Hey all,
Just want to have an open discussion on how is your business coping in those difficult times?
I know things definitely changed but I'm more interested to know how you're coping? What are you doing differently to manage to stay afloat and persevere?
Let's share so we can all learn from each other what's working and what's not. Please don't forget to include your industry for reference.
Thanks!
Running a company in Ajman for custom furniture and soft furnishings for 19 years. I’ve seen it all—from bad labor to project delays and quality issues. If you have questions about costs, suppliers, or how to avoid mistakes, ask me anything.
Hey everyone,
I’ve been thinking about how small businesses handle Google reviews.
One thing I noticed is that many businesses struggle because unhappy customers often go straight to leaving a negative review, while satisfied customers don’t always leave one.
So I experimented with a simple idea:
Ask customers first if they are satisfied:
- If yes → guide them to leave a public review
- If no → collect private feedback instead
The goal is to help businesses understand issues internally while improving overall ratings.
I’m curious to hear from business owners here:
- How do you currently handle customer feedback vs public reviews?
- Do you face issues with negative reviews affecting your business?
- Would a system like this actually help, or is it not practical?
Not promoting anything here — just trying to understand if this is a real problem worth solving.
Would really appreciate honest thoughts 🙌
Last year for my business thesis I started these small workshops in D3 in cafes where we hosted art and wellness experiences.
im a senior graphic designer and I studied business I wanted to combine them both and do something outside the box, now we did host around winter times but it was really hard to market ourselves we did our best through Instagram and we got sum workshops.
we hosted our last workshop in brands for less and after that we went silent.
about how many people were in my team, it was only 3 and our workshops consisted of us having different activities like canvas paintings, mug painting, pouch paintings and more
atm im alone and I dont have anyone to revive this workshops with, it was really a nice side project any advice or help would be appreciated
I’ll start:
For me, it was how important networking is here. I thought online marketing would carry everything, but most of my actual clients came from referrals and random connections. Still feels like I underestimated that part big time
What about you guys?
What’s something you learned the hard way after starting in UAE?
Hi all,
I’m looking for a UAE-based lawyer (Dubai preferred) who can assist with a small commercial dispute involving non-payment under a signed consultancy agreement.
High-level context:
- Services were delivered under a formal agreement
- Payment terms were clearly defined
- Invoice is overdue
- Counterparty has recently responded with a refund claim despite prior acceptance of work
I’m looking to:
- Issue a formal legal notice immediately
- Understand escalation options (including arbitration in DICA, as per agreement)
- Keep this efficient given the relatively modest amount involved
If you’re a lawyer or have worked with someone reliable in similar cases (commercial recovery / contract disputes), I’d really appreciate recommendations or direct outreach.
Thanks in advance.
Hey everyone I started a small crafts business from my home a few months ago, and I’ve been making around 2k per month so far.
I initially wanted to get a business license but I have to be 18 and I’m still 17. All the payments I’m receiving are being transferred to my mom’s account. I honestly didn’t hear anything about them being strict about money transfers and such until recently when someone told me they had the authorities question them about some transactions (I do not know the amount of money they’ve been receiving)
So I just wanted to ask if anyone knows if getting multiple 100-200aed transfers through out the month that total about 2000 per month is suspicious? Could I get in trouble? I really don’t wanna close down the business and wait a whole year :(
If a client says "hey can you add this", and it's 5 minutes of work, do you still go through the whole "that's outside scope..." thing?
I have no problem adding small things if they take me no time, and to have a polished project.
On the other hand, small things can add up to many hours so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Hi everyone,
I’ve been building GoSkolar — an AI-powered worksheet generator specifically designed for CBSE curriculum, Classes 1 through 9, covering Maths, English, Hindi, EVS, Science, Social Studies, GK, Computer Science, and French.
What it does:
∙ Pick a class, subject, and topic → get a worksheet in seconds
∙ Three difficulty levels (Foundation, Application, Stretch)
∙ Auto-generated answer key
∙ Clean, printable PDF output
Why I’m posting:
I’ve been working on this for a few months and the generation quality is solid now, but I need real parents/teachers using it and telling me what’s broken, what’s missing, and what topics don’t work well. Looking for 20–30 people willing to try it and share honest feedback.
What’s in it for you:
Free access, and your feedback directly shapes what gets built next. If you’re prepping for unit tests or weekly practice, this might actually save you time.
Drop a comment or DM me if you’re interested and I’ll share the link.
Been in the digital marketing space for years, running a full-service agency out of the UAE. We work with e-commerce brands, local businesses, service companies, and startups across multiple markets.
I've seen the full spectrum: businesses that scaled beautifully and others that wasted money on the wrong things.
If you're:
Ask me anything. Happy to share honest insights (no sales pitch).