My Experience Living In Dubai For 6 Months | The Good & The Bad

Hey! 👋
I'm Rasmus Gutfelt, owner of Minix.
We help DTC eCommerce brands add an extra $150k - $250k to their monthly revenue through UGC and omnichannel paid advertising on a performance basis.
I've been working with eCommerce brands since 2017 when I also started my own eCommerce brand.
On this channel I'll be sharing all the insights I've gained since then, having worked with 100's of cool and unique brands!
Want to work with us?
Book a free audit call: www.minix.co/case-study/call
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[@alexbabylon7052]

Thank you for the information dude! That was really informative and helpful. God bless you

[@JakeStrada]

Its refreshing to see a young lad with such a level head even more so in todays enviroment where its greed and self entitlement.. Great video & I wish you all the success for your future

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Thank you, appreciate the support!

[@kingofthehill00]

Great video. We moved our ecom brand to Dubai this year, and let me tell you, it's been quite a headache. Setting up a business here is way more complicated and annoying than what we're used to in the West. You can't just buy an LLC like back home. The process involves a ton of confusing paperwork and details. But, even though it's been a real pain, it's been worth it because we don't have to pay any taxes now, and Dubai is an amazing place. Luckily, we found a company that helps with business setup, or else I think it would have taken us forever to figure everything out on our own.

[@jckingofhockey]

can you tell more about the biz setup process?

[@jayceontalylor4244]

i got mine ready and set up in 1 day

[@m-j5630]

Amazing video, subscribed. I would love to move to Dubai

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Thank you!

[@StaryzHelios]

GREAT FOR TRAVEL. Everyones' dream for Travel at different & futuristic place.

[@the3.fitness]

Great video, thanks for sharing your experiences! Also is that a Diesel hoodie?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Thank you! No, it’s H&M 😂

[@HenriLaureys]

Hope you can answer these? I do have some questions: I think a lot of people are interested in how the financial system actually works. Could you make a video where you make a breakdown of the financial system for agencies like yours? Nice video!

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Sure thing! But not sure i follow. Financial system for agencies like mine, what exactly do you mean?

[@HenriLaureys]

@@rasmusgutfelt for businesses like yours, I think you need to be in a free zone and don’t have to pay income taxes. So if you can explain how you made the transformation from Denmark to Dubai and explain what the other 5% VAT means and is it really 0% tax free ? I hope that makes it more understandable. Thanks !

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Got it! Thanks for question, i’ll make a video about that 🤝🏼

[@kingemperorofeastica]

Hey man! I am absolutely set on moving to the UAE, specifically Dubai, and I am still in high school. What is the best way to find communities of people like me who are also planning on making the move?

[@sidneylab]

Great video. Thank a lot for sharing your story. After leaving Dubai, can you still use your Dubai free zone company to receive payment and withhold the income with 0% tax rate?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Yes as long as i fulfill the requirements for keeping my tax residency in Dubai which means i have to spend 90 days a year in Dubai :)

[@phillipwhite6190]

Appreciate the info, brother. Is there a best time of year there weather-wise?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Yeah haha big difference. I got here in september, was 45C. I’d say mid october it starts getting pretty nice until end of april!

[@phillipwhite6190]

@@rasmusgutfelt November-December probably the best time yeah? Same where I'm at in Mexico.

[@KilledKenny01]

Move to Dubai soon. Thanks for the insights. Looking for a decent one bedroom apartment for 2K. Don’t need that super fancy stuff. I am on a normal salary and don’t have a business. So blowing 50k or even 10k is no option… maybe I can take my BMW X4 to Dubai… but seems that is not enough for society 😂

[@Trostat]

New York is better for beginning, Dubai is best for people who made it and are satisfied Where as New York City is survival of the fittest and will make a man out of you ! Perfect to start your career and ambitions

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Haha I can see how New York will make you competitive as well!

[@shehitmewiththeiamnothappy2484]

I’m moving to Dubai in 10 months. Slowly offshoring my business from North America. A bit nervous despite having a lot of friends there. I’m Arab born in the region, but I’ve been in Canada for 27 years so going to dubai feels a bit alien. HOWEVER, I can’t wait to pay zero taxes. Thinking about not paying corporate and personal taxes and how much I’m gonna pocket gives me wet dreams LOL

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Big move haha hope you're excited for it! Takes some time to get used to Dubai, give it month when you get here and it'll feel a bit more "normal". It's so different 😂

[@lovalona7389]

I agreed with most of what you said, except with the part about friendliness. To me Dubai is a difficult place to make friends compared to Europe/Asia/Latin America. In fact I do not have friends in Dubai. The way, I use Dubai, I solely focus on building and running my business then I take a break and I go to Mexico or elsewhere where I have a lot of friends and I run my business from there in a relaxed manner before going back to Dubai. Of course, the type of business I run greatly benefit from being based in Dubai.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

That’s an interesting perspective. Maybe because you direct all the energy to the business? At least for me, i’ve had a super easy time getting new friends. But ofc i don’t know what business you run, but there’s 1000’s of young agency owners like me in Dubai

[@Rockist]

Thnx for posting your insights bro. I was just back from Dubai and fell in love with the city, with the the people, and seriously considering moving there. Will you tell what is that business you are running? and what are prophetable jobs a newcomer like me can fit into and make good money?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

I run an online marketing agency, so we help ecommerce brands with paid ads. As a newcomer it's probably pretty hard for you to find a well paying job, unless it's remote. But still, you need to develop some sort of skillset to make the big $$$

[@lnfused]

Real Estate mate. Low barrier to entry, full visa payed for, many many companies, just have to be interested in selling luxury houses. These are 50/50 commission split jobs so no salary, but you have the chance to make outrageous amounts of money out of each deal. £50,000, £100,000, £10,000,000. The more expensive the house, the higher your bonus.

[@Rockist]

what about accepting non-Brits or non-EU nationals to agencies? what about accommodation till you make your first deal no sooner on average than first 3 months?? @@lnfused

[@Skull211]

​​@@lnfusedyeah but isn't real estate in dubai meaningless because there are more apartments and houses than people and it's highly competitive

[@annaiwanicka-naturopataist4781]

Except when you leave your phone in Uber ... I was assured by locals it would get returned but no :-(

[@JohannesTC]

A day in the life of Rasmus in Dubai vlog incoming? 🤩

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Not sure if the people want to see that 😂

[@AlexUncut]

Nice video again Rasmus. I am from sweden, and as you know we have similar laws and regulations. And i wonder if you run into any issues with your Dannish tax agency or other state agencies because they are not happy about you earning money somewhere else and not paying taxes?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Not sure i follow what you’re saying? I live outside of Denmark and make money with a non danish corporation.

[@AlexUncut]

@@rasmusgutfelt Yes, i get it, but u probably do go back to Denmark for holidays and you may have to transfer money in and out of Denmark so you might have encountered questions from Danish bank or something ask you what, Why, how long etc

[@rasmusgutfelt]

@AlexUncut i go back for summer and christmas, there’s laws around how long you can stay in the country for. RE my bank, i haven’t had any issues

[@armangohari6193]

Wonderful video. Thank you so much for your efforts on creating such a useful content. I'm considering moving to Dubai through business as well. If only you can do a detailed video on the process, I'd highly appreciate it. Again Thank You.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

I'm glad you liked the video! You can find a video on the process here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHy9c6ZuhKpoo6s

[@raminahmadi9993]

my biggest question is, if you want to live and work there what will happen to your current citizenship (mine is British, I came here with a work visa, got my passport after 6 years)? I've heard you need to give up your citizenship if you want to live in another country for more than 6 months!!!

[@rasmusgutfelt]

You don’t have to give up citizenship, you can’t lose your passport. You just get residency where you want to live and keep your UK passport :)

[@HWJJSCHUMACHER]

I KNOW ::: IF YOU LEFT YOUR SURFBOARD AT THE BEACH IN ABU DHABI ::: AND COME BACCK AFTER 20YEARS :: YOU STILL FIND IT UNDER THE SAND !!! THAT IS TRUE !!! NOBODY STEALS SOMETHING IN "UAE" !!!!

[@olivermadsen2700]

Hey Rasmus, hvis man tager til dubai for at undgå skat, og man fx 5 år senere flytter til Danmark igen med en sjat penge tjent i dubai. Skal der så betales noget skat af de penge man har tjent?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Nej, ikke af de penge du har tjent i Dubai. Sådan er min forståelse ihvertfald. Da du ikke er skattepligtig i Danmark

[@sumant2000]

You said. Back at home also you are paying rent for accommodation. Why not to pay mortgage and own instead.

[@POV00005]

I can only dream of living here!

[@kingemperorofeastica]

Why not go for it and take a risk? 😁

[@JoseGarcia-vx4bd]

I' m from California Does Dubia have In N Out Burger locations? That's the best burger.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

We don’t! I think we just have Five Guys and Mr. Beast Burger

[@nnuae]

To be honest, the fact that you see 20 lambos and 10 Rolls Royces on an average drive to the mall devaules those purchases in terms of brag potential. People here buy expensive toys because they enjoy them, whereas people purchasing them in Europe are almost guaranteed to do it just to get reactions. Locals don't care about status symbols. Some see children and grandchildren as status symbols. But definitely not cars, clothes and lawns. P.S. Also, one hint, use "consumerism" instead of "materialism", as the latter mostly conveys the absence of spiritual beliefs, rather than an addiction to objects. Overall pretty nice and spot on video, cheers from a fellow recent arrival.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Valid point! I do think though lots of people still buy for bragging rights. But obviously also depends on age etc. 25 year old with new money gets lambo because it’s flashy. And thanks for the hint, i’ll keep that in mind. Cheers and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Means a lot!

[@ba2724]

Don't forget most folks are just faking it. Many of the luxury cars are rented by the hour, day, or week. Get your ego in check (hard to do) and Dubai suddenly becomes quite affordable while still enjoyable.

[@SA-cloud]

That's pretty true regarding the cars. When I was in Dubai back in 2016, it wasn't unusual to be at a traffic lights and a Ferrari pull up on your left, then a Lamborghini on your right, and the lights turn green, and you're still sitting there watching the show 😅 Also, I've met a few rich Arabs and well off ones, and well connected ones. One, I met in Saudi because I used to drive past his new house plot not far from the sea front. One day the fence was open (the houses weren't built yet), there was red Ferrari, yellow Ferrari black Ferrari. Meanwhile, they were all sitting around a fire drinking Arabic coffee. I met one of the guys although I didn't know it was him until later. Arabian hospitality is second to none. Anyways, time to head back to Dubai. Europe is loosing the plot.

[@Ronnitoth]

fantatisk video

[@arukaushik4043]

Hi I’m a scented candle manufacturer. Do I have any scope in Dubai?? Also can u guide me to market my scented candles ??

[@rasmusgutfelt]

There's a big market for scented candles in Dubai. If you sell B2C, i can help, if your looking for retailers, i can't unfortunately!

[@wifiversity]

Bro, On which visa you came to dubai?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Employment visa that showed i was in the process of setting up a company

[@thehowto282]

Have you thought about buying an apartment and then rent it out if you decide to move?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Not really. I already own one apartment in Denmark and it’s a hassle in itself. Think i would just put the money in something else

[@thehowto282]

@@rasmusgutfelt fair enough, I thought it would be a lot less hassle in Dubai as you pay someone a management fee to sort everything also make the tenants pay yearly, six months or quarterly.

[@maratonlegendelenemirei3352]

@@rasmusgutfelt Hassle? Buying apartments and renting them out long term is one of the easiest ways to make money hassle free.

[@scrypturefx3077]

What camera are you using bro ??

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Sony ZV-1 📸

[@scrypturefx3077]

The camera is really good bro.

[@monicamcgahan]

@@rasmusgutfelt do you have a wide angle lens on your camera? I have the same camera but I got a wide angle lens for it 😊

[@rasmusgutfelt]

I do not, mine cannot change lenses. It’s literally a point and shoot camera for dummies haha (perfect for me)

[@wagmi614]

what do you use for the meal services?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

I use Fitbar :)

[@wagmi614]

@@rasmusgutfelt how's your experience so far with them? good for bodybuilding food? how much does it cost monthly approx?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Yeah pretty good macros, i’m on their mean plan. Around 1400-1600 kcal a day with 120 - 150g of protein. Then just supplement the rest with snacks from a grocery store

[@wagmi614]

@@rasmusgutfelt thanks for the detailed response mate, any other similar services that you've heard about that do quick delivery around marina area?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

The only other one i've heard about is Kcal, a friend of mine has them as a client and talks good about their food

[@pures1n]

I visited Dubai, it's great honestly, the only things I found that I didn't like was the internet being censored. Also the sand being everywhere you go felt so "odd"? It felt unnatural somehow. Can't put my finger on why but it just felt so wrong. The last thing I found uncomfortable with was that my family was in North America and the timezone difference is so large so I felt quite disconnected from friends & family. Might be better for Europeans since the timezone jump isn't so vast, but just a thought for people who contemplate the move.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Dubai can definetly feel odd in the beginning with the sand. Takes some time getting used to sandstorms and your balcony being covered in sand when step out in the morning 😂

[@maratonlegendelenemirei3352]

@@rasmusgutfelt Just a quick heads up....UAE is a desert, just saying.

[@user-gt1cs5jq6s]

Was thinking about the north Europe

[@nurafya24]

My dawg release your skin routine

[@rasmusgutfelt]

My camera had an auto beauty feature on i realized later - i don’t have a skincare routine 😂😂

[@benmwangi1897]

Come to Nairobi. It's cheaper + animals + restaurants + cosmopolitant

[@Misslisasolutions]

Thank you hope to meet you and see if we are can work on the same page. Hit important info I wanted. Best to you.b

[@rasmusgutfelt]

I hope so too and thanks for watching!

[@frankhughes4037]

Hey I’m 18 and have just secured a job in Dubai. What is the most practical and best car to rent for the city.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

There's loads of cars, just jump onto a car rental site and go for the one that suits your needs

[@sarahs4922]

Are there family oriented areas of Dubai? What are the names of those areas?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

There is, don’t know too many though as a single guy haha. The Greens, Dubai Hills and The Palm are good places i’d guess

[@TheManasmit]

Discovery garden too

[@MarkSLanga]

How did you get set up in Dubai? Did you do it yourself or did you get someone to do it for you? ... and, how much did it cost?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Had a company take care of everything from business setup to residency. Was around $7k

[@jhslatt4612]

@@rasmusgutfelt hey brother, I’m 19 going though the process now. What company if you don’t mind sharing?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

@@jhslatt4612 I used European Emirates Group. This is their website: uae-eu.com/

[@nikhileshadiyala]

Hey Rasmus Are you hiring for Sales/Business Development positions? I am looking got jobs in UAE....can send my resume across. Cheers

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Hey man, unfortunately not!

[@nikhileshadiyala]

@@rasmusgutfelt No worries mate!

[@MineBloub_]

Can I possibly know what you do as a living

[@rasmusgutfelt]

I run a marketing agency that helps ecommerce brands grow with paid ads

[@J-J745]

@@rasmusgutfelt ❤❤❤

[@lennarthansen5146]

Godt gået, Rasmus. Er selv udlandsdansker på canaria Lanzarote. Den DK jante lov er ikke god. Ønsker dig alt vel med dit firma. Det var held at jeg lige skulle se din vblog. Har venner som har boet i Dubai.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Tak Lennart!

[@dr.perfectsmile4175]

Dude, you live in la-la land, 4000€/month (your rent+routine expenses) in Western Europe is a monthly income higher than average (declared!) and you say”it’s not expensive”??😳 with 2000€/month you rent a nice flat on the French Riviera in an expensive area with sea view.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

I guess it’s a subjective matter. In France, you pay close to 50% income tax, so paying €2000/m in France is the equivalent of paying €4000 in Dubai :)

[@keithlopez5750]

He's only in to materialistic things and money thats not important only Jesus is.

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Jesus wants me to have a Rolls Royce 🫶

[@blacklustersoldierenvoyoft9103]

Is this like a paid ad or something?

[@rasmusgutfelt]

No haha just sharing my experience

[@blacklustersoldierenvoyoft9103]

@@rasmusgutfelt You probably have a rose tinted experience then.

[@supgizmo5021]

I've never met so many fake people anywhere in the world. No amount of money is enough to convince me to move to Dubai. When I go for business trips there I understand why it's tax free: it needs to be

[@Ranvirgrewal2792]

Couldn’t agree more, but the thing is Dubai monitors what u see on the internet so u can’t blame them given there is no free speech, Dubai plain sucks no doubt unless ur an influencer/billionaire or a UAE citizen, it sucks for everyone else unless u come from a third world country like Bangladesh, but yeah imma stick to Canada despite all its flaws it’s still one of the best countries in the world

[@bigdaddy42h]

I'd rather live in Canada then to live some third world country

[@rasmusgutfelt]

Third world country? Bro, do your own research 😂 Top 3 of 5 safest cities in the world is in the UAE and their technology and infrastructure is more developed than most countries in Europe, if not all

[@nicolen4548]

Are you serious, it’s too cold in the winter lol keep shovelling snow and pay tax lol I’m from Canada and would like to movie to Dubai

[@Heyhi-vr5eh]

That place is Hell on earth.

[@jayceontalylor4244]

im living the best moment of my life here in Dubai tho :)