Humble Beginnings in Karachi
Arif Khan did not dream to be a businessman. He was born in
a small apartment which had two rooms and was situated above his father small
repair shop which was in the old quarter of Karachi. His dad repaired radios,
TVs and occasionally fan sets of the neighbors. It was honest labor, and barely
barely enough to feed the table. Arif as a boy would watch his fathers hands
move with the dexterity of a craftsman sitting in a corner on a wooden stool. Soldering
and hot circuitry associated aroma became as natural to him as the aroma of his
mother parathas. Yet unlike his father, who apparently felt satisfied with his
little world, Arif had a tendency to look further outside the confines of their
neighborhood. He would gaze at the skyscraper modern buildings in town and
imagine how it would feel to work in one of them. His dream was to put on a
clean suit, hold a briefcase, and talk with authority in a crowded room. These
dreams were distant and almost absurd when he had to assist his father in
balancing the day earnings which at times were not even sufficient to pay rent.
A Mind Hungry for Knowledge
Arif was not a very bright student, but he was wildly
inquisitive. He gobbled up books at the local library, everything he could
find, biographies of famous entrepreneurs, books on how to market, manage
finances and lead. His friends used to spend their evenings playing cricket,
whereas Arif used to spend his evenings sketching out his ideas of businesses
which existed only in his mind. And he said to himself: one day I am going to
possess something of my own. Arif collapsed when he completed college as a commerce
graduate. His father was sick and the income of the repair shop had declined. He
could not wait until the right time and there was no money to afford additional
studies. To make ends meet he got a job as a sales assistant at a small
electronics shop. It was not glamorous but it was work. He would spend his days
trying to convince people to purchase televisions and mobile phones and thus
became expert in negotiating even without knowing it. He would observe trends
in how people would act as customers, what would get them to hold back, what
would get them to accept. This was his initial business school which he never
planned on attending.
The Spark of an Idea
This took a turning point when the shop owner requested Arif
to visit an electronics trade fair in Lahore. It was there where he witnessed
new technology, visited the manufacturers and realized the size of the
industry, in a first. He realized that most of these stalls did not have any
real story behind their products. The devices were remarkable, yet the
presentations really lacked life. Inside his low-rent hotel room that night,
Arif wrote a note in his notebook: A company that sells technology through stories
and not prices. It was something vague, but it became a spark. Arif was unable
to get the thought out of his mind back in Karachi. He was saving a few bucks
out of every paycheck, cutting down on meals, walking instead of taking the bus
until he saved enough to purchase a second hand laptop. He began to study with
seriousness and read about branding, consumer psychology, and ways of start ups.
The more he read, the more restless he became.
A Father’s Wisdom
It was a rainy night and Arif, after a tiring day at work
sat with his father who was frail, yet sharp. He told his business concept:
sell electronics in a manner that makes people feel that they are investing in
a better life and not merely in a product. His father sat and heard him and
then said, Beta, you cannot make a business out of money alone. It is
constructed on trust. And when you can provide people with that, they will
provide you with all the rest of it.” That sentence remained with Arif like a compass.
It was a year later when he took his step. He gave up his position, to the
surprise of his friends, and took a little room in a side street--a mere room,
with a desk, two chairs, and a glass case in which to show. He called it
Skyline Electronics, as he wanted to keep himself in mind that there was no
limit but the sky.
The Struggle for Survival
Business was agonisingly slow at first. On some days no
customer would enter. Rent was falling-due, bills were mounting up and his
savings were disappearing faster than he thought. Nevertheless, Arif did not
want to be alarmed. Rather he concentrated in developing an experience to
anyone who did enter the door. He was very cordial, knew their names, enquired
about the families. He simplified the explanation of products and never
insisted on making a sale in case he did not feel that the product was correct to
them. By degrees the word got around. People started coming not only to buy the
electronics but the feeling Arif gave them to feel special and appreciated. Skyline
Electronics became profitably in a year. Arif ploughed all the money into
upgrading the shop- better lighting, cleaner display and ultimately, a
mini-website. But then when things were beginning to look stable, misfortune
came. He had ordered a consignment of new products he had invested heavily in
and this got held up in customs, three months later. Pre-ordered customers were
frustrated and some of them cancelled. Money evaporated. Arif had to borrow
money to his friends to sustain the shop.
Turning Setbacks into Opportunities
This is when Arif had to make his most difficult decision;
to make a compromise, play it safe, and see how things will play out or to make
a bold move. He selected the latter. He hired a community hall with the money
left and put on a small local tech show. He invited small gadget manufacturers,
repair experts and tech lovers and this was done at a small fee per stall. He
also advertised it widely on social media not through costly advertisements but
he created personal videos about why technology must be affordable and cool to
everyone. The occasion was successful. A few local business owners were also
present and impressed with the energy and vision of Arif and hundreds of people
turned up. A distributor was one of them, who suggested him a partnership to
supply him with electronics at improved rates. This alliance enabled Skyline
Electronics to increase its stock without necessarily digging deep into the
pocket.
Growth and Leadership
Within the next couple of years, Arif established two
additional offices in the city. Both the stores shared the same philosophy of
treating the customers as family. He trained his staff which now comprises a
few loyal workers in sales but also in empathy. Arif spent money on them, took
them to workshops and gave them freedom to share their ideas. The stores turned
into centers of the community, as individuals were not only able to purchase
gizmos, but were also able to learn how efficiently to use them. Arif has been
able to live a proud life, one of the proudest moments being that he was
invited to address an entrepreneurship seminar in the local area. Here he was
on the stage in the suit he had always dreamt he would have, and he looked out
at the audience and said to them what was true: I did not begin with millions. My
beginnings were with a used laptop, a recalcitrant heart, and the conviction
that people have a greater importance than profit.” The applause that ensued
was more satisfying to him than a sales objective.
Adapting to a Changing Market
Yet he was not complacent after success. E-commerce giants
were conquering the market, which was evolving rapidly. There were numerous
little electronics stores going out of business. Arif understood that he had to
change. He spent in an online shop where he did not only sell products but also
demonstrated a video guide, technology tutorials, and a real-time chat to
answer customer questions. Younger customers came to his online presence, and
the locals remained with his physical stores. It was the right amount. Then
came the pandemic that has closed all his stores temporarily. Most shops and
companies around him failed, yet Arif changed his strategy and started selling
only online and delivering to homes. He even established a form of virtual tech
help, wherein a customer could receive assisted troubleshooting of his/her
device over video chat. This service turned out to be very popular, bringing
revenues as well as reinforcing the status of Skyline as a brand that cares.
The Legacy of Skyline Electronics
When restrictions were eased, Arif had a better business
than prior to the restrictions. He reopened his shops, but in a new format,
half retail, half tech community center. Tech awareness events, product
launches and workshops were commonplace. He even initiated a minor scholarship
scheme to those students who were interested in technology whereby the money
was being offered by the profits of Skyline. Arif, sitting one evening in his
small but comfortable office, reflected on the boy who had gazed so long at
tall buildings wondering whether he would ever be part of them. He smiled, and
knew that he had created his own skyline--brick by brick, choice by choice. He
had not simply created a business, he had constructed a life of meaning,
toughness and dignity. It had been a long road with a lot of ups and downs with
a lot of failure but it had been worth all the steps. And, perhaps, that was
the greatest lesson he could teach--that in business, as in life, the sky is
not a place you get you build it under your own feet.
0 Comments