How Indian expat in Dubai beat the odds to save father’s business and build luxury glass brand with brothers

‘You give me a wall, and I’ll build a monument,’ he says, beaming.

Dubai-based Shabbir Mithaiwala smiles as he looks back at his own journey: From rebuilding his father’s struggling business to creating his own venture from scratch.

Sometimes it’s joy, pride and a sense of amazement as he looks back at achievements:

At other moments, it’s a little wistful, as he recalls the painstaking efforts it took to come this far.

India to Dubai

After moving to Dubai, Mithaiwala completed his schooling in Sharjah in 2009. But graduation brought a difficult question: what came next?

“That’s where the difficulty began. The actual life phase begins now,” says Mithaiwala, who was recently just honoured with the Entrepreneur & Visionary Award 2026 in Mumbai

With his family’s financial situation unable to support further studies, Mithaiwala found himself at a crossroads. “I had to figure out what I would do as in my career, where I would go and what I would do,” he says.

He had always dreamed of studying abroad, including in Dubai or the US, but those plans were not financially possible at the time. His father wished for him to join the business, but Mithaiwala was determined to go to Mumbai and study.

The Mumbai years: college, CA and night shifts

With that spirit, he moved to Mumbai in 2009 to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree while simultaneously enrolling for Chartered Accountancy studies.

Did he sleep at all, I ask, while he laughs. He sketches out a relentless schedule: College during the day, followed by CA classes and then working night shifts at a call centre.

But, Mithaiwala asserts that the grind was just a stepping stone and helped him shape his mindset. “That was a tough life that I went through and that’s what my pace. MY passion grew more bigger which helped me look towards a bigger perspective and a vision in life to do it,” he notes emphatically.

Reviving a fading business

In the midst of his college years and CA classes, a call from home changed everything. He was preparing for his CA final exams when he learnt that his father had lost his eyesight. “I had to leave everything there and I had to move, come back to Dubai to look after them.”

Returning to Dubai meant making another major decision: Pursue a career as a CA or take over the family business. At the time, the picture-frame business was struggling. “It was almost at the stage of verge of dying. It was struggling to breathe,” he remembers.

For a month, he went for interview after interview. Yet, the salary offers would not be enough to sustain his family, especially as he had to support his family responsibilities. Moreover, his two younger brothers were still studying. “So, I made a decision. I realised: I have a business, which has got a trade license. And so I decided to take up my journey from there.”

And so, he did.

Reinventing Framesworld

It was an end to the era of what his father had built, and Mithaiwala wanted to give the business a new life. And so, as he says, Framesworld was reborn with his leadership.

Between 2013 and 2016, he focused on learning, rebuilding and understanding the industry, under guidance. “It was my struggling period,” he adds.

Then, in 2017, he launched his glass factory under the name Glass R US Industries. The shift from picture frames to luxury architectural glass was a risky move, but Mithaiwala saw an opportunity.

As he notes, his biggest breakthrough came from understanding the needs of the hospitality sector. During the early years, he worked with just two clients, but used those relationships as a foundation to grow. "It became my biggest strength," he says. And throughout, his brothers, Ali and Sadek, were by his side. “They are my backbone,” he says.

Today, he works with luxury hotels and premium developments across the UAE. So, I ask, does he have any secret as such to his success? His approach was just straightforward: Service, commitment and being available when clients needed him. “It was a pure hard work, effort and providing day and night services to them, whatever and whenever they needed it.”

The dedication became his competitive advantage. “I found a way to make this my strength. So, I can say that you give me a wall, I build a monument.”

From small glass projects to luxury landmarks

Today, Mithaiwala's company delivers luxury glass solutions for some of the UAE's premium hospitality and residential developments. He points to projects including Bulgari Mansion and Royal Atlantis as defining milestones. The business has evolved from supplying glass tabletops and mirrors to executing large-scale architectural glass projects.

Yet, when he looks back on the company's growth, he is quick to shift the focus away from himself. He credits his younger brothers, Ali and Sadek, saying they became key pillars as he worked to rebuild and expand the family enterprise.

Looking back, Mithaiwala sees his career as a series of unexpected turns rather than carefully laid plans. He set out to become a Chartered Accountant but returned to Dubai to save a struggling family business. That decision eventually led him to build an entirely new company, one that today works on some of the country's most recognisable developments.

The goalposts keep shifting. For Mithaiwala, success isn't so much about the projects his company completes, but by the people who stood beside him through its most difficult years.

"I want to repay and give them back," he says. "That's my purpose."