"Experience isn't something you receive once; it has to be managed and applied properly every single day."

I'm 52 years old, a serial entrepreneur with a background in IT and consumer electronics. Across a long career I've started, built and grown businesses - and learned just as much from the failures as from the wins.

When I came to Dubai I thought I'd already made every mistake possible in business. That I wouldn't fall into the same traps again. Not so. I had to learn all over again - the hard way.

Much of my mindset is shaped by Norwegian culture and upbringing. The metaphors I use - like "crossing the brook for water" or following the "mountain code" - are about something fundamental: doing things right the first time, being prepared, and taking responsibility for your own choices.

Norway is a small country far to the north, with a long coastline stretching from harsh mountains to a mild south. In just one hundred years it has gone from poverty to one of the wealthiest nations in the world per capita. Resources like oil and fish helped - but the real strength lies elsewhere: trust, low corruption, and a culture where you "brew the coffee yourself," roll up your sleeves and get the work done.

We grew up with simple values - tent holidays, road trips, mountain hikes. A simple life, but full of lessons. A society built on trust between people.

These are the values we want to bring to the real estate market in Dubai.

Dubai today is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. History shows that markets move in cycles. Crises come - and they pass. Those of us who have lived a while have seen this happen many times. Things normalise, and growth continues. Dubai has the structure, the leadership and the capacity to handle challenges and come out stronger.

We live in a world that is at times marked by conflict. I have lived in regions of unrest myself. War is the opposite of development - but today's situation cannot be compared to the great historical catastrophes.

Looking back, Norway has also been through dramatic periods. The Black Death in the 1300s killed roughly half the population and changed society fundamentally. Later, in the 1800s and early 1900s, more than 800,000 Norwegians emigrated to America in search of a better life. It was an era of poverty, but also of the will to build something new.

History shows one thing clearly: people adapt, rebuild and create growth.

This is the mentality we bring into the real estate market in Dubai.

Dubai is also one of the world's best examples of integration. People from all over the world meet here with a common goal: to create opportunity, build a future and succeed.