Inside Rapid Enterprises' Multi Service Model For Dubai's Next Phase Of Growth

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Thijs Schrijver on building an integrated service group anchored in consistency, culture and long term credibility By Sana Eqbal

Published: Wed 4 Feb 2026, 10:43 AM

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Dubai's service economy has evolved to serve a city that values speed, convenience and reliability. As residents, entrepreneurs and investors manage increasingly complex needs, the demand for integrated service solutions has grown. Rapid Enterprises was founded with that shift in mind. Based in the UAE, the group brings together car rental, holiday home and property services, business consultancy, private transport and professional cleaning under a single operational structure. In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, founder Thijs Schrijver discusses building consistency across diverse services, earning trust in a competitive market, and why long term growth depends on discipline rather than scale alone.

Excerpts from the interview: What gap in Dubai's service market led you to build Rapid Enterprises as a multi service group rather than a single sector business?

As you live in Dubai, you must know that the city has absolutely no shortage of service providers. There are many, but a lot of them operate in silos. What we noticed is that the clients we deal with, whether residents, business owners, property investors or regular investors, often need multiple services and end up dealing with different companies, different standards and different response times.

So the gap we saw was not, per se, a lack of services, but a lack of consistency across those services, as well as accountability. Rapid Enterprises was built to bring all these complementary services under one brand, or umbrella, so clients can rely on the same level of professionalism, execution and responsiveness across all their different needs.

How do you maintain consistent quality and client experience across very different businesses under the Rapid brand?

Consistency does not come from slogans. It comes from systems. When we did our research into other companies, we saw a lot of beautiful taglines, but clients told us those businesses did not meet expectations.

Each company under Rapid Enterprises follows shared operational standards, the same service benchmarks, and the same response expectations towards clients. The services themselves differ, from car rental to homeowner services to consultancy, but the mindset is the same. Be responsive, be reliable, and be very clear with clients. No overpromising. That is extremely important.

We also centralise key functions such as management, oversight and quality control. Together, this ensures the client experience feels uniform, regardless of which Rapid service they use. Some clients only use one service, while others use several at once.

In a city crowded with service providers, what defines long term credibility for Rapid Enterprises?

As we are only approaching our third year, we are very aware of the intense competition in Dubai. Our main focus across all companies is building long term credibility, and that comes from execution over time.

It is very easy to launch a business in Dubai, but very hard to sustain it. You see many companies open and close within a year. For us, credibility comes from showing up consistently, handling issues professionally, and maintaining standards even as we scale.

Repeat business, long term partnerships and referrals matter most to us. These are our most valued clients. Company culture is also critical. For example, I spoke to someone yesterday within the company. They work very hard during the day, but they also celebrate New Year's Eve together. Outside office hours, they are like a family. That culture reflects directly in how the team treats clients on a day to day basis.

As a founder, how do you decide when to expand into new services and when to focus on strengthening existing ones?

We are not here to expand for the sake of it. It is never about speed alone. New services are added only when there is a clear demand, when we see that our clients need additional services to support their overall operations.

At the same time, strengthening our core operations is always the priority. Growth only makes sense if it improves the overall ecosystem we call Rapid and does not distract from executing the businesses we already run. It is a careful balance between opportunity and operational awareness.

What are your future plans for Rapid Enterprises? Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?

As we approach our next phase of growth, our focus for 2026 is on scaling our core operations in a disciplined and measurable way. Specifically, we plan to expand our car rental fleet to 350 vehicles, adding approximately 100 cars to Rapid Rentals. Within Rapid Transport, the goal is to grow our bus fleet to 50 buses, strengthening our capacity for staff and corporate transport across Dubai.

At the same time, we are scaling Rapid Cleaners with a target of 50 professional cleaners, allowing us to support a growing client base while maintaining service quality. Looking further ahead, the ambition is not uncontrolled expansion, but to build a trusted, resilient group where each business operates at scale with strong standards. Over the next five to ten years, we want Rapid Enterprises to be recognised as a reliable, long-term service partner and a household name in the UAE.

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