r/SmallBusinessUAE

Hey everyone,

I’m starting a Dubai real estate personal-brand page for social media and looking for a videographer/editor for ongoing monthly content.
What I need:
• Around 30 pieces of content/month
• Reels/short-form + occasional longer videos
• Real estate, property tours, market insights & personal branding
• Filming + editing
• Ideally batch-shooting content a few times a month
Budget: AED 2000/month.
If this fits your services, feel free to DM me with your portfolio and package offering within the budget

hi my name is Fahad Kaleem aka u/fahaadk_ you might recognize me from my absurd isnt that concerning podcast clips on social media.

just wanted to drop this project that I recently launched k9unit.co

its a marketplace for shooters (content creators) & brands. a shooter is someone who can brainstorm/direct/shoot/edit your content for you with a potential of it going viral on your own page.

they often get confused with influencers, but they're not. they can help you become an influencer in your niche.

you can book a tier 1 shooter for as low as 1500 AED per hour and expect to get upto 5 videos in that hour. (number of videos depend on the shoot circumstances)

happy to answer any questions, hope you find this useful :)

I'm planning to start using the Ziina app for my business. My main purpose is to accept card payments directly on my phone using Tap to Pay, without needing a separate card machine.

Is anyone here actually using Ziina for their business?

How's your experience so far? Are there any hidden charges, transaction fees, or delays in receiving payments? Also, is the Tap to Pay feature reliable?

Would love to hear some genuine feedback before signing up. Is it worth it or are there better alternatives in the UAE?

​

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a small 3D printing business based in Abu Dhabi, focusing on unique products, home decor, and custom-made designs.

I'm currently putting more focus on personalized products, where customers can request something designed specifically for them.

I'd love to get some honest feedback on my website, products, and overall concept.

Also, if anyone here has experience with marketing or growing a small product-based business in the UAE, I'd love to connect!

Website: www.ramacreations.com

Thanks in advance!

I help businesses and individuals source products directly from Chinese suppliers and understand the full process — from finding the right factory to negotiating prices and arranging shipping and I also help source normal product wanted doesn’t have to be business

I can help with: • Finding and comparing reliable suppliers • Factory/product sourcing • Price negotiation • Supplier communication • Sample & order coordination • Quality/checking questions • China → UAE / international shipping guidance

I also offer 1-on-1 sourcing guidance/mentorship if you want to learn how to source yourself rather than relying completely on an agent.

If you’re currently looking for a supplier, planning your first order, or just want to understand how the China sourcing process works, feel free to DM me.

Anyone knows how to apply for Etraders license for home fragrances/scented candles? Tried applying at Invest Dubai but won’t let me choose E-Traders license ☹️

Hi everyone,

I'm a business and finance student in Dubai, and my group and I are working on a university project about how small food businesses operate here. Right now we're looking for a cafeteria owner (or manager) who'd be open to a short interview.

We're still finalising our questions as a group, but they'll cover things like how you got started, what running a cafeteria in Dubai is like day to day, and the challenges and lessons you've picked up along the way.

The interview would take about 20–30 minutes and can be in person at your cafeteria or over a call, whatever works best for you. We're happy to fit around your schedule. Since our university requires evidence that the interview took place, we'd need to include your name and your business's name in our project, along with a video or voice recording of the interview (your choice). It's purely for academic purposes and will only be shared as part of our coursework.

If you own a cafeteria or know someone who does and might be up for a chat, please comment or send me a DM. We'd really appreciate it!

Thanks so much 🙏

Note: AI was used to help improve the flow and cohesion of this post.

As individual business owner, which accounting software is best to use? Which is cost effective and keep data as per UAE rules. Since E invoicing is coming very soon, what’s the good solution?

Hi all,

I am looking for a liquidator for my freezone company, as required by the FZ authority. I need to finalise everything this month.

We have fewer than 20 transactions, no visas and no dues.

Can someone refer me or send me an estimate?

Thanks!

Hi Everyone

Need Advice related to Corporate Tax Penalties

My UAE LLC never started trading, generated AED 0 revenue and AED 0 Corporate Tax. The business licence and visa were cancelled in Oct 2025, but Corporate Tax filing/deregistration was completed late because I was under impression that after Business licence cancellation Corporation tax would automatically get deregistered but FTA has now imposed AED 2,500 late-return penalties + AED 5,000 late-deregistration penalty. I have filled return and application for Deregistration but now I have Penalties of AED 7500.

Has anyone successfully handled a similar case or obtained full/partial waiver of such penalties? I’d especially appreciate guidance from tax professionals who regularly deal with FTA penalty waiver cases and know what arguments/evidence actually work in practice.

My Penalty waiver request based on arguments that Business never started or made revenues already rejected and I have 40 days time to apply for reconsideration. Looking for advice Please

If someone asked you right now:

“How much profit did your business make last month?”

Can you answer it immediately?

Not revenue. Not the money in the bank. Actual profit.

And what about:

• Which leads converted best in the last 3 months?
• What is our average sales value?
• Which customers still have pending payments?
• How much inventory do we have?
• What are our biggest expenses?
• Are sales actually improving month on month?

For most small businesses, this information is available somewhere.

The problem is that it is usually spread across accounting software, CRM, spreadsheets, invoices, inventory systems and sometimes even someone’s memory.

So getting a simple answer can take more time than it should.

I am curious how other small-business owners manage this.

Do you have one place where you can see the numbers that matter, or are you still bringing information together from different systems?

And what is the one thing you wish your business software could do automatically?

Hi everyone,
I’m considering starting an e-commerce dropshipping business in Dubai/UAE and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has actually done it here.
I’m mainly trying to understand:
What licence/trade registration is required for dropshipping?
Is mainland or free zone better for this model?
Can I start without holding inventory, and how does fulfilment/shipping usually work in the UAE?
What are the realistic startup and monthly costs?
How do VAT, corporate tax, customs and returns work for a dropshipping business?
Which payment gateways and e-commerce platforms are easiest to use?
Is it better to source products locally, from China, or through suppliers in other countries?
What are the biggest problems you’ve faced with delivery times, COD, returns, refunds or suppliers?
How much should I realistically budget for testing products and running ads?
For anyone who has tried it in Dubai, what would you do differently if starting again?
I’m looking for real experiences rather than generic advice, especially from people who have actually operated a dropshipping/e-commerce business in the UAE.
Any tips, supplier/fulfilment recommendations, or mistakes to avoid would be really appreciated. also, Which websites/platforms are best for sourcing products for dropshipping?
I’m particularly interested in reliable suppliers with reasonable product costs, good quality, and shipping times to the UAE.
Are platforms like AliExpress, CJdropshipping, DSers, Spocket, etc. actually worth using for the UAE market?
Would you recommend sourcing directly from Chinese suppliers/wholesalers instead of using dropshipping platforms?

We have a Network card machine, which i would like to consider replacing. The machine is 2 years old and we have maybe 10 transactions per week, at times lower.

The card machine due to the hardware is quite slow, and cumbersome. We recently had the battery replaced due to it not holding charge.

I have asked Network for an upgrade, but they want to charge aed500.

I happy to switch over, but also dont want to move to payment gateway that delays payments, looses payments etc, Network have been 99% good on that part.

I’m specifically looking for a forwarder that can handle:

• Sea freight from China to UAE
• LCL shipments for a few CBM once or twice a month
• DDP
• Importer of Record (IOR), where required
• Proper customs/import documentation
• Clear breakdown of customs duty and UAE VAT paid
• Documentation sufficient for a UAE VAT registered business to properly account for/claim the import VAT

One issue I’ve run into is that almost none of the forwarders I contacted are willing to clear LCL shipments using our own UAE customs code. Most seem to require FCL before they will use the customer's customs code, otherwise they import/clear under their own setup.

The other problem is documentation. A lot of DDP forwarders just give an all inclusive shipping price, but don't provide a proper breakdown or sufficient customs/VAT documents afterwards, which makes accounting for the import VAT and generally speaking, all accounting difficult.

Has anyone here found a reliable China to UAE forwarder that handles this properly for LCL shipments?

I’d especially appreciate feedback from UAE businesses that regularly import from China and have experience with the VAT/accounting side of the process.

Recommendations, experiences, companies to avoid, or even explanations of how you structure your LCL imports would all be appreciated.

Thanks

As title.