16 Profitable and Popular Ideas for Starting a Business in Dubai
Dubai is one of the most attractive jurisdictions in the world for investors to establish business in Dubai, as it offers privileges and benefits unrivaled by any other country. With the awarding of the Expo 2020, Dubai is the new upcoming central business hub in this part of the world. It also serves as a gateway to new and upcoming economic powers of the regions. It’s a well-known fact that Dubai is a leading commercial hub in the international community for large as well as small scale businesses.
Business in Dubai Ideas
Here we are going to mention profitable and popular ideas that you can open or run business in Dubai easily and with the piece of mind.
1. Get a Franchise
Franchising is an evolving business in all over the world and has its own importance when you plan to start a business in Dubai. Basic objective of Franchise based business model is to expand beyond borders with the proven expertise of a brand developer (Franchiser) & the entrepreneurial spirit of the Investor (Franchisee). In the Franchising domain – the core strategy is to Facilitating Businesses & Opportunities globally in gaining Gulf foothold, Integrating with the local culture, leveraging the market led opportunities & Showcase the road map.
The UAE boasts a multitude of free zones. The choice of the right free zone depends on the type of activity to be carried out and requirements in terms of facilities. Dubai was the first emirate to pioneer the free zone model, offering foreign businesses attractive concessions and a number of investment incentives, including 100 percent ownership of a subsidiary and zero taxation.
2. Restaurant/Cafe
Significant disposable income and good purchasing power makes it easier for people in the UAE to dine out frequently. A small scale restaurant or a café targeted to a specific or a combination of various cuisines can prove to be a good return on investment. You can checkout our top 10 list for best restaurants in Dubai.
3. Home Cooked Food Delivery
A huge population working 9 to 5 looks for fresh home cooked food daily for lunch, but they cannot prepare for them on daily basis. Besides that the fast food on regular basis is neither good for stomach, nor it is affordable. So what if you chose an area with extensive business activity, offer a deal for 2 to 10 persons per week or per month to the offices there, you are surely going to get some good business. Many such businesses are operational already, but with the growing population and business activities in the country there’s still a huge market for this type of business.
4. Luxury Travel Deals & Discounts
It’s not just Dubai being the world’s biggest tourist destinations, but the other emirates also have a lot for tourists as well as residents. The travel sector is though already developed, coming up with some exciting offers, like exotic resort deals, luxury travel on discounts, overseas tours for residents, cruise deals and similar stuff has a lot of room for more businesses to come and grab the market. Before jumping into business you need to keep one thing in mind that this is very competitive business in Dubai.
5. Day care/Childcare Business
The working couples are in majority in Dubai specifically and of course a considerable number is there in other emirates too. So, both of them are working and they need someone to take care of the kids. Day care center can be the best option for such families as it’s not just the baby sitting, but the kids are learning good things too!
6. Maids & Cleaning Services
As discussed above the working population is so busy in their professional duties that they really find it hard to do the household stuff at their own. Housemaids in the UAE are an easy and affordable luxury, however, people prefer hiring them via professional service/business. Setting up a maid service or cleaning company is easy and can prove to be a success in short time. One of the best option to start a business in Dubai.
7. Handyman Services
Almost every one of us needs handyman services for one reason or other. With a huge population accommodated in apartments, especially in Dubai and Sharjah make it a big market for handyman services. If you have a couple of skilled labor with you, this can be the best business to do in the densely populated areas of Dubai and Sharjah, let it be the residential or commercial area.
8. Bakery/Custom Cakes/Snacks Shop
One good thing about the population of UAE is that they celebrate a lot, let it be a religious event, an achievement or a special day for someone. Cakes and snack are the most important items in any party, so if you love baking, why not to turn this into a regular business. Besides serious businessmen, this is an ideal option for desperate housewives who want to stay fully engaged with their family while running a successful business in Dubai.
9. Online Florist/Flowers Delivery Service
It’s not just the Valentine’s Day when the flowers business is at its peak in the UAE, but it can bring good profits on daily basis. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and various other celebrations happen in Dubai on daily basis and people do need flowers. Taking the business into delivery services and online ordering system doesn’t just expand a market for you, but also provides a solid reason for people to use your service. And yes, do not limit yourself to the flowers only; add chocolates and other dainties to make it a more valuable service.
10. Gift Shop
It is probably one of the best options to start business in Dubai immediately, as you don’t need any of your own products. All you need is to buy existing brands and give them your own packaging. The high disposable income and the celebration trends do require gifts for all occasions. Remember, it’s the packaging that sells!
11. Documents/Attestation Service
More and more people are coming to UAE either for job or else to do business. When it comes to documentation, they need a lot of stuff; let it be sponsoring your spouse, child or parent or submitting your educational certificates, documents need a series of attestations from your home country as well as from various offices in the UAE, and of course 90% of people do not have time to go all the way to do things at their own. That’s how a documentation service makes its entry to the market.
12. Insurance Broker
Health and car insurance are compulsory in Dubai, Abu Dhabi as well as in other emirates and so everyone needs health insurance plus car insurance. Being an insurance broker, you act as an agent of big insurance companies only; you sell insurance and get your share of profit. You can imagine how successful business in Dubai can be when everyone needs insurance as they need food and clothes.
13. Dry Cleaning Service
Just like cleaning and cooking, laundry is a tough task for working population, and they are always looking for someone to do it for them. Mobile laundry and pick and deliver dry cleaning services are most sought after services in the UAE, so if you are planning for some laundry business here, do consider these factors.
14. Hair Salon
Unlike a beauty parlour or spa, hair salon needs much less investment. On the other hand it’s a need. One may not chose to go to a spa if he’s on tight budget, but he cannot avoid going for a haircut. Gent’s hair salons are much in demand, and opening one in a strategic commercial location can be highly profitable business in Dubai.
15. Mobile Auto Workshop
Where there are cars’ a workshop is needed. Although there’re many workshops already, but one needs to go there. Think of the situation when a vehicle got a problem on the midway! And hundreds of such cases happen on daily basis, many times on highways and other times right in the parking. A mobile workshop that reaches there on a single call doesn’t just help, but actually works great.
16. Mobile Phones/Gadgets Repair
A new gadget or a mobile phone replaces the older model very quickly, but majority of the people do not buy a new phone or gadget until they have a working model in hand. And in most cases if there’s a problem, first thing they think of is repair, not to buy a new one. If you are a mobile phone technician this can prove to be a very profitable business in Dubai.
Conclusion
The laws and the business environment as a whole encourage startups, however, some fields may find the set up and licensing fees comparatively higher. So, the wise idea is to look for business ideas that are in high demand and do not involve any heavy setup and licensing fees.
That can work great in the United Arab Emirates, but bear in mind that the success and the profitability
Depends on how well you do it. If you do not input enough time or effort, you may end up losing it.
