Tuesday 21 / May / 2024
Muscat: When his child was born, Ali’s wife bought a “Baby on Board” bumper sticker from the United States. “I felt everybody uses the same sign,” Ali thought.
That was when he decided to design an Omani version of such a message, which reads: “The apple of my eye is in the car, don’t mess up.”
“I had the idea a few years back, but I wasn’t very serious about it, so I didn’t take any action. I needed something unique that stands out, so that’s when I said to myself: Aha, I can make money out of this,” the Omani safety ambassador said.
Ali, 38, said his authentic product has wowed shoppers at The Wave, where many sellers gather on Saturdays to promote and sell locally-made products.
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“They look at the product, get surprised, smile, laugh, and then buy,” the Muscat born said, adding that some messages remind people of the old days towards which they have nostalgic feelings.
Asked if he has any plans to go commercial with his new product, Ali said if garnered good sales, then yes. “I started selling them at GUTech (German University). This was during the National Day where I had pictures of the His Majesty the Sultan, Omani Flag and National Day Logo,” he said.
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The brand name is Resaiyalati, which stands for “My car, my message.”
Being a public speaker, humorist and safety ambassador, Ali believes in the importance of safety and that it should be the main concern in all aspects of life.
Humour, on the other hand, is a great tool to draw attention. If you combine both, it becomes really powerful, according to Ali.
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However, not all Resaiyalati signs are about safety. Some are motivational or positive messages. Some are pictures of iconic cartoon characters, while some are popular local phrases.
Customised designs
“The unique message it carries is what makes my initiative different. I can also customise designs and messages based on customers’ requests so that they can reflect their personalities,” Ali concluded.
Ali is a public speaker and trainer specialising in self-development, corporate development, team building, entrepreneurship, safety and public speaking and presentation skills training.
For more information about the product, follow Ali on Instagram
