häk agency’s Dubai export attempt and lessons you won’t find in any business book

In 2022, I took a wild leap into the unknown with häk agency — to export our strategic design and web solutions to Dubai. Bold? Yes. However, it is also logical on paper: a big market, an international city, English-speaking, high expectations, and a similar time zone. Looked perfect.

But theory and practice don’t always go hand in hand. Even a seasoned rally driver can misjudge a turn and crash hard. That’s what happened. Total damage on one side.

We weren’t rookies — we had export experience before this desert mission

We didn’t show up empty-handed. Before Dubai, we had done quite a bit of international work.
We had produced ads for the Baltic and Finland. Created branding and web for global companies. Designed packaging seen by millions on YouTube. Even aired ads on ESPN Peru.
We’ve worked with brands like Silen — their silent pods are sold in over 60 countries.

But all of those projects came through Estonian HQs. Dubai was our first real export attempt — selling from Estonia abroad, without a local office as a bridge.

“The truth, well told”

Marketing is about telling the truth — but in a compelling, beautiful, convincing way.
That idea also fits our Dubai story.

From the outside, it looked glamorous: skyscrapers, camels, Burj Khalifa, rooftop dinners.
You might think we were headed straight into paradise.
And yes — the buildings were stunning, the food amazing.
But how did it feel?

One evening, I sat on the balcony with a great view of the city.
And I felt… completely empty.
It hit me that this project might fail. That all the time, money, and effort we put in might go up in smoke.
Even with our experience and strategic approach, breaking through wasn’t that simple.

I started writing a social post, feeling choked up. Was this really how it ended?

At that moment, scrolling Instagram, I saw that Regan Hillyer (yes, the manifestation coach) was having her birthday in Dubai. Her post, oddly enough, gave me a sense of calm.

I wrote to her honestly, saying things weren’t going well. Surprisingly, she replied with a few kind words. The next morning, I pulled myself together and got back to work.

Meetings, meetings, meetings

Work mostly meant networking. Endless toasts and networking events, building connections with expat founders and locals. We had meetings with brokers, but they weren’t very effective. Clients often didn’t show up or kept postponing.

Still, I kept going — days and nights. Free consultations. WhatsApp calls until 1 AM. I gave it my all.

But most meetings ended with a “we’ll be in touch” — meaning no one ever gets in touch or replies again. Why? Estonian pricing was too high. And we didn’t have a constant local presence. The ride was a rollercoaster. Brand presentations by day, self-reflection by night. — In the meantime, häk’s work and projects went on back in Estonia.

The toughest moment? Laying people off

This wasn’t just a side project that didn’t take off. It drained our resources from the Estonian market too. We lost revenue. Lost clients. Hard choices had to be made.

And while social media was filled with friends posting their “Dubai dream life,” I was back in Estonia, explaining why we had to downsize our team.

Dubai vs Estonia — the numbers don’t lie

It’s brutally hard for Estonian agencies to compete with Dubai’s SMEs.
Why? Because our tax system eats up too much of the budget.

Dubai has almost no payroll taxes. In Estonia, taxes eat a large chunk of gross salary. That gives Dubai agencies the edge — they can pay people better and still offer cheaper services. Even with top quality, it’s tough to compete when the system is against you.

We had to admit defeat.

So, what did I learn from this crash?

1. Live (or have someone from your agency live) on location for at least 3 months.
   You don’t build trust remotely.
2. No one sells your agency better than you. But doors must be opened by strong local contacts.
3. Don’t obsess over cultural research.
   In Dubai, you do business with people from all over the world.
4. Don’t neglect your home market.
   Export should not come at the cost of your core business.
5. Export is a team sport.
   Find allies. That’s why I joined the TULI export group — I’m done doing this alone.

We crashed. But the bones stayed intact.

We went at full speed. Hit a wall. But as anyone in business or personal growth knows, failure is the best teacher.

Now, smarter and stronger, we’re ready to try again. Not for Instagram glitz — but to bring Estonian creativity onto the global stage, beyond our circle.

Today, I’m part of TULIne eksport, a joint initiative by EIS and Kredex via the Estonian Marketing Association. With a better strategy and stronger execution, we aim to help Estonian agencies succeed abroad.

At one TULI meeting, I remember Anti Jürgenstein saying: “Together, we’re like an average Swedish agency.” If you combine all Estonian agencies, we’re still not quite ready to compete with the world’s top players. But if we team up and lean into our strengths, we can grow into that league.

Export — we’re not done with you yet.