ASSIGNMENT # 2

SUBJECT: Entrepreneurship
PROGRAM: B.com (hons.)
PRESENTED TO: Sir Zeeshan Shauqat
PRESENTED BY: Kholla wasim (13007058013)
Ammara Taj (13007058049)
Aiqa Ahsan (13007058017)
Maira Umer (13007058014)
MARO Tandoors is a startup that was founded by a group of four supremely passionate and
talented undergraduate students of LUMS; Ali Ahmed, Saifullah Minhas, Zain-ul-Abideen Hassan
and Zaeem Shahid. Ali Ahmed brought the other members together and formed a team that began
researching on tandoors and laid the initial groundwork for the project. Then they encountered the
LUMS Centre of Entrepreneurship (LCE), a business incubator situated inside the campus. It was
a perfect platform for them to develop and nurture MARO Tandoors further. They were anxious
to get a chance to be a part of the LCE. So, they presented
their idea to them and, luckily for them, the management
(of the LCE) was impressed. They were then welcomed to
be a part of the LCE, even though its registrations had
closed. With the help of the LCE, they were able to
successfully launch the tandoor firstly in Model Town,
Lahore

Though MARO Tandoors started off as a road-side dhaba in 2015 however now they have full-
fledge operational branches in Model Town and DHA Lahore. The product range being offered by
MARO is diverse, ranging from a variety basic naans to special naans such as

Nutella Naan,
Pizza Naan,
Chicken Teryaki Naan
Tarragon Chicken Naan etc.
Apart from this, they also offer a variety of beverages. The nutella naan and the pizza naan are
their inventions.
MARO plans to open a network of Tandoors over Lahore and eventually all over Pakistan which
provide them a large variety of rotis and naans. They want to improve the existing experience that
customers have while visiting tandoors by adding quality and hygiene standards, as well as a
beautiful shop as reflected by their mission statement shown below.

To provide tandoor customers what they deserve- The best service, hygiene and taste possible

For the assignment under study, we interviewed Ali Ahmed one of the founder and CEO of MARO
Tandoors

START AT FIRST PLACE

Mr Ali said that he had a passion to do something in food industry, having that passion he thought
that he should start his business with that thing which sells on a large level in Pakistan and that
was Roti. According to him, the existing condition of tandoors in Pakistan was a huge source of
motivation for them to start this venture. All four of them have been friends for quite some time,
and they felt that rather than wait for someone else to do something about this, we should take a
step ourselves. They felt that there was a lot of potential in this business, and if done right, we
could go places.

LIMITATIONS
He admit that MARO team have struggled a lot in the first two months. They were precariously
close to going out of business at one point. At start they opened their Tandoor by selling all basic
authentic Beef naan, chicken naan etc. on that time their tandoor didnt work, it closed down. They
again opened it having Rs.25000 in their pocket and started paying their employees on daily wage
basis. They started applying new names for naan and this time they start tandoor introducing
products no one had ever heard of including Nutella naan, Pizza naan which work out day by day.
This invention increased their sales and they become capable to run their tandoor continue.
Another biggest initial hurdle they faced was dealing with tandoor employees which they had
hired from other places. He said that they were not accustomed to working the way we wanted
them to work, especially in hygienic conditions. We overcame this by training them extensively
and leading by example as well. After a couple of months, we were able to establish a culture of
cleanliness, as well as of talking to each other in a civilized manner etc.
 COMARATIVE ADVANTAGE
He said that their comparative advantage is that they have completely revamped the concept of
tandoors. By inventing and providing new types of naans, as well as by providing hygienic and
quality products, we have managed to differentiate ourselves from existing tandoors quite well.
He further add that they were students at that time, so this thing became a very common topic
among people that students of LUMS had started a tandoor because before that no educated person
or student had driven towards this business. So, a student factor in shape of sympathy and support
also become their another comparative advantage.

MARKETING STRATEGY
Mr. Ali ahmed said that at initial level of their tandoor they used to advertise by distributing
pamphlets and broachers among people but it didnt work out. He further said that they had not
hired any professional marketer for their business. A person they choose for their business
marketing was such person who had or has no knowledge regarding to marketing, he even never
studied marketing and this was their good part because a person with no knowledge do random
things which differentiate him from others work. As their target population was students so, their
marketer medium for advertisement is only Facebook as students are mostly found on it so, they
did their Facebook marketing by going out of the box and by posting in different attractive ways
which worked for them. He further add that their most effective form of marketing has been word
of mouth. Customers mostly visit their shop through referrals by other customers.

FINANCIAL OBSTACLES
In the first two months, they were precariously close to going out of business because of no sales.
At that time they arranged Rs. 25000 from other sources to try their new inventions of Nutella
naan and Pizza naan which later worked.

FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES
Mr. Ali said that there are many financial opportunities in Pakistan for an entrepreneur. If you have
an idea which will become profitable in future then definatly you will find financing from many
sources as there are many investors who are ready to invest in business whose ideas sounds good
to them.
MARO team had invested 7 lac in their business and got 3 lac as financial opportunity from their
LUMS Centre of Entrepreneurship (LCE) to start their tandoor.

PAY BACK PERIOD

According to Mr. Ali a perfect payback period in their industry is depends upon the idea which
one business brings. MARO tandoor payback period was approximately 1 year.
 Our mission is to provide the best of baby brands/products to the parents of Pakistan on
market competitive rates with the convenience of prompt home delivery in any city of
Pakistan.

ONLINE BABY STORE

Baby Planet is the first online store of Pakistan. Established on December 31, 2013. They offers a
wide range of baby and kids (up to 12 years of age)
products at market effective prices. It doesnt matter
if customers are looking to buy diapers for their baby
from popular brands like Pampers, Canbebe or want
to buy baby skin care products from top brands like
Johnsons & Johnson, Mustella, or Pigeon, With
numerous well-known brands on board, you are
bound to find almost anything youre looking for your little one. Almost every baby products are
available on their website like baby apparels, shoes, diapers, baby food, cereals, skin care products,
bathing products & accessories, baby toys and games, baby walkers, baby stallers, school &
stationery products and number of other baby products of some well-known brand. They also cater
to mothers with their maternity products. Like any e-commerce store, add stuff to your cart and
have it delivered to your house.

BABY PRODUCTS:

Before online shopping, it was a tedious and difficult job for parents to shop for their kids. With
Baby Planet, now you can get the best products available in the market from top brands at
affordable prices. Apart from that, our seasonal promotions, sales, and discount offers will make
your online shopping experience even better. Choose from our wide range of baby products and
pay cash on delivery. If in case you do not like our product(s), you can avail a full refund or
replacement.

MATERNITY PRODUCTS:

Mothers deserve the best of products and Baby Planet wants to help them in getting the best of
maternity products available in market. We cater all needs of mothers from their first month of
pregnancy to their post-baby needs. Take a look at our list of popular international brands and get
them delivered at your home for FREE*.

Contact Information:

Contact number: +92 423 59 69 598

Email: info@babyplanet.pk

care@babyplanet.pk

Address:
22 - L Gulberg 3, Main Ferozepur Road, Lahore

For the assignment under study, we interviewed Irfan Ahmed founder and CEO of Baby Planet
 START AT FIRST TIME

The founder name of Baby Planet is Irfan Ahmed. He was a business student. In his final year
project, he has to launch a business as he was doing his major in entrepreneurship. So, he decided
to launch a business as Baby planet in Pakistan as an entrepreneur which claims to be Pakistans
first online store to offer a wide range of products for kids at market effective prices. . He was a
student of University of Central Punjab.

DIFFICULTIES
There are some difficulties to launch the business that are:

Making team for the successful business, there were no infrastructure.

Research work
To grow the customers.
International relationships

COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE

Baby Planet is an online store focusing on niche market, their target is only mothers and babies
need. As well as its another comparative advantage is its International relationship with top brands
including Mother care, Dcor, Pigeon etc.

MARKETING STRATEGY

Successful:

Social Media including Facebook, Google.

Email
Provide free balloons having name of our company on it to kids going in a car, deals with
different hostels to target new born babies on their hostel in order to provide their mother
gift hampers and free vouchers.

Unsuccessful:

Mr Irfan said, we did an event in Expo Center but our return was not as per our expectations.
 FINANCIAL OBSTACLES

Accoirding to Mr. Irfan there were no such financial obstacles because their need for money was
not such high as well as they didnt face any slump in their sales. They obtained investment of Rs
20000- 25000 in start from local investors and use it in Website designing, in purchasing Website
domain and in advertisement etc.

FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES

Mr. Irfan said that there are many local investors which are willing to invest in an idea, a new
business but it require some working draft for them to increase their credibility upon the business
that how much it would be profitable in near future. On that basis they invest on that particular
business or idea.
Baby Planet also raise their fund through obtaining investment from such local investors.

PAYBACK PERIOD

Mr Irfan said that in their industry invested money is recover on rolling basis. Their initial
investment payback period was not too long, it was around 6 months.
Markhor is an online men shoes brand started off with the idea that best products are made with
passion and investing many hours of tough labor and attention. The combines indigenous
craftsmanship with modern design. It was founded by Sidra Qasim and Waqas Ali on 6 June
2012. The team conceptualizes, designs and manufactures its own line of footwear by working
closely with some of the most skilled craftsmen. Markhor is built on the idea of connecting the
craftsmen directly with the people who value their art. Markhor was built on the notion that good
products are the result of a good and happy community. We invest in the potential of our craftsmen.
Markhor shoes fully integrate the values essential to our brand. The leather used for creating
Markhor products comes from animals that have been bred only for meat production.

We strongly believe in evolving interactions with customers

(friends as we call them) into genuine relationships. The team
and the founders regularly interact with Markhor friends
through various mediums to stay in touch. Markhor friends
not only inspire us to deliver our best, they help us define
who we are. Today, Markhor has developed into a brand that
pushes the boundaries of Pakistans leather industry to new
heights. Waqas Ali and Sidra Qasim recently sat down with the AgayBarho! team to share their
story, and gave us a bit of insight on the lessons they learnt in developing a progressive brand set
to conquer the world.

For the assignment under study, we interviewed Waqas Ali one of the founder of MARKHOR
 START AT FIRST PLACE

Mr Waqar told us that, I was at Fc College studying in Physics, at that time me and Sidra was
running a company where we were helping businesses how to use social media. During one
summer vacation when I was in my village near Okara, I met a group of craftsmen in the local
punchayat so, over there I learned about that guy (Mr. hussain) who was making shoes for several
years now and told that how he and his team are making handmade shoes. The quality was not
there but the passion was there which clicked me. I shared this idea to Sidra when I came back to
Lahore and after the several meetings we started work on this. When we dig deep we figure out
that Shoe industry specially handcrafted Shoe industry is dying in Pakistan. So, these kind of things
made us more passionate that we have to revive this industry and help these craftsmen. Also some
of the most well-known luxury brands work with craftsmen in developing countries like Pakistan,
India and Vietnam but rarely talk about them. To change this we started working on the idea of
Markhor

LIMITATIONS
1) Hussain, in his 50s, loathed the internet and considered the possibility of a nationwide ban
on Facebook an absolute necessity. Hussains opinions about the digital world, and the
best way to do it was to connect Hussain and other craftsmen crafts to an international
audience online a journey that was riddled with challenges.
2) Decline in local demand for handcrafted Shoes
3) Resources were limited

COMARATIVE ADVANTAGE
He add that our craftsmen are themselves our comparative advantage by being the product of an
1800 year old process of close learning and innovation.

MARKETING STRATEGY
1) Marketing strategy which worked was Facebook marketing, as this trend is become viral
among everybody so, that was the only useful source of capturing the audience which
worked. There was another marketing strategy of us which worked: Five days after launch,
we sold our first pair of chappals, mens summer sandals crafted out of leather, to a
customer in France. We handwrote a thank you note, a tradition weve continued as our
business has grown. That first customer talked about his chappals so much that France is
still one of the companys top markets for that shoe now.
2) We didnt use as such any other way of marketing other than digital marketing so, there
were no such marketing strategies which didnt worked for our business.
 FINANCIAL OBSTACLES
When we started working on the idea of Markhor, we did not have the finance to take the project
forward and for a brief while returned to focusing on our digital media company. When our
company failed giving assistance in this project, Sidra and I took up different jobs to make money.
Meanwhile, we applied for various grants and competitions as well. Our big breakthrough came
in September 2011 when the Pasha Fund for Social Innovation, a programme sponsored by Google
Inc, awarded us $10,000. But since the money was handed in installments of $2,000 it took us a
while to firmly establish ourselves, Mr. Waqar said.

FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES
Mr. Waqas further add that we received support from Plan9, one of the countrys largest
technology incubator, and through our Kickstarter Campaign, we tried to do our best to amaze our
backers in any possible way. We raised $107,284 from 508 backers who are from 35 different
countries. For other new entrepreneurs he add, that there are many financial opportunities for
entrepreneur to launch their idea. One of the main source is local investors of their country.

PAY BACK PERIOD

On query of payback period in their industry, he said this varies from business to business. And
what your priorities are.
ICE CURL
Ice curl was established in 2015. It was started by Wasi-ul-Qadir and
his co-founder Mohammad Ali. Both of them are active partner. They
didnt face any financial problems because the owner and his co-
founder both invest in the business from their own saving. The start-up
was launched this in Lahore, two friends Wasi-ul-Qadir and
Mohammad Ali fell in love with the concept after trying it out in
Thailand. Move over ice curl! Theres a new dessert in town. Popular
on the streets of Thailand, ice curl have finally made their debut in
Lahore and are a street treat not to be missed. Our target customers are those people who love ice
cream and those who are curious and interested in trying new products. The main focus would be
teenagers and female customers
We came across ice curl as a social media sensation which seemed rather appealing, Wasi-
ul-Qadir said. Having tasted it in Thailand and Singapore, we were instantly convinced this
culinary experience, coupled with the customized flavors, is something we had to bring to
Pakistan,
The process starts by pouring a liquid ice cream base on to an ice pan over which mixins are
thrown and chopped. The mixture is then flattened and left to freeze
for a short while, after which the rolls are made and served fresh with
your choice of topping.
At ice curl, we make fresh ice cream everyday right in front of your
eyes, M. Ali explained
Contact Information:

Address: Fortress Stadium Mian Mir Bridge, Lahore 54000

Phone: 0321 6391983

People Comments Shamroz came all the way from Sialkot with his friends just to try the delicious #iceCurl :)
Thanks to all our lovely customers for their so much love and support! . #iceCurl - Taste The Original

For the assignment under study, we interviewed Wasi-ul-Qadir one of the founder of Ice Curl
 START AT FIRST

The founder decided to start this business because there is a gap in the market to fill that gap
he introduce this new ice curl idea in the market to attract the customer.

DIFFICULTIES

1. Workers are not well trained.

2. Ice cream making equipments are not available in Pakistan so the brand owner import
from outside.
3. Rules and regulation at different place for the brand its a difficult to face. When you come
in food industry you will definitely face government and non-government difficulties.
Malls: we open our shop in malls and follow their rules & regulation.
Commercial markets: we faced government rules and regulations.
Now all these difficulties were under controlled. For a brand its a positive thing that they
controlled over these difficulties then it can easily face to different markets and competitors.

COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES
We not compromise on quality.
We come with unique idea which attracts to our customer and more importantly no other
brand made ice cream right in front of customers. Its fun to watch your ice cream being
made right in front of you, which also provides obvious Snapchat opportunities with a
growing number of flavors and mixins, we are happy to have this concept which adds
colour and excitement to the clich ice creams we have been having, wasi -ul-qadir said
with a smile on his face.

MARKETING STRATEGY
Successful: In many countries ice curl identify with different names like stir fried ice cream, roll
up etc so from the start to end we give the same name to our brand and product from which the
identification of the customer is very easy, as the name itself presents it. We registered our brand
name in the market so now no competitors can copy our brand name.

Unsuccessful: None
 FINANCIAL OBSTACLE

The owner didnt face any financial obstacle because he start his business with personal financing due to
which it become an advantage for him. If he if he take any outside assistance from out of their personal
sources the he will definitely face any financial obstacles.

FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES

The owner told us that their Financial Opportunities are own savings but now the list of Financial
Opportunities Available for new Entrepreneurs are:
1. Own Savings.
1) Family Support.
2) Friends Support.
3) Local Investors.
4) Existing Businessman.

PAY BACK PERIOD

This information is confidential because the owner didnt share this information with us but he
clearly told us that in the future we share these information on social media.
BIGM & MF
Bigms First Name Is MF And It Was Established In 1965. It
Was Started By Muhammad Aslam But He Cannot Continue
That Business Due To His Job So That Business Was Run By 6
Partners Which Are Sons Of Muhammad Aslam. There Are 5
Active Partners And 1 Silent
Partner. This Business Faces Many Financial Problems In The Start
Because At That Time People Are Not Fond Of Dining Out. The
Expenses Are More Than Revenues But The Partners Was Not Fed
Up. The First Day Income Of MF Was Just 11 Rupees.

Innovation Stage: After Such Time One Of The Partner Named Javaid Aslam Thought To Get
Innovation Of Business And All Partners Became Agreed. They Started Shawarma Which Is The
Latest Trend In Lahore And Less People Do That Business.

Segregation Of Business:They Segregate Business Into Two Parts One Is MF Which Is Slush,
Ice Cream And Shawarma Point And Second Is Bigm Which Is Newly Established in 1989 As
Italian And Continental Restaurant. After Segregation Sale Of Bigm And MF Gets More Than
Double And All 6 Partners Gets Pretty Amount Of Income To Adopt High Lifestyle. MF
Continuously Try To Get Innovation In Their Slushes Flavor And People Like The Taste Of Their
Slushes And The Prices Of Sluses, Ice Cream Is Very Reasonable So People Can Easily Afford It.
Bigm Also Provide Chinese Dishes As Well. Bigm Provide Hygiene Food Friendly Environment
To The Customers. The Price Of Food Is Affordable So People Satisfied Because They Get Value
Of Money In The Form Of Hygiene, Tasty Food.

Contact Information: Cell No: 042111244626, 03004942756

People Comments: One Person: U Forget To Mentioned Their Specialty BBQ , They Have One
Of Best BBQ In Town

Famous Items Of Bigm: Steaks (Chicken And Beef), stuffed chicken, bar be que, chowmein.

For the assignment under study, we interviewed Shahzad Aslam one of the founder of BIG M
 START AT FIRST PLACE

The Founder Decided To Start A Business Because He Is A Salaried Person And He Has To
Support A Family Of 10 Persons. His Sons Continued His Business And Also Completed Their
Studies As Well.

DIFFICULTIES

There Are A Lot Of Difficulties Faced By The Partners Of MF:

1) Initial Investment Is Low The Founder Rented Out A Shop And Started The Business.
2) Availability Of Professional Chefs Are Difficult.
3) Less Customers Because 35 Years Ago People Are Not Much Fond Of Dining Out.
4) Expenses Are More Then Income Receive From Business.
5) Marketing Opportunities Were Less.
6) Market Is Not Suitable For Business Because At That Time There Is Only One Restaurant
In Wholesale Market.
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE

Now The Comparative Advantage Is:

1) The Location. Bigm And MF Are On The Main Of The Shadman Market
2) Setup. The Setup Expanding More And More Over The Years So The Partners Wouldnt
Give A Chance To Other Person To Start The Restaurant Business Near To Them.
3) Slush Flavors, Material Of Making Soft Ice Cream Which Is Purely Made From Milk.
4) Low Prices As Compare To Other Restaurants.
MARKETING STRATEGY

Successful:

Facebook Page. Through This Page The Partners/Managers Came To Know About The Reviews
Of People And Improve The Service Or Introducing New Taste According To People Needs.

Unsuccessful:

None.
 FINANCIAL OBSTACLES

Initial Investment Is Low Because Muhammad Aslam Started The Business From His Own Saving
And He Is The Salaried Person So He Started The Business From Just One Shop And His Close
Friend Muhammad Farooq Rented Out That Shop To Muhammad Aslam. So He Decided To Name
His Business As MF Because Of His Friend Name.

FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES

We Interviewed One Of The Partner Of Bigm Named Shahzad Aslam And He Told Us That Their
Financial Opportunities Are Own Savings But Now The List Of Financial Opportunities Available
For New Entrepreneurs Are:

5) Own Savings.
6) Family Support.
7) Friends Support.
8) Local Investors.
9) Existing Businessman.

PAYBACK PERIOD

The Payback period of MF and BigM is too long but estimated period is approximately 10 to12
years. But now the Payback period of restaurant business is around 1 to 2 years.