“I am genuinely super passionate about what I do. This might sound like a cliché but when I wake up in the morning, I am always excited about getting to work and seeing what the day will bring. We are a start up business, we are a small team so we all do a bit of everything every day so our days are never dull or even the same as the day before,” says Erika Doyle, founder of Drink Dry, the first and only premium non-alcoholic drinks marketplace in the UAE.
Erika says she has had so many lessons in life that it has become hard t remember them all.
“I have never been scared of making mistakes because I think they best way to push forward is by making mistakes and learning from them.
“I am a very honest person and have set high standards for myself when it comes to how I do business, how I treat my Brand Principles, suppliers, customers and everyone else and I absolutely expect the same in return. And it is ok to be that way because I don’t just do business transactions, I build relationships and I build my business on that,” she says.
As a start-up business founder, Erika advises those looking to open their own to “be prepared to put in very long hours and a lot of energy into it.
“It is very rewarding.”
Erika left Lithuania when she was 16 and went to study in the UK. She lived in Birmingham while in college; in Nottingham while at university; and then London during her early working life.
“I then moved to rural West Sussex before making the move to Dubai in 2019,”she said.
“As an entrepreneur, I think Dubai is full of opportunities! There are still so many untapped sectors in this market and different services that are not yet available here. I wish I had more time in the day so I could explore all these opportunities.
“And from a personal point of view, I like that we are 20 minutes away from some of the best restaurants in the world and the busy city living is just on your doorstep!” she said
Erika is married to an Irish man and have three little girls. “I have spent three years working in politics in London and then moved to the private sector. I spent a further few years getting to know the drinks industry before taking a few years out to be a mum to my then very small children. In 2019, I started Drink Dry,” Erika said.
