.
Facilitate access to finance for women through financial literacy and a range of financial instruments.