Madiha Abaida came to Dubai for a holiday. She ended up buying a property, opening a factory and never leaving. That was in 2018. She had been living in Monaco for a decade before that – a resident for tax reasons, as she puts it plainly – but after her marriage ended, she wanted a fresh start somewhere new.
It was not straightforward, though. She launched a fashion brand in Dubai in 2020 and then the pandemic cancelled everything. So, she opened her own textile factory instead. She brought in staff, bought the machinery and worked 16-hour days. The fashion brand – originally conceived in Milan – became a Dubai operation born of necessity.
Since then, she has pivoted again. Pink Madi, her beauty salon in Dubai, opened recently. Before that, she spent years building a real estate portfolio across the UAE and Spain's Golden Mile in Marbella, where she buys old homes, renovates them and sells them for $2 million to $3 million. She counts more than 25 properties in total.
Today, she describes herself, without hesitation, as a millionaire. And she wants to go to Mars.
What was your first job and first salary?
When I was 16 or 17, I was selling Coca-Cola and noodles in order to study. People see me as a woman with power, but they don't know the price I paid. I was very hard-working from the beginning.
I was a model first, when I was 17. And I studied to be a lawyer because my mother, she was married to a judge. I wanted to make my mother happy. But honestly, I never wanted to be a lawyer. I don't have this kind of personality. One day I said, “OK, I'm sorry – I need to do what I really believe I'm good at.” Then I started my fashion brand, and it was a big success in Milano. I had over 17 magazine covers.
My first ever salary was €200.
Then at 22, I also opened salons in Marbella – I had three salons there.
And now?
Now I have my real estate and my Dubai salon. My salon opened only recently – but I bought the salon seven months before that. I believe in energy. I do Reiki. When I entered the salon, it was all blue, and I didn't like the energy. I said, “I need a full renovation.” It took me six months. I was paying my staff throughout that whole time.
It's the first salon, but not the last one.
I am honestly very hard-working. I don't sleep. That is my secret – I sleep three hours a night. Because I need to watch everything. I'm very picky.
Living in Monaco, I learnt luxury. Living in Miami, too, I learnt a lot. I travelled the whole world. With my experience in the fashion industry, I try to create something unique for women.
What do you invest in?
I have bought very good homes, old homes, in great locations in Marbella. I give them facelifts because I'm good at renovation. I sell them for $2 million or $3 million. I have over 25 properties total. Over six in the UAE.
I also invest in stocks, crypto – all of this. That's also why I don't sleep. Money doesn't sleep.
Do you have any debt?
No, no, no. I always work with my own money. I don't take any credit from the bank. I calculate everything because the interest is high, and I don't like to pay interest.
Growing up, were you taught how to handle money?
No. My mother, she's very traditional. But I believe when you want something, today we have the platforms, you can learn everything. I don't lose my time watching stupid Netflix. I prefer to invest my time to learn. I paid for courses to learn about all this, because I come from a normal family, and my dream was to have a beautiful life. I wanted to be a millionaire by myself.
That's also why I divorced twice. When my two exes made me choose between them and my business, I said, “Habibi, bye bye.” Financial independence is very important to me. Nobody will control me. I believe in this. I'm a feminist. I believe in hard work. And then people, they respect you.
What are your major monthly expenses?
For myself and my family, I just spend what I want – because they deserve it. When it comes to business, of course, as a businesswoman, I need to know how much I expect. That's how we make money. But when it comes to myself – I spend around Dh100,000 a month.
I love myself too much, because I was hurt in the beginning. I learnt to love myself. I learnt to take care of myself. I have very deep experiences. I only trust myself.
What are your financial goals?
A lot. I want Pink Madi to go global – not only here, but America, everywhere. I have projects to launch my own make-up. I also have a charity for animals. I love animals. I bring them all to my home. I have two dogs and three cats.
Call me crazy, but I want my own island. I want it near the Bahamas. I want my own private jet. You ask me, I'm telling you.
I want to go to the Moon. I want to have a place on Mars, inshallah. I'm an Aquarius – very eccentric.
What you see is what you get with me. No filter. I'm very proud of myself. I don't listen to other people. I listen to my instincts. When they tell me to go right, I go left. And I always win – because I don't follow anyone.
