I ditched the crime-ridden UK for sunny Dubai & made a million in a YEAR – the opportunities are endless here
AN entrepreneurial couple moved to Dubai to escape the UK and launched their own business - which is worth £1 million after just a YEAR.
Jason Kwao, 28, dropped out of university because he "didn't find it useful" - and began buying homeware products direct from a warehouse, and selling on Amazon for a profit.
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He transferred to work with an agency where he got to take on higher-value accounts - bringing in £8,000-a-month before tax.
With Jason able to do his job remotely, he and his wife Sumekka Selliah-Kwao, 27, then moved to the Dubailand area of Dubai to enjoy the hot climate and explore a new lifestyle.
In January 2024, they co-launched their own commercial selling agency - with cash initially tight as they invested it all, alongside having a second child.
But over time, their business-to-business product sales agency, Intermast, grew - allowing the young couple to take on staff.
In January 2025, just a year since launching, the couple run a team of five and say the business has been valued at £1 MILLION.
Jason, originally from Croydon, south London, said: "When I met Sumekka, we both had a vision of what we wanted to achieve.
"When I started doing well selling on Amazon while working with an agency, it was so exciting - but I felt like I was burnt out.
"That was why we packed our suitcases and moved to Dubai.
"We invested everything and sometimes we'd be late paying rent if sales invoices didn't come through on time.
"Sometimes I'd end up in tears from stress.
"But when you start to do the right things, eventually people see the value of what you're doing."
Jason says he was surrounded by crime growing up, and knew he wanted more from life.
He struggled at school - even getting suspended in year 11 for a month - but managed to do well in his exams and got into Coventry University in 2017 to study pharmacological science.
But he left after a year when he felt he was 'wasting his potential', with a dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
How to start your own business
Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it's the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
If you don't take calculated risks, you're standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
It's OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
Don't forget to dream. A machine can't do that!
He cycled through a series of part time jobs to afford rent - including being a cashier, fixing phones, and a pizza delivery driver.
He and Sumekka were living in a shared house with upwards of six other people - and they had just discovered she was pregnant.
Then Jason discovered that his housemate ran a warehouse selling homeware products on Groupon, so he worked for the housemate picking and packing orders.
In the meantime, he learnt from the friend how to do e-commerce for himself, and got stuck into independently buying and selling on Amazon from 2020 for himself.
Jason said: "He would give me the items on loan, and then I would sell them and pay him back. The best sellers were rugs and duvets. Before we knew it, we did our first £10,000 month in net sales."
With his sights set on higher goals, in 2022 Jason joined an agency consulting and selling on Amazon.
He said: "I was working on accounts worth millions, it was one of the most exciting periods of my life. I was doing everything I wanted, and I was earning so much money, but I started to feel burnt out."
He and Sumekka saved up to travel and in August 2023, they spent four months visiting Southeast Asia.
They decided to settle in Dubai in December 2023 after finding out Sumekka was pregnant with their second child.
They ploughed all their savings into launching their business Intermast - meaning 'Internet Mastery' - in January 2024.
CEO Jason said: "We help clients sell and make money on Amazon, working business-to-business "We use our expertise in data analysis, keywords, strategy and advertising to get our clients' products clicked on.
"But it was hard at first - as soon as money came in it would be going out. Whether that was hospital appointments, or a new laptop, or applying for residency - there was always something to pay for."
Dark side of Dubai where Brit influencers are preyed upon for sex & women are brutalised at 'porta potty' parties
But towards the end of 2024, their social media posts started getting a lot of attention, and they began securing new and larger clients.
After a whirlwind Q4, a business valuation revealed Intermast's worth had grown from nothing to £1 million - in 12 months.
Now they are on a team of five and live in a three-bed villa with Sofia Amari, five, and Amias, 11 months.
Jason said: "I had a bad experience of London - I grew up in a poor place with gangs, stabbings and fires.
"But coming here felt like endless possibilities.
"We have employees so we don't spend as much time doing the day-to-day business work any more.
"I love the sunshine, I love working outside and seeing the greenery and pool outside the villa.
"It's a busy life but it makes us so happy to be here and do this."
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