UAE: How Palestinian siblings achieved success through their social media marketing agency

Dubai-based, Palestinian siblings Youssef Hazem Al Herbawi, Osama Hazem Al Herbawi, and Lubna Hazem Al Herbawi have been chalking their entrepreneurial journey through their family business ViralDose since late 2022.

Today, their company is one of the most well-known social media marketing and content creator agencies in the region, and enjoys a strong social presence.

The trio have diverse educational backgrounds and have vowed to build a successful venture as they scale heights of success by honing new skills.

Twenty-four-year-old biotechnology graduate Youssef worked in the field for two years before being laid off.

Osama, 21, has three years of experience as a content creator in the UAE and is also a business marketing dropout. Lubna, 19, is still studying for her college degree while running the agency.

“We were born and raised in the UAE. One of the main reasons we started the business here is that the risk of starting a business was very low, as we didn’t have to invest huge amounts of money initially. Additionally, we had a strong understanding of the market due to our three years of experience, which made it an ideal location for us to start our business,” said Lubna.

Hiccups en route

The siblings have faced several challenges over the past two years since launching their business.

“The primary challenge was starting and growing the business with no funding and only the three of us. We had to figure out how to generate revenue and make the business successful with minimal resources. After overcoming this, we needed to learn how to work effectively as a team and how to hire additional team members. The challenges turned into significant learning curves, and we managed to address them within a year,” said Osama.

Over the past two years, the brand has worked with 90 clients, helping companies go viral on social media organically, assisting entrepreneurs in building their personal brands, and generating more business through marketing.

“ViralDose was founded in our bedroom. Despite having three years of marketing experience, we faced numerous challenges in developing and honing our skills, hiring a team, and getting the business up and running. Each challenge we overcame made us a better company and improved our personal capabilities,” said Youssef.

Today, ViralDose is exploring expansion into other countries such as Oman and Saudi Arabia, building on the brand’s success in the UAE.

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