Tim Elliott
Welcome, this is Lawgical, the UAE’s first legal podcast. Now Lawgical comes to you from the Dubai-based law firm HPL, Yamalova and Pleska. My name’s Tim Elliott, I’m socially distanced, we’re on the 19th floor at Dubai’s JLT, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, district at the firm’s offices with the managing partner Ludmila Yamalova. As always Ludmila, lovely to see you.
Ludmila Yamalova
Pleasure to see you too, Tim, and thanks for being back.
Tim Elliott
Good to be here. Now in this edition of Lawgical, fitness and well-being, specifically personal training, fitness coaches, the things you need to do to set up the rules, the regulations, and how you set up building your well-being and fitness empire here in the UAE. Now it’s a specialist industry. It’s an industry that’s been hit hard by COVID-19. There are all sorts of ramifications of training people, including children. And we have a special guest to talk us through everything you need to know, Marc Massad. It’s good of you to join us today.
Marc Massad
Yeah, hello, good morning everybody. How are you? Nice to see you.
Tim Elliott
Now, Marc, let’s start with you and your experience in the industry. Tell us your story.
Marc Massad
Yeah, so anyway, back to my experience. So I’ve been in the business of sports and fitness and health and wellness for roughly around 25 years. So it started in a wonderful country of Africa in the beginning. Then it evolved to Europe, in France, and then moved to the States, New York, New Jersey, and then ended up here in Dubai after quite a few years, being in contact with all different types of nationalities around the world and learning all types of different ways of spreading the love of sports and health and wellness around the world.
Ludmila Yamalova
I wanted to give a little bit of background on how Marc is here while we have him chat with us. So obviously because of Corona, a lot of things have changed, in particular with regards to schooling, sports activities, and access to those facilities and activities for our children. We were looking in our community for someone to help teach sports to the kids in the area where we live in Dubai.
Ludmila Yamalova
I reached out, looking for someone who could come to our community regularly, and in particular, to teach football to kids around five years old. It wasn’t easy, especially because of Corona. A lot of people had left town, and others could only accommodate us on their terms, i.e., coming to their facilities. But we found Marc. I posted a request in some of the mom’s groups and got a lot of recommendations. After speaking with him, we hit it off right away.
Ludmila Yamalova
There was a lot of enthusiasm in his voice, a lot of excitement and commitment, which is exactly what you want when looking for someone to teach children sports. And so, Marc joined us. It was the beginning of what became a much larger effort. He’s offered all sorts of activities, including swimming for both adults and children, and has run camps. It’s clear he has that combination of passion and skill that makes things work.
Ludmila Yamalova
So Marc, what brought you to Dubai? How did you start, and what is your business model? How has it worked out for you?
Marc Massad
Well, I had been working in the States as a coach, particularly in golf and country clubs. But after a while, I decided to come to Dubai to see if I could replicate what I had been doing in the States and offer my services in this new market. It took a couple of years to study the market, and I had to adjust, but after a while, I saw opportunities here in the UAE and decided to go on my own and set up my own business.
Ludmila Yamalova
So you started out as a freelancer?
Marc Massad
Yes, I did. In the beginning, I worked as a freelancer, gaining experience and learning how the market operated. After that, I decided to expand.
Tim Elliott
When did you decide to set up your business properly and move away from freelancing?
Marc Massad
I decided to go for the sports academy model, offering a range of services rather than just specializing in one area. I started by working with schools, nurseries, and private clients. The goal was to offer comprehensive sports programs for all ages.
Ludmila Yamalova
When you’re dealing with schools and nurseries, it’s important to have the right legal setup. What licenses did you need to make sure everything was legally compliant?
Marc Massad
To operate legally, especially when working with schools and nurseries, you need to have a sports academy license. This is granted by authorities like the Dubai Sports Council, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Department of Economic Development (DED). You also need to show insurance and certifications from recognized authorities like REP’s.
Ludmila Yamalova
This brings us to the licensing structure. For someone starting out in sports or fitness, it’s crucial to know what licenses you need. If you’re operating as a freelancer, you need a freelancer license and insurance, but if you want to set up a company, like Marc did, you need additional approvals from sports authorities. These are the steps to legally run a sports academy and ensure you have the necessary legal protections in place.
Tim Elliott
Mark, when you sign up clients, how do you deal with contracts? Do you write them yourself or rely on others?
Marc Massad
When dealing with big entities like schools, they typically provide their own agreements, which we review with our legal team. We negotiate terms based on our experience and ensure that the scope of services aligns with what we agreed upon.
Ludmila Yamalova
It’s important as a business owner to ensure your interests are covered in any contract. Don’t be afraid to negotiate terms that matter to you, even if it’s a big institution. The contract should protect both parties, especially if things don’t go as planned.
Tim Elliott
Marc, as we’re in the middle of this new normal, what’s your advice for anyone looking to get into the fitness and wellness industry?
Marc Massad
Set your goals high. Know what you want, and go for it. You need passion in this field. Without it, you won’t be able to provide the quality service that clients expect, especially when working with children. If you’re unsure about your commitment, it’s not the right field for you.
Ludmila Yamalova
That’s excellent advice, Marc. And it’s clear that having a genuine passion for what you do is the key to success.
Tim Elliott
Absolutely, and that’s a wrap for today’s episode of Lawgical, discussing the fitness and wellness industry in the UAE. Our special guest today was Marc Massad. Thank you for joining us, Marc.
Marc Massad
Thank you for having me.
Ludmila Yamalova
As always, thank you for your expertise, Tim.
Tim Elliott
If you have a legal question you’d like answered in a future episode of Lawgical, or if you’d like a consultation with a qualified UAE-based legal professional, you can WhatsApp us directly at +971525251611 or visit lylawyers.com and click the contact button.
