Being ‘enterprising’…

A few weeks back, I joined this organisation called Social Enterprise London. SEL is the largest network of social enterprises in Great Britain. I found this out after I attended their Annual General Meeting (AGM) a few days ago. Of course when I had joined it was just a google search…as all important internet decisions are made, I picked the organisation with the nicest website! I joined because it’s supposed to provide support and training to those who’re running social enterprises or those who want to start one. I fall in the latter category.

I was sold to the idea of social enterprises after reading Mohammad Yunas’s (the Nobel laureate founder of Grameen Bank) book ‘Creating a World Without Povery: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism’. Although not a very well-wrtitten book, it still inspired me to think of ways in which I could make a difference and the confidence to think ‘Yes I can’. My long term goal has always been to start something on my own. But I’ve also always believed that I don’t want to start just another NGO to start competing in the already-saturated NGO ‘market’ out there. Social enterprises seem like a much better idea. Why? Because, like NGOs or charities (the more popular term in the UK) they try to deal with social issues, but unlike charities they don’t believe in donations or handouts. This applies both to themselves and to those whom they seek to help. Every social enterprise is first and foremost a business, but with the intention of doing some good. Win-win. Different social enterprises have different business models. Some reinvest all or a part of their profits back into the business or donate to a social cause or charity. For others the very nature of the business is such that it fulfils a social need or deals with a social issue (for example, running a restaurant that employs and trains ex-offenders or troubled youth to become chefs).

Yunas makes the distinction between a ’social business’ and a ’social enterprise’. According to his definition, a social enterprise is any initiative (could be a company or an NGO or charity) that seeks to alleviate a social problem. While a social business is a business that has a social goal AND reinvests ALL its profits back into the business as opposed to paying dividends to the shareholders (as is the case with traditional ‘profit-maximizing’ companies). In that sense, the definition is narrower and more stringent as a social business is a social enterprise but a social enterprise is not necessarily a social business. So what? According to Yunas, this distinction is important because a social business can never be true to its goal or make a lasting impact unless it reinvests ALL its profits back into the business. When it tries to keep shareholders happy and also reinvest some of the profits, the profit maximization part of it will always win out. The only case in which he allows dividends to be paid by a social business is if it is owned by the ‘poor’ themselves, as is the case with Grameen Bank.

I don’t necessarily agree with Yunas’s distinction and certainly don’t think his model is the only one out there, but I really do think he’s done wonderful work and his example is quite an inspiration for those who want to think along those lines. Also he doesn’t believe it takes a certain kind of person to start a social business. Any one who wants to make a difference can do it, as long as they are sincere and remember that they are running a business and go about it professionally.

As a side note: SEL’s AGM also featured a debate between three MPs from the three major political parties. The debate itself was ok, but what really impressed me was how humble and accessible these MPs were. After the debate, they stayed back to talk to the members over refreshments. There were no ‘chamchas’ (sidekicks), no security, no press-wallahs. Unbelievable. In Pakistan, if a Minister shows up at an event, there would be a motorcade, security and all that fuss and even then an average person would never get a chance to speak to him/her. After the event when I was leaving the venue, one of the MPs, Angela Smith of the Labour Party, was walking out at the same time. I stopped to tell her that I enjoyed her talk (which I did. She seemed very sensible, sincere and practical as opposed to the others. The Tory MP, Nick Hurd, just seemed to be playing to the gallery…there was something very annoyingly insincere about his demeanour. While the Lib Dem MP, I forget her name, seemed like she needed more experience). I just expected her to say “thank you” and leave it at that. But what absolutely surprised me was that she stopped and seemed genuinely grateful and asked me what I did. I told her about my ideas for starting up a social enterprise. After telling her that I was from Pakistan, she told me that her husband has actually written a text book on Pakistan Studies that is taught to O levels students! Anyway, on getting out of the building I started walking to the tube station and she said she was going to catch a bus. I couldn’t believe my ears. Can you imagine a Pakistani minister taking a bus? Even if I put aside the fact that this is the election year and hence every minister is probably being extra nice to potential voters, what I really found absolutely amazing was that they still seemed normal and approachable.

Despite all the MP expense scandals, and I’m not so naive as to think there is no corruption or that the system is perfect, I still think it’s a great system where someone like me (who’s basically a nobody) can chat to a minister, walk with them and then both take public transport to get home!

Job Search Calculus

So I was told by a friend that for every 10 job applications you send, you get 1 interview and for every 10 interviews, you get 1 job offer. Keeping that ratio in mind, I need to send out a 100 applications to get one job offer.

Over this past year, I applied for jobs off and on and got a few interview calls but none materialized into a job offer. I guess my calculus was off. So now I’ve decided to meticulously follow the formula. I’m going to aim for the magic 100 mark. I’ve sent out 3 applications this

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Pakistan’s First Winter Olympian

What an achievement for someone who would cut some wood, chisel it, and make it into something looking vaguely like a ski and tie it to his feet with rubber or nylon rope! Muhammad Abbas, has come a long way from the days when he was just another child playing for fun with his friends on the snow slopes of Northern Pakistan. On Tuesday, the 24-year-old became the first Pakistani to compete at the Winter Olympics. All Pakistanis are proud of you Abbas!

Photo by Reuters

Transformation in 6 months?

Last night I got myself involved in something crazy, at least it seems that way at the moment. It doesn’t scare me but something inside me is still resisting. I enrolled myself into a 6 month leadership programme offered by an organisation known for its work in bringing transformation in the lives of many people all over the world. What’s crazy is the schedule and the level of commitment. I’m committed to the course for more than 10 hours every single week and 4 full weekends (Sat, Sun, 9am-11pm!) over the course of the next 6 months. It has

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I WILL NOT BE LATE ANYMORE!

There are certain habits of mine that I had thought were incurable. They had almost taken the status of ‘beliefs’ about myself, such as “I am a procrastinator”, “I can never be on time”, “I cannot wake up for fajr” and its related “I’m not a morning person”.

Recently my sister Wardah taught me a very important lesson: We should not make ‘bad habits’ excuses for not doing the things we know are important.

Just to give an example: Wardah told me that sometime back she had vowed that no matter what time she slept, she will wake up for

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He’s still alive in my heart!

A man of great knowledge, wisdom and personality; a man who throughout his life, from growing up in Poonch, Jammu to moving to Pakistan to the task of getting life restarted here,  showed great courage and character. Nana Abu was a man of extreme intelligence. Lighting up conversations with his clever sense of humor and winning hearts and minds with his deep thought provoking lessons, Nana Abu had it all!

I remember, back in Dubai when he came to visit us , I would spend a lot of time with him. We had a fun relationship and would have inside jokes

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Our blog’s new dedicated reader!

I was in Pakistan for the last month and a half. While I was there, I didn’t even get a chance to check my emails, let alone write a blog.
A few days before leaving, I asked my mother if she’d had a chance to check out our blog. She said she hadn’t. Mama’s not a very active internet user, but every once in a while she does come online. I wrote down our blog’s URL for her and yesterday when I reached London, I found out she’d spent all day reading our blogposts– from start to end! She said she’d

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Safeguarding our future

I just read a thought provoking article on the impact on climate change becoming apparent even in areas like Kashmir. With major issues like terrorism, “politicians”, and corruption hovering around us like hungry vultures, we ponder little about this extremely important part defining our future. Climate change is a major concern for the whole world. The rising rates of pollution are alarming and the impact now visible in the areas considered as habitat of ecosystem. Devastations caused by droughts, famines and even tsunamis and earthquakes are consequences of changes in the environment which we have a contribution towards.

Keeping

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2010

Another year came to an end and people all over the world celebrated the start of a new year better than ever before. If we had the ability to see the transmission of SMS messages, there would not have been any visibility on the day, as trillions of best wishes and greetings would have been flying all around us. I too joined in with a renewed vigour and optimism. But it makes me wonder sometimes that what is it about the start of a new year that we celebrate. Do we celebrate our satisfaction on the way the previous year

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Celebrating Gulgee

On this day two years ago, Ismail Gulgee, one of the best painters Pakistan has ever seen, was found murdered in his Karachi home along with his wife and maid. It was indeed a sad day for Pakistan, but Gulgee lives on through his work.

Dawn’s media gallery today is titled “Remembering Gulgee“. I’m glad they reminded the rest of us to not only remember but celebrate this amazing Pakistani hero.