From sweeping shop floors as a 10-year-old in his father\u2019s store to reshaping the entrepreneurship landscape across the UAE, Jigar Sagar\u2019s journey is anything but conventional. In this exclusive interview with Gulf News, the seasoned founder, ecosystem architect, and investor opens up about the early lessons that shaped his business DNA, his insights on building accelerative platforms, and why he believes entrepreneurship needs a mindset shift more than a playbook. Whether he\u2019s working with startups, governments, or future-forward tech, one thing remains clear: Sagar isn\u2019t just building businesses \u2014 he\u2019s building the systems that help others do the same.<\/p>\n
You started helping in your father\u2019s shop at age 10 \u2014 what\u2019s a memory from that time that still influences how you run businesses today?<\/p>\n
I vividly remember watching my dad clean the glass showcases all by himself. I was curious and asked him why he did it, even though he had staff to handle those tasks. He just looked at me and said, \u201cIt\u2019s my business, my responsibility.\u201d That stuck with me! It taught me that having an ownership mentality is crucial. No task is too small or beneath you when it\u2019s your vision on the line. Taking initiative isn\u2019t optional. It\u2019s foundational.<\/p>\n
How did those early experiences shape your understanding of trust and customer relationships?<\/p>\n
In the souq, brand loyalty didn\u2019t exist; human loyalty did. I learned early on that selling wasn\u2019t about pitching a product; it was about building genuine connections. I remember an elderly gentleman who kept coming back to our shop, not because of any special offer, but because my father always greeted him warmly, remembered details about his family, and took the time to listen to his stories. Over time, their relationship grew beyond simple transactions, rooted in trust and mutual respect. That\u2019s still at the heart of how I approach customer experience: relationships first, transactions second.<\/p>\n
Finance and accounting are seen as rigid disciplines\u2014what made them exciting to you?<\/p>\n
Finance was never just numbers for me. It was the heartbeat of every business. Before \u201cdata is the new gold\u201d became a buzzword, I saw how financial insights could expose truths, guide action, and shape strategy. Numbers show the real story.<\/p>\n
How did working in banking and call centres shape your view of customer experience and operations?<\/p>\n
Banking taught me systems: SOPs, KPIs, performance metrics, but it also revealed the gap between boardroom targets and customer realities. In the call center, I realised many processes were built for internal ease, not customer value. That disconnect still drives my obsession with designing systems around the user.<\/p>\n
Creative Zone & Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n Creative Zone was a major part of your story. What was your mindset going into that role, and what made the exit the right time?<\/p>\n I stepped into Creative Zone as a finance manager with a single aim: to grow within a startup where I could bring real change. Growth, partnerships, and investment rounds followed. When I exited, it wasn\u2019t from the industry, just from that chapter. I continue to remain deeply involved in economic zone development and public-private ventures.<\/p>\n Looking back, what\u2019s something you would\u2019ve done differently in building that business?<\/p>\n If I could do it over, I\u2019d hire essential people sooner. Early on, I was too deep in the business instead of stepping back to work on it. In hindsight, I wish I had hired a strong operations lead much earlier. Having someone dedicated to building scalable processes and managing day-to-day execution would have allowed me to focus on strategy and growth. This role could have accelerated our ability to scale, improved team collaboration, and enabled us to seize opportunities more quickly.<\/p>\n Delegation unlocks scale, and I learned that the hard way.<\/p>\n Vision & Ecosystem Building<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019ve built platforms beyond license issuance \u2014 what does an ideal business ecosystem look like to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n A true ecosystem isn\u2019t just supportive; it\u2019s accelerative. It should help you attain product-market fit or failure faster. It attracts customers, enables service delivery, and magnifies founder energy by letting them focus on their core mission.<\/p>\n I saw this firsthand when I helped launch a community platform designed to enable seamless service delivery. By integrating resources, support, and peer networks into one space, we saw a significant boost in customer engagement and retention. Founders no longer had to juggle multiple touchpoints; instead, they could focus on building their businesses while the platform handled the rest.<\/p>\n That experience proved to me that an accelerative ecosystem not only supports entrepreneurs but also propels them forward.<\/p>\n How do you decide which business pain points to address? Is it data-driven, intuitive, or founder-driven?<\/p>\n Experience paves the way for sharp instinct. But I always validate my gut feeling with data. Dashboards highlight friction points. Then it\u2019s about what the team can handle, and where I need to step in personally.<\/p>\n Innovation & Tech<\/strong><\/p>\n What excites you most about integrating AI and no-code tools into business infrastructure?<\/p>\n AI and no-code tools are transforming the landscape by democratizing technology. Founders and managers who once dreamed of automation and digitization but lacked coding skills can now turn their ideas into functioning systems with ease. That\u2019s a true game-changer!<\/p>\n Yet, tech remains under-leveraged in many back-office processes. For example, by automating client onboarding workflows and invoice generation, we eliminated repetitive manual tasks, reduced errors, and freed up the team to focus on higher-impact work. This kind of targeted automation not only boosts efficiency but also allows founders to channel their energy into growth and innovation.<\/p>\n In what ways do you think tech is overused in startups \u2014 and where is it still under-leveraged?<\/p>\n Too many founders chase the \u201ctech startup\u201d label and forget tech is an enabler, not the product. Meanwhile, tech is underused in back-office and customer experience, places where automation can really move the needle.<\/p>\n Public-Private Ambitions<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019re now working more closely with government entities. What\u2019s the most misunderstood part of public-private partnerships?<\/p>\n People think PPPs (public-private partnerships) are just glorified vendor contracts. In truth, they\u2019re shared-risk models where both sides bring unique expertise and resources to solve problems together. Real PPPs are built on collaboration, not just compliance. I\u2019ve seen how true collaboration in these partnerships can unlock innovation, drive policy changes, and deliver outcomes that genuinely benefit communities.<\/p>\n How do you balance agility with the regulatory structure of government-led entrepreneurship initiatives?<\/p>\n Regulations create boundaries, not roadblocks. Agility comes from designing within those boundaries. And, when required, creating sandbox environments to test and iterate before scaling. This approach allows us to move quickly, learn from real-world feedback, and scale what works, all while maintaining trust and alignment with the objectives.<\/p>\n Legacy & Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019ve mentioned wanting to empower 100 million entrepreneurs. What does success at that scale look like for you?<\/p>\n It\u2019s not about the number. It\u2019s about a mindset shift. Success is a world where millions believe they can build, solve, and lead. True impact is when the ecosystem sustains itself, becoming a self-propelling movement of builders.<\/p>\n If one founder wrote a letter thanking you 10 years from now \u2014 what would you hope they say?<\/p>\n If a founder thanked me ten years from now, I\u2019d hope they\u2019d say I didn\u2019t just mentor or fund them, I helped them see what they were truly capable of. I opened doors they didn\u2019t know existed, and because of that, they built businesses, created jobs, and became mentors themselves. That\u2019s the ripple I\u2019d cherish to leave behind.<\/p>\n Advice & Mindset<\/strong><\/p>\n You talk about \u201cconsistency over intensity\u201d \u2014 what are your non-negotiables when it comes to consistency?<\/p>\n To maintain balance and drive progress, I prioritize daily movement to protect both mind and body, commit to continuous learning by reading, absorbing, and listening, and establish clear priorities that I schedule around. I also ensure to have at least one meaningful conversation each day, knowing that connection fuels growth. Finally, I focus on taking small, positive actions consistently, understanding that these compound over time into significant results.<\/p>\n How do you stay focused when distractions (or opportunities) are everywhere?<\/p>\n As a builder, I filter every new idea through a single lens: I ask myself, does this move my mission of enabling entrepreneurs forward.<\/p>\n As an investor, I rely on hard metrics like NPV, IRR, but gut matters too. It\u2019s about aligning heart and spreadsheet.<\/p>\n Looking Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n What sectors or markets are you most excited about exploring in the next 2\u20133 years?<\/p>\n I\u2019m not chasing industries. I\u2019m focused on infrastructure – the tools, services, and enablers that help founders go from vision to success. That\u2019s where the real impact lies.<\/p>\n Is there a business problem that still feels \u201cunsolved\u201d for you?<\/p>\n Yes. How do we make entrepreneurship truly accessible, without sacrificing quality? I\u2019m chasing a model that combines trust, tech, and real community support for the next generation of builders.<\/p>\n How do you want to be remembered \u2014 as a founder, an enabler, or something else entirely?<\/p>\n I\u2019d love to be remembered as a builder of builders. 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