The Struggles of Our Early Days in Business in Dubai | Season 2 | Ep# 2 cover art

The Struggles of Our Early Days in Business in Dubai | Season 2 | Ep# 2

The Struggles of Our Early Days in Business in Dubai | Season 2 | Ep# 2

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In this entertaining second episode of Season 2, Desma D’Souza and Elrona D'Souza share their real, unfiltered journey of building a business in Dubai—from getting their first trade license to setting up their office (and even the story behind that famous couch!).

Every entrepreneur starts somewhere, and for us, it was working from home before we made the big move to an office space. We take you through the highs and lows of finding and setting up an office in Dubai—the hidden costs, the real estate surprises, and what we wish we had known before signing the lease.

With over 12 years of entrepreneurship and more than 4 decades of living in the UAE, the HR Sisters take you behind the scenes of launching and growing S&K HR Consulting.

If you're running a business from home and wondering when to take the next step, this episode is packed with practical insights!

  • The real cost of starting a business in Dubai (licenses, fit-outs & more)

  • Choosing between Free zone vs. Mainland licenses

  • How to pick the right office space for your business

  • Mistakes to avoid when starting out (trust us, you’ll want to hear the couch story!)

  • Their biggest lessons from setting up multiple licenses and evolving as a business

Whether you’re a solopreneur, startup founder, or dreaming of launching a business in the UAE, this episode is full of gold.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment!
Got questions about working or setting up in Dubai? Drop them below—we’d love to answer them in a future episode.


Key Points:

  • The importance of understanding license types (mainland vs free zone)

  • How license restrictions can affect hiring and office rentals

  • What to consider when choosing and furnishing an office in Dubai

  • The hidden costs in fit-outs, deregistration, and license renewals

  • Personal stories, real-life challenges, and lessons learned as female entrepreneurs in the UAE

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