Hayley Doyle is the founder of Hayley's Comet Theatre Company, specialising in play-writing and musical theatre for children. The Briton, 33, who has lived in Dubai for five years, trained as an actress in the UK and later performed in the West End in the musical Mamma Mia.
Describe your financial journey so far.
As an actress, it is hard to save money because you never know when or what your next job will be. I decided to enter the acting/theatre industry as I am extremely passionate about it, rather than for the money, luckily. Because of this, I have always been prepared for the hard times. I like to think of myself as a risk-taker in life, although in the past I never really had a lot of money to play around with and take any major financial risks with. Deciding to set up my own business – a children’s theatre company and writing courses for adults – in Dubai was definitely a major risk and I had to pour a lot of my life’s savings into doing so as I didn’t want to take out a loan. I self-funded and had to believe it would work. There aren’t many companies here in Dubai that focus solely on these specific theatre aspects and I knew that there was definitely a market for it, especially with a focus on children. This has been an incredible journey and it would be amazing to expand and set up a branch of Hayley’s Comet in the UK, specifically in Liverpool, where I grew up.
Are you a spender or saver?
I’m a healthy mix of both. I’m definitely not a big spender on luxury – by that, I mean that I don’t own any designer clothes or have a fancy car. Even if I had all the money that I could wish for, I wouldn’t choose to spend vast amounts on those things as they simply don’t interest me. Since turning 30 I have become a better saver, although I think that this has coincided with the fact that I currently earn more than I did in my 20s. I am saving to buy a house in the UK, as I feel that property is a good investment and a great way to focus my savings.
Have you made any financial mistakes along the way?
Who hasn’t? I put some savings into producing a show once and made a loss. The show was featured in the Edinburgh Festival, the largest theatre festival in the world, but it is renowned for causing performers to make a loss financially to get invaluable exposure. I had co-produced a show there previously – an already famous off-Broadway musical – and made a profit, so I was confident about doing it again. However, the new show was a brand new piece, which meant it still had to create a name for itself. It was so much more difficult to sell, although the reviews were excellent. In a positive way, I learnt not to take such a risk without thinking it through.
What is your philosophy towards money?
Don’t only follow the money. Following your heart will always be more fulfilling.
What has been your biggest financial lesson?
I’m still learning. But I guess my biggest lesson came from deciding to set up my company. To make it the best that it could be, I had to put everything else in my life on hold so that the company had my ultimate focus. I quit my day job because I knew that my work there would have suffered, and my new company wouldn’t get the time and effort that it needed from me.
What do you like to spend your money on?
Travelling. Seeing new countries, enjoying different cultures and visiting good friends around the world. I like to think that life is about experiences and making memories, rather than material things. So my money gets spent on creating the opportunity for those experiences: holidays, seeing great people and seeing beautiful theatre and art.
arayer@thenational.ae
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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'Cheb%20Khaled'
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The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
No_One Ever Really Dies
N*E*R*D
(I Am Other/Columbia)
Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
New Zealand 15
Tries: Laumape, J Barrett
Conversions: B Barrett
Penalties: B Barrett
British & Irish Lions 15
Penalties: Farrell (4), Daly
more from Janine di Giovanni
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UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Griselda
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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