Why Most Dubai Air Freight Forwarders Fail In 3 Years?
Shenzhen has 60,000 freight forwarders. Not 6,000. Nobody added an extra zero. You can check the business registration data. Let's just say there are at least 1,000 companies doing Middle East air freight. So why do so many fail in 3 years?
Take us. We entered the business in 1998. Now it's 28 years. I've seen too many bosses full of ambition when they register the company. But when 3 years come, they close the door. Out of 10 freight forwarders, 9 don't live past 3 years. Cargo volume is fair to everyone. Most problems come from inside. You could say the 3-year wall is not about cargo. It's about people.
Year one runs on drive. Year two runs on old customers. Year three runs on the team. If the team is dead and has no energy, that's not a people problem. People are all the same. It's a management problem.
Last month, Liu, who makes stainless steel strainers, came to me. He had used a Dubai air freight forwarder before. The quote came fast. But a few days later, when he asked for details, the sales rep handling his case had just left. The new person knew nothing. Liu had to explain the cargo space, transit time, and customs clearance documents all over again. Liu waited three days. The longer he waited, the less sure he felt. After he came to us, he said small freight forwarders have high staff turnover. People come and go. They just can't keep people. If staff change all the time, how can orders be followed well?
This made me think of us. In our 7th year, the same thing happened. Early in the morning, everyone looked like they were dragging themselves to work. Tired faces. No energy. No team spirit. Freight forwarders have a 7-year itch too. If you don't fix it, you just fade into the crowd and cancel your business registration.
I was anxious at the time. But this kind of thing is not solved by hard work alone. Later, I met Jucheng and learned their morning meeting culture. That slowly turned things around.
It's simple. At 8:50, before work, we dance and play games to lift everyone's mood. Don't laugh. There are real talents. They probably took dance classes as kids because their parents made them. Games are even better. Everyone yells and no one wants to fall behind. We played every game we could find. Later, we upgraded. Monday dance. Tuesday read military-style rules. Wednesday games. Thursday personal sharing. More than 100 employees take turns hosting. At first, they were nervous. Later, they could laugh and talk on stage easily. The host would be in a great state all day. In the past, a lazy mood could last all day. With morning meetings, it can affect the whole morning, even the whole day.
This also spilled into hiring. When applicants hear the details of our morning meetings, some eyes light up. They say, that's the kind of company I like. Some don't like it. That's good. It helps us find like-minded people.
For shipping from china to uae, every day is orders and quotes. Every detail needs communication. You repeat the same things to every customer. So you can't just sit and wait. You have to find ways to lift your team's mood. We rely on this self-renewing and self-supporting system. Our team has been in Dubai air freight for 28 years and is still growing. For shipping from china to uae, the final battle is not who has the lowest price. It's who can keep a steady team and do boring things well again and again.