Thank you so much for having me today.

All right, so I'm Maya, founder of Innocent Sweets. Uh, so as you said, like my brand, we do gluten, dairy, and refined sugar-free desserts and snacks. We have already a shop here in Business Bay in Dubai, uh, but today the more the... more the... the business direction is turning into more the retail market. So we deal with distributors and we put Innocent Sweets on the shelves. Uh, other than that, I'm a mother of... of a daughter. She's nine years old. Her name is Talia. So, yeah, I'm a mom and entrepreneur.

Um, I used to be and am still a sweet lover. I don't really care about food like the... like pizza, burgers, or whatever. It's fine, okay, but it's not... it's not my weakness. My weakness is still until today are sweets. And when I had this medical condition, I had to create the dessert that I had to eat, that I'm already familiar with. I didn't want to create new desserts. I wanted to eat the same dessert that I'm familiar with but made in a healthy way. And, um, honestly today I cannot eat the old dessert because, you know, my taste buds, they are different now and I'm used to the clean, healthy, and delicious dessert that I'm doing.

Yeah, it was a shock. Uh, it was like, yeah, because like I was like, okay, what would I eat? Um, it was... but because I love baking since I was a kid and, you know, I'm into this... uh, into this world since... uh, since my young... my teenagers and even when I was... when I was a kid, I used to beg... like I used to beg... I used to tell my brothers, please, I want to do cookies for you, I want to bake for you, just let me go into the kitchen. I needed like a reason to go into the kitchen. So because I love baking and I love sweets, it was easier for me to understand it.

Yeah, the chocolate spread.

Yeah.

Yes, of course, and I still eat it until today and it's one of my best sellers, which is the Banoffee pie.

No, definitely... definitely I had so many trials and my friends and my surroundings, they were the one who... who were giving me the feedback. And I used to listen a lot.

Um, definitely the people even until today, even people when they hear healthy and sugar-free or it's gluten-free or dairy-free, everything free, okay, they get scared. Honestly, until today. But once they try it, they're like, oh, really? Is it really healthy? Because, you know, I put flavors in it. And for me, I don't track calories. I know calories, I know they are very important, but it's the quality of the desserts that I focus on.

And the ingredients in it. Yeah. And people when they try it, they're like, oh, okay. So they don't find like that much difference between the full sugar, sugary desserts and the healthy ones. This is why like it's... it's... it's popular.

Yes, yes. Because they're like, oh, okay, so we are satisfied, so they are... they have their... they are sat... their cravings are satisfied and, uh, it's... it's good. It's delicious.

And because you know, because it's real ingredients, so they feel full. So they don't need to eat more and more. Because you know sometimes with the sweets that we have already in the market, the amount of sugar is too high. So you need to eat more and more and you cannot stop. Because my desserts, they are like made from real ingredients, so it's... you don't need to eat a lot to get satisfied.

Yeah. Yeah.

You know when we created the Dubai chocolate, uh, as the Innocent Sweets version, this was... this was a... oh really? Like sugar-free... no added sugar?

Of course. Yeah.

It's made... even the chocolate is... is sugar-free and the filling from the inside is sugar-free. So this was a hit.

Actually it's both. Okay? Because you know people... Innocent Sweets is also for people who has intolerance, you know, who has gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, who... even people for diabetes... diabetes also who cannot have sugar. So it is a serious brand and, uh, and people who has celiac disease as well. Uh, so it is a serious brand and also it's a very fun brand, but not... not in an innocent way, you know. It's guilt-free. It's a guilt-free brand.

That it's not tasty. It is. If you do it in the right way and you do it and you put the right ingredients and you do it properly, they can be even more delicious than the actual ones.

Uh, of course, when you remove sugar, the actual sugar, it's the taste. And gluten is just how... the cake, how it's combined together. So, um, we use natural sweeteners. So what we use in our desserts, dates... so it's either dates, coconut sugar or maple syrup. That's it. And, uh, regarding the gluten, we use glu... gluten-free flour, almond flour and oat flour.

So this is regarding the flowers. And... and even our cakes, they are vegan and even our desserts, they are vegan, so we don't use eggs. So also it's a challenge also for... for the cake also to... to rise and, you know, to have the fluffiness. So yeah, it is a challenge.

Flax seeds and chia seeds.

Yeah. So you see, so many benefits.

Now we are launching a new product, which is the freeze-dried fruits.

It's new. So we didn't have it before.

Yes. Exactly. But we did something which now we are launching next month. It's... it's gonna be in the market. Uh, they are dipped in sugar-free chocolate.

Yeah. Usually what you see in the market today are freeze-dried but they are plain. Mhm. Just plain like strawberries or mangoes, bananas, and all types of... of... of fruits. But I did my own version, Innocent Sweets version, dipped in sugar-free chocolate. So we have dark chocolate, we have milk chocolate, and white chocolate.

No, I'm not... I'm not... I'm not this kind of person. I'm very... uh... flexible and I'm very at ease with myself.

No, no. Uh, sometimes, this is not in the kitchen, this is when it comes to business more. In the kitchen I'm more flexible because, you know, I know it's not gonna maybe... uh, we're not gonna do it from the first time. It's a trial. So, but when in business, I'm very strict. And my... my team, they know it.

And even there is a small incident, even yesterday, uh, I was with my daughter in... in the car. It was the first time she... because usually like I'm at work, she doesn't see me a lot like how I react. It was the first time she... she saw me talking to someone on the phone and I was really angry. Like I told her, Mommy, yes, this is... when Mommy is at work, I'm angry and when someone does mistake, this is how Mommy becomes. So it was, yeah, it was very funny.

Yeah, my daughter, she's very much involved in everything I do. And even I take her opinion and even for new packaging, I take her opinion. Like Mommy, what do... yeah, and like what do you think about this? Would you prefer this or that? I want... I want to know what she thinks and she she knows a lot about me and even, for example, like today I'm with you today, she knows that I'm here today. I I get her involved.

Of course. I want to be a role model for her, you know. Yeah.

Wow. This is how it all started. It started just by coincidence. I was just posting on Instagram on my personal account. I didn't have even the intention to do any business because, you know, it was a passion and until today it's a passion for me. So suddenly I receive a message from a lady I don't know and she's like, Hi, I want to order. I don't even know the lady. So I was like, okay, you know what? Okay, let me do it. I have nothing to lose. I don't even know the lady. I maybe I might not even see her in my life anymore, you know. So I was like, okay, let me go and deliver the cake myself. This is how it all started. So yeah, I was like, hi, and this is the cake.

I was so happy. I was so proud of myself. Even people around me, they were like, Maya, no, why? Send it with someone. I was, no, I wanted to see people. I... even until today, I love interacting with people. I love seeing... I'm very sociable. And, uh, it was... it was a very proud moment. I I loved it. And even up to day, if you tell me, Maya, would you go and deliver? Of course, I would do it. Definitely.

Uh, yes. In Lebanon, when I used to... to... to have Innocent Sweets in Lebanon, we used to do caterings for very big events, for weddings, for engagements... uh, parties. Here I'm more focused in the retail.

Here. Yeah.

So many mistakes. Of course. I did so many mistakes and every day I learn something new. And, you know, even now in the past two years... because, you know, Dubai is different, okay? Dubai teaches you a lot, a lot. And I've learned it the hard way. I didn't have anyone to teach me the business. I learned everything by myself. And... and I'm so grateful for that, of course. And I always believe like it's part of the process. So many people, they tell me, Maya, get someone to help you or get a sales person or get someone... uh, to to grow that... to to grow the team. But I was like, no, I need to teach myself in order to tell them what to do.

I need to learn. Yeah. So for example, now in the past two years, I learnt a lot and I've had so many mistakes, so many. Uh, so many ups and downs. So many. Uh, but now if you tell me, uh, would you regret anything? Of course no. Of course.

To what I want to achieve. Definitely. So now, for example, if I need to grow the team, if I need to get someone, for example, now, and to take a specific position, so now I know what what are the job descrip... what is the job description? What are the tasks?

Yes. So now I know. So I don't want them to fall into the same mistake that I did. So I want to be a leader.

I'm totally the opposite.

I'm totally the... I'm totally the opposite. I'm learning how to delegate. I... it's very hard for me to delegate and this is part of my... this is part of my struggle that I'm I'm getting today. Like my team, Maya, you need to get someone. I was like, how? No, why? No. I'm trying to delegate. I'm learning how to delegate. It's not easy. Because it's my baby. I feel like still my baby.

But I have to. Yes. Even sometimes just see how much I'm in control when I'm in the kitchen, I'm or I'm in the shop, you know, I can see the kitchen. I swear to God when they are baking, I can see I can see if they are doing something right or wrong. So I... sometimes I tell them just sorry if I have a meeting, I was like, sorry, I have to go inside. I see something wrong. Imagine. Until to that extent I'm I'm very much, uh, in control.

Honestly, I will be very honest. I cannot disconnect 100%. No. I I I try to. When I travel on vacations, yes. Okay. Yes. Most of my work today is on laptop or on the phone, so which is, okay, a bit easier, but, uh, not 100%. I still work at home or on the phone, but, um, I spend quality time with my daughter. In the afternoons I'm with my daughter because we go to after school activities, we go together. In the weekends we have dates, me and my daughter. So we go dinners together, afternoons. Um, yeah. So I spend quality time with her.

That's okay.

Yes.

Yeah, different market has their own strategy, has their own culture, their own mindset. Um, as I said previously, I started in Lebanon. So being today in Lebanon is something it's very emotional for me. Um, I closed my kitchen in Lebanon, but you know I didn't... I wasn't sad. Uh, because I knew that I was coming back in a different way. So now I'm in on the... I'm on the shelves, I'm in the biggest supermarkets in Lebanon. So I'm happy. At least I'm I'm I'm there somewhere. Uh, this is for Lebanon. For, uh, Saudi, even my childhood was in Saudi. I lived there for 12 years and I know it's the biggest market in the region and I'm focusing today so so much on Saudi. And they have a lot of potential and it's growing and it's growing too much. So also like I feel it's emotional and also it's a it's a business. It's a huge business in in Saudi. Uh, regarding Qatar, uh, Qatar is also it's, uh, I'm very honored to be dealing with the biggest... one of the biggest distribution... company in there. So which is something I'm very proud of. Um, UAE... UAE is my hometown today. So you know, so if I'm not present here, I cannot be present elsewhere. So I have to start from here. So today we are working on so many on so many, uh, channels and so many on so many on so many, uh, retail places, retail places to be there. Uh, it's not that easy. The retail market here in the UAE is not that easy. You have to work a lot. But my distributor is one of the best and the biggest support... supporter that really is supporting me a lot and he believes in the brand. And this is what I care about. I want to work with someone who believes in the brand, who, uh, who believes in the success of the brand and the value of the brand. I don't want to be just a number. I don't want to be just on the shelves. I want people to... I want to position my brands in the right in the right market and, uh, to have repetitive orders definitely.

Yes.

Yeah, but, uh, we had, uh, we had an incident that when I went to Saudi, he requested few SKUs for him, but he didn't mind to... he didn't mind that I can sell sell them elsewhere.

There is maybe just one product which will be exclusive for Saudi market.

Will be launched soon.

Oh, um, yeah. You know when they put the whole... it it is healthy, but it's high in in calories. It's not like a... it is a very healthy snack but it's high in calories. This there is one trend that they put all the the date, okay, they put so many dates, they flap it and they put all the jar of the peanut butter on it and they... yeah and they put it in the freezer and then they cut it like squares.

I don't know if you saw this.

And put chocolate, melted chocolate. And they put melted chocolate on top. So imagine like you have dates down, sugar, which natural sugar, I understand, but I mean the quantity. And then they put the the peanut butter and even melted chocolate on top. Um, so this is it's it's good for, you know, a small piece. But people when they when on TikTok and Instagram like they have half of it and they start eating it. So I think this one it is healthy, but in a small amount. This one. Usually because we eat you know one or two dates, that's it, you know, as a snack. And that's it.

There are so many, but now I'm focusing more on the retail. You know? It's not... I'm focusing more on the retail. The Dubai chocolate went viral, definitely. Uh, they did a lot uh a lot with the Dubai chocolate. They did tiramisu with the Dubai chocolate, they did ice creams, they did uh cakes, brownies, they did so many. You know? Um, I think people I think now it's kha- it's too much saturated. Now we need to focus more on I I want to have my own identity. I think Dubai chocolate is enough for for now.

Correct. Uh, yeah. Uh, I I get your point. Most of the people that I deal with are men. Most of them. But you know, I proved myself. I proved myself that I'm not only a woman maybe, okay, I care a lot about my physical appearance, I care about everything I'm doing. Definitely. But I proved myself that I did a brand from A to Z and no one helped me. So when people they see my my my journey and when from how I started un- and where I became... when where I am today, they have no choice but to take me seriously. They have no choice.

Uh, of course. That she needs to believe in herself. Don't listen to anyone around you. If she believes in it, she needs to work very hard. She needs to work very hard. I'm not gonna say, oh yeah, no, believe in yourself and do it. It will not it will not come like that. You need to work a lot. You need to work so much on yourself and put in she needs to put in her mind that getting tired and uh and to fail sometimes, it is part of the process. She doesn't need to nag and to like, oh my god, it's not working. No, it's fine. Sometimes me, I have so many downs. And ev- I I tell so many of my friends and people around me that when you see me on social media, you see only like 10 seconds of my day. And don't get fooled by my smile. There is so much going on behind the scenes. So much. And there are so many tears behind it. So many. I I reached to a point like I want to quit. I don't want I want to be an employee. I reached I sometimes I reach to that point because you know there's so much responsibilities. She needs to know that this is not an easy journey, but it is very rewarding when uh you see success and when you work uh a lot and you see the success, it's very rewarding. She needs she needs to believe in it.

Okay, so, uh, we work... in my team here in Dubai in my kitchen we are six, and then I have a finance team which I deal uh separately, I deal with separately. I have a marketing team also we deal separately. Uh, we out- it's outsourced. And also we I have my designer and he is like uh he is the best. My designer is the best.

Yes. And he's the one behind the branding of Innocent Sweets. And not only the branding, but you know uh I learn a lot from him. He has so much experience in the market. So he is like uh he's like my consultant in everything.

Do you know that?

Yes. And when we want to print, there is a minimum quantity and you cannot print like uh a hundred or a thousand. There are thousands.

So and in order to change, even imagine something, you have to print thousands. So, um, we cannot print every day.

So before taking a decision, definitely uh we we coordinate between each other. I ask my friends, I ask my family, we take opinion, we take so many uh uh opinions ya- regarding the packaging, of course.

Not only like it's not it's not only me and my designer. We have to take into consideration people around us.

What do I do on those days? I cry. Crying is sometimes really freeing and good. No shame for crying. Uh, yes. Um, definitely. They are my biggest motivation. Definitely. Because, you know, I need to succeed. It's not like it's not an op- I have to. You know? And and I'm very blessed and I'm very grateful for my team because really they they were with me since I started and yes and we didn't... I loved them so much and I'm so grateful for them because, you know, I put in my ba- in my mind like without them I wouldn't have done it. I wouldn't have been here. So now in for my shop, I have someone who's handling the shop and everything because I can't today. I'm handling more the retail part. But the production and the every day uh production and the the shop, you know, there is someone already hand- handling this, which I trust a lot, and, um, because I need to be focused more on the business on in the retail for the retail.

No. Uh, no. I wouldn't uh open another shop unless it's gonna be a franchise.

But me personally, no.

No, I wouldn't. I want to be more in the business more as as a business in the business direction. More retail, distributors, brands.

Of course. We're working on it. And we're working also for other markets. We're working now for US and Canada.

That sounds so good. I'm very open. Yes. But for Europe, of course, definitely. We are working on something.

Check here. Let them come here.

Yes, if you have the right connection and if you have the right people a- around you...

Trust me, you will get... you will get there. Yeah. You just need to know where to go.

Uh, actually I wake up at 5 every day.

In order to finish what I have to do during during the day. And to be there for my daughter in the morning, to do my workout and to start my to start my work. I start like at 8. I start until 3, 4 afternoon, I'm with my daughter. And then I sleep at 10.

Yes. And I have a routine. Yeah. And I and I'm in a very bad mood if someone break my routine. Uh, so yeah, this is I'm very much organized and, um, I'm trying as much as I can to give my business my full of 100% of myself. And even when I'm with my daughter, I have to be fully present. I'm trying as much as I can to be fully present with her. So you were asking me if I feel guilty sometimes? Yeah. Sometimes. I'm not gonna say I'm a human at the end of the day, definitely. Sometimes I feel like, uh, maybe if I missed something with my daughter or I missed s- something at work, sometimes definitely I feel guilty, but I'm trying as much as I can to have this balance. And I have the support today. You know, you need to have support, you need to have help. I have my family, I'm very blessed and grateful that my family here, my dad, my brother and my mom, she comes and go here, so they help me. Even for example, if I can't be with with my daughter, I have an event or I have to be somewhere for work, so I have someone who can stay with my daughter. So I have support. You need to have support.

And you need to ask some- sometimes you need to ask for help.

Sometimes I'm te- sometimes I'll tell them, okay, I'm I am a super woman but I don't have super powers. Like, you know, sometimes sometimes you need to ask for help.

And you know it's nice also to speak with your child. Like I tell Talia, for example, Mommy, I have to be here. Is it okay if I don't if I'm not with you, for example, at that time? I ask her. If she's okay with that, then okay. I go. If like she said no, no, I will take her as a priority, definitely. Of course.

Yes.

Yes. Of course. She knows she knows like Mommy she get tired. She knows. And because you know and the most rewarding part is like today when I ask my daughter, what do you want to be when you grow up? She tell me like she gives me like this, like you.

Yes, I'm a human. At the end of the day, I fail, I do mistakes. I'm not perfect. I'm not perfect. And you know, you have to always put no I'm not perfect. Even my team, I tell them, we are not perfect. We all do mistakes. But don't get afraid to admit that you did a mistake.

Don't hide it. Yes. For example, sometimes they are afraid just to tell me if they did a mistake or something. Don't get afraid. Tell me, come and tell me. We will solve it together. I do mistakes. We all do mistakes.

Of course. And I put in my yeah and I put in my mind that if this failure didn't happen, I wouldn't have made the other decision. And everything turns for the better. Yeah. You have to put in your mind like everything happened for a reason, definitely. And if you have a good intention and if you work hard and it will be for your own benefit. Yeah. Today I never regret anything and I turn everything negative into something positive in my life. Even if something bad happens to me, I'm not sad and I will never be sad. I took a decision because I know something better is coming and it's for a good reason. If you if you have this mindset, trust me, you will uh uh it will give you a motivation to keep going.

Trust me. You have to you always need to have a positive mindset. I I put this in my mind.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me. It was lovely. Thank you.