Pakistan's home businesses are expanding over the Internet

["Irfan Khan" <khania2@super.net.pk>]

From:		"SDNP Info" <info@isb.sdnpk.org>
Date:		Mon, 8 Jul 2002 16:58:05 +0500


Pakistan's home businesses are expanding over the Internet Daily
Times, By Wajid A Syed, 7/7/2002
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_7-7-2002_pg5_6

LAHORE: E-commerce might be de rigeur for international businesses
with a world wide customer base of 400 million Internet subscribers,
but small home-based businesses in Pakistan are slowly opening their
doors and stepping out to discover new customers outside their
neighborhood.

"A web site or an e-mail address at least, is an essential business
strategy now," says Asif Rasheed Bhatti, CEO, SohnaPakistan.com. "A
web site represents you globally and is just like a showroom
displaying your products."

And a few small entrepreneurs are slowly discovering how the world-
wide-web can help their home-based businesses venture out into the
world. Here are a few the Daily Times caught up with.

Part of the bigger picture:

LAHORE: When Ali Asjal, 22, thought about starting Computer Artists,
his own graphics design business in Lahore, he knew he would never
make enough to keep afloat if he relied on customers from one city.
But then he wondered what the Internet could do for him? Would it
allow him to reach more people?

Last year, Asjal launched his company at home, where he designs and
builds logos, brochures, planning sheets, and tables. The web site
was quick to follow and, a year later he was shipping products to
customers across the country. "Somewhere between 60 percent to 70
percent of my business comes off my web site," Asjal says. "I
evaluate it on a monthly basis and get 5 to 7 orders a month." Asjal
has 10 clients, who come from Karachi, Sialkot, Muree and, Lahore and
contact him by e-mail to place their orders. "It has really affected
my expenditures," Asjal says. "I don’t have to make long-distance
calls, pay employees or marketing personnel."

Fits like a glove:

SIALKOT: Shahida Shehzad, 35, didn’t want to give up on Faizan
Leathers, her newly established leather business of gloves and
jackets every time her husband was relocated. She had to find a
solution for a part-time business that would move wherever she had to
go.

Her family had already has moved once since the company’s inception,
and they are planning another move soon. But now that she has started
to communicate with clients over the Internet, her business will move
with her.

"This is such a great profession for me now," Shehzad says. "Since we
move around a lot, all I have to do now is just check my e-mail
account to keep in touch with my clients." Shehzad even has a little
help from her son who assists her by scanning pictures of products.

The worldwide web has become her primary source for clients. "I find
90 percent of my clients over the Internet," Shehzad says. "All of
them are Pakistanis but soon as we will develop our company’s website
will definitely get orders from abroad."

Shehzad made sure her company is quickly accessible on the Internet
by investing in good placement with search engines. "A large computer
sales and purchase company called City Computers has managed a net
community in the city," Shehzad says. "They also help me getting
business." On average Shehzad receives orders for 1,000 gloves on a
monthly basis through e-mails. Without the Internet, she thinks it
would have been impossible to create this business that suits her
needs so well.

Stepping out:

SIALKOT: Pervez Khan, 29, owner of Milli Shoes, used the Internet for
browsing web sites and chatting online while he used to wait for
customers at his shop. "I never thought about getting any business
from the Internet," he says. "But when I developed a home page, I got
replies." Clients sought him out for new designs and prices for his
products, which include, jogging shoes, shoulder bags and, khussas.

Khan manages to sell 3 to 4 pairs of shoes weekly to customers who
visit his shop, but he has sent out consignments of 10 to 20 pair of
shoes over the Internet. He has started manufacturing hand made shoes
and bags for distribution to Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Daska.

One man show:

LAHORE: Mamoon Raheed, a thirty-year old web developer and owner of
Hashe Computer Solutions is fully booked for the next three months
and he says he’s not interested in expanding."My business is
computers and web related," Rasheed says. "So it is better to have a
website and an online job at home, rather than maintain an expensive
office with lots of costly furniture and employees."

Hashe Computer Solutions gets 75 percent of its business from
cyberspace. Customers regardless
of the fact where are they based, don’t need to find Rasheed’s office
because he works online
at home and is available anytime they need him.

"We are cost effective and international companies access us for low
budget projects," Rasheed
says. "We get 5 or 4 orders monthly for developing, designing and
uploading web sites
according to their needs."

The simplest possible web presence is a one-page site that tells
people how to find the
business in the 'real' world, Rasheed says. But the way things are
looking for Rasheed, his presence is definitely being felt in
cyberspace.


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