#LifeLessons - Sara Chemmaa

NAME: Sara Chemmaa

AGE: 39

JOB TITLE: Founder and CEO of Citron

Sara is the Founder and CEO of Citron, a Dubai-based lifestyle brand that creates and supplies innovative mealtime products for families. Originally from a finance and strategy background she worked as an Investment Banker for Societe Generale, a Management Consultant for McKinsey & Company and co-head of MBC Ventures.

In 2018, she was inspired by her own children’s needs to create a range of stylish and leakproof lunchboxes. That initial concept has now grown to include over 400 products, including a sustainable range, a bio-based feeding range and a teenager range. Currently, Citron is a leading brand in the GCC school and lunchbox market, selling over 1,500,000 products and winning several awards. Sara's products are now sold in over 1000 stores across 48 countries, and she has big plans for future growth.  

Today Sara shares her 3 biggest life learnings with us:

#LIFELESSON – 1 - Learn to say “No” and set boundaries in every relationship

It is so important to develop the confidence to set boundaries, both professionally and personally. Saying no, particularly for women, is often something we can feel very uncomfortable about, as we don’t like to let people down. But when you find saying no difficult, it is easy for people to take advantage of you and for you to become overwhelmed. There is only so much we can handle, so identifying where your focus and priorities are will help you know when it is appropriate to stick to your boundaries and say no. This is not only good for our own mental health, but it will also enable us to perform better in the way we work and the lives that we lead, taking proper care of ourselves, our goals and the people we love.

#LIFELESSON – 2 - Be a good person, what goes around comes around

It might sound simple, but it can be easy to forget in times of stress. Life is incredibly cyclical, and it is true that ‘what goes around comes around’. When you behave with grace, kindness and compassion, you evoke those sentiments in others. It is especially important as a leader, as your actions set the example for your team (though that also applies for parents who want their children to follow in their footsteps!). You need to set the tone and environment for your business, ensuring that everyone feels included and supported. When you encourage kindness in the workplace, it facilitates greater teamwork, creativity and performance – all of which comes across in the products you make, the service you give and the experience your customers have when they interact with your brand.

#LIFELESSON – 3 - Everything happens for a reason, sometimes we don’t see it on the spot, but there is always wisdom in every experience

I am a firm believer that things really do happen for a reason, especially the challenges we face. When things don’t go our way, it can seem like the universe is against us, but more often than not, we quickly discover unforeseen benefits to what has transpired. It might be that we walk away having learnt a valuable lesson about what not to do or how to move forward in the future that could save us time, stress, or even money down the line. Perhaps a missed opportunity that appears to be detrimental could open new avenues we might have otherwise missed? Ultimately, a lot of the bad times can be far more character-building than the good ones, both for us as individuals and our company as a whole. They do say that adversity brings resilience and success, so even if you can’t see the upside of a circumstance in the moment, a gain of some kind will be revealed soon.