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Muhammad Saleem Ahmed: From Dh100 to a Dh100m empire in UAE

At the age of 18, he was very excited to take his first overseas job.

Muhammad Saleem Ahmed, chairman and CEO of Safetex Group who started his career as a typist clerk in Abu Dhabi at the age of 18, is the largest manufacturer and supplier of home linen and textiles in the Mena region now.
It was on October 4, 1983, when I took the first flight away from my hometown Karachi on a Turkish Airways plane to arrive at the Abu Dhabi Airport for a bank job as a typist clerk.
At the age of 18, I was very excited to take my first overseas job. I just had Dh100 in my pocket and many dreams in my heart. I wanted to fulfil my responsibilities back home, where I left my mother, brothers and sisters alone, as I lost my father at a very early age.
The first person I met in the UAE was an immigration officer, a young man in traditional Emirati attire. For my extremely pleasant surprise, he addressed me: "Kaise ho? Koi lene aya hai tumko?" (How are you? Is anyone here to pick you up?), in a friendly manner, realising that I could not speak English. I just memorised the words, "bank staff" and the bank's name. Hearing Urdu from an Emirati at my first meeting was an incredible experience that sowed a seed of love and gratitude for the UAE and its people deep inside my heart that is now a flowering tree.
When I came out on the road from the airport, I was surprised to see left-hand driving, whereas in Pakistan we follow right-hand driving. The greenery on the roadside in the middle of a desert also amazed me. I was astounded seeing a very promising lifestyle as the city was booming with its first glass building at the Abu Dhabi Corniche. The weather was quite good in October, but later, the first summer was real tough for me and it was very difficult to adjust. However, now I enjoy and love the UAE weather.
Business idea
My duties at M/s Arab Bank and Foreign Trade, now called Massraf, were from 8am to 2pm, and for the rest of the day, I had nothing to do. So one fine day, while I was walking along a Dh10-market, I saw some bedsheets made in Pakistan. I was curious about how that product came here from my country?
Later on, I found out those goods came from a wholesale market called Murshid Bazar in Dubai. I got an idea and waited for a weekend to visit Murshid Bazar. When I reached there, I saw so many Indians and Pakistanis and many small shops with various items such as perfumes, bedding etc. I had Dh500 to start. I bought a dozen of perfumes and two dozen of bed sheets and returned to Abu Dhabi. After waiting for the next couple of days, in the evening, I went to a shop and sold those items for Dh600, earning cash as easy as that.
Later, the bank where I was employed had some issues and they wanted to terminate all recently-appointed staff. Sadly, I was one of them, completing only nine months of service. However, I got another job for a living as a salesman.
Beginning of an era
I came to Ajman for a job and then, later on, opened a small shop in Karama with my brother Farooq. At Safe Trading, we were into agency business, offering fabrics and other items such as polyester on a commission basis to various factories in the UAE. It was tough and challenging but I gained tonnes of experience and knowledge of the market.
From a modest start at Safe Trading in 1996, we are now grown into an empire as Safetex Group. Since then, the group has built four factories, having the first polyester staple fibre plant in the UAE. We are also the pioneers of home textiles in the UAE, with most modern facilities of manufacturing and supplying to all major stores in the Middle East and Africa.
How I see UAE
I feel proud that I built my team regardless of religion, race and nationality, on the strong foundation of humanity and good relationship.
The UAE is globally admired as the land of opportunities. Here, you have a chance to work with 200 nationalities and find your space if you are lucky, like me. I would like to advise everyone who has a dream to fulfil that in this land of opportunities, by remaining focused and working hard.
For us, with all the modernities, now the business is more competitive and the demand is very high from customers. But business environment is much better and more practical than what we had 35 years ago.