Kashir Raheel is a motivated, energetic, and an established cyber entrepreneur of Pakistan. He is a graduate from University of Karachi and carries with him rich experience of e-commerce.
Kashir is also co-owner of the profound online shopping stores savers.pk. Kashir shared his experiences with Technology Times in an interview
Tell us briefly about yourself?
Kashir Raheel: I completed my early schooling from Karachi and graduated from University of Karachi. I started working at a very young age and have always been eager to learn something new every day. Always willing to dive into something interesting where I can learn something from.
How you plunge yourself into cyber entrepreneurship?
I have been working with an e-commerce organization for the last six years now. We have been looking after International projects since then but decided to enter into the Pakistani Market since it has immense potential to grow. This has been possible because of our CEO, who believed in us and gave us the opportunity to execute our plans.
Where do you see yourself after 5 years?
You learn something new every day and just want to keep on moving to do something better every day. No one can deny the fact that were living in an age where internet is one of the most important part of our lives. Its all about Science and Technology in this age, well be completing a lot of projects that weve been working on. So, its not just about 5 years or 10 or maybe 50; I see myself working on a lot different projects that weve planned.
How you recognized the need of creating an online portal like savers.pk?This is a co-owned project managed by me and Danish Rizvi. Both of us have always been busy with work and since we had an uncanny schedule, we didnt have the time and chance to go out, spend time on the road driving and roam around different malls/shops to buy stuff. Just imagine, if I had to shop clothes for myself, a cell phone and a watch, I had to roam around here and there to three different shops to get what I needed. It was then that we realized the need of creating an online portal where people can find everything from apparel, electronics, home appliances to fashion accessories.
What was the turning point of your career that led you to take savers.pk to the level it attains today?
There are a lot of people these days that are very busy with their routines that they dont get time to shop. Thinking from a customers perspective, we visualized every possible option and designed the complete layout for Savers.pk accordingly.
Moreover, our sales and after-sales service is buyer-friendly and ensures complete worry-free experience. So, if anyone wants to buy a gift for someone or wants to change his phone, he can conveniently do that right from his PC or Mobile at savers.pk
How savers.pk is different from other online shopping portals and how it has changed the trends of shopping in Pakistan?
Savers.pk is a complete virtual Shopping mall where you can shop from your PC, Laptop or Mobile. Its a complete mega store where all you have to do is use your fingers instead of your feet to climb up the escalator, navigate through different floors of categories, book your order and pay for it upon delivery. The best thing is you can shop whenever you want, without worrying about the mall closing timings. One of the major problems that customers were facing was non-existence of after-sales service. This is something that has always been our priority to ensure complete customer satisfaction. We have a complete 24/7 running Call center where even if you call at 3:00 AM for any question or concern, we will make sure that your concerns are taken care of.
How did you manage to cope with the difficulties that hindered you in attaining your objectives, both professionally and psychologically?
I am blessed with a wonderful family and amazing friends that are always with me in every thick and thin and support me to full. My mentors have always encouraged and taught me a lot professionally which helped me in overcoming the problems that halt my journey.
Can a small online business could also be setup with small investment?
In fact, some of the top businesses in the world were started with a very small investment. All that matters is good planning and you can kick start an online business with a very limited budget.
What factors do young entrepreneurs must take care of before setting up an online business?
Unfortunately, lot of people just follow and copy the idea without having a plan in mind. It is important to have a clear idea, good planning and strategy, something new to engage users and most importantly, not a hit-and-run plan but keeping in mind about customers needs in a long term.
What future of cyber entrepreneurship do you see in developing countries like Pakistan?
Pakistan has a lot of potential and is blessed with smart brains. We have people who are helped Google fix a security flaw in their Android Systems. Some of the best games and softwares have also been developed by Pakistanis. With the right direction and a positive mindset, no one would be able to stop us from being among the top nations in the world that will have the best cyber entrepreneurs. I therefore, foresee an illustrious future of cyber entrepreneurship in Pakistan being a booming market.