Join me, Olga Pavlova, as I delve into my journey in Dubai’s real estate realm and share insights on how to make my distinctive universe, Pavlova. estate, known.
Having worked across various business sectors, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of adhering to a structured routine. It’s akin to planning a hectic day: wake up, run through the timeline in your head — grab a toothbrush, get dressed, and schedule meetings. This discipline becomes crucial, especially when the voice of panic echoes in your mind, reminding you that you’re in a new country, launching a new business, reaching out to strangers. "Is that it?" you ask, and then you continue building the day’s plan. The deliberate and sagacious Arab market instills the wisdom to act without panic, to think judiciously, and sometimes, to slow down and wait.
My foundation in law has been the cornerstone of my entrepreneurial journey. Starting with legal practice, I transitioned from being a corporate lawyer to working in sales for a major IT company, selling their flagship product in the European market. However, everything changed rapidly when I faced the challenge of starting my own company.
The genesis of this new venture traces back to the Rubik’s cube. This iconic puzzle, invented by Hungarian innovator Erno Rubik, was a ubiquitous presence in Soviet households, with every country holding the license to produce and sell the cube. A friend and I found out that the rights for the Rubik’s brand belonged to an English company. This discovery led us to acquire the license for Russia and the CIS countries. From conception to realization, it happened in a heartbeat. Soon, we found ourselves as monopolists in the puzzle niche in Russia, engaging in wholesale sales of all licensed retro plastic puzzles. Starting from scratch in 2007, we did everything ourselves — attending international exhibitions, meeting European suppliers, overseeing deliveries, and managing all documentation.
We established a business model that resonated with our European partners, embodying a "family-type company." When big players in the toy market attempted to cut ahead to our suppliers, our company retained priority, staying true to our approach. This resilience allowed us to weather economic crises smoothly, and our company remains robust to this day.