“It was my first ever business venture, everything looked good on paper but I lacked the proper
execution skills. Nevertheless, it was my first taste of business – a thrilling learning experience. So
much so that even after it failed, I decided to continue with another business.” – Mehran Khan, a 16-
year old entrepreneur from Pakistan, explains his first experience with business.
Mehran Khan was born in Kharan, Balochistan to a family with humble means. He was 13 years old
when the desire to be independent, financially as well as mentally, was the initial driving factor in his
life. Today his struggles have paid off and with his businesses running smoothly Mehran has now
become a source of inspiration for youngsters all over the country.
I sat down with Mehran and asked him a few questions which once again proved that age is really just a
number and real maturity comes from within. So without further ado:
What is your definition of success?
“Success for me is when I am able to give my family and loved ones the standard of living they deserve. I
believe success is a result of happiness and not the other way around.”
How have you changed/grown since you started your business?
“I was thirteen when I started my first venture, and a lot has changed in the past three years. The most
prominent change I see is that I have become more responsible when it comes to expenses and
budgeting. Initially I struggled with keeping cash flow in check, So I learned book-keeping and money
management techniques to curb this habit.”
How do you push through your worst times?
“Perseverance and consistency are the two most important factors that can help anyone achieve their
goals and ambitions. What I’ve learned from experience is that if you believe that your idea will work,
then it most certainly will. When I am going through a particularly upsetting phase in my life, I go into
introspection and analyze myself first. Then I rationally understand the situation and try to figure out
the most productive solution to the problem.”
Can you tell me about a time when you almost gave up, how you felt about that, and what you did
instead of giving up?
“I felt very let down after my second business venture failed because the team I had put together was
constantly struggling to perform like I had imagined. Initially I was depressed and blamed the team’s
inability to succeed for the failure. Thankfully, I soon realized that as a leader it is my responsibility to
put my team-mates in a position to succeed – Playing by their strengths and helping them overcome
their personal challenges individually. So instead of giving up, I started working on my communication
skills and made an effort to understand my team on a deeper level. I am very glad to say that I still have
the same team working with me on my current projects.”
What are the most exciting projects you are working on now?
My current focus is Rifiako Media, a media publishing company that is supporting a community of
content creators by promoting their videos and helping them market their channel. We’re also working
on a content-creator training course which will help willing individuals understand the world of content-
creation and digital marketing.
