Business

A woman I know started a home-based skincare business in Faisalabad two years ago. Her products were genuinely good. Friends who tried them loved them. But for the first several months, sales barely moved beyond her immediate circle. She was convinced the problem was marketing, but she assumed marketing required money she did not have. … Read more

Starting an online store in Pakistan in 2026 is one of the most genuinely accessible business opportunities available right now, and the market data backs that up. Pakistan’s e-commerce market has surpassed PKR 1.2 trillion in online sales, growing at 18 to 22 percent annually, driven by rising smartphone penetration, expanding digital payment adoption, and … Read more

Freelancing in Pakistan has moved well past the stage of being a side hustle for students or a temporary option for the recently unemployed. In 2026, it is a legitimate, professionally recognized, and financially significant career path that is generating dollar income for hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis across every province and city size. The … Read more

A shopkeeper I know in Lahore wanted to expand his small electronics shop into the empty unit next door. He had been running the business successfully for six years, had loyal customers, and the opportunity made complete sense. What he did not have was the PKR 800,000 needed to renovate the space and stock additional … Read more

A few years ago, a friend called me in a panic. He had been earning a decent income through freelance work for almost two years. Clients were paying him from abroad, money was coming into his bank account regularly, and everything seemed fine. Then one day, while applying for a banking facility, he was asked … Read more

A relative of mine ran a reasonably successful clothing shop in a busy market for almost four years. Customers liked him, his stock moved well, and on most days the shop felt busy and productive. But at the end of every month, he struggled to explain where his money had gone. His personal account and … Read more

When I first heard the words “business plan,” I pictured a thick formal document full of charts, financial projections, and corporate language that only MBA graduates could produce. Something you hired a consultant to write, printed in color, and handed to a bank manager in a plastic folder. That image kept me from writing one … Read more

A few years ago, a cousin of mine was sitting at home after losing his job during a difficult economic period. He had about PKR 50,000 saved up, a smartphone, and a lot of time on his hands. He spent weeks scrolling through business ideas online and kept concluding that everything required more capital than … Read more

A friend of mine spent almost eight months building her home-based baking business before she registered it anywhere. She had regular customers, a growing WhatsApp list, and was taking orders almost every day. Business was good. Then she tried to open a dedicated business bank account and hit a wall. The bank wanted proof of … Read more

My uncle ran a small general store in a busy street in Lahore for over two decades. He never registered it anywhere, never had a separate business account, never wrote a single business plan. He just started, figured things out as he went, and made a decent living. That model worked for his generation. Therefore, … Read more