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Launch Dossier

§ Decision surface

The whole tree, drawn.

Every branch, every endpoint. Drag the canvas to pan, Ctrl/⌘+scroll to zoom. On the right, the wizard walks one path at a time; the live path lights up on the diagram and ends on a strategy page. Share the URL to share the walked path.

Recommended Viable Conditional Avoid Pre-commercial
No — we're still exploring Yes Yes No — control matters more Yes No — we must own the customer from day one Yes, absolutely Actually, no — we can wait Yes No — we value cost and speed Yes No Yes No
Do you need a real commercial launch — not just a waitlist, tastings, or discovery?
No-entity discovery → strategy page
Is lowest upfront cost your top priority, and do you want first compliant sales fast?
Will you let a UAE partner be importer + seller-of-record for the pilot?
Partner-led Dubai pilot → strategy page
Do you insist on owning the customer relationship from day one?
Budget for mainland, not a free-zone shortcut → strategy page
Stay pre-commercial → strategy page
Is ownership and control more important than upfront cost?
Is one founder in Dubai and able to run local setup, bank, and compliance coordination?
Lean Dubai mainland → strategy page
Partner-led first — mainland remains hard without a local founder → strategy page
Do you need regional re-export, bonded inventory, or a GCC hub in year 1?
Assess free-zone layer — but solve mainland sale separately → strategy page
Default to partner-led, keep free-zone optional for later → strategy page

Routing cheat sheet

Three secondary routes, each cutting the decision along a different axis. Useful when you already know the constraint that binds you.

Budget

What each AED band can really afford

< 15k
Discovery only. Do not force an entity.
15–40k
Partner-led pilot, usually. Free-zone on paper; verify food-activity fit.
40–80k
Lean mainland becomes viable with a Dubai-resident founder.
> 80k
Mainland comfortable; free-zone only for a real hub story.

Channel instinct

If your first move is a channel, not an entity

Own website
Usually implies mainland. Cross-border and free-zone both struggle on checkout, VAT, and data ownership.
Marketplace
Ask: whose seller account? Partner-led is fine if the account is yours or transferable.
Retailer
Retailer-led pilot only when speed beats control. Expect weak customer data.
Hybrid
Often the smartest lean answer: partner runs compliant sales; you own demand creation.

Digital-first means…

Three different things, three different answers

…online demand now
Partner-led pilot with digital demand capture. Promo codes to preserve attribution.
…own checkout day one
Mainland from the start. Amazon + own site + outsourced 3PL + gateway.
…cheap e-commerce licence
That does not solve food operations. Do not treat it as a finished decision.