{"id":969026,"date":"2026-11-13T10:22:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T10:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/969026\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T10:22:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T10:22:13","slug":"how-communities-are-becoming-launch-pads-for-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/969026\/","title":{"rendered":"How communities are becoming launch pads for small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a small restaurant, the customer who comes back every Friday can be as valuable as the crowd that passes its doors. That was why when Haider Al Assam and Luma Maklouf decided to give their delivery-only burger business a location, a high-traffic mall didn\u2019t feature on their list.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t after the busiest mall; instead we were looking for a place to build genuine relationships with customers and be part of their everyday lives,\u201d says Al Assam, who launched Good Burger in 2020, with his wife, Luma.<\/p>\n

For them, opening Good Burger\u2019s first outlet earlier this year at DAMAC Mall in DAMAC Hills was all about getting closer to the people ordering their food and finding a place in their daily routines.<\/p>\n

Being in a residential community lets us get to know our customers, recognise familiar faces, and build relationships that wouldn\u2019t happen in a traditional shopping mall.\"How<\/p>\n

Haider Al Assam Co-founder of Good Burger<\/p>\n

Across Dubai\u2019s residential communities, entrepreneurs like Al Assam and Luma are recognising the business potential of everyday needs. From dinner close to home, to leisure activities and fitness sessions, opportunities lie in understanding what residents want and giving them a reason to return.<\/p>\n

For these businesses, an established community offers something passing footfall alone cannot guarantee: the prospect of customers returning, bringing along friends and neighbours.<\/p>\n

Developers such as DAMAC Properties, which has handed over more than 50,000 homes over two decades in Dubai, have created communities where independent and innovative operators can build a business and grow their market.<\/p>\n

When an activity becomes a meeting place<\/p>\n

There are many such businesses that are integral to community life in Dubai. At The Hobbies Club, horse-riding lessons give families a reason to spend time outdoors and neighbours a place to meet.<\/p>\n

Founder Aref Ali Al Abbar explains his business has always been community-focused since its inception 30 years ago, connecting people, animals and sport. DAMAC Hills\u2019 open spaces and residents\u2019 interest in family activities, well-being and nature provided a perfect fit for his business.<\/p>\n

Our horses have never been happier, and we enjoy being a part of the community\u2019s daily life, whether it\u2019s a morning lesson, a weekend family ride, or simply neighbours stopping by to greet the horses.\"How<\/p>\n

Aref Ali Al Abbar Founder of The Hobbies Club<\/p>\n

Families arriving for trial lessons become regular members. Parents report that riding helps children develop confidence and responsibility, while giving the family time together away from screens, says Al Abbar.<\/p>\n

Friendships formed around lessons and workshops have continued beyond the stables. That social connection has helped the club grow.<\/p>\n

Word of mouth has been his business\u2019 biggest driver.<\/p>\n

Building such loyalty takes time. Having operated within the community for nearly nine years, Al Abbar recalls the effort required from both the business and the developer during its early days. An established address provides access to residents; earning their trust remains the operator\u2019s job.<\/p>\n

A customer base beyond the doorstep<\/p>\n

As families bring established routines such as school-day meals and weekend outings to a community, businesses get an opportunity to carve out a place in those routines from the outset.<\/p>\n

Lily Hoa Nguyen, Founder of Vietnamese Foodies, recognised that opportunity when expanding the restaurant she launched in 2018.<\/p>\n

An advantage of family-focused communities, Nguyen believes, is that their residents usually prioritise high-quality dining options. In 2023, she opened her DAMAC Hills branch, which is now one of eight locations across Dubai.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our vibrant community, it\u2019s heartwarming to see familiar faces \u2013 families after school, neighbours grabbing dinner, and friends enjoying pho together on weekends,\u201d she says. \u201cOur team has fostered meaningful connections with our guests. The best part is that they passionately recommend us to their neighbours. In this close-knit community, word of mouth shines as our greatest endorsement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Developers are also keen to support such entrepreneurial activities, which develop their communities into thriving neighbourhoods with self-sustaining ecosystems.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe received excellent support from the management of DAMAC Mall for our operations, including design and fit-out coordination, as well as social media and community marketing,\u201d says Nguyen. \u201cThe entire process was hassle-free and met international standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

For an expanding home-grown brand, such support is invaluable, where they get to connect directly with their audience as they set up their businesses.<\/p>\n

From neighbours to teammates<\/p>\n

A similar connection is taking shape through fitness at The Training Room at DAMAC Hills 2. Established in Al Quoz in 2020, The Training Room expanded into the community in a rented facility in April 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community embraced us right from the start,\u201d says Co-founder Keith O\u2019Malley-Farrell.<\/p>\n

Its run club has since tackled the neighbourhood\u2019s seven-kilometre loop almost every weekend, with participants continuing through the summer. Alongside regular training, the facility coaches people towards goals ranging from a first 10km race to climbing Kilimanjaro and reaching Everest Base Camp.<\/p>\n

A facility close to home can make that first session easier to attend. Familiar faces give people another reason to return. For the operator, participation builds relationships that extend beyond a single class or membership.<\/p>\n

But it’s not just F&B operators, service providers, or fitness centres that thrive in communities. Nikki Alli, Founder and Managing Director of Mercore Advisory, finds working out of her home in Centaury cluster at DAMAC Hills 2 extremely rewarding.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people believe that an advisory business needs to be located in a prominent business district to be regarded seriously,\u201d she explains. \u201cHowever, in my experience, clients are not interested in a postcode; they value good judgment. That judgment can be delivered effectively from a quiet study just as well as from a high-rise office in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the morning, Alli handles work in the Gulf and in the evening the focus is on London and Lagos. \u201cI\u2019m not wasting hours on a commute, and the money that would have gone towards an office is now being invested back into the business,” she says.<\/p>\n

She meets her prospective clients for breakfast, lunch, or coffee at the Community Center. For formal meetings, a hotel nearby works well. \u00a0<\/p>\n

A deal closed in a home office, a repeat order of a burger, or a riding lesson booked each week, all these give small enterprises something valuable to build on. And ultimately, they become part of the community instead of just businesses operating within it.<\/p>\n

In association with DAMAC Properties<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For a small restaurant, the customer who comes back every Friday can be as valuable as the crowd…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":969027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[45,49,48,137,78077],"class_list":["post-969026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-native"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=969026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/969027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=969026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=969026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=969026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}