The Start-up Guide: A Complete Guide to Launch Your Startup in Pakistan

Being an entrepreneur sounds glamourous – particularly when you’re a techpreneur. You identify a problem. Find a solution for that problem. Use technology for that solution. Launch it. Go through the ups and downs. And voila, you’ve discovered the next Silicon Valley unicorn.

While this sounds easy, there are certain questions that every person in Pakistan must take into consideration before they launch their startups in Pakistan.

What’s the Idea?

If you are thinking about creating a start-up then you’ve got to have an idea. This idea has to either solve an existing problem or be a complete game-changer. It should also be tailored towards establishing itself in the current environment and market of Pakistan.

Take Careem for instance, when it was first launched in Pakistan, it changed the way people traveled – first within cities, and now between cities. It addressed the economic challenge in the country by creating jobs. And it was tailored so that every province had its own Careem promo codes and greeting for the residents of that city.

You may have some great ideas, but if you’re unable to address an existing issue and create a business plan to plan, develop, and execute that idea, chances are that your start-up won’t succeed in the long run.

How do we finance it?

Financing your idea is imperative. And so, managing your finances is crucial. So assess your risk appetite. Is it going to be go big or go home or don’t put all your eggs in one basket? Either way, you’ve got to start somewhere.

The Prime Minister’s Youth Business Loan scheme is an initiative by the Government of Pakistan for small businesses – particularly unemployed educated youth to establish or expand business enterprises. This initiative aims to promote entrepreneurship while reducing unemployment and poverty in Pakistan. All sectors are welcome to apply including but not limited to small wholesalers, retailers, traders, manufacturers of the SME segment with primarily focus on young entrepreneurs.

What about marketing?

If you are not an expert on marketing then you should become one before launching your startup. Luckily, you’ve got an abundance of information on learning sites such as Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera. Furthermore, with the rise of social media, many start-ups rely heavily on digital marketing as their primary marketing tool due to their low cost margins.

Do you have a mentor?

You may think you are good enough to execute and carry on with your idea but in reality you will need a mentor. This is where incubators and accelerators such as ‘Jazz xlr8’ can help you by providing you resources and expertise which will not only help your startup to grow but also to accelerate the growth.

Jazz xlr8 is a great initiative by the renowned mobile network and internet services provider, Jazz. Hosted in the National Incubation Center, the program offers start-ups a high-tech work space and facility, huge network of retailers, integration with a payment solution, open APIs and much more. This reflects Jazz’s commitment to provide the best services for a growing Digital Pakistan.

Check out the Top Startup Incubators and Accelerators in Pakistan here!

Are you passionate?

Creating a startup is the easy part, what requires work is establishing it and growing with each year. Just to put things into perspective you should know that 71% of businesses fail within their first 10 years!

If you don’t want to be part of those statistics, then you’ve got to have the key ingredient. Passion. It is this same passion and grit that will come into play when your idea is challenged and criticized, when you’re running on your last thousand rupees, when you’ll have to work through sleepless nights.

So if you’re ready to take the journey full speed and commit to becoming a techpreneur, remember to take the aforementioned steps into account.