For humanity, what the Way is has been one of the sacred and invariably eternal questions of philosophy. In Ancient China, the Way was denoted by the hieroglyph Dao — the left part means to go forward, the right part means paramount. To follow the Way is to follow the main road.
Perhaps that is why in Dubai they say: it doesn’t matter where you came from, what matters is where you’re going. Entrepreneurs have always been ahead of their time. Their innovative and unconventional solutions have been changing the world for centuries.
Today, the main indicator of success is not so much about money as it is about the meaning that underpins the company. If it’s packaging, it’s made from recycled materials. If it’s a corporate training, it’s created through gamification.
If it’s a start-up, it involves young talent. Working on this special issue, we got to know more than 500 entrepreneurs in the UAE. Talented and creative, energetic and enterprising — each one is unique, and what unites them is their passion for their work and the desire to make the world a better place.
Not in the future, but in the present. Today and now. Dubai is a place where the future has already arrived.
A country where innovations and unconventional solutions are born. Farms with microgreens, fintech start-ups, analytical applications, work with artificial intelligence — these are the people who have forever inscribed their names in the history of the United Arab Emirates. We set out to create a unique, living encyclopaedia of Russian-speaking entrepreneurs from different fields who have launched businesses in the Emirates.
65 heroes — developers, restaurateurs, financiers, designers, lawyers, and others — became part of this project and joined our new club for entrepreneurs, Business with Meaning. Even before the release, we began introducing companies to each other. The winners now are those who create their blue ocean, develop their own business model, and do what is important to them.
Almost all our heroes began their story like this: I wanted to create something better for myself, my family, my child, my city. Do what you know how to do and love what is important to you, and it will make the world a better place. The ability to separate true values from false ones, the importance of forming an ecosystem — holidays, networking, joint projects.
It’s high time to accept the fact that the days of competition are over. To win, we need to unite. Businesses with meaning form a nurturing environment in which together we can do more, shine brighter, and be more productive. — Lara Palmer & Alexey Kiselev