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 you could surf in Dubai. Galina Volgach started a real estate agency — to compete with thousand...

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 challenges as he continues his mission to launch a business in Dubai. With new obstacles aroun...

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 having a kitchen or a dining space. You can own a bakery without buying flour or hiring baker...

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 handcrafted self-care products. It is very important for Aisha that everything is made by hand and fro...

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 lesson. In this episode, Lidia shares insights into transforming her teaching met...

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 three kids. It’d been too much so she had to prioritize and rebuild her business. Now her family...

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 step by step. She discusses the importance of patience and persistence, the challen...

“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 and Dina, the owners of the brand Tica’s . They will tell you what happened when t...

“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 Jimmy Choo and Armani, what working on an international cruise ship taught him, and how Covid...

“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 interview Simy, sustainable fashion designer and founder of the brand Sustainably U. She’ll tell you w...