Dubai business owners struggling with poor-quality leads, hiring the right people, inefficient systems or a business that still relies too heavily on them are being invited to step away from the day-to-day for a free one-day business accelerator this September.

Fix & Scale, hosted by the newly launched Business Owners Collective (BOC), will take place on 25 September 2026 at Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa in Dubai, bringing business owners together for a practical day focused on identifying and tackling the problems getting in the way of business growth.

The event comes as the UAE’s small and medium business sector continues to expand, with SMEs now making up nearly 95 per cent of companies operating in the country and contributing 63 per cent of GDP.

BOC founder and entrepreneur Daimien Patterson says while starting and growing a business in the UAE presents significant opportunities, growth can also expose problems that were easier to manage when the business was smaller.

“Most business owners don’t need another person telling them to work harder. They’re already doing that,” says Patterson.

“What they often need is the chance to get out of the day-to-day, look properly at what’s happening in their business and work out what’s actually holding it back.

“That might be leads coming in but not converting, struggling to find or manage the right people, systems that haven’t kept pace with the business, or simply the fact that every decision still seems to land back on the owner’s desk.”

The challenge is particularly relevant as businesses try to keep pace with rapid changes in technology and AI.

Recent research involving 648 SMEs across the UAE found that while the use of digital tools is widespread, only eight per cent of businesses surveyed had reached an advanced level of digital maturity. Just 15 per cent were using AI and analytics platforms.

Patterson says Fix & Scale has been designed to move the conversation beyond simply identifying those challenges.

“Business owners are very good at knowing what’s wrong. Finding the time, perspective and sometimes the right people to work out what to do about it is another story.

“Fix & Scale is about taking one day out of the business to work on it. We’ll look at the areas that have a real impact on growth, from leads and systems to AI, leadership and people, and give business owners practical things they can take back and use.”

The complimentary event will include four focused business sessions led by Patterson, alongside opportunities for attendees to meet and learn from other business owners.

Patterson has spent years building and scaling businesses across multiple industries and currently leads the IXD Group of Companies. His approach to business education focuses on practical experience and applying lessons learned through building businesses, rather than business theory alone.

Fix & Scale also marks one of the first major events for the Business Owners Collective, a new Dubai-based business community created to connect business owners with practical learning, mentorship, events and the experience of other entrepreneurs.

Patterson says the idea behind the BOC came from recognising that many of the problems business owners spend time trying to solve have already been faced by someone else.

“There are plenty of places for business owners to network. That’s not what we wanted to build.

“Some of the most useful conversations I’ve had in business have been with other business owners who can say, ‘I’ve dealt with that. Here’s what worked, here’s what didn’t, and here’s what I’d do differently.’

“That’s what the Collective is about. You don’t need everyone in the room to run the same kind of business as you. You need people who understand what it’s like to build one.”