For founders & business owners in the UAE
Win in the UAE. Commercially.
Stop guessing how this market works. I show you how the UAE really buys, then build the marketing and commercial strategy to win here. Judged on revenue, not likes.
Every engagement starts by agreeing the commercial numbers your marketing will be held to.
What you get
Three things every founder needs to win here.
Know the market
How the UAE really buys: relationships, decision-makers, 200 nationalities, Abu Dhabi versus Dubai, and the seasons that move demand. No imported playbooks.
Make it pay
Every recommendation is tied to a number: revenue, margin, pipeline or budget saved. If it doesn't move the business, it doesn't make the plan.
Get it done
A plan your team can run on Monday. And when you need hands, the Agency Helix team delivers it, built on the same strategy and targets.
Why listen to me: I co-founded Agency Helix and work every week with founders, corporates, government and semi-government clients across the UAE. You get advice from inside the market, not from a slide deck.
The UAE market
The UAE doesn't buy like anywhere else.
Strategies copied from London, Riyadh or a global playbook miss what moves buyers here. These are the realities I build every strategy around.
Relationships close deals
Reputation, referrals and face-to-face time carry more weight than ads. Your marketing has to build credibility long before the first meeting.
Over 200 nationalities, one market
Emirati, Arab, Asian and Western audiences respond to different messages, channels and price points. One campaign for everyone rarely works.
Arabic and English, done properly
Translated copy reads as an afterthought. Bilingual brands that write natively in both earn trust with government and Emirati audiences.
Seasons shape demand
Ramadan and Eid, the summer slowdown, National Day and the Q4 event season change what sells and when. Budgets should follow that rhythm.
Abu Dhabi is not Dubai
Each emirate has its own buyers, decision-makers and pace. Abu Dhabi leans on government and institutional relationships; Dubai moves faster and more commercially.
Know who really decides
Buying decisions often involve several stakeholders and long approval chains. Knowing who decides, and what each of them needs to see, is a commercial advantage.
Regulation is part of marketing
Licensing, media and advertising rules, and sector regulators in finance, health and real estate all shape what you can say and where.
WhatsApp, Instagram and LinkedIn lead
Conversations happen on WhatsApp. Consumer brands live on Instagram and TikTok. B2B and government audiences are on LinkedIn.
This is for you if
- You own or run a business in the UAE and growth has stalled
- You're launching or expanding here and want to get the market right first time
- You spend on marketing or an agency but can't tie it to revenue
- You want a senior advisor who tells you the truth, not what you want to hear
It's not the right fit if
- You only need posts designed or ads run
- You want a report without changing how you operate
- You're looking for the cheapest option rather than the right one
Government & semi-government
I know how government and semi-government entities work, and how they buy.
A large share of my work is with Abu Dhabi government and semi-government entities. Few consultants have this experience from the inside, and it matters whether you sell to these organisations, work alongside them, or are one of them.
Experience includes
- Culture and tourism: social media and content for Abu Dhabi's culture and tourism authority, including a cultural site in Al Ain
- National landmarks: full social media management across 7 channels for one of the UAE's most visited religious and cultural landmarks and its sister sites
- Government media and utilities: digital work for an Abu Dhabi government media office and a national water and electricity company
- Diplomatic missions: digital and social support for a foreign embassy in Abu Dhabi
- Stakeholders: campaigns and content delivered through multi-level approval chains, across departments, leadership and partners
Head of Sales
Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH)
Led the sales strategy for a leading Abu Dhabi group listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, working alongside major international brands. Owned business development and delivered the company's commercial objectives.
- Set up the sales operation and team from zero
- Built a complete commercial framework that grew business development opportunities across the UAE
Many voices, one message
Aligning departments, leadership and partners behind one clear narrative, and keeping it consistent across every channel.
Plans that survive sign-off
Multi-level approval chains, brand and identity guidelines, and timelines that build them in from the start.
Arabic-first and protocol-aware
The right tone for leadership, national occasions and religious and cultural sensitivities.
Compliance and reporting
Media and advertising rules, confidentiality expectations and the reporting standards government clients expect.
What I do
Strategy first. Tactics earn their place.
Most marketing fails before the first post goes out: the wrong audience, a weak offer, a budget spread across every channel. I fix the strategy, then connect it to how your business actually makes money.
Commercial marketing strategy
Who you sell to, why they choose you, and what you charge for it, before deciding where to spend a single dirham.
- UAE market, audience and competitor analysis
- Positioning and value proposition, in Arabic and English
- Channel mix ranked by revenue contribution
- Annual marketing plan tied to revenue targets
- KPI framework and commercial reporting
UAE market entry and commercial strategy
How to sell here: who buys, how they decide, and how to win the contracts that matter.
- Market-entry and launch plans for the UAE and GCC
- Positioning for government and semi-government audiences
- Partnerships, referrals and relationship-led selling
- Marketing and sales alignment
Hire the right agency
Choose, brief and manage agencies with an insider on your side, so your budget buys results instead of activity.
- Agency selection and pitch management
- Brief writing for agency pitches
- Scope and fee reviews
- Agency performance audits
Pricing and proposal strategy
For service businesses: package what you sell, price it to protect margin, and write proposals that win.
- Service packaging and tiered offers
- Retainer, project and phased pricing models
- Proposal and pitch structure that closes
- Commercial terms, scope control and upsell paths
Agency advisory
I run an agency. I'll tell you what yours isn't telling you.
UAE companies lose large budgets to the wrong agency, a vague brief or a scope padded with deliverables that don't move the business. I know how agencies price, staff and report, because I build those proposals every week. Now I sit on your side of the table.
Agency selection
Shortlist, run the pitch and score agencies on what matters for your business, not the slickest deck.
Brief writing
A clear brief with objectives, budget and KPIs, so agencies quote like-for-like and deliver what you need.
Scope & fee review
Line-by-line review of proposals and retainers: what's essential, what's padding, and what a fair fee looks like.
Performance audit
An independent review of your current agency's output, team and reporting against the results you're paying for.
Signs your agency is costing you more than it should
- Reports are full of reach and engagement, but never mention revenue
- The senior team that pitched disappeared after signing
- You can't say what the retainer actually pays for each month
- Every new idea comes with a change request and a new fee
Why founders work with me
Straight answers from someone inside the market.
Most consultants teach theory. I run a UAE agency, work with government and corporate clients, and build commercial strategy for real clients right now. You get what works in this market today.
I'm in the market, not watching it
Every week I pitch, price, negotiate and deliver for UAE clients. My advice comes from live deals, not case studies from abroad.
I know how agencies think
I write agency proposals, so I know where scopes get padded, where fees can move and what results are realistic.
Fluent in government
Approvals, protocol, stakeholders and how official entities communicate. Few consultants have worked with them from the inside.
Judged on revenue, not reach
Every recommendation is tied to a commercial number: revenue, margin, pipeline or cost saved.
Senior from day one
No junior team learning on your budget. You work with me directly, and you get decisions in weeks, not quarters.
Strategy you can actually deliver
Plans are built for your team and budget. If you need hands to deliver it, the Agency Helix team is there, but it's always your choice.
The cost of getting it wrong
How much of your marketing budget is working?
Move the sliders to see what unfocused spend could be costing you each year.
Recovering even a quarter of that is AED 36,000 back in your business every year, often more than the strategy that finds it costs.
Find where your budget leaksIllustrative only. Your actual figures are measured in the first session.
UAE Market Readiness Score
How ready is your business to grow in the UAE?
Ten questions, two minutes. You'll get an instant score and the three gaps to fix first.
UAE commercial calendar
Plan your year around how the UAE buys.
Demand here moves with the seasons, the lunar calendar and the event circuit. Here's what each part of the year means for your sales and your budget.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B2B & government | ||||||||||||
| Consumer |
New budgets open
Fresh annual budgets, Dubai Shopping Festival wrapping up and decision-makers back at their desks after the holidays.
Ramadan and Eid
Consumer spending on F&B, retail, gifting and hospitality rises, with activity moving to the evening. B2B decisions slow down.
Spring push
A strong window for B2B deals, events and conferences before the heat. Eid al-Adha brings a short break (2027: expected mid-May).
Summer slowdown
Many decision-makers travel. B2B slows, while staycations, family offers and indoor attractions pick up.
Back to business
Schools return, the trade-show season starts and organisations set next year's budgets and agency plans.
Peak season
National Day on 2 December, major sporting and cultural events, peak tourism, the start of Dubai Shopping Festival and year-end budget spend.
Islamic holidays follow the lunar calendar and move about 11 days earlier each year. Exact dates are confirmed closer to the time.
How it works
From market insight to measurable revenue.
No 80-page reports that sit in a drawer. You get decisions, priorities and a plan your team can run with on Monday.
Diagnose
We review your numbers, your customers and your position in the UAE market to find what's really holding growth back.
Prioritise
We agree the three to five moves with the biggest commercial impact, and what to stop doing.
Build the plan
A clear roadmap with owners, timelines, budgets and the metrics we'll track.
Execute & review
I stay alongside your team to keep momentum, review results and adjust.
Work together
Choose how deep we go.
Start small with a fixed-fee review, go deep with a full strategy, or keep me on as your advisor. Every option has a clear scope and a clear price.
Fixed-fee reviewsStart here
UAE Strategy Session
AED 2,500 + VATOne focused question: entering the market, pricing, an agency decision, or marketing that isn't converting.
- Short questionnaire reviewed before we meet
- 90-minute 1:1 session, online or in person in Abu Dhabi or Dubai
- Written action plan (up to 3 pages) within 2 working days
- One follow-up question by email within 14 days
- Fee credited if you book a strategy within 30 days
- Implementation or hands-on work
- Reviewing documents longer than 10 pages
- Additional calls
Paid in full when booking. Free reschedule with 48 hours' notice.
Agency Health Check
From AED 15,000 + VATAn independent review of what your agency costs, what it delivers and what to change.
- Review of your agency contract, scope and fees
- Review of the last 3 months of reports and deliverables
- Fee benchmark against the UAE market
- Kick-off call and 60-minute findings presentation
- Written scorecard with savings and points to renegotiate
- Negotiating with your agency on your behalf (available as an add-on)
- More than one agency (priced per agency)
- Technical audits of ad accounts or websites
Paid in full at the start. Price covers one agency relationship.
Strategy & advisoryGo deeper
Growth Strategy
From AED 30,000 + VATA clear marketing strategy and 12-month plan for growing businesses.
- Half-day kick-off session
- Review of your marketing, sales data and up to 5 competitors
- Target audience and positioning
- Channel plan and budget split
- 12-month marketing plan with KPIs
- Strategy document and 90-minute presentation
- One round of revisions and 30 days of email support
- Content creation or campaign execution
- Managing paid ads
- Primary research such as surveys or focus groups
50% at the start, 50% on delivery.
Market Entry & Corporate Strategy
From AED 75,000 + VATFor companies entering the UAE or larger organisations resetting their strategy.
- Everything in Growth Strategy, plus:
- UAE market and sector analysis
- Up to 6 stakeholder or customer interviews
- Analysis of up to 10 competitors
- Pricing and commercial model
- Arabic and English messaging framework
- Phased go-to-market roadmap and leadership presentation
- Two rounds of revisions and 60 days of support
- Company setup, licensing or legal advice
- Research beyond the agreed interviews
- Execution
40% at the start, 30% at midpoint, 30% on delivery.
Strategic Advisor
From AED 15,000 + VAT / monthYour senior marketing and commercial advisor, on call every month.
- 2 working sessions a month, up to 2 hours each
- Review of up to 4 documents a month: plans, proposals, agency reports
- Email and WhatsApp access on working days, reply within 1 working day
- Monthly priorities note
- Unused sessions do not roll over
- Hands-on execution
- Attending external meetings (add-on)
Billed monthly in advance. 30 days' notice after the minimum term.
The fine print, in plain words
- All prices are in AED and exclude 5% VAT.
- Every engagement starts with a short engagement letter confirming scope, timeline and fees.
- Anything outside the agreed scope is quoted in writing before work starts. No surprise invoices.
- "From" prices cover the scope listed. Larger or more complex work is quoted upfront.
- Launch offer: 20% off for my first five clients, in exchange for a testimonial.
- Strategy and advice improve your odds; results depend on implementation and market conditions, so I don't guarantee specific revenue results.
Strategy to execution
Most strategies die in the handover. Mine don't.
A plan is only worth what gets delivered. When you're ready to put the strategy to work, the Agency Helix team executes it, built on the same thinking, the same targets and the same commercial KPIs. No re-briefing, no lost context, one team accountable for results.
Diagnose
Strategy Session, Agency Health Check or Readiness Score.
Strategy
Your UAE market and marketing strategy, with a 12-month plan.
Pilot month
One month of execution at a fixed price to test the team.
Full retainer
Ongoing delivery against your plan, with monthly commercial reporting.
Why clients keep it under one roof
- The team delivering the work helped shape the strategy, so nothing gets lost in translation
- Reporting tracks the same revenue and pipeline targets we set together
- I stay involved as your strategic lead while the team delivers
- One contract, one team and one point of accountability
- Faster start: no agency search, no pitch process, no onboarding from zero
What Agency Helix delivers
Sign an Agency Helix retainer within 60 days of your strategy and 50% of the strategy fee comes off your first months of delivery (spread across up to 3 months).
Start with one month of execution, from AED 20,000 + VAT, with deliverables agreed in writing from your strategy. If it works, move to a full retainer. If not, you keep the strategy and the results.
Execution is always optional. You own your strategy and can deliver it with any team you choose.
Free playbooks
Frameworks you can use today.
The same frameworks I use with clients, written for UAE business owners and marketing leads. Request early access and I'll send each one to your inbox as soon as it's ready.
How to humanise your brand in 2026
Why people buy from people, and how to bring real faces, voices and stories into your brand when AI content is everywhere. Built for the UAE.
Request early accessPricing for the UAE
How to price for a multi-segment market, protect your margin and stop competing on discounts.
Request early accessHow to brief and hire an agency
A brief template, a pitch scoring sheet and the questions agencies hope you won't ask.
Request early access
About me
I've sat on both sides of the table.
I'm Margo, Co-Founder of Agency Helix, a creative and digital marketing agency working across the UAE and the wider GCC.
Before that, I was Head of Sales at Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH), where I built the sales team from zero, saved USD 1M a year through an organisational redesign and lifted conversion on targeted accounts to 25%. I sell, not just advise.
Every week I lead new business, write proposals and build strategy for clients ranging from government entities to hotels, developers, telecoms and financial institutions. I've also built a team from the ground up, so I know what it takes to grow a business while keeping it running.
That gives me a front-row view of how the UAE market really works: how government and corporate buyers decide, what local audiences respond to, how agencies price their work, and why so many imported strategies fall flat here.
My consulting brings that experience straight to you. I'm direct, I work from data rather than hype, and I measure my advice by one thing: whether it moves your numbers.
Recognition
Track record
Results I've helped deliver.
Selected outcomes and clients from work led through Agency Helix.
Growth in digital presence for a leading Abu Dhabi tourism and culture authority
Organic follower growth in 12 months for an investment group
Sectors served, from government and banking to hospitality and energy
Clients of Agency Helix include
Client testimonial: one or two sentences on the result you delivered.
NameTitle, CompanyClient testimonial: ideally from a government or corporate client.
NameTitle, CompanyPartner testimonial: someone who can speak to your commercial thinking.
NameTitle, CompanyQuestions
What people ask before working with me.
Straight answers, including the awkward ones.
You co-founded an agency. Won't you just push Agency Helix?
No. Consulting is independent advice. When I help you choose or review an agency, I'll tell you upfront if Agency Helix is relevant, and you're free to pick anyone. My reputation depends on advice that works, not on who delivers it.
How is this different from hiring an agency?
An agency executes. I decide what's worth executing: who to target, what to say, what to charge, where to spend and what to measure. Many clients use me to get more out of the agency they already have.
Do you only work with UAE companies?
I work with UAE businesses and with international companies entering the UAE or the wider GCC. The common thread is wanting to win in this market.
How quickly will I see results?
You'll have clear priorities after the first session. A full strategy takes three to four weeks. Commercial results depend on your sales cycle, which is why we agree the numbers we'll track from day one.
Do you work online or in person?
Both. I'm based in Abu Dhabi and meet clients in person across the UAE, and work online with teams anywhere.
What if I only need help with one decision?
That's what the fixed-fee options are for. The Strategy Session and Agency Health Check each have a set scope and price, with no long commitment.
What if I need more than what's included?
Each offer lists exactly what's included and what isn't. If you need more, I'll quote it in writing before any extra work starts, so you always know the cost upfront.
Let's talk
Every enquiry is read and answered by me personally.
Ready to grow with a plan?
Tell me where your business is today and where you want it to be. I'll reply within one working day to set up an introductory call.