Markets
A business consultant in Dubai for the decisions that carry the most money
Wills Business is a management consultancy headquartered in Cairo that works with owners and executives in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. If you are looking for a business consultant in Dubai, you are probably facing one of four decisions: a project that needs a bank or a free zone to say yes, a company that grew faster than the way it is run, a valuation before a partner or an exit, or a launch that needs the market measured first. This page explains how we handle each, how we work in the UAE, and what any consultant here should give you.
Thirty minutes. No deck. A senior consultant replies.
What companies in the UAE bring to us
Feasibility studies for UAE banks and free zones. A bank facility, a free zone licence application, or an investor committee wants a feasibility study that holds up to questioning. UAE banks and free zone authorities each have their own expectations of the document. We prepare the study to the format of the institution you are applying to, with a market section built from UAE data and a financial model the credit team can test.
Growth strategy for a company that scaled fast. The company went from a founder and a few people to several hundred in a few years. Revenue is still growing, but decisions queue behind two people, margins are slipping, and nobody can say which products or customers make money. You need someone to look at the strategy and the operating model together and tell you plainly what to change and what to stop.
Valuation before a partner or an exit. An investor has made an approach, a partner wants out, or the family is preparing a sale. You need an independent business valuation, built on a defensible model, that you can put in front of the other side and the lawyers. We value the business, explain the drivers, and support you through the negotiation.
Market research before launching. A new product, a new emirate, or a new segment. Before the money is spent, you want demand measured rather than assumed: who buys, at what price, from whom today, and how much of that you can realistically take. We run primary research in the UAE and build the launch case from it.
Services most requested in the UAE
Services most requested in the UAE
How we work in the UAE
We work in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, on site and remotely. [We have an office in Dubai at address / We are represented in Dubai through a partner / The consultant leading your project travels to the UAE for research, workshops and every board presentation, and the rest of the work runs remotely.] Fieldwork for market research is done in the UAE.
UAE deliverables are English-first. Reports, models and presentations are prepared in English, with Arabic versions where a board, a family council or a government counterparty needs them.
We know the difference between a free zone and a mainland licence well enough to build either into a study or a plan: what each allows the company to do, where it can trade, and what it costs to run. We are not a company formation agent. Where a licensing choice affects the decision, we set out the options and recommend that your counsel or corporate services provider confirms the detail.
What a business consultant in Dubai should give you
A plain checklist. Ask any firm, including us, for each item before you sign.
- A written scope with the question, the deliverables, the people, the timeline and the fee.
- The name of the senior consultant who will lead the work, and confirmation that this person was on the first call.
- Market numbers collected in the UAE, with the source of each one stated in the report.
- A financial model in Excel with inputs on one sheet, not a PDF of a model you cannot change.
- A recommendation, the assumptions behind it, and what would have to be true for it to be wrong.
- The freedom to say no to the project or the deal, with no change to the fee.
- A fixed fee invoiced in stages, with any added work agreed in writing before it starts.
- No software licence, marketing retainer or staffing contract attached to the advice.
Frequently asked questions
What does a business consultant in Dubai actually do? Helps you make a decision you cannot make well from inside the company, because you lack the data, the time, or an independent view. For us that means feasibility studies, strategy, valuation and financial advisory, market research, operations, digital, organisation and governance. We do not sell software, run your marketing or place staff.
Are you licensed to operate in the UAE? [Yes, through our Dubai entity licensed by X / We work in the UAE from our Cairo headquarters under engagement contracts with UAE clients; confirm the arrangement with the client before publishing.]
Should we set up in a free zone or on the mainland? It depends on where you need to trade, who your customers are, what the activity is, and what each option costs. A free zone suits some activities and rules others out. We set out the options in the study or plan and recommend that a licensed corporate services provider confirms the detail for your activity.
Do you prepare feasibility studies for UAE banks? Yes. We prepare studies to the formats used by UAE banks and free zone authorities, with the model in Excel. Wills Business is a feasibility study company in Dubai in the sense that matters: the study is built to the reader's format and it can be tested. See feasibility studies.
Do you work in Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates? Yes. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the bulk of our UAE work, and we take engagements in Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
How do consulting firms in the UAE charge? Hourly, daily, retainer or fixed fee, depending on the firm. We work on a fixed fee per written scope, agreed before we start and invoiced in stages. We do not publish price lists.
Tell us the decision you are facing
Thirty minutes on a call. You describe the project, the growth problem, the deal or the launch. We tell you honestly whether it needs outside help, what the work would involve, and what it would cost.
Thirty minutes. No deck. A senior consultant replies.