Meet Zeenat Anjum

Among women who are taking up entrepreneurship, there are many Pakistani women who are not only pursuing it, but empowering others too. With two start ups to her name and a third one in progress, Zeenat Anjum is making efforts to not only make her own name, but to educate other women also in doing so.

Zeenat is a full time R&D engineer at Ghandhara Nissan who heads two startups of her own, known as The Masters and DigiWrite. Completing her MBA on the side, she has opted a few certifications from international institutes including Google Analytics.

We took the time to chat with Zeenat as part of our Working Women Pakistan series. She was gracious enough to tell us about herself and her work.

Meet Zeenat Anjum.

1 – Please tell us something about yourself.

Well, Assalam o Alaikum, I hope you are doing good.

I’m Zeenat. I live in Karachi and I have been brought up here, as well. As a student, I had been a hard working person but I was also among a few who had got bullied. After my graduation, I had formed these startups.

Professionally, I work at Ghandhara Nissan Limited as R&D engineer. I have completed my bachelors from NEDUET. I have formed two startups as well, namely The Masters and Digiwrite. Additionally, I am pursuing my MBA and have obtained a few international certifications. Now, when I look back, I see myself far away and aim to give back to the society . Currently, I just enjoy my married life and try my best to make my family happy.

2 – What made you turn towards entrepreneurship?

I guess, I have always always been into entrepreneurship. I started freelancing when I was in college. Gradually, I explored and learned the intricate procedures involved in freelancing and got more interested in it. By the time I was doing my bachelors, I had made multiple clients. Hence, I formed my startup after graduation.

3 – Please tell us about your start up.

To start off, The Masters was the first venture that I had started. During my undergraduate program, I tried to form a team of fellow students who had different skills. As students, it was a sort of pocket-money for us as we were getting paid for something that we were passionate about. After graduation, few of my batch mates got married off while few had got employed. An idea actually came to my mind to utilize the skills of those fellows who have been married off or are jobless. Hence, I formed The Masters in late 2015 to help such skilled people earn money from home.

Digiwrite – a community where new freelancers

The Masters – where skilled people can earn money from home

In late 2017, I had formed another startup as Digiwrite because I wanted to help people with my extensive knowledge. Plus, I have been among the pioneers of introducing freelancing in Pakistan. I am happy to have created a community where newbie freelancers can talk about their concerns and learn from the experts. Also, I have conducted a few sessions in institutes where I focus on freelancing entrepreneurship and others. Basically, Digiwrite aims to provide sessions on career counseling and corporate training.

4 – What’s your latest project about?

Currently, I am working on an e-commerce site that aims to empower women, particularly. With the help of this project, I plan to enable every housewife earn a great living with her own flexibility. It will be launched in a month, maximum. It will be launched soon.

5 – As a female entrepreneur, what were the main hurdles you faced on the way?

A lot, actually! I don’t know how to actually define it as the dilemma cannot be put into words. Nevertheless, to sum it up, the journey has been tough. Society is indeed cruel and females are often made the victims. But what people do not realize is the fact that THIS actually crushes their self esteem . I would also like to say that there are good people in the world, as well. So, as a female entrepreneur, I had to be smart enough to differentiate between the good and the bad.

6 – What advice, suggestions or motivation would you impart on other women who want to pursue entrepreneurship?

I think my advice to everyone is “Go for it”, as I believe that if we put our mind to it, we can surely achieve what we aim for. I wish all the best to each of the budding female entrepreneur and hope that as a mentor, I can contribute in a few.

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Thank you Zeenat, for speaking to us about your work and achievements.

If you wish to get in touch with Zeenat Anjum, drop her an email here.