My Business: Dubai entrepreneur urges brands to stop creating content for algorithms

Dubai: Dubai-based entrepreneur Candace Braganza says too many brands are focused on creating content for algorithms instead of building a long-term business narrative.

Braganza, founder of Sculpt25 Creative, said the idea for her agency came from her own struggles while running an e-commerce business in the UAE.

“It didn’t start as a business idea, it started as a problem I was experiencing myself,” she said.

While building her previous business, she realised marketing was one of the biggest challenges. She said many founders and small businesses were consistently creating content online but were still struggling to see results.

“I realised the gap wasn’t effort, it was direction,” she said.

That experience eventually led to the launch of Sculpt25 Creative in 2021, a Dubai-based agency focused on photography, branding, social media management and marketing strategy.

“For me, the UAE was the perfect place to turn my vision into reality,” she said.

That vision, however, came from a difficult personal chapter. In her early twenties, Gholizadeh went through what she describes as a period of deep personal challenges, when she felt lost and unsure of what her life was meant to become.

“I felt lost, without direction, and at one point I truly hit what I would call rock bottom,” she said.

The turning point came when someone asked her to leave her job and take a risk on a freelance restaurant design project. She said yes, even though the decision felt frightening at the time.

“That decision became the beginning of my journey,” she said.

Braganza began her career in the corporate world before moving into entrepreneurship. The shift came after she adopted a German Shepherd and launched a pet product business around it.

That business later grew into a larger e-commerce venture, where she handled photography and social media herself. She said many of the stockists she worked with faced similar challenges.

“They didn’t just need great visuals; they needed a sustainable, strategic marketing approach,” she said.

The business was built gradually and without external funding.

“The business has been self-funded from the beginning,” Braganza said, adding that revenue from early client work and previous ventures was reinvested into the company.

Today, Sculpt25 works across sectors including hospitality, beauty, wellness and personal branding. Its client portfolio includes Boho Salon, Zabeel House, Thea Restaurant, More Cafe, Savoir Health and City Dog.

Braganza said one of the biggest changes in her own journey was moving from being a photographer to becoming more involved in wider brand strategy.

“I started purely as a photographer, focused on delivering content,” she said. “But as I started working with more brands… a shift happened.”

She said many businesses had strong founders and products, but their expertise was not translating online.

That shift also changed how she viewed creative work.

“Thinking in campaigns, not shoots” and “delivering strategy, not just images” are now central to the business model, she said.

According to Candace, the UAE’s startup ecosystem also played a role in helping her grow the business.

“The UAE makes it very easy to start a business,” she said, adding that referrals and collaborations helped her build a client network over time.

Braganza first came to Dubai while she was still at university and later moved to the city after graduating. She completed another degree and her master’s in the UAE while searching for work.

“What stood out back then — and is still the case — is the combination of safety, opportunity, and mindset,” she said.

“As a woman, the sense of safety is unmatched.”

She added that Dubai’s entrepreneurial culture and ambitious professional environment encouraged her to stay and build her business here.

Like many first-generation entrepreneurs, Braganza said moving away from a traditional corporate path was not an easy decision.

“Both my parents are professionals with traditional nine-to-five careers,” she said.

Her family initially had concerns about the uncertainty of entrepreneurship, especially when she left stable employment to start a business.

“There were many moments where my mom would ask if I was thinking of going back to a more stable job,” she said.

But Braganza said returning to a traditional office role was never something she seriously considered again, partly because of the lifestyle flexibility entrepreneurship gave her.

“One of the reasons I stepped away from my 9–5 role was personal,” she said.

“I didn’t want to spend most of my day away while my dog was at daycare.”

Today, she brings her dog to the studio and says the ability to design her life around work is something she values deeply.

Looking ahead, Braganza said the next stage for Sculpt25 will involve expanding beyond a founder-led structure.

“The goal is to grow Sculpt25 into a more established agency model,” she said, adding that she may consider external funding in the future.

Her advice to new entrepreneurs is to think beyond simply launching a business.

“Many founders focus on launching without thinking about how to truly scale or structure the business long-term,” she said.

“If your business depends entirely on you, it’s not scalable.”