r/UAEBusinessNetwork

Hello there fellow redittors and aspiring business owners.
So I’m planning to start a cleaning business here in the UAE and I wanted advice and inputs from people that are already in the industry or have been.

Here are current informations in hand
Business license - a friend has agreed to give me one (he already has a cleaning license for other purposes)
Car - two 5 seater cars
Cleaners - Over 10 cleaners with their own ID’s and experience
Background - I have digital marketing, design and service based businesses (teaching) experience
Budget - 25k+ max is what I’m willing to invest in this

Current situation: I’m employed with 10k salary and planning to be financially not free but flexible.

I wanted advice and inputs from people that are already in the industry or have been.

Hi everyone,

Hope you’re all doing well.

I’ve been based in the UK for the last few years and recently started seriously exploring the possibility of relocating to Dubai. The more I research, the more mixed opinions I come across online, so thought it would be best to ask people actually living and working and there directly.

I currently work across marketing, data/business development and also have exposure within the cryogenics/industrial sector in the UK.

Recently spoke with a few consultancies and got offered 3 different options

Option 1:

RAKEZ freezone/self-sponsored setup for around AED 10000 including: residency visa, Emirates ID, medical, business licence etc (visa for 1 year)

Option 2:

Consultancy company would sponsor me and will charge AED 18,500 (2-year visa). From what they explained, I would receive UAE residency + Emirates ID, legally be able to freelance/work with companies in UAE on the same visa, and later if I secure a permanent role, the visa can be transferred to direct company sponsorship.

Option 3:

Recruitment package for AED 1,500

• UAE ATS/CV optimization
• LinkedIn enhancement
• dedicated recruitment case manager
• profile marketing across UAE for 6 months
• they would apply for jobs on behalf of me

Would genuinely appreciate honest advice from people already there:

* Which option realistically makes the most sense?

* Is local UAE presence actually a major advantage while job hunting?

* Are these consultancy packages genuinely useful or mostly unnecessary?

* any other helps and tips would be really helpful or feel free to DM as well.

Just trying to understand the reality properly before making any major decision.

Thanks in advance.

There’s a freelancer in Dubai right now quoting AED 2,000 for a website because the last 3 prospects ghosted at 8K.

Told himself it’s a portfolio piece.

Deep down he knows it isn’t.

There’s another one who hasn’t sent a proposal in 4 months. Built a personal site. Redesigned it twice. Updated the portfolio. Still “not ready.”

The readiness isn’t coming.

The readiness is the excuse.

There’s one who said yes to a logo, a website, an app, social media management, and “just help us with the WhatsApp thing too.” Six deliverables. One invoice.

The client thinks they found a bargain…

The freelancer thinks they’ll make it up on the next one..

There’s one who lost a deal last week because the client asked for a discount and he told them to find someone cheaper. Felt powerful for about an hour.

Then checked his pipeline and it was empty.

Principles and an empty inbox look the same at the end of the month.

There’s one refreshing LinkedIn watching someone in the same city, same skill set, posting case studies at 40K a project.

Thinks there’s a secret.

There isn’t.

The other person just started saying no three years before he did. But he won’t start saying no because he can’t afford to.

And he can’t afford to because he never started.

There’s one who gets a lead every week through referrals. Good leads. Warm. Ready to pay. But the lead asks “what’s your rate” and he panics. Quotes too low. Gets the project. Resents it by week two.

The client feels the resentment and never refers again.

The referral engine dies and he blames the market.

And there’s one who hasn’t done any work in 3 months. Has the skills. Has the laptop. Opens it every morning, closes it by noon. Calls it a slow market.

It’s not the market.

The market is spending.

He just stopped reaching for it.

Seven freelancers. Same city. Same skills. Same internet connection.

Different decisions.

Which one are you right now?

And what would it take to stop?

Greetings everyone. We are looking to share our storage space with anyone looking to store items over the summer or even longer.

We have a storage space in alquoz for which we have a contract that runs from January to December. Current headwinds in the business environment have put a massive strain on our cash flow and the landlord isn't supporting in any way.

The storage we have is on the mezzanine level and we store event decorations related items. We can offer separate storage with individual lockable access.

Photos and video of the space will be shared over dm.

Cheers n good day.

There are 557,000 SMEs registered in the UAE. 94% of all companies. Most of them are one person with a laptop and a trade license that cost AED 12,000.

That’s not a business.

That’s freelancing with government paperwork.

A business runs when you’re asleep.

A business has systems that don’t need your hands on them every day.

A business can lose you for a month and the revenue doesn’t stop.

A freelancer with a trade license has clients instead of a boss.

That’s the only difference.

You still trade hours for money. You still can’t take a vacation without the income stopping. You still do the sales, the delivery, the invoicing, and the follow up yourself.

You just traded one dependency for another and called it freedom.

The real business owners in Dubai are quiet about it.

They’re not posting “Day 1 of my entrepreneurial journey.” They’re building something that works without them and they don’t need you to clap for it.

I’m not saying freelancing is wrong.

It pays well in this city. Some months better than any job ever did. But call it what it is.

And if you want to turn it into an actual business, start with one question.

If you disappear for 30 days, does money still come in?

If the answer is no, you know exactly where you stand.

I recently started supplying medical equipment; mainly first aid kits, decided to do this since I’m able to supply it at a good cost at par with the market.

The challenge now is distribution and getting actual customers/orders. This is my first time doing B2B sales, and I’m realizing having a product is the easy part. Getting businesses to buy from me is a completely different game.

Not sure how to solve this problem, anyone got any insights or advice to build this specific business?

Trying to understand how this game really works before burning time in the wrong direction.

Please mention what you do

Connecting a business that sells on Amazon and Noon with someone who can manage listings, run TikTok ads, and handle the day to day store operations on a monthly basis.

Not looking for consultants who “advise.” Looking for someone who logs into Seller Central and does the work.

If you run e-commerce operations or know someone solid, DM me or comment below. Happy to make the introduction.