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Some people inspire their families; others inspire their colleagues. However, some individuals like Burhan Mirza boost their friends, family, and an entire generation of youngsters. And that too in a field that was virtually non-existent or optimistically stating “was trying to find its feet” when he stepped into the world of information technology.
Burhan is an entrepreneur, a life coach, a sports enthusiast, and one of the critical drivers of the digital revolution in Pakistan. If we say Burhan is one of the pioneers of the IT industry in Pakistan, it won’t be an understatement.
This dynamic personality belongs to a well-established family. Youngest of the three siblings, Burhan has been married for almost 15 years, and the couple has two children – a beautiful daughter and a son.
Having multiple opportunities to enhance his career abroad, Burhan Mirza decided to contribute to his homeland to fulfill his dream of bringing a digital revolution to Pakistan. Altruism is Burhan’s defining characteristic. He is not only a selfless person but also a person of the masses who believes in empowering people. He has never thought about himself, and his collective conscience outstrips his one. He deserves credit for enhancing the careers of hundreds of people who are now successful entrepreneurs themselves, and as per him, this is his most significant gift to the country. He not only believes in giving but is single handily responsible for turning the fortunes of hundreds of families and transforming generations for the betterment.
He conquered the world of entrepreneurship and achieved it sooner than most because he was always a doer. Burhan wanted to take up new challenges and scale new heights, and entrepreneurship allowed him to show the world his unique talent. Besides, it allowed him to transmit his knowledge about IT to the younger generation. Burhan Mirza is a workaholic, and his favorite aspect of work is to benefit people by transforming their lives – changing how people approach life in different situations. Many of his colleagues claim that Burhan is absolute magic, and when he transfers that magic to others, that is when he feels satisfied with his work. This fire that burns in his heart forces him to rise every day, motivating him to compete no matter how adverse the situation is. He is not only an optimist but also a realist. His motivation is the people who have worked with him, and Burhan knows how to keep his people happy.
When Pakistan was on the cusp of the infotech revolution, Burhan contributed to accelerating this process. He understood and utilized the potential of young Pakistani graduates and had an idea about the extensive services export market available in North America and the United Kingdom.
He gained much knowledge while working in TradeKey, Pakistan’s first and biggest B2B platform and services export venture, which turned out to be a nursery for the future of Pakistan’s digital scene. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that Burhan Mirza established his firm, which has since created one of the best-selling services brands Pakistan has ever produced. He not only garnered success for himself but also transferred his experience and skills to others so that his legacy stays alive and the digital scene in Pakistan goes from strength to strength.
Nietzsche famously said that a man could be judged by evaluating his strengths and weaknesses. Burhan, too, has plenty of resilience and some flaws. His fault is that he easily trusts people and sometimes gives too much freedom to explore different avenues, which sometimes haunts him because everybody doesn’t deserve that sympathy. Nonetheless, his strong work ethic is one of his key strengths. Mentoring and getting the best of his resources is also one of his strengths. He possesses leadership qualities like no other that have helped him succeed along the path. In addition, he has a knack for selecting ideas that could be developed into successful businesses and identifying the ones that could fail.
As the famous saying goes, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” and Burhan Mirza is the living epitome of this phrase. Everyone faces challenges, and so does he; and went through many ups and downs at various stages of his life, but Burhan Mirza’s grit and determination have helped him overcome those testing times. According to Burhan, the key to overcoming any harsh life situation is to kill your fears. He has worked hard to remove doubts and fears regarding his abilities. Moreover, connecting with God has greatly helped him escape challenging situations. He has always believed in the statement “mind over matter” and has trained his mind to fight any problem without backing out. Burhan has learned plenty of lessons throughout his journey as an entrepreneur; however, the best lesson he has learned is to remain humble. He once said that to succeed as an entrepreneur, one must avoid arrogance and anger.
Burhan Mirza is like a library to budding entrepreneurs, especially in the digital space. His advice to young entrepreneurs is to have a solid plan and a workable idea. Not to forget, patience is the most crucial characteristic in a successful project, while rash and impulsive decision-making can destroy it entirely.
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This content is brought to you by Meghna Deshraj
Photo provided by the author with written permission from owner Diane Hoffman