Startup-n-Marketing (SnM), one of Dubai’s leading business development and digital marketing agencies, clocked 4 a couple of weeks ago. It’s been a whirlwind of a journey, an adventure that began with 2 young women who wanted to take control of their lives and forge their own path.
Vera and Julia felt they deserved more out of life, they wanted to have a successful career without missing out on the family experience. Like many other people, they wanted to find the perfect balance between work and life. Four years down the line, they are closer than ever to their goal.
This is the SnM story so far:
The Beginning
As with thousands of other businesses, Startup-n-Marketing started in a kitchen. Both women had been friends for years and they knew about each other’s struggles. Getting ahead at work would mean less time with family, and prioritizing family over work would spell disaster for their careers.
On this fateful day, they realized the solution was right in front of them. And they decided there and then to start a business.
Vera was a digital marketing specialist who had headlined marketing campaigns for some of the biggest companies in the global financial sector. And Julia was a business development expert with a specialty in business startup and international law.
They didn’t know it then, but the partnership would grow to become a match made in heaven.
Challenges
The first challenge they faced was a simple one: what do they name the business? That one was solved pretty quickly. Julia was a startup expert and Vera was a marketing specialist. Voila, Startup-n-Marketing was born. Afterward, they came up with a business model quickly.
Up next, what services would they provide? That one was dispatched quickly too.
Julia would provide a business development service for companies looking to start up in Dubai and the GCC. She’d help these companies secure the licenses, permits, and institutional structure they need to operate seamlessly in the UAE. Julia would also handle their immigration challenges, help them secure office space in a commercial location in the city, assist with staffing, and provide support in any way the company needed.
With her expertise in digital marketing, Vera would handle web development for these companies, help them set up a website (and online channels) that would get the attention of their target audience. Furthermore, she’d handle all online marketing efforts, including customer acquisition, SEO, Facebook and Google Ads, social media marketing, and content marketing.
So, while Julia helped the companies establish a presence in the Middle Eastern business sector, Vera would be in charge of helping them find the customers they need to become a powerful player in the market.
It was a splendid idea. Until Julia and Vera ran into their biggest challenge: money.
Finally, Success!
Setting up a business is hard work. It requires a lot of time, and a lot of money. Unfortunately, these are 2 things Vera and Julia didn’t have in large supply 4 years ago.
So, they started small. One new client, then another one referred from the first one. And that’s how it started.
Once they’d raised enough, they created a detailed marketing strategy and went to work.
Within a year, Julia and Vera had provided startup and marketing services to over 20 businesses. That was only the beginning.
Today, they have a beautiful office right in the heart of the Dubai Business District. They’ve completed over 120 successful projects and have a long list of clients on retainers. Every year, they add new services and products to their business list and new staff to the SnM team.
Vera and Julia found what they were looking for, and more!
Future Goals
Over the next couple of years, Startup-n-Marketing wants to get even bigger. Vera and Julia want to create a complete business environment where clients would access everything they need to start a new business, find customers, and gain a foothold in the Middle Eastern market.
From legal advisory to marketing strategy and fully equipped office spaces, SnM wants to provide an end-to-end business development and marketing solution.
And most of all, they want to connect new customers with an inner community of clients, mentors, and potential investors. A community Vera and Julia spent years building and cultivating.
Vera and Julia spent years trying to build a business in Dubai. So they understand the challenges involved. In the future, they want to reduce the roadmap for any companies or individuals looking to follow the same path.
This is the SnM story so far, and we can’t wait to write the next chapters with you.
