Shams Edge Ep. 1 | Entrepreneurship & the Future of SHAMS

Hey everyone, welcome to the first episode of Shams Edge.

This is the space where bold ideas, real stories, and powerful insights come together. We’ll be sitting down with inspiring speakers and guests who are shaping industries, breaking norms, and sharing what really works.

So, if you’re here to learn, grow, and stay a step ahead, you’re exactly where you need to be.

Kicking off with our very first episode, we’d like to welcome Mr. Rashid Sahoo, Director of Operations at Shams Free Zone, overseeing all the operations at the free zone, to discuss Shams’ growth story, entrepreneurship in the UAE, and the evolving business landscape shaping the future.

Mr. Sahoo, thank you very much for hosting this interview, and thank you for the invite.

So, Mr. Rashid, there’s a lot of tension going on right now — tariffs, regional tension. Why would anybody start a business right now?

Well, tensions and escalations all around the world are something that happens from time to time. I believe that there is never an exact right moment to start. It all depends on the individual himself. Does he have the will? Does he have the capability? Does he have the interest?

Every circumstance has its advantages and disadvantages. Currently, I see it as the time for entrepreneurs to start building, even though there is noise happening. But at a certain level, there is building happening.

Why? Because at the moment, you can focus on building your business, building the infrastructure that is required for your business, and all the fundamentals. You have the time and luxury of constructing it in a way.

Imagine if it was a busy, hectic time — you might not get the fundamentals right from the beginning. So, you need to have that open perspective on whatever the situation is and adapt accordingly.

Let me refer you to the COVID times, 2021 and 2022. When I look at the data with Shams Free Zone, the companies that were established at that time have a higher retention rate.

The reason for that is what I just mentioned to you. They utilized this time wisely in building their businesses.

So, while everybody was freaking out about the uncertainty, they turned that into an opportunity, isn’t it?

Absolutely.

Amazing. So, Mr. Rashid, what do you think the difference is between starting a business two or three years ago versus now?

A few years back, there was a number of paperwork required, physical visits, and different procedures to follow.

At the moment, Sharjah Media City has an online platform where you can do everything online, virtually. You can obtain your license within the same day with a seamless process.

In one day, you have your license.

I heard it was 60 minutes.

60 minutes, exactly. Even with bank account opening, Sharjah Media City also assists in that. As I’m sure you know, we have a list of banks that we cooperate with, and we assist clients with their bank account opening. We give them options so they can select from them and start their business.

Absolutely. Would you like to tell our viewers more about the value-added services that Shams offers?

Sure. Shams as a free zone is never about just issuing the license. Issuing the license is the easiest part.

What the client wants is the support after obtaining the license. What we mean by support is visa requirements, immigration requirements, and support with whatever services they require from Sharjah Media City.

This is where Sharjah Media City executes professionally, because it is all about the entrepreneur feeling satisfied, safe, and knowing that whenever he calls Sharjah Media City and requests assistance or support, we are there to help him and support him with whatever he requires when it comes to his license.

So, we don’t look at added services for the sake of added services. It is for the sake of that individual, that entrepreneur, to grow and succeed. This also directly affects Sharjah Media City positively, because we measure our success by retention more than anything else.

Absolutely. I’m sure it’s safe to say that we provide end-to-end solutions to all the business requirements for a client.

Would you like to tell our viewers more about Mazeed?

Sure. Mazeed is a company owned by Sharjah Media City, and it is the added services or value-added services platform for our entrepreneurs and the services they require after obtaining their license.

Entrepreneurs require financial support, HR, IT, tax, and accounting. This is a platform that has a variety of local and international names within it that provide those services for our clients.

We keep adding solid and reputable names to this platform on a continuous basis. As our entrepreneur platform and client base increase, that puts more obligation on us to make such value-added services always available for our clients, so they can select and choose whatever they see fit for their business.

Since I’m a part of this initiative, I know that we also give preferential rates and exclusive offers for the clients as well that they can benefit from.

That’s the whole idea of this platform. This platform is not only about listing names. With those service providers and companies, we managed to get preferential rates and preferential services for the sake of Shams clients.

Whatever you see on this platform is not necessarily what you see in the market. This is a special platform for Shams clients with preferential rates and preferential services, with one main goal: the client succeeding and growing within the Shams community.

That’s a great thing that you touched upon. Can you tell us more about the Shams community and any initiatives we are taking to help this community of clients?

At the moment, Sharjah Media City is investing heavily in physical infrastructure.

This client base within Sharjah Media City that is growing day after day requires physical infrastructure. What’s coming in the pipeline within Sharjah Media City are the following:

We have the production hub. The production hub will include cinematic sound stages, production support, post-production, and creative units.

There will be a business park. By business park, I mean a mixed-use commercial development that will contain offices, retail, and restaurants.

At the same time, we are doing a flagship project for Sharjah Media City, which is Shams Theater. It will have 700+ seats and will be a very iconic building. It’s a sphere.

This will be our flagship project. This theater is not just for the sake of being a theatrical place. It will be a cinema. It will be for music, comedy shows, theatrical plays, and more. It will be more of a creative center, where we will have workshops, some retail and F&B components, and an oasis in the middle where people can gather during good weather.

The last project, last but not least, is a food destination.

All of this is coming in the pipeline for the sake of creating that physical infrastructure for Shams clients to work, operate, and succeed within Media City.

That sounds fantastic. I’m sure all of us are really looking forward to this coming to reality and seeing it in person.

Sure. Some of those projects I touched upon are in their final design stages. While we speak, backfilling of the sites is ongoing.

We are expecting to hit the ground and award the contractor, inshallah, by the end of this year. Not for all four projects — we will phase it out.

We will start with the production hub, the sound stages, and the creative units, and then the other ones will follow in 2027. We are expecting a construction timeline anywhere between three to five years for this front face of Sharjah Media City to be completed.

Amazing. That sounds great. It will definitely be the media hub of the UAE, I’m sure.

It won’t only be a media hub in the UAE. It will be a different media hub in the UAE.

Other media cities here in the United Arab Emirates have their value proposition in obtaining big names and anchors, and they are successful in that.

Sharjah Media City is more focused from day one on the creative industry. When I say the creative industry, it doesn’t necessarily mean big names. It can be startups and small to medium-sized businesses.

This is what Sharjah Media City is more focused on: the creative industry and small to medium businesses, where we don’t currently see a place that enables them and provides them with the right environment to grow.

This is our value proposition in Sharjah Media City.

Fantastic. Like you beautifully explained earlier, this is going to be a media oasis, if we’d like to call it that.

Sure.

So, Mr. Rashid, what do you think about the market in general?

The UAE, during the past many years, has always proved how resilient it is. Whenever crises happen around the world, you see the Emirates maintaining its focus and maintaining its investment in infrastructure, regulation, and businesses.

The UAE economy is diversified. If one sector slows down, another sector speeds up.

We are blessed to be in this country. Opportunities are everywhere. Opportunities are coming continuously. As I mentioned, it is a resilient system. No matter what happens, the government is solid and is always maintaining and improving whatever is required.

That itself gives assurance of how the country is safe, secure, and always strong.

Now, we will not pretend that everything is perfect. The whole world is affected by what is happening at the moment. But are you serious about pursuing your plans?

Because if you are waiting for the right moment, the right moment will never come.

True.

It all depends on the individual having his plan, having his will, and executing.

Fantastic. If you were to give one piece of advice to a young 25-year-old entrepreneur, what would that be?

Perhaps waiting on the fence is more expensive than executing.

Today, Sharjah Media City specifically has made it extremely easy for entrepreneurs to start.

What’s the worst outcome here? The worst outcome is that you will not bet your life savings if you start your business.

Not like, for example, 20 years ago or three years ago, where you would acquire an office and employees and so forth. Today, you can start your business alone, or you can start it with 50 employees — it depends on your business plan.

The worst-case scenario is that it is a learning experience for you, which you can build your future on. But this is just one scenario. You might still succeed and grow.

Sharjah Media City itself provides you with all that support, that community, and that ecosystem for you to be in the right environment for your business to be sustainable and successful.

Fantastic. Thank you so much, Mr. Rashid, for your wise words and for gracing us with your presence today. I’m sure our viewers will take away a lot from this great podcast.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.