‘Overnight’ success requires long-term planning, insist four of australia’s top SME leaders

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It was something Melbourne-based Lemnos Foods discovered after initially launching its quality range of cheeses there in 2001. Excited when business analysts told the company it could move 20 times the volume of cheese that was being consumed in Australia, Lemnos attempted to move its premium product via a single distributor to all major retailers. But it diluted the value of the brand and sales were nowhere near as large as expected. So Lemnos exited the marketplace to take stock, coming back two years later to focus on a single retail chain that targeted the upper-middle class. It not only cut out the middleman and netted Lemnos double-digit sales growth each quarter but, even more important still, earned the company a reputation as a premium supplier.

Equally, Declan Monahan, Director of Business Development at Marketboomer, an online purchasing company offering solutions for the hospitality industry, believes success in Dubai usually comes down to quality not quantity.

“In general, there are massive opportunities if you are a quality provider,” he says. “Because business is growing so rapidly, if you can do a half decent job and have a product people want, chances are you’ll do reasonably well.”

Marketboomer already had a strong reputation before it launched in Dubai two years ago, but Monahan said that was only a part of the pie – building partnerships, establishing a local knowledge-base and checking out the competition also being keys.

“Some suppliers are short-sighted, not focused on relationships and just interested in trying to make a quick buck,” he says. “Do your homework, go over and have a look around. Get a local partner and, if possible, look into the free trade zones” (see breakout).

And don’t expect it to be all plain sailing. Dubai is not without its share of growing pains. Getting started isn’t super cheap with the lack of commercial leasing properties and residential space driving up rents. Then there’s the practicalities of day-to-day living – substantial traffic and the heat – that in summertime effectively leaves you confined to air-conditioned buildings. One thing it isn’t, however, is stuck in the past.

“People who are uninformed have perceptions that it’s very restricted, very religious and a very closed environment, but certainly Dubai and the UAE aren’t like that,” says Mohanan. “You can live the kind of very normal life that you would in Sydney, Dublin or London – and prosper.” 

TIME TRAVELLER

Where: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dollar: One Australian dollar = 3 UAE dirhams (approximately)
Time Difference: – 6 hours (AEST)
Time In: 14.5 hours approximately from Sydney
Time Out: The new Dubai is dominated by towering skyscrapers, shopping malls and enough dining and entertainment options to keep the very hungry and easily bored well satiated. The Jumeirah district is where most of this happens – and all in a beachfront setting. For a taste of the Old Dubai, the Bastakiya district is where it’s at.
It offers a glimpse into the traditional Persian life, where you can experience the souks (markets) and archaeology digs.
Time to go: If you have a choice, Dubai is best visited between November and April when the temperatures are bearable.