Customer interviews in 5 steps: validating an idea before you get a licence

In the UAE, one of the first real costs of starting a company is the trade licence. Before you choose a free zone or a mainland licence, pick an activity and sign a lease, it's worth answering one simpler question: does the problem you want to solve matter enough to the people who have it?

The cheapest way to find out is to talk to them. Not a survey, not a landing page with a waitlist, but structured conversations with real potential customers. This guide sets out a five-step method you can run in two to three weeks, alongside your day job if you need to.

Why interviews come before the licence

Your licence fixes a few things early: the legal form, the activities you are allowed to carry out and where you are based. The official steps for setting up on the mainland and in a free zone both start with choosing your business activity (u.ae: mainland steps; u.ae: free zones). If customer conversations change what you sell, they may also change which activity you need. It's far easier to adjust an idea on paper than to amend a licence later.

Interviews also help with everything that follows: your pitch, your pricing tests, your first marketing messages. The words customers use to describe their problem tend to become your best copy.

Step 1: Write down what you believe

Before you speak to anyone, write your assumptions on one page:

• Who has the problem? Be specific: "operations managers at logistics SMEs in Jebel Ali", not "businesses".
• What is the problem, in their terms?
• How do they handle it today? (Spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups, an agency, nothing at all?)
• Why would they switch, and what would make them pay?

Mark each assumption as one you are confident about or one you are guessing. The guesses are what your interviews should test first. Keep this page; you will come back to it in step 5.

Step 2: Find 10 to 15 of the right people

You don't need hundreds of conversations. For an early idea, 10 to 15 interviews with people who match your "who" usually show whether a pattern exists. Where to find them in the UAE:

• Your own network. Former colleagues, clients and friends-of-friends who fit the profile. Ask for introductions, not favours.
• Professional communities. LinkedIn groups, industry associations and alumni groups where your customers already gather. Read the rules before posting a request.
• Events and meetups. Sector events, coworking spaces and free zone community sessions are good places for short conversations that turn into a proper interview later.
• Founder communities. Other founders can often introduce you to buyers they already work with.

A simple message works: "I'm researching how [role] handles [problem]. I'm not selling anything. Could I ask you a few questions for 20 minutes?" Then keep that promise. Don't pitch.

Mix languages and nationalities where your market does. In a city as diverse as Dubai, the same problem can look very different across customer groups, and it's useful to learn that early.

Step 3: Ask about the past, not the future

The most common mistake in customer interviews is asking people to predict their own behaviour. "Would you use an app that…?" almost always gets a polite yes, which tells you nothing.

Ask about what has actually happened instead:

1. "Tell me about the last time you dealt with [problem]."
2. "What did you do about it? What tools or people did you use?"
3. "What was the hardest part?"
4. "How much time or money did it cost you?" (Their own estimate, in their own words.)
5. "Have you looked for a better way? What did you find?"
6. "Who else is involved when this comes up?"
7. "Is there anything I should have asked but didn't?"

Then stay quiet and listen. Follow up with "Why?" and "Can you show me?" A screen share of their current spreadsheet is worth more than ten opinions.

Avoid: describing your solution early, leading questions ("Isn't it frustrating when…?"), and counting compliments as evidence.

Step 4: Capture evidence the same day

Write up each interview within a few hours, while it's fresh. Use the same template every time:

• Who they are (role, company type, emirate)
• The last real instance of the problem they described
• What they currently do and what it costs them, in their words
• Exact quotes worth keeping
• Signals of commitment (see below)
• Surprises: anything that contradicts your one-page assumptions

Signals of commitment are the strongest evidence you can collect. They include agreeing to a second meeting, introducing you to a colleague or decision-maker, sharing real data, agreeing to try a rough version, or asking when they can buy. A compliment costs nothing; a commitment costs them time, reputation or money.

If you record conversations, ask permission first and explain how you'll store the notes. The UAE's Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) sets rules for handling personal data (u.ae: data protection laws). How it applies to your situation can depend on your setup (some free zones, such as DIFC and ADGM, have their own data protection rules), so check with your authority or an adviser. As a rule of thumb, treat interview notes as personal data, keep them secure and delete what you don't need.

Step 5: Decide: continue, change or stop

After 10 to 15 interviews, return to your one-page assumptions and mark each one:

• Confirmed: most people described this problem without prompting, and it costs them real time or money.
• Changed: the problem exists but looks different, affects a different person, or is already solved well enough.
• Not supported: few people recognised it, or nobody showed a sign of commitment.

Then make a decision:

• Continue if the problem is frequent, painful and poorly solved, and you saw commitment signals. Your next step is a small test such as a manual service, a pre-order or a pilot.
• Change direction if you discovered a related problem people care about more. Run another round of five to ten interviews on that.
• Stop if the evidence isn't there. That isn't failure: you've saved the cost of a licence, an office and months of building.

A two-week interview plan

Days	What to do
1–2	Write your one-page assumptions; draft your interview guide
3–5	Send 25–30 interview requests through your network and communities
6–12	Run 10–15 interviews; write up each one the same day
13	Review notes; mark each assumption confirmed, changed or not supported
14	Decide: continue, change or stop; plan the next small test

Common pitfalls

• Interviewing only friends. They want to be supportive. Use them for introductions, not as your evidence.
• Talking more than listening. Aim for them to speak for most of the conversation.
• Stopping after three good chats. Early enthusiasm is easy to over-read. Look for a pattern.
• Skipping the decision. Set a date to decide before you start, and keep it.

Want a day-by-day schedule? Dr Manju's 14-day plan to validate your startup idea in the UAE puts these interviews into a two-week routine.

After validation: setting up

If the evidence supports continuing, the next practical steps are choosing between mainland and free zone, picking the right activity and preparing for a bank account and tax registration. Start with the official setup steps on u.ae and the business setup pages at Invest in Dubai.

Where Startup Roof fits

Startup Roof is a UAE-first founder ecosystem with practical guides, founder tools and a network of people building here. If you're testing an idea and want structure for the next step, explore startuproof.com and the setup guide at startuproof.com/guides/setup-and-banking.

Build. Scale. Grow.

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Sources (checked 15 Oct 2026)

• u.ae: Steps to start a business on the mainland
• u.ae: Starting a business in a free zone
• Invest in Dubai: Business setup