Goat Rental Service

Do you need a lawn mowing or to get rid of a large area of weeds? Rather than considering what kind of machine to hire, why not rent some goats? This goat rental company will come and look at your land, provide a quote and then bring along an appropriate number of peckish goats. The USP of this kind of service is that it is very eco-friendly: no need for electric mowers or for pesticides. Not only do goats apparently particularly relish eating weeds, the service is also extremely cost - effective: just 38 goats can ‘mow’ 50,000 square feet of grass in a single day.

One-of-a-kind Furniture

When Saeed confided in his wife his dream of launching a business based on making furniture that many people would consider an eyesore, she thought he’d completely lost his marbles. How could that possibly be a profit-making venture? Saeed was skillful at making furniture – that was his bread and butter. But why tell people he was creating eyesores? Confident in his idea nevertheless, Saeed started promoting his ugly and weird furniture online and, believe it or not, within three months, his company had a turnover of more than $10,000 a month! The ‘eyesore’ tag was obviously a bit of a sales gimmick, but it worked even though his furniture is not exactly priced as an impulse buy. Fortunately, there was not much upfront investment needed as Saeed already had all the equipment he needed. Now he’s thinking about branching out into ugly accessories.

Incredible Cake

Unimpressed by the expensive price tag of cakes on offer for her own wedding, Nada decided to make her own. As she was working in Africa, her design was a delicious work of art complete with edible trees and waterfalls from across the continent. It was only when she returned that making cakes for a living became a business concept. Initially, she worked from home as she and her husband didn’t have the capital for a bricks-and-mortar shop, relying instead on e-commerce for her start-up. However, through social media and word-of-mouth, her reputation grew and within a year she opened her first physical store with her new trade name: A piece and love. Her cakes cater to all budgets, from simple designs at bargain basement prices, to bespoke creations for the happy couple. Nada and her staff pride themselves on their customer service, working closely with each one and paying meticulous attention to detail to ensure each cake is as special as the day itself.

 

Questions:

 

 

1. What makes the goat rental service eco-friendly compared to traditional methods?
“The USP of this kind of service is that it is very eco-friendly: no need for electric mowers or for pesticides.”

2. How many goats are needed to mow 50,000 square feet of grass in one day?
“Just 38 goats can ‘mow’ 50,000 square feet of grass in a single day.”

3. Why did Saeed’s wife think his business idea was strange at first?
“She thought he’d completely lost his marbles. How could that possibly be a profit-making venture?”

4. How did Saeed promote his unusual furniture successfully?
“Saeed started promoting his ugly and weird furniture online and, believe it or not, within three months, his company had a turnover of more than $10,000 a month!”

5. What inspired Nada to start her cake business?
“Unimpressed by the expensive price tag of cakes on offer for her own wedding, Nada decided to make her own.”

6. How did Nada first manage her cake business before opening a physical store?
“Initially, she worked from home as she and her husband didn’t have the capital for a bricks-and-mortar shop, relying instead on e-commerce for her start-up.”

 

 

Business-related

Word / Phrase	Definition	meaning
Cost-effective	Good value for money	فعّال من حيث التكلفة
Bargain basement	Extremely cheap	سعر زهيد جدًا
Bespoke creations	Specially made for a particular person	تصميمات مخصصة / حسب الطلب
USP (Unique Selling Point)	The feature that makes a product different from and better than anything else	نقطة البيع الفريدة – الميزة التنافسية
Price tag	The estimated price / the amount that something costs	بطاقة السعر / ثمن
Bricks-and-mortar shop	Buildings such as houses, offices, factories (physical store)	متجر تقليدي (مبنى حقيقي)
Business concept	A new business that is risky / An idea for a business	فكرة مشروع / مفهوم تجاري
Turnover	The amount of business a company does in a set period of time	حجم المبيعات / الإيرادات
Launching (a business)	Making a new product available to be sold	إطلاق (مشروع / منتج)
Branching out	Extended or expanded on the work normally done	التوسع / فتح مجالات جديدة

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compound Nouns

meaning	compound nouns
فكرة مشروع	Business concept
بطاقة السعر	Price tag
متجر تقليدي	Bricks-and-mortar shop
خدمة العملاء	Customer service
أسعار منخفضة جدًا	Bargain basement prices

 

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verb	Meaning (English)	meaning
break into	To enter or start to be involved in a market or area of business	يقتحم / يدخل مجال جديد
build up	To increase or develop something gradually	يُنمّي / يزيد تدريجيًا
knock (something) off	To produce a cheap copy of something	يقلّد / يعمل نسخة رخيصة
pass up	To miss or not take advantage of an opportunity	يُفوّت / يضيّع فرصة
set up	To start a business or company	يؤسس / يبدأ مشروع
sign up	To register or enroll for something	يسجّل / ينضم
win over	To persuade or gain support from someone	يكسب ود / يقنع