Dubai-it: ‘You need to run ahead of the train’: Why this Russian entrepreneur chose Dubai

Dubai: All through his life, 38-year-old Russian expat German Sverdlov has sought the next challenge – the first big corporate gig, the first entrepreneurial venture, the first big international move. He has always been driven by the desire to create.

That drive brought him to Dubai three years ago, in 2023. The move is the latest step in a journey that took him from working at one of the biggest MNCs in the world to building his own businesses from scratch.

“Once I graduated, I was able to get a job in one of the biggest consultancies in the world and it really was a school of life for me, in terms of learning how things are done and how businesses operate,” Sverdlov told Emirates 24|7.

After three years of working round the clock on some of the biggest projects, Sverdlov was ready for a change.

“At some point, I realised I want to do something else – I needed more responsibility for the end result and wanted to try something on my own,” he said.

So, at the age of 26, he decided to quit and start his own marketing agency with a partner. The move, he says, was harder than he expected.

“You have to change your mentality altogether and you are responsible for everything, from sales to business development, cash management and hiring talent,” he said.

But it was a challenge he took head-on, gradually building a reputation as well as a solid client base – the majority of whom were in the field of real estate.

“About 60 to 70% of our clients were either real estate developers or office or residential property owners,” he said.

In 2020, as the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, Sverdlov saw the market changing. Offices were no longer occupied from 9am to 5pm as work moved online. Co-working and shared office spaces were popping up, and Sverdlov decided to launch a property technology platform, built from scratch, to help those co-working spaces manage their clients – from documentation to contracts and monitoring occupancy.

After 10 years as an entrepreneur, with his businesses on solid ground, Sverdlov began looking elsewhere.

“I started wondering if there is any other place which has a young, developing market, because that is the kind of environment I genuinely enjoy – a place where you can manage to find great people who complement each other perfectly, because that’s when magic happens,” he said.

He chose Dubai.

“It’s amazing what the city and the country have done in such a short span of time. I immediately realised that it was the place for me to move to next, because what they have achieved is something that takes decades after decades for some countries to build,” he said.

Equipped with the experience he had gained over the years of building businesses in Russia, Sverdlov decided to sell his stakes, pack his bags and make the move.

“I was 35. I was at an age when I could estimate risks but also identify certain areas where my expertise in marketing and entrepreneurship and understanding of real estate could be of use,” he said.

Not too long after making the move, Sverdlov secured his first job – one that required a person with knowledge of building customer management tools from scratch, ideally with an entrepreneurial background.

Three years after his move to the city, Sverdlov says he is enjoying the quality of life, the standard of governance and the ‘Dubai-it’ spirit – to think boldly, act decisively and deliver exceptionally.

“I have never met so many ambitious, smart people in such a short span of time. Dubai really is the land of opportunities, but I also think it attracts a specific type of personality. It’s competitive and demanding, so, if you’re just going to sit and wait, you probably will not succeed. You need to ‘run ahead of the train’, as we say in Russia,” he said.

The efficiency with which the country operates has also had a big impact on Sverdlov. From visa procedures to setting up a business, he says his experience of services has been timely and convenient.

“What I’m really amazed with is not that the country has resources, but that they actually make very reasonable, logical and common sense decisions on how those resources have to be allocated, from different angles like city planning or creating certain environments for businesses. You can actually see how thought-through they are,” he said.

It’s an environment where Sverdlov feels his expertise can be put to use.

“I can apply my skills here, I feel like I’m needed,” he said.

A constant presence in Sverdlov’s journey has been Wilson – his four-year-old German Shepherd-Golden Retriever cross.

“He followed me on a street when I was travelling and working in Turkey for some time. At first, I was reluctant to take him in, but he just decided that he was going to stay with me,” he said.

Just a few days later, Wilson fell seriously ill and had to be taken to the vet.

“After a week, he was discharged and I was honestly in two minds – should I just leave him, or should I take him with me?” he said.

Seeing Wilson again settled the argument in his head. The dog stayed with Sverdlov as he made the subsequent moves in his life.

“His name is also inspired by the movie ‘Cast Away’,” Sverdlov said with a laugh.

Like the ‘Wilson’ volleyball that became the sole companion for the stranded Chuck Noland, played by Tom Hanks in the film, Wilson has remained by Sverdlov’s side.

Today, Sverdlov, who works as a Customer Experience and Innovation Director at a Dubai firm, and Wilson are both settled into their Dubai lives.

When the weather allows, the pair head out hiking or into the desert, while trips to the dog-friendly beach at Dubai Islands have become another favourite.

“He enjoys travelling with me across the country in my car,” Sverdlov said. “And whenever I have to travel out of the country, there are amazing boarding places where he has met new friends. The staff like him a lot and he enjoys staying with them.”

For Sverdlov, Dubai is now where he wants to keep building.

“The city is meant for people who like to create and it’s actually quite inspirational to know that your daily work can impact the lives of other people. That’s why I enjoy it so much,” he said.