Document page
ABR 2025 26(Entrepreneurial)printed 23 · PDF 33
102 pagesrevision 50940
printed 23 · PDF 33
Page image rendered from the stored file at 110 dpi; it sharpens as you zoom. Outlines are placed from each region’s stored position on the page (596 × 842 pt).
readable
Source of this text: embedded text layer. The better of the embedded text and OCR is kept.
Then she put her cakes on Insta, started
getting
DMs,
and
boom—15,000
followers, orders flying in, two people
working for her now. Not bad for
someone who started with a hand mixer.
Or Shahid in Multan—ran your average
corner shop, until this fintech guy
convinced him to try taking payments
by QR code. Next thing you know, he
doesn’t have to stress about coins. The
app sees his regular sales, offers him a
microloan, and suddenly he’s got more
stock on his shelves and making 30%
more money. You love to see it. Stuff
like this is happening everywhere. It’s
not just about making money, either—
these tools are giving families a shot at a
better life, maybe even a future where
their kids don’t have to work the shop
Not Just The Little Guys: Who’s
Helping Out?
Turns out, even the government finally
noticed. The State Bank’s pushing for
more people to use mobile banking,
making it easier to open accounts, and
letting fintech startups do their thing.
There’s a bunch of NGOs in the mix, too
—Karandaaz,
Pakistan
Poverty
Alleviation Fund—running crash courses
on
how
to
use
your
phone
for
marketing, payments, keeping track of
cash, all that jazz. And you’ve got
startup incubators like Plan9 and Code
for Pakistan, where young geniuses are
cooking
up
apps
for
inventory,
payments,
customer
management—
tools made for regular folks, not just
tech bros. So yeah, the streets haven’t
gone
anywhere,
but
the
screens?
They’re
everywhere
now.
And
for
Pakistan’s small business owners, that’s
not just a trend—it’s a lifeline.
How Digital Change Hits Different:
Women Taking the Lead
Honestly, one of the wildest—and best—
side effects of this digital wave? It’s how
it’s flipping the script for women. Like, in
tons of places across Pakistan, women
can’t just pop open a store or wander
around town for work. (Cultural stuff,
safety stuff, you know the drill.) But
now? With aphone and some WiFi, a
woman can launch a business from her
living room. Clothes, crafts, cupcakes—
whatever. The internet doesn’t care if
you’re working in your pajamas. Take
HerGround, for example. That app’s
legit, helping women link up with
delivery services that aren’t sketchy or
run
by
guys
who
make
them
uncomfortable. Social media’s also a
game-changer.
Suddenly,
being
creative or talented actually matters
more than knowing the right uncle or
living in the “right” part of town. And let’s
be real: this isn’t just good for women,
it’s good for everyone. More money
coming in at home, women making their
own choices, paying for school, feeling
more confident. It’s progress, plain and
simple.
Roadblocks? Oh yeah, there’s plenty.
Sure, all this sounds shiny, but it’s not all
sunshine and unicorns. Tons of people—
especially older folks or those out in the
sticks—aren’t
exactly
whizzes
with
smartphones. You tell them to post on
Insta, and they look at you like you’ve
grown a second head. And don’t even
get me started on scams. Then there’s
the whole “access” problem. Phones are
cheaper than they used to be, but they
still aren’t free. Internet? Sometimes it’s
slow as molasses or costs half your
paycheck, especially if you’re not in a
23
Enterprise Edition