Dubai: In 2012, Canadian national Natasha Shaikh became a mother for the first time – and she had an idea for a business that would propel her out of her comfort zone into something she’d never done before. But was it worth the risk?Shaikh, who has a business and marketing background, said: “I was looking… through the eyes of a mother and thinking about what I would genuinely want for my own child: somewhere warm, nurturing and personal, where children were known as individuals and parents felt completely comfortable leaving them.”Shaikh, who has a business and marketing background, said: “After I had my first child, I found myself at a bit of a crossroads. I absolutely loved being a mother, but I was also looking for something I could build for myself while still being present and raising my daughter. I think, like many new mothers, I felt a little lost trying to understand what the next version of my life and career would look like.”She remembers speaking to her own mother about her dilemma: “She is an incredibly strong and ambitious woman and has always been the backbone of our family. She said something to me that stayed with me: ‘Don't get into a comfort zone. Strive for more. Having a child doesn't mean you can't do both.’”At the time, Shaikh was living in Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), and it was a new, developing community. Even as new buildings and businesses were opening, and young families were moving in, Shaikh noticed a gap when it came to childcare within the area.She said: “One day, quite literally, I walked into the free zone office and said, ‘What's the process if I want to open a children's nursery?’ They guided me on where to begin, and from there, I went through the entire process myself, from the very first application and approvals to understanding the regulations, finding the space and figuring out everything that was required to actually open the doors.”Although it was initially overwhelming, Shaikh said it was one of the “greatest business educations” she could have had, since she tackled every stage herself, and built it from the ground up.Dubai helped enormously. Shaikh said: “Dubai gave me a platform where an idea could actually become something tangible if I was prepared to put in the work. It didn't just give me an opportunity to start a business; it gave me the environment to learn how to build one.”In September 2012, Shaikh welcomed parents and their children to Rainbow Valley Nursery in Dubai.Over the years, one business turned into three – two nurseries and a kids’ fitness and edutainment centre – and today, Shaikh works full-time as an early years educator, entrepreneur and founder, dedicating her efforts to creating safe and joyful spaces for children.She credits Dubai for giving her the courage to Dubai-it (the city’s cultural philosophy of achieving something extraordinary with excellence in record time) in her professional career – the city is her first home.A place to take risksFor Shaikh, becoming a parent completely changed the way she looked at childcare. Picture credit: SuppliedWith roots in Pakistan, Shaikh was born in Abu Dhabi and spent the first 12 years of her life in Dubai before her family moved to Canada. She returned to the city in 2005, after completing her university education abroad, at age 25. Her husband, whom she met in the same year in Canada, arrived in Dubai in 2006, and the couple got married in the city, in 2008.She said: “Coming back as an adult was very different from knowing Dubai as a child. I returned thinking about my career, but what I found was a city that gave me the platform to build something of my own. There was, and still is an incredible energy around possibility here. If you have an idea, are prepared to work hard and take some risks, there is an environment that encourages you to try.”For Shaikh, becoming a parent completely changed the way she looked at childcare. Today, she is a mum to four daughters, and motherhood continues to influence almost every decision she makes in education.She said: “In many ways, my children have been some of my greatest teachers. Having a teenager and a toddler and two girls in between, means I can have conversations with mothers across almost every stage of parenting. As they have grown, I've experienced so many different stages of childhood from the parent's perspective, and that continually reminds me that every child develops differently, and every family has different needs.”It also helps her put herself in the shoes of parents who drop off their kids at her doorstep: “It has made me very conscious of the trust parents place in us. A parent isn't simply purchasing childcare; they are handing you a piece of their heart every morning.”Scaling up from humble beginningsShaikh started out simply creating a space that she herself would choose for her child. But Dubai’s environment encouraged her to dream bigger than she initially thought possible.She said: “Dubai normalises ambition. You're surrounded by people who have come here with an idea, taken a chance and built something. That energy is contagious. You stop asking only, ‘Can I do this?’ and start asking, ‘What else could I do?’”But conjuring an idea is one thing. Bringing it to life is another.The city gives entrepreneurs the platform, infrastructure, and confidence to think bigger, but “you still have to execute”, said Shaikh. “Childcare is particularly challenging because growth can never come at the expense of quality. You are dealing with children, families, educators, regulators, safeguarding, facilities, and an incredible amount of responsibility. But Dubai does have this ability to make you believe that the next step is possible. You see people around you constantly creating, building and reinventing themselves, and I think that energy changes your own perception of what you can achieve.”As a mother of four, it was also important to Shaikh to be able to maintain a balance between work and family life – and she said she has been able to achieve it in the city. She relied on her husband, who works in real estate in Dubai, to make this happen: “When it comes to business, we very much work as a team. I lead the operational and education side, while he is more involved in the financial, strategic and growth side. We have very different strengths, and I think that has complemented us well over the years.”Lessons in childcareLooking back, Shaikh has discovered that sometimes, the things that are hardest to measure are the things that matter most.She said: “Business school taught me strategy, numbers, marketing and how to understand a business. It couldn't teach me how to comfort a parent leaving their child for the first time, how to recognise a wonderful early-years practitioner, how to build a culture where staff genuinely care, or how to make difficult decisions when people's emotions and livelihoods are involved.”When COVID-19 came around, her nurseries closed their doors almost overnight. It was a period of great uncertainty in her professional life: “Our staff were suddenly at home, many of them away from their own families, and there was a huge amount of fear about what would happen next.”But watching Dubai’s community and authorities come together and overcome the crisis, Shaikh was inspired to do the same. She started a small mask-making workshop with some of her nursery team, and called it the ‘3Maskateers’. The group sourced different fabrics, experimented with designs, made customised masks, and delivered them.She said: “I did it because my staff were lonely, worried, and uncertain, and I wanted to give us something positive to focus on together… a sense of purpose when everything around us seemed to have stopped. My children joined in too, which made it even more meaningful.”Shaikh said she wanted her children to understand that when something difficult happens, giving up shouldn’t be the first reaction. She said: “You may not be able to control what's happening around you, but you can look at what is within your capacity, however small, and do something. Keep moving, keep creating and try to stay positive.”The experience gave her, and her team, some heartwarming memories from a difficult time, and taught her kids resilience. It also taught her that life goes on.Over the next few years, Shaikh didn’t shy away from risks. As life returned to normal, she expanded her nurseries and grew them to three facilities: “COVID-19 was frightening, but it didn't change my belief in education or in Dubai. If anything, it gave me greater clarity about what families valued and reminded me that children would always need nurturing spaces, social interaction and strong early-years experiences.”She continued to believe in Dubai's long-term growth: “Expansion wasn’t about ignoring the risks. It was about looking beyond the immediate situation and believing in what Dubai and its communities would look like in the years ahead.”A future that looks brightShaikh’s faith has paid off for her businesses. And today, success looks a little different to her.After a decade in education, she said she is interested in using what she has learnt to help shape conversations around childhood, parenting and education.She said: “My definition of ambition has changed too. Bigger doesn't always have to mean more locations. Sometimes it means better ideas, deeper impact and having the confidence to rethink the way something has always been done.”At the core of her bold, innovative thinking is a Dubai-it mindset. She said: “For me, to Dubai-it is to keep evolving. Dubai has never been a city that stands still, and living here has taught me not to stand still either. It has taught me to see possibility, take calculated risks, reinvent when necessary and continue asking, ‘What's next?’. Perhaps that is what I love most about Dubai – there is always a sense that the next chapter can be bigger, different… or completely unexpected.”
