us_plan7's blog

“PopNosh is a family affair; run by me and my brothers. The first question people usually ask me is where the name PopNosh came from. Pop is from popcorn and Nosh means snacking in between meals and also is an urdu word نوش. 

We live in an age of distractions. Having many ideas is incredible but to be successful one has to focus. I go by the words of Peter Thiel – take your project from 0-1.
AimFit was established in 2015 and offer affordable fitness classes to all demographics including men, women and kids. We introduced programs like DanceFit (a desi twist on Zumba) and HIIT. 

They say behind every successful daughter there is a truly amazing dad. Mehmil is a passion project; we are a father daughter duo that aims to make your space aesthetically alluring with our pieces, be it your home, workplace or an event. I am a marketing graduate and my father is an art enthusiast. This venture was the amalgamation of the undeniable love I have for my motherland and the desire to have locally produced arts and crafts, reach international standards. Looking at the current space we would often wonder why Pakistan, a land of immense talent and creativity, is lagging behind.

“Food is in my genes! I studied hospitality in Switzerland, worked in restaurants and hotels there as well as in Amsterdam and South Africa. I had a plan to move to Chicago but before that, I came to Pakistan to spend some time with my mother. It was during that time that I noticed a gap in the food service market. It was then the idea of Xander’s came into being. 
Initially, my mother was the key driving force for me. She is a veteran in food business running ‘Café Flo’ for almost two decades now. She has supported me every step of the way.

“With the right intentions, a supporting partner and a unique idea, anything is possible. All you need after this is some hard work and lots of motivation. We had the ingredients so we went ahead with creating a perfect recipe ‘The Rack Couture’, a plus size fashion clothing brand in Pakistan for the first time.

Like every other student I was keen to work for a renowned organization after completing my Master’s degree in Mass Communication from Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore. I joined Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) as Designer’s Relation Manager and after three years I was Consultant for PFDC. During my time in PFDC I focused on building my network in the media industry. One major learning that I had from my time working there was feedback about PR agencies.

I am an only child, born into a typical middle-class family of Karachi. Despite all the negativity that, unfortunately, exists in our society, I was raised in a loving and supportive environment, molding me into the strong woman I am today.

I hold a BS degree in Economics and Finance from the Institute of Business Management. It was my father who taught me to be independent at an early age by confiding in me to represent my country at a delegation in South Africa. 

“Pakistan is a country of 208 million people. Half the people here cannot access basic health care, disproportionately and significantly affecting women and children, causing one in every five children die before their fifth birthday.
Of 1,000 children born in Pakistan’s poorest population quintile, 94 will die within 12 months 
and 120 within five years.
In the midst of this fragmented and negligible health care system, Pakistan conserves a health force of 170,000 doctors, majority(more than 60%) of those are female doctors.

“As an individual, I consider responsibility to my community as an integral part of my identity, and I want to share it with others so that we all evolve towards a more conscious narrative which is otherwise condemned to amnesia.”

Through my own initiative My Voice Unheard, I aim to combine design thinking approach and the new media tools through visual story-telling and self-expression to highlight the invisible voices in our community.

“It has been a bumpy #entrepreneurial road. It was blood, sweat and tears all the way. Today people enjoy Travly's service. They #love (and partially hate) the content we share on social media. It looks like a happy go lucky story, but it never was. The hard part was finding a mentor/investor that aligns with our vision and brings real value to the team. Gladly we found our ace at the right time.