Crossing the Desert: how businesses are setting and growing in the Emirates
Crossing the Desert is the UAE's first reality show, where the central narrative follows an entrepreneur arriving in Dubai with the goal of launching a business. Each episode presents unique challenges and tests, creating a dynamic and unpredictable storyline. We ourselves do not know how our first season will end, because this is the real story of our host, and we experience it alongside him and our listeners! As our host navigates the journey of making decisions for his own business, he also engages with ambitious entrepreneurs who have already succeeded in Dubai with their small businesses. These conversations highlight how they are changing the world step by step, inspiring others to pursue their dreams. Podcast is hosted by Fortis: https://fortis.world a company that assists entrepreneurs in starting their businesses, boosting sales, and building relationships with their customers. Production by Hatch Up podcast studio: https://hatchupstudio.com Ambitious dreamers flock to the Emirates to offer the best of what they have — their ideas, their experience, their hard work — and gradually, they change the world. In our podcast, you'll discover how they conduct their business and what drives them. We are grateful to our heroes — all those who welcomed us into their lives, if only for a few hours. To record this podcast, we ventured into houses tucked away beneath tree canopies and into industrial zones, secluded from the world by towering fences. We listened to the multilingual chatter in Deira's bazaars, meandered through Satwa's maze of workshops, and captured the cries of seagulls in Jebel. We savored labneh cakes and soaked up the sun on Kite Beach. Everywhere we went, we encountered remarkable, enterprising individuals from all corners of the globe: India, Pakistan, Palestine, Egypt, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Russia. Even though we all speak different languages, we always manage to find a common one. This story is just beginning — it's hard to imagine what else we have to discover, who we'll encounter along the way. We hope that you'll journey with us on this path.
Episodes
“Australians have a way of taking a trend and making it their own. And they make it a little bit more fun, a little bit more quirky.”
In this episode, Georgina Trigg shares the story of starting her business in a Dubai that many of us wouldn’t recognize today—a city that was growing so fast, maps couldn’t keep up. Back then, there were no craft coffee shops or boutique designer stores. It was in this version of Dubai that Georgi...
Sometimes life falls apart all at once: a business partnership doesn’t work out, the products don’t arrive from production on the day of your store’s grand opening, and you reach a breaking point where you feel like grabbing a bat and smashing everything around you. And yet, all of this can become the foundation of a successful business.
In this episode, Isaac interviews Ibrahim Abudyak, the founder and creative director of Joke...
“Every mom in Dubai knows him”—that’s how entrepreneur Galina introduced Isaac to Pavel. Pavel is the founder of Skill Kid, a school offering English classes and educational events for children. He came up with an approach that makes his school stand out from the rest.
In this episode, inspired by Pavel’s example, Isaac restructures his own online English school. He devises a way to generate UGC (user-generated content) from his...
Our guest’s business idea became so popular that she patented its name. Now, no one else in the Emirates can call a quick repair service “Quick Fix.”
In this episode, Isaac talks with Hamda, founder of the interior design studio Dress My Room. She started by turning her sister’s talent for interior design into a profitable business. Hamda shares how she optimized every hour of her team’s workday, kept competitors from copying he...
If you’ve ever been served a drink adorned with a beautiful flower, there’s a good chance it came from Greeneration’s vertical farm. This farm specializes in growing microgreens and edible flowers for high-end restaurants. In this episode, we’re joined by its founder, Roman, and Daria, the Vice President of Growth & Product. They share insights on finding the ideal location for a farm, the risks of choosing the wrong landlord, ...
In this episode, entrepreneurs launch their business based on precise calculations. They go all-in: putting in all their savings, taking out loans, selling their car — all to open a great spot and spend everything in 3 months. Will they manage to turn a profit within those three months?
The hero of this episode is Rakesh Jain, the founder of Hive Board Game Cafe. He shares his calculations: how to increase ROI, how to calculate ...
In this episode, a student project evolves into a lifelong endeavor. Stickers are revealed to have a thousand-year history. Despite attacks from critics, mutual understanding prevails. And karak flows through our veins.
This time, Isaac interviews Raghad Murad, the founder of the Waggish sticker and merch brand. They discuss cultural references, Arab identity, suppliers, collaborations, and everything that makes Waggish a busine...
You'll hear two stories. Daniel van Dooren and his partner Scott Chambers First had founded their surfing school on an empty market: no competitors, small community of surfers – and nobody else knew you could surf in Dubai. Galina Volgach started a real estate agency — to compete with thousand agencies in Dubai.
In their stories businesses from being banned get to Dubai's advertising banners. They save drowning people, find sour...
Get ready for another thrilling journey in Season 2 of Crossing the Desert! This time, our host isn’t just finding his footing—he’s making bold moves, taking bigger risks, and facing tougher challenges as he continues his mission to launch a business in Dubai. With new obstacles around every corner, Season 2 dives deeper into the highs and lows of entrepreneurship in the UAE. Listen in as entrepreneurs share their stories, their st...
In this episode, Isaac discovers that to own a home care products brand, you don’t need your own production, equipment, or even your own formulas. In the modern world, you can own a restaurant without having a kitchen or a dining space. You can own a bakery without buying flour or hiring bakers.
Isaac talks to Simona Sotirovska. She and her partner Ruby run a brand of non-toxic, eco-friendly, and refillable home care products – ...
Budget numbers, big sales that can ruin a business, story about scummers, and tips on how to find suppliers – in this episode Isaac talks to Aisha Chishti. Aisha runs Skin Concept, a brand of handcrafted self-care products. It is very important for Aisha that everything is made by hand and from scratch, all products are sustainable and at the same time very bright and beautiful. Her soaps and shampoos look like cupcakes and ice cre...
Lidia has developed her own method of teaching Arabic. It turned out to be so good that native-speaking Arab teachers invited her to teach it to them, and the students began to speak after the third lesson.
In this episode, Lidia shares insights into transforming her teaching method into a thriving business, detailing her processes for hiring, onboarding, and supervising teachers, attracting students, and maintaining high retention...
There was a time when Hannah’s business had three directions at once: furniture production, a clothing brand for children, and events for children and their moms. And all of it while being a mom to three kids. It’d been too much so she had to prioritize and rebuild her business. Now her family and her business are growing together in synergy.If you want to join Hanna’s weekly play sessions for children and social time for mom...
In the fourth episode of Fortis’s Crossing The Desert, Isaac is joined by Levant's Wajda Khalidi.
Wajda shares her journey of balancing a demanding office career while slowly building her business step by step. She discusses the importance of patience and persistence, the challenges of maintaining product quality, and how she turned personal challenges into opportunities. Tune in to learn how you can successfully manage a side busi...
“So I sad: this is not your design, this can’t be right. And the guy said: what are you going to do about it?”
I am Isaac, an entrepreneur who just moved to Dubai. In this episode, I interview Omar and Dina, the owners of the brand Tica’s . They will tell you what happened when they found their products being copied and the innovative business idea that emerged after they had to shut their shop for three weeks.Our conversation in D...
“If you respect city it respects you back” In this episode, Isaac interviews Danny, founder of the DK Hot Sause brand, and his wife Maria. Denny will tell you how he opened a business after working at Jimmy Choo and Armani, what working on an international cruise ship taught him, and how Covid had changed his life. Maria will tell how she created a visual for the brand and what she advises for SMM. In this episode, good friendship ...
“Our focus is always that that thing that will happen, but there it's just an imagination. You need to focus on today”. I am Isaac, an entrepreneur who just moved to Dubai. In this episode, I interview Simy, sustainable fashion designer and founder of the brand Sustainably U. She’ll tell you why every business should be sustainable, and how the ideas that led to the creation of her brand are rooted in generations of her family. Thi...
Welcome to “Crossing the Desert” podcast by Fortis. Here we tell stories of how businesses are setting and growing in the Emirates.
You are gonna listen to Isaac's story; when he first came to Dubai he was impressed with it’s business spirit and huge projects. But he believes it’s not only about it. Ambitious dreamers come to Emirates to bring here the best they have – their ideas, their experience, their hard work – an...
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