STAFF REPORT ISB: With an aim to boost self-starters, the Mini Expo 2014 has recently been organized in Islamabad by Minerva, a social youth enterprise, to encourage small scale and home based entrepreneurs who had been marketing digitally only.
“This Expo offered a platform to step out of their comfort zones, to reach a wider and real-time audience, to give them chance to explore the market, face the competitors, and go home with a great deal of learning” said Minervas CEO Sana Khalid.
Delightfully decorated stalls featured a variety of products including brilliant crafts and floral decorations, chic jewelry and accessories, novel home décor items, modish outfits as well as homemade food.
Sabeen Siddiqui found the expo “a great opportunity for young entrepreneurs to learn, earn and interact.” Sabeen, who had been previously working as business analyst, opted to explore avenues of creativity instead and initiated her brand, Dhanak Rung, in March 2012.
Hina Qamar, a teacher by profession, started off her creative journey of making and sharing quilling in 2013 after winning an online art contest. The total turnout of the Mini Expo was around Rs 220,000 with Envy You Alif, Manriqen being the top three sellers.