Tention Free: Tell us about yourself?
I am Nousheen Mukhtar. I am originally from Pakistan but I am living in Dubai, UAE since 2009. I am a serial entrepreneur with a mission of supporting other entrepreneurs towards business excellence and growth. My position in life is determined by my efforts towards helping people in finding their best talents. I have been encouraging many in polishing their talents and strengths to build powerful brands over the years. I have been in business since 2012 and I believe anyone with enough passion and drive to achieve can grow and thrive in what they do.
Tention Free: How did you start your business and what was the major push to start?
I started back in 2012 when it became impossible to have a full time job. I was originally a writer who loved expressing life’s beauty through words. My literary reviews and poems were published in hundreds of ezines during my early 20s. My passion for writing and be known for it was a major drive but I was treating it as a side hustle till 2012. When motherhood prevented me from working full time, I decided to convert my side hustle into a full time business and I hired remote employees to work with me on various projects in the beginning. That is how the foundations of YesGulf and Buraq Media were laid. My first establishment was named VOI, it evolved into Writerz Glaore in 2013 with a team of 8 employees and we became a digital marketing and content writing company in Pakistan my home country. Writerz Galore moved as a software house into Dynasty Technologies in 2014. We established YesGulf as a publishing, PR platform in 2015 and the evolution of my business continued till it became a 360 degrees marketing, media and PR agency named Buraq Media, which is the present thriving establishment. Yes, it has been a journey and an exciting one.
Tention Free: How would you turn a negative situation into positive?
Well, it is not difficult. I strongly believe in the power of positivity. Just view the negative situation as a lesson, a challenge that you have to cope with and build something more meaningful and acceptable from it. The essence of success lies in retaining positivity even when things are not going your way.
Tention Free: Who inspired you for your business?
First person is my father. He inspired me to believe in myself and be who I am. He built myself-confidence and gave me the strength to innovate. He was a true inspiration for me. He was a very hard working person who loved his family deeply. He built this desire to win, and motivated me always to lead. I remember when I was little I was always conscious of my performance because I wanted to make him proud. This wish to do best to make him proud built a system inside me that pushed me to go beyond boundaries and do away with any self-limiting beliefs because I had to see the shining stars in his eyes and make him proud.
Tention Free: Being a woman from the East(which is a chauvinistic patriarchal society) did you face any hurdles as you led the way towards building businesses and making them grow?
Hurdles? No, I received support and encouragement from family and friends. My brother and my husband stood by my side all the time while I was working day in, day out to make it happen. They appreciated by ideas and helped me in managing the business in two countries. I spent most of my time in the UAE and visited Pakistan occasionally. My interaction with businessmen in the UAE brought it more confidence. I always received admiration, encouragement and appreciation. I enjoyed my position as a woman in leadership. It has been fun!
Tention Free: What is your ultimate goal in life?
I want to help everyone who needs me! My ultimate goal is to make a system that allows growth to everyone and offer support where needed. To achieve this goal I have built a community called YesGulf. This is a business community that offers support, growth opportunities and learning to businessmen and skilled professionals by hosting meetups, forums and workshops. It has a refined referral system that allows executives and entrepreneurs to generate business referrals and grow. As a support system it has been securing significant attention in the UAE. I plan to spread it globally and refine it further to build significant business support system while the fourth industrial revolution goes full swing.
Tention Free: What advice can you give yourself?
Keep your eyes open, be receptive and build more on your dreams!
Tention Free: I there any advice you would give to a person who is starting out in their career, may be something similar to yours?
My advice is: Research, plan well, strategize and do not let any challenges pull you down. Be Unstoppable!
Personal Instagram: @nousheenmukhtar
LinkedIn: Nousheen Mukhtar
