What’s yours will get to you!
Eman Alayyaf is a receiver of CP’s prestigious “Women of Substance Award” for 2019. However, her tremendous efforts and never-stopping passion for succeeding led her open her own Forex trading firm in 2020. We are once again inspired by her keen focus on her business and the way she is leading it and has a clear expansion strategy that we had to meet her again and learn more about her new business and the reasons behind her success.
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Eman Alayyaf, from Kuwait. I’m the CEO of Eman Alayyaf Trading company which has two branches currently, Kuwait and Bahrain.
I’m the first and only Arab woman who owns and runs this type of brokerage firm. My focus is proper and free education. We have done thousands of free seminars, webinars, consultations to teach people trading in the most simplified courses that I have personally created.
Tell us about your education.
I graduated from the Kuwait University with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. My passion in trading was mostly self-taught, by practice and experience.
How did you get interested in trading? Who or what inspired you?
I was a very young stay at home mother, and I wanted to create a source of income from home while taking care of my children. So, I was searching how to make money online and then I found out about the world of trading. I started with the demo account at the beginning. I was confused yet also amazed about the idea that I could make money from my computer wherever I was. Then, I decided to learn more and developed myself in this field.
How did you begin your journey with Forex trading?
My beginnings in 2009 was with limited educational resources. Mostly what I learned was from online forums. I applied anything I learned on my real account and lost. Whenever I lost, I developed more and more, although in the beginning I lost a lot, I was consistently learning something new and applying it, I had hundreds of records recording all my trades in details so I could study everything I did and correct my mistakes. I never gave up on myself and I truly believed that I could succeed. I slowly was getting better results and with practice it took me a couple of years to trade professionally and constantly make profits. I was determined to help others and simplify trading to them so they wouldn’t go through what I went through to become professional traders.
What do you need as a trader to start trading Forex?
Firstly, they need to find a broker that they can trust. With that broker they can open a trading account and get access to trade in the financial markets. You need a trustworthy broker and make sure that they are licensed by financial authorities. My company, Eman ALAyyaf trading is an exclusive partner with one of the largest financial brokerages in the world: XTB International Limited. They are licensed by 14 different financial authorities and have 14 branches around the world.
After opening an account with the broker, the trader can start learning and applying what they learned on their trading platform that they can access from their phone or laptops. In my company we offer free professional courses so that traders will be ready to trade in as little as two days.
How and why did you feel the need of starting your own company?
I was able to make money on my own from anywhere and I did that for a couple of years which was great, but I really wanted more! It all was about the value, creating change in people’s lives., I had a goal to create new educational content to make it easy & simple for all people that wants to learn trading because for me it was not easy or simple, so I decided to take 10 years of personal experience into new content and methods of new trading & build my own company. And that’s how it started.
When did you officially launch EMAN ALAYYAF TRADING? Where all do you have offices today and what are your further expansion plans?
The launch was in Kuwait on 15th of August 2020. The Bahrain office launch was on 22nd May 2022. We now plan to have offices all over the Arab countries. enshallah.
Are there different trading platforms? Which one would you recommend?
Yes, there are a lots of trading platforms. I recommend Xstation specially for beginners, because the platform has tools that all traders need to make it easier for them to trade an analyse the markets. We offer two trading platforms in our company for traders to choose from.
How much do you need to start trading?
If you are a beginner, you can start with as little as $ 100 to experience the trading in your own money and the financial markets. But I recommend at least $ 1000 to protect your account and trade safely.
Research shows that women trade better than men. Do you agree with this? Why do you think so?
Men will be mad at me for this. hehe. But yes, I agree 100%. I have thousands of clients and women are doing better! and from my experience I think it’s because of two main reasons. Women pay much more attention to details and they also have less ego than men, it’s easier for them to admit that they are wrong when they are and fix their trading plans accordingly.
What was your biggest mistake ever?
Letting people think for me and make life decisions based on what’s acceptable by society. My life changed the minute I stopped caring about people’s opinions and started doing what I think was right and what made me happy. Which after a few years resulted in being more respected, supported rather than judged, and that’s wonderful!
How many hours/day do you spend currency trading?
About one to four hours depending on my schedule. Trading is actually very flexible in terms of how much time you want to put into it.
How do you manage your time? Describe your average day.
My life is crazy right now I honestly don’t have an average day. I travel all the time usually for work but when I’m in Kuwait I like to wake up early get my work tasks done first in the office then I’d try to move a bit whether I take a squash class, walk in a mall or go swimming in the gym. At night I like to meet friends or curl up on a couch with a hot beverage and an interesting book. Fridays are dedicated to family and Saturdays are for self care. I would usually go to the salon or shopping or whatever I feel like doing, because it’s my free day.
What lessons have you learned that have helped you find profitable trades, and keep losses relatively small?
One of the most important things I have learned is risk management and how to manage my losses. You’re dealing with volatile markets that are affected by so much so naturally there will be some losses. Balance the size of your positions with your capital, be patient, stick to your strategy and be confident in your analysis. Accept the small losses and learn from them and you can’t ever be a loser.
Is there a secret strategy that will guarantee you profits in Forex trading?
There are many strategies, the secret is to focus in one strategy that you understand the most and also you can merge between two strategy’s that confirms your analysis.
What has been your proudest moment so far?
Every achievement is a proud moment for me, but to be more precise the opening of (Eman Alayyaf Trading) Kuwait branch, because it all started from there.
What is your favourite quote?
What’s yours will get to you!
Best advice you have ever taken?
You are not a victim of anyone or anything. You have full control and power to change your life at anytime and any age when you have the will to do so. You are fully responsible take the responsibility of your life and start fixing everything you don’t like in it.
What is next for you? What would you still like to achieve next?
I am focusing now to expanding further in the Gulf. I have many plans and goals that I want to achieve. It’s never enough for me and I’m addicted to success keep your eyes on.
Your advice for someone wanting to start with Forex?
My advice is to invest in yourself and your time, and to learn from trusted sources, define your goals and strategy and focus on strict risk and capital management.
Your message for us at CP magazine.
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m so honoured to be the cover story and I wish that my words would inspire and teach someone something valuable. Thank you!
