Facilitating entrepreneurship in the UAE through personalised solutions

Mahesh Dalamal and Steve Mayne, Managing Directors of Creative Zone, tell us why their unwavering support lasts a lifetime for their clients. Excerpts from the interview:

Tell us about the concept behind Creative Zone.
Steve: We established Creative Zone in 2010 to bridge the gap between quality service and customer focus. Our approach was to provide relatively aggressive pricing, personalised service and a bevy of in-house support to execute our client's professional journey. We aspired to be more than just a company that sets up your trade licence and facilitates the visa for you, by offering important additional services required to initiate a business.
Mahesh: We wanted to surpass the industry standard of service, and accommodate everyone's needs, including offering a 'business starter pack' of branding essentials. Additionally, our range of workshops and events provides a platform to network with professionals, and further develop and grow their business. Our job is to undertake all the procedures, such as paperwork, which gives the client the opportunity to position himself or herself in the market and generate income. Therefore, we have a high retention rate with over 75 per cent of our clients renewing their annual contract.
Creative Zone is known as Dubai's largest and most trusted business set up advisory firm, how did it gain its coveted title? 
Steve: We have set up thousands of companies across a multitude of industries. From trade, real estate and recruitment, to consultancies and freelancers. Many of these clients have changed their licences with us as their business has grown and client base expanded. It is a real joy to be part of this journey with our clients, and forge relationships that carry on. Our team has also grown substantially, while we have retained a high number of our original staff. So, our customer service levels remain high, and subsequently, the trust clients have in our team. In fact, our greatest source of new business comes from client referrals. We have also amassed a list of reputable suppliers, which we proactively share with our clients. Creative Zone is seen as the largest business set up company, simply because we cover a broad spectrum including multiple Free Zones, Dubai Mainland and Offshore.
Mahesh: For Creative Zone, growing with our clients is imperative to address and cater towards their needs. We listen to our clients and are committed to improving our service offering to suit them. In this regard, we have recently launched several new client-orientated services. We have set-up an in-house Tax and Accounting service for our clients to help them register and meet the filing requirements for their quarterly VAT returns. In addition, we have recently launched Creative Zone Business Hub in Downtown Dubai, which offers serviced offices, meeting rooms, co-working and event space. We will continue to expand on these specialised service offerings in coming months. 
How does Creative Zone provide support to entrepreneurs who are starting their journey?
Mahesh: Creative Zone is passionate about encouraging entrepreneurs from all schools of life. We are actively involved in various elements of education including lectures and seminars at various schools and universities. To encourage a range of talent to partake, we are continually developing our in-house business management workshop series for our existing clients for them to both present and attend. This also serves as a networking platform, creating greater networking opportunities for all.
Steve: Setting up a company is a complex, emotional process. We listen to our clients and provide transparent advice to suit their specific needs. We have the advantage of being well versed across multiple jurisdictions so our advice is geared towards the client's specific needs. Our relationship with our clients is based on trust, and we believe by providing diversified, in-house entities we can support them in their journey as a company. In addition, we proactively embrace the platform created by UAE government which promotes and encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, accelerating development and enriching the economy.

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