Karachi: Shell Tameer, a youth enterprise project, encourages youth between the ages of 18 and 32 to explore the prospects of starting a business as a career choice by providing free counseling and entrepreneurship training.
Its objective is to showcase the entrepreneurial potential of Pakistani youth by featuring the (10) successful entrepreneurs shortlisted for awards out of 1,000 applications received by Shell Tameer.
Of all the applications we receive, 10 businesses are selected through a criteria developed by Tameer. A carefully selected panel of judges of prominent figures from various sectors and industries is invited to choose winners from these final ten. The judges’ participation in this prestigious event helps encourage young entrepreneurs.
The Annual Awards ceremony is a platform for recognition, where successful young entrepreneurs from across the country are invited to showcase their business achievements in front of the business community, representatives from industry, academia and other entrepreneurs.
Dare to Dream
Muhammad Adnan Butt
Few people dare to dream, even fewer are brave enough to act on their dreams. Muhammad Adnan Butt, an engineer from GIK, Topi is someone who was able to harness his creativity and transform ideas in his head into real life. During an internship experience with an international FMCG company, he was introduced to marketing. The ability to use his ideas to transform the choices of others and connect with millions of people every day pushed Adnan towards a marketing-related career.
Later when the same FMCG offered him an engineering position, and not a brands one, Adnan politely declined the offer and began working at a telecom company in marketing, despite a lower salary. To some, Adnan’s choice seemed irrational, but to him, his choice was clear.
In 2009, having spent 2 years gaining experience in product development and learning the tricks of the mobile media trade, Adnan changed gears. He switched from the corporate world to his own entrepreneurial venture – Mvergence Media, which is one of the most creative agencies operating in Pakistan today offering marketing solutions and social network application development.
Mvergence gave him an opportunity to, “conceive, create and launch multiple products,” and stay true to his original goal of connecting with people. Adnan also started a sister company called Walnut Media.
Adnan hopes to introduce regional socializing tools online and mobile platforms for brands to connect with their audiences. Ironically the FMCG Adnan turned down that job offer from is one of his biggest clients today.
Mining Unique Possibilities
Abdul Rehman
Mineral rich Baluchistan is the poorest of Pakistan’s four provinces with limited economic opportunities, lagging social indicators and large gender gaps in education, health and employment. This province is also plagued by tribal, ethnic and sectarian conflict which has been exacerbated by a nationalist insurgency and the War on Terror in Afghanistan. The youth of this province struggle for basic amenities, employment, opportunities, progress and access to urban centres.
Abdul Rehman is a young man from Lorali in Balochistan, one of Pakistan’s most underdeveloped and remote districts. He has a Masters degree in Geography from University of Baluchistan, but despite his educational qualifications, he was unable to find employment. He decided to start his own business with the knowledge he had of Balochistan’s natural terrain and it being blessed with a unique variety of gems and stones.
While exploring options to jump start his business, he met with SMEDA officials who helped him develop a business plan. With a limited amount capital sourced a variety of marble and stones like red oxide and leather stone to market places.
“Pakistan, especially KPK, possesses huge marble reserves. The promotion and development of the marble industry in Pakistan could bring prosperity to the country. The industry is suffering, however, from load-shedding, low voltage, law and order issues and outdated quarrying techniques. So there is much that can be done to grow this industry locally and into international markets,” says Abdul Rehman.
Standing out in a Crowd
Maleeha Nasir
Pakistani women are as ambitious as men but have a different set of priorities and face greater hurdles in striking work-life balances because of an extra set of family responsibilities. Socio-cultural norms are also far less conducive to female entrepreneurship than other countries with similar economic conditions.
Maleeha Nasir, a BSC graduate from LUMS began her career in brand marketing but soon realized that she was drawn to starting her own business so she could dictate her own terms. Following her passion for fashion she started building on the idea of her own clothing store. To gain some experience, she worked for a leading clothing store as a buying manager. She began to understand how to translate her outspoken personality into clothing that others would appreciate and enjoy – eventually she opened Daaman.
Established in 2009, Daaman is a ready-to-wear clothing label for women, specialising in all things hip and trendy. Maleeha believes that fashion is a powerful form of self-expression; “life is too short to wear boring clothes! We want to help people take some fashion risks that are right for them,” she says.
Daaman has stores in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and caters to international customers online. Reasonable prices, aesthetic designs and high quality are Úaman’s edge over competitors – it was even nominated for 2010’s Lux Style Awards. Maleeha started with a team of 10 employees which has grown to over 40, who she provides with an excellent working environment and health insurance.
A Journey of Discovery
Gulraiz Khan
“Cities worth building a future in,” is a simple energy company tagline that encapsulates Gulraiz Khan’s creation of Samovar Tea and Coffee House. He is a graduate in Economics from LUMS and is a self-made entrepreneur, or chai-walla as his friends refer to him.
“If I had to build my future in Karachi – which is a reality for millions of young Pakistanis, given the immigration constraints – what would I like this city to have? Uninterrupted power, a mass transit system and social spaces where people can meet and exchange ideas are my top three requisites. The last one was something I wanted to attempt to meet,” says Gulraiz.
Having spent several evenings at cafés in Berlin, Paris and Istanbul, he craved relaxing, open spaces in his home city. Cafés in Karachi fell below the mark because their focus was on coffee, a non-native beverage that is expensive and unsuited to our climate. There was an entire world of tea that this largely tree-drinking nation had yet to explore.
Samovar links open spaces perfect for stimulating discussion with the feeling of travelling. It is an outdoor café at Karachi’s port and each tea-drink is named after a destination that Gulraiz has travelled to or read about. So next time you swing by try the Topkapi Affair, a coffee and hazelnut flavoured tea that evokes the spirit of Ottoman-era Istanbul, or the Chandni Chowk, the Indian Masala Chai right from the heart of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Delhi.
Embellishing Lives with Confidence
Salma Rahim
In Pakistan, where few opportunities are available to women to build their self-reliance, finding self-confident, established women in rural communities is rare.
Salma Rahim, a master-embellisher from remote Dera Jatta in Bahawalpur, always dreamt of escaping poverty and inspire women around her to do more with their lives by developing their skills.
After completing a diploma course at a vocational institute, Salma went door to door in her village to recruit women and form a small team of embellishers who she trained out of her home. “Training is essential to polish any skill, and in this business only practice improves how detail-oriented and creative you are,” says Salma.
Salma was introduced to a fashion designer from Karachi who guided her on developing their skills further and break into urban markets. Only 8 months after it began, Zardozi Bridal Wear employees over 80 women from surrounding villages and hopes to grow to 200 in 2012.
Zardozi offers employees transportation to and from the training facility which is in a secure part of town, adding to the great working environment. “I hope this business provides women with a chance to earn a livelihood and improve their lives and self-esteem by showing them how much they are capable of. I earn enough money to support my family and meet all my overheads,” she says.
In the recent Lahore Fashion Week, Salma had an opportunity to connect with leading designers and learn about new market trends. Zardozi has begun receiving orders from designers across the country.
Breaking Barriers
Naheed Abro
Naheed Abro’s father was a taxi driver who migrated from Lakki to Shikarpur years ago, looking for a better future. Due to limited resources he could not provide education to his nine children. Despite this, Naheed started sewing clothes to fund her own education. She is now in the middle of an MBA and has completed a MA in English and Sociology.
While studying, she expanded her tailoring to stitching Sindh rallis (quilts) and topis (hats). She has built her business into a training institute where she employees 15 people.
Naheed teaches women from surrounding villages stitching, designing, patchwork, appliqué and embroidery. Her work is recognisable at exhibitions in Karachi and Khairpur because of the unique color combinations and fine embroidery she uses. High levels of professionalism and focus on quality finished products has won Naheed’s company, Marvi Crafts orders from well-known fashion houses.
Despite how busy she is meeting her orders, she still finds time to work in women’s development and flood relief, collaborating with international NGOs to do what?
“I have faced many hurdles to come this far. Cultural barriers for women are strong – I have to constantly convince parents to allow their daughters to be educated,” she says. Naheed has sent 500 women to Karachi for training.
She plans to expand her institute by marketing products directly to consumers through the internet and by establishing displays in both Sukkur and Karachi.
Stitching his own Success Story
Shahzeb Saeed
Opportunity often comes from unexpected places – as was the case with Shahzeb Saeed, a professional shirt maker and wardrobe consultant. He graduated from IoBM with an MBA and for a long time envisioned himself providing the finest shirts to business professionals. This vision materialized when his brother, a corporate banker, asked him to design a shirt for him. This one shirt led to referrals and sales through word of mouth, and Shahzeb has been busy making some of the finest quality cotton shirts available in Pakistan since then.
He started with a meagre amount he saved as a student at IBA. After a soft launch, selling shirts to personal contacts and friends, Shahzeb was faced with a real business challenge: he needed a space to display his products.
By thinking creatively to save overhead costs he began displaying his shirts at corporate events and workshops. This approach worked well, giving him a lot of exposure in the corporate sector. He then began selling shirts on Facebook and through his official website.
Shahzeb believes everything in life is possible if you stay positive and persistent. “A lot of people discouraged me from selling my products online because they said it was an ineffective distribution channel. As it turned out the Internet was an opportunity just waiting to be used,” he says. Shahzeb Saeed Pret Line now offers free delivery anywhere in Karachi and a 30 days money back guarantee on all shirts in stock.
Creative Diversions Create Constructive Echoes
Syeda Neelma
Syeda Neelma Shah and Rabiya Riaz were students together in Peshawar who have grown to be friends and business partners. Peshawar has been hit hard in recent years by acts of terrorism. It was when residents were leaving the city in hordes and the business sector was at a standstill that these two women decided to do something. “We had no idea this would be successful, we just wanted to divert our focus from the agony around us,” says Neelma.
The idea was to engage women and merge their skills with creativity and launch Echo – A symbol beauty and feminism in Greek mythology. Launched at a university exhibition, Echo offers handmade jewellery, handbags, ready to wear clothing, customised casual and formal dresses and has done well because of its use of creative embellishment and competitive prices.
Because they were aware of the importance of social media marketing to the success of any business, which led them to establish Echo as an online store before it ever opened in a mall or shopping centre.
Business continues with challenges, “to meet our deadlines we have to go out and work on days when there are blasts in the city and businesses are shut. It can be frightening, but meeting our commitments is important and so far our customers are happy with us,” says Neelma.
“Echo emphasizes making our clients look and feel good. Good apparel is one thing that gives a person confidence in themselves and Echo continuously works to transform styles with new looks.”
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