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Why the lead up to summer is the best time to start your UAE business

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Richard Smith BSc (Hons), TEP

Richard Smith BSc (Hons), TEP

UAE Freezone and Residence Visa Expert

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Why the lead up to summer is the best time to start your UAE business

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The lead-up to summer is the worst time to start a company: business is slow, customers are traveling, nothing really happens until September. Right?


Wrong. Throw those assumptions away. In actual fact, if you’re considering starting a business in the UAE then this pre-summer period is your ideal window. This year, more than ever.

Here are some very compelling reasons to set up now rather than putting it off.

  • Use that downtime: When you set up a company it’s not always easy to hit the ground running because there are so many admin hoops to jump through first. If you do this during the relatively ‘quiet’ summer period you can get all those tasks out of the way without having to focus on too many clients all at once.
  • The marketing gap: Because most companies across the UAE assume that summer is going to be a slow time for business, they don’t put many resources into their marketing and promotion at this time of year. This leaves a vacuum for young, up-and-coming startups to pull the attention towards themselves. This year more than ever, this holds true because of…
  • The Covid factor: This summer is going to be a little different. With fewer people travelling because of Covid restrictions, there are likely to be more potential customers with time (and money) to spare. In fact, any lull may be minimal at best; rather, you should be thinking in terms of ‘business as usual’.
  • Don’t miss the boat: Remember there are going to be plenty of other budding entrepreneurs out there looking to take advantage of these conditions. Putting things off until September could mean you’re already up against a swathe of new competitors. Be one of those who get in there first.
  • New market realities: Finally, if the Covid pandemic has shown us anything it’s that the transition to an e-economy on a global scale is inevitable. The growing popularity of home deliveries, at-home wellness, e-learning and much more besides means that the seasonal retail model may no longer apply in many cases. In this context, any time of year is a good time to start a business.

In short, if you want to take advantage of the many incentives for UAE startups – increased support for tech companies, extended visas, 100% foreign ownership and so on – then you need to grab your opportunity. Now more than ever, in the post-Covid world, the UAE government will be wanting to give its economy a much-needed boost and entrepreneurs stand to gain from this.

And remember: if you don’t, there will be plenty more that will.

Read on for information on Charterhouse Lombard's UAE company setup support services.

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