From journalist in a communication agency in Rome to entrepreneur in Oman where she created 'Tricolore' from nothing, a company that has 11 employees and 3 collaborators: it is the story of Caterina Carannante, 45 years old, born in Naples and today at the head of a company that has an average turnover of one million euros a year.
"It was certainly an exciting challenge - she says - to launch myself into the world of entrepreneurship in my early thirties in an Arab country which at the time definitely had many more barriers to entry, especially for a woman. I set up the company in December 2011 and, as per procedure, I applied to the Omani Ministry of Labor for a work visa as a company director. Several weeks of waiting later, my application was rejected, not for discrimination but simply because it was the first time the ministry was faced with a request from a Western woman to fill a position of that type. In general, however, my being a woman has never represented an obstacle. Indeed, in some moments I felt like a privileged minority, still more supported by a people who are naturally very friendly towards foreigners".
'Tricolore' is the only showroom in Oman entirely dedicated to Made in Italy ceramics, most of which comes from the Sassuolo district.
"Initially born as a consultancy company, we then entered the world of distribution, focusing in particular on Made in Italy products from the interior design supply chain. In 2018 we finally launched "Tricolore Italian Tiles", inaugurating the first showroom entirely dedicated to ceramics Italian. To date, we have imported from Italy and supplied over three hundred thousand square meters of tiles to Oman, intended for residential, tourist and commercial projects", states the entrepreneur.
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