Business – Pakistan Style! (Part 1)

Starting a company in Pakistan, for a Pakistani, is not a problem as long as the requirements are met. But a couple of useful contacts don’t hurt, especially in the legal or political realm. Moreover, there are plenty of law firms offering company registration assistance, for a fee of course. The Securities and Exchange of Commission of Pakistan‘s website also provides extensive information on the corporate sector of Pakistan, along with eServices that let you register your company online. Impressive, no?

But… there is always the “other” way of doing things in Pakistan, the nationally preferred way. The other way has been around since the creation of Pakistan itself. In fact, it might not be too presumptuous to assume that the conception of Pakistan aided to congeal the other way into itself.

“Aur koi khidmat?”, were the words I hear while receiving my certificate of registration.

And the most difficult part of it all has been, quite frankly, choosing a name to represent my business entity. That and designing a logo, which was very fulfilling as all those hours spent messing around on Adobe Photoshop came in handy. This process has, in fact, been quite smooth and hassle-free.

More on the other way some other time. Good Night.

Land of Opportunity

“Land of Opportunity? Huh!”

He said, rolling his eyes.

“Yeh sub log samajhte hain ke America aur Europe hai “Land of Opportunity”. Asal jagga yeh hai, Paakisstaan! Bus just you have to clickkk!”

The emphasis on the “click” was enough for me to reconsider my product plan and my hoped-to-be-called ”business strategy”. There in a small office near Liberty Market, talking with some businessman uncles, I began to get a clearer idea, of how business is formed and conducted in Pakistan.

I’ve been working since the past few months to establish my start-up small business in Pakistan. And it has been, so far, a challenging but enlightening experience. I say that mostly because I come from an entirely different academic and professional background – architectural engineering, and this transition has created a lot of unique problems. But it has also created opportunities, where I have learned a great deal about my chosen trade and business in general.

This decision to abandon my professional career and to make a living though business and trade, has been a difficult one to make. But the recessed economy, in recent times, has made it easier for me to take the plunge into this commercial jungle. That, and the past seven or so years of thinking/talking/fantasizing about starting my own company.

So the mind is committed and the destination is marked. The supplies are low and the journey is long and hard. Conditions are not favourable at all, and the chances of failure are high. But the spirit is strong, and the hunger for knowledge thrives. The expectations are high, but the aim is set higher.

Let’s see all the wonderful things destiny holds for us.

01

Hello and welcome to Arghoonometrics.

First things first!

It’s pronounced /ähr-gōōn/.