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Hi

I am running a business in Dubai and taking a survey as part of the business project. I would like to know how every business owners/partners/investors find Dubai, UAE as a favorable region for startup business. How favorable is Dubai's conditions/environment for the success of a startup business. If you can rate between 1 to 10 (1 for lowest and 10 for highest), how much would you rate and why.

DubaiVentures

I think that one of the biggest hurdles for new startups and entrepreneurs is finding low-cost office space. Every business has to have a physical office space in Dubai and the minimum space required by law is 200 square feet but a 200 square foot office costs at least 45,000 AED per year, something that most new startups can't afford. This hinders small businesses and negatively affects the economy. It's a fact that small businesses are very important for the economy because they are a major source of new jobs. unemployment rates are high in the Middle East and small businesses can be a solution to this. So if new businesses could find low cost offices, then you'd see many more people starting new businesses. It seems that Abu Dhabi has noticed this and now you can find entrepreneurship visas that don't require an office as well as offices for as little as 20,000 AED rent per year in Abu Dhabi. Hopefully Dubai will also make conditions more encouraging for startup businesses. Other than that, I think that, if a company has done market research and has a good business model and keeps its initial expenses low, then it can succeed and become profitable with time.