Crossing the Desert: how businesses are setting and growing in the Emirates

“Australians have a way of taking a trend and making it their own. And they make it a little bit more fun, a little bit more quirky.”In this episode, Georgina Trigg shares the story of starting her bu...

Sometimes life falls apart all at once: a business partnership doesn’t work out, the products don’t arrive from production on the day of your store’s grand opening, and you reach a breaking point wher...

“Every mom in Dubai knows him”—that’s how entrepreneur Galina introduced Isaac to Pavel. Pavel is the founder of Skill Kid, a school offering English classes and educational events for children. He ca...

Our guest’s business idea became so popular that she patented its name. Now, no one else in the Emirates can call a quick repair service “Quick Fix.”In this episode, Isaac talks with Hamda, founder of...

If you’ve ever been served a drink adorned with a beautiful flower, there’s a good chance it came from Greeneration’s vertical farm. This farm specializes in growing microgreens and edible flowers for...

In this episode, entrepreneurs launch their business based on precise calculations. They go all-in: putting in all their savings, taking out loans, selling their car — all to open a great spot and spe...

In this episode, a student project evolves into a lifelong endeavor. Stickers are revealed to have a thousand-year history. Despite attacks from critics, mutual understanding prevails. And karak flows...

You'll hear two stories. Daniel van Dooren and his partner Scott Chambers First had founded their surfing school on an empty market: no competitors, small community of surfers – and nobody else knew y...

Get ready for another thrilling journey in Season 2 of Crossing the Desert! This time, our host isn’t just finding his footing—he’s making bold moves, taking bigger risks, and facing tougher challenge...

In this episode, Isaac discovers that to own a home care products brand, you don’t need your own production, equipment, or even your own formulas. In the modern world, you can own a restaurant without...

Budget numbers, big sales that can ruin a business, story about scummers, and tips on how to find suppliers – in this episode Isaac talks to Aisha Chishti. Aisha runs Skin Concept, a brand of handcraf...

Lidia has developed her own method of teaching Arabic. It turned out to be so good that native-speaking Arab teachers invited her to teach it to them, and the students began to speak after the third l...

There was a time when Hannah’s business had three directions at once: furniture production, a clothing brand for children, and events for children and their moms. And all of it while being a mom to th...

In the fourth episode of Fortis’s Crossing The Desert, Isaac is joined by Levant's Wajda Khalidi. Wajda shares her journey of balancing a demanding office career while slowly building her business ste...

“So I sad: this is not your design, this can’t be right. And the guy said: what are you going to do about it?” I am Isaac, an entrepreneur who just moved to Dubai. In this episode, I interview Omar an...

“If you respect city it respects you back” In this episode, Isaac interviews Danny, founder of the DK Hot Sause brand, and his wife Maria. Denny will tell you how he opened a business after working at...

“Our focus is always that that thing that will happen, but there it's just an imagination. You need to focus on today”. I am Isaac, an entrepreneur who just moved to Dubai. In this episode, I intervie...

Welcome to “Crossing the Desert” podcast by Fortis. Here we tell stories of how businesses are setting and growing in the Emirates.  You are gonna listen to Isaac's story; when he first came to D...