How to Expand Business on the International Stage and Ensure Trust in Business Partners

In the multinational and multicultural business community of Dubai, it is crucial to cultivate a robust network. Relationships where reliability and transparency are paramount, and where reputation holds immense significance, are as essential as air. The BizMission community employs an unconventional model for such organisations, selecting participants based on their resources and achievements, as well as their values: integrity, dependability, and simple human kindness. Through the club's junior programme, resourceful mentors pass on their experience and pave the way for the next generation, explains BizMission's founder, Stanislav Natapov.

Results have always been my guiding star. My professional skills were honed during my tenure in the Moscow government, where I led a subsidiary of the Department of Transport and worked alongside the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, and the Deputy Mayor for Transport. Together with my colleagues, we navigated the path from crafting transport reform strategies to implementing numerous significant projects within the Moscow government. Concurrently, I completed an Executive MBA programme at Skolkovo School and ventured into my own business in 2018.

As an entrepreneur since 2018, I have sought a community that brings together resourceful and experienced individuals from whom I could learn. I desired an environment where people not only achieved significant business success but also upheld integrity and were willing to share their knowledge. I wanted partners I could rely on — those who kept their promises and weren't merely trying to sell something but were building mutually beneficial partnerships. I tried participating in several communities but did not find what I was looking for. Ultimately, I founded my own community, devoid of advertisements and accessible only by recommendation.

I now reside in Dubai for two key reasons. Firstly, aside from the summer months, the climate here is truly splendid. Secondly, Dubai is a positive place and has a highly constructive atmosphere. This sets Dubai apart from many other cities around the world. There is a focus on development and new opportunities here.

Moving to Dubai encourages one to think on a global scale rather than being confined to specific regions within a single country. Living here allows me to continue developing my business in Russia, where I enjoy operating. However, I also have opportunities to expand into markets in the CIS, the Middle East, and other countries.

I founded the BizMission community in 2020 for individuals who shared my vision, met criteria of resourcefulness and achievement, and embraced a value system akin to mine, where integrity, keeping promises, and human kindness are paramount. It is often said that being kind is far more challenging than being clever. Today, the community boasts over 100 entrepreneurs, most of whom are company owners. The average turnover of these companies is approximately $100 million annually, with the combined turnover of the first 100 participants reaching around $11 billion per year.

Our community's residents hail from various countries and sectors. Most reside in Russia, the Emirates, Israel, the UK, the USA, China, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Many, like me, have settled in Dubai.

The community operates on a consultancy model. Unlike the typical club model, where the organiser creates a space for interaction and members must independently identify other residents who might be of interest, introduce themselves, learn about others, and verify the trustworthiness of partners, my team of 20 employees in BizMission acts as business assistants and consultants for club members. My colleagues take on the role of identifying participants who could be mutually beneficial and introduce them directly, providing comprehensive information about one another. Our staff are well-versed in the current needs and resources of residents, including their connections, financial capabilities, and expertise in various fields. We update each member's needs and resources every month and a half. Our business assistants proactively initiate collaborations between club residents by organising meetings and helping to establish, strengthen, and stimulate relationships. As Leonid Goldort, founder of the company CDEK, remarked: "After some time in the club, I realised that at least every third person in the community offers me significant value in life. That is a very high indicator."

For owners of medium and large businesses, a personalised approach is particularly valuable. We strive to build personal, trusting relationships with each club resident. My team endeavours to stay informed about collaborations among participants and, crucially, how they fulfil their commitments to one another.

The importance of keeping promises and adhering to club rules is enshrined in our charter and agreements with members. In regular personal meetings with participants, personal managers not only inform them about new opportunities available through other club residents (vetted investment opportunities, expertise, projects, and contacts) but also inquire about how members are fulfilling their commitments to each other across all ongoing collaborations. If we observe inconsistent behaviour from any participant, we address it and monitor the situation. Should such behaviour persist systematically, we part ways.

BizMission also has a mediation institute. If a misunderstanding arises between two community members, I personally act as a mediator upon request from one of them. The other participant cannot refuse this procedure or my decision. In case of refusal or disagreement, there is provision for exclusion from the club with notification to its members.

We endeavour to maintain transparency regarding the actions of each individual towards other club members, which is why the number of transactions between counterparts within the club is remarkably high. Participants understand that if someone remains part of the club, it means we, as organisers, have no concerns about that person's reputation. By staying in the club, they automatically receive our endorsement.

We are sometimes jokingly referred to as an analogue club in a digital world. Our members appreciate the opportunity to interact with the club's team and other members not through digital means, but predominantly through personal engagement. One can call a manager to inquire about the reputation of a person with whom they plan to enter into a contract. The manager will always honestly recount the behaviour of a club resident throughout their membership history.

If a person keeps promises and can be relied upon, this information quickly spreads through the managers and attracts other participants to them. Conversely, information about unmet obligations will also be communicated. If necessary, one can always obtain truthful information about any community member from us. When both parties in a transaction are represented by club members, they are more inclined to cooperate, knowing that reputational mechanisms ensure the reliability of their interaction.

A significant value of the club lies in the insights gained from creating joint business projects and cases with other residents. By identifying potential synergies between them, we introduce them directly and suggest possible avenues for cooperation. For example, when we see that one participant is interested in investing in projects in the Middle East and another has a worthy project, we proactively introduce them, proposing they combine resources and expertise. When you begin developing a potential joint venture with another experienced, recommended entrepreneur, you learn more about each other's experiences and worldviews through communication, broadening your own perspective.

I genuinely believe that for anyone to accelerate their development, it is important to form a strong network. In the people around me, I find many admirable qualities and I am delighted to learn from them. At different moments in life, I require the influence of different people. Many of us possess unique skills and achievements in specific areas, and such individuals can greatly enhance our capabilities. For instance, someone inspires me in sports by demonstrating discipline and results. My wife teaches me harmony and how to maintain balance with myself. Other people become examples for me through their negotiation skills and working capacity and ethics.

For those embarking on a business venture in Dubai, inspired by the success stories of existing enterprises there, I would recommend first testing the business model in their home region. In my professional experience, I interact with numerous entrepreneurs and have observed that those who attempt to launch something entirely new and untested in Dubai often encounter setbacks. This is particularly true for new restaurant concepts and other ventures. Conversely, those who initially establish their business in their own country within a specific field and then scale it up — armed with experience, practice, an understanding of the model, and knowledge of business nuances — tend to find greater success when entering the Emirati market. Such an approach holds a higher likelihood of success in any domain.

In life, as in sport or business, there are different levels of success. Let us call them "leagues." Individuals in the top league are more sought after and self-actualised; their businesses and careers develop more rapidly than others, they maintain a higher quality of life, and they make a more significant contribution to societal development. Meanwhile, those in the middle league have fewer opportunities, less money, and tackle challenges of a smaller scale.

Successful people often ensure their children have access to top-notch education. However, social capital is equally important — the people who aid development and share their experiences. It is this environment, composed of resourceful patrons and advisers, that plays a pivotal role in personal development.

To enter the top league — whether in a career, business, or sport — it is essential to learn only from the best. As a contribution to the development of the next generation, our children, we have created the "Business Mission Junior" programme. The programme's concept is to connect young individuals with successful entrepreneurs. Resourceful entrepreneurs become mentors for the young because they possess significant experience and achievements that inspire and help young people find their path.

Our programme includes several hundred mentors from various countries and industries — resourceful and respectable individuals, owners of medium and large businesses. Mentors help juniors take a strategic view of life, develop entrepreneurial skills, and gain experience. They assist young people in building a strong network of mentors and ambitious peers. The environment of successful and determined individuals stimulates ambition and provides young people aged 14 to 30 with an acceleration towards development and achieving more significant results within the same timeframe.

In the financial realm, there exists the concept of leverage, which amplifies the return on one's own investments. In life, such leverage takes the form of social capital — mentors and advisors who are prepared to impart knowledge and skills that are in demand in the upper echelons, as well as to provide recommendations that enable entry into certain elite circles.

I have observed that our values crystallise over time. I have come to the realisation that it is important to live in the present, experiencing each moment as the happiest. The past remains a memory, while the future is unknown. Worries and expectations hinder the enjoyment of the present. Today is the happiest day of my life. Living in the present, noticing the beauty, and departing this life with a sense of happiness — these are the key thoughts about a life where business is but a part, an activity within a true system of values shared by like-minded individuals.