The start
What the business does, where, when it opened and why the founder chose this idea.
Founder stories
How Saudi businesses really started
Not success-story gloss. We ask founders what it cost to open, what took longer than planned, what they got wrong and what they would do differently. The numbers they share help everyone plan better.
The first stories are being recorded now. Each one is published only after the founder has reviewed it. If you run a business in Saudi Arabia, or know someone who does, tell us below.
What every story covers
The questions we ask
The real costs
Fit-out, equipment, licences, deposits and the first months of salaries, as far as the founder is willing to share.
The paperwork
Commercial registration, municipal licence, Saudization, VAT: what was simple and what took weeks.
The first year
How fast customers came, when the business first covered its costs, and what surprised them.
The mistakes
What they would change if they opened again tomorrow.
The advice
One thing every new founder in their sector should know.
Founders choose what to share. Figures are published as the founder’s own account with the date of the interview, never as market averages. Sponsored features, if we run them, are always labelled as sponsored.