Ibrahim Shaukat

founder of Daari Mooch

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Ibrahim Shaukat is the founder of Daari Mooch, a men's grooming brand that began as a beard grooming brand. He was born in Faisalabad and studied at the University of Edinburgh. The beard oil idea came in December 2016, and the brand launched in September 2017.

Early life and background

Shaukat was born in Faisalabad, into a business family. His family is in the textile business and runs mills. He saw his nana go to a factory to work. [1]

Education

Shaukat attended Beaconhouse in Faisalabad and then another school before going to the UK. He went to the University of Edinburgh for his bachelor's degree, which he started in 2014 and completed in 2018. He then went to the United States for a master's degree. He taught himself HTML and CSS. [1]

Early work experience

In 2016 Shaukat interned at a company, where he learned SEO. In 2016 he also interned at EY and was sent to audit a listed company. He has said the audit experience made him want to be a business owner, not self-employed. [1]

Daari Mooch

Shaukat is the founder of Daari Mooch. The beard oil idea came in December 2016 and the brand launched in September 2017. He was using beard oil himself, and when he came back in December it was not available in Pakistan. He has described the company as having started as a beard grooming brand, and has said beard oil was a new concept that customers loved. [1]

His family pushed him to decide what he would do next. He has said that in the family business one cannot experiment freely and the learning suffers. He has also said his family was not supportive of the business. When he showed his family a beard oil bottle, they laughed. [1]

His father asked what he was doing and warned that he would fail university. His grandfather wanted him to come back and set up a factory. Shaukat told his grandfather the business was only an experiment. [1]

The first batch was made from a 3-litre sample, filled into 100 bottles of 30 ml each. The early batches were imported from China. The company ran ads when the first bottles went on sale and sales started, and the first batch sold out within two weeks. He has said factories would not make the 500 boxes he needed for packaging. [1]

A shipment was delayed until December, orders were fulfilled at the end of December, and he called each customer to apologise. He has said the company learned in 2018 and 2019 that inventory needed more working capital. It also moved shipping from air to sea, which lengthened lead times. [1]

Growth and leadership

The company later became a men's grooming brand. He has said customer feedback led the company to add hair clays and face washes. It now sells face washes, body washes, shampoos and hair styling products, not only beard oil. [1]

Shaukat returned to Pakistan in 2020 after graduating and began running the business full time. He has said that when he came back, Daari Mooch was doing about 3 million rupees in revenue a month. The company grew constantly in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and grew again in 2023. He has said it took on about 15 million of debt to fix its working capital problem. [1]

He has said the company brought in people from large companies such as Nestle. He has also said revenue fell about 50 percent while spending doubled, and that three videos took off and revenue doubled the following month. The company rebuilt its structure and returned to growth at the end of 2024. [1]

Shaukat became a director of the company and was not working for it full time at that point. He moved back to Faisalabad after 2024, after the company hired a CEO. The company has a new CEO and a new team. [1]

Management and ownership

Shaukat has said the company has used SOPs and documentation since day one. He has said the company has allocated equity to a few people in the organization. In his view, sharing equity makes the overall pie bigger, even if his own share shrinks. He has said employee churn is very low, and has described offering a person a salary plus ownership in the business. [1]

He has said Interloop was smart in building its systems early. [1]

Salons

Shaukat has said the company moved into salons to find where it could reach men. It opened a barber shop because it wants people to come again and again. He has said the first salon is about 1800 to 2200 square feet over three floors, and that the salon is profitable now. He has said it charges 1000 rupees for a haircut and 500 rupees for a beard trim, that the membership was raised to 3000 rupees, and that members pay 650 for a haircut and 350 for a beard trim. [1]

He has said the company plans to open 50 to 100 salons in Pakistan and is testing a salon format of 600 to 800 square feet. It aims to pay salon investors back within two years at most. He has said the company wants to move to a franchise model with people already in the industry. It is deciding whether to run its next branch itself or bring in an operating partner, and is talking to salon operators about a partnership. He has said the company knows how to build a brand, so it may bring in an operating partner for its salons. [1]

Retail and distribution

Shaukat has confirmed that the company has four retail outlets and a salon. He has said it has four kiosks and that its products are sold in 600 to 700 shops. The company has about 70 people, including 30 to 35 corporate staff. [1]

He has said offline distribution sales are about 60 to 70 percent of online sales, and he expects offline to beat online by the second quarter of next year. He has said trade sales will beat e-commerce next year, and that more than 90 percent of transactions in Pakistan happen offline. In his words, a brand is always omnichannel. [1]

He has said men often do not buy grooming products themselves, and that most footfall in trade shops comes from women. He uses the term purchaser for the wife or mother who buys grooming products for a man. [1]

He has said KLI is the main market for any brand. The company's major salon branches will be in KLI, and it must start there before moving into tier-two cities. He has said there is a huge opportunity in tier-two markets, where competition is limited. [1]

New products and partnerships

Shaukat has said the company planned to launch perfume on 15 November and hair dyes on 15 December. The perfume is planned at about 3000 to 3500 rupees, and he has described the launch as a limited-stock pilot. He has said it is mainly to raise average order value. The company already makes deodorants, which gave it the capability to produce scents. [1]

He has said the company's current strength is in cosmetics and similar products. He wants to enter the female cosmetics space, including color cosmetics. [1]

He has said brands with revenue between 3 million and 6 million are the sweet spot for his partnerships. He has said a house of brands sharing services can cut costs through economies of scale. In his view, the founder only has to work out what the product is, how it is made, and what to give the consumer and how. [1]

Views

Shaukat has said Pakistan has not improved over time and is still declining. He has said current indicators show the consumer market and the stock market growing. He has said Pakistan's talent keeps leaving the country, and that Pakistan will not grow unless it values and keeps its talent. He has said he cannot see progress without drastic changes. [1]

Timeline

2014
Started his bachelor's degree at the University of Edinburgh.[1]
2016
Interned at EY and at a second company; the beard oil idea came in December.[1]
2017
Daari Mooch launched in September.[1]
2018
Graduated with his bachelor's degree.[1]
2020
Returned to Pakistan and began running the business full time.[1]
2023
The company grew again after growing in 2020, 2021 and 2022.[1]
2024
The company returned to growth at the end of the year; he moved back to Faisalabad after 2024.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2025-12-11 How Daari Mooch turned a beard-oil bottle into a 3M brand Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ibrahim Shaukat?

Ibrahim Shaukat is the founder of Daari Mooch, a men's grooming brand. He was born in Faisalabad and studied at the University of Edinburgh. He became a director of the company.[1]

What does Ibrahim Shaukat do?

Ibrahim Shaukat is the founder and a director of Daari Mooch. The company sells face washes, body washes, shampoos and hair styling products, not only beard oil. It also runs a salon.[1]

Where did Ibrahim Shaukat study?

Ibrahim Shaukat attended Beaconhouse in Faisalabad and then another school before going to the UK. He studied for his bachelor's degree at the University of Edinburgh from 2014 to 2018. He then went to the United States for a master's degree.[1]

Where is Ibrahim Shaukat from?

Ibrahim Shaukat was born in Faisalabad, into a business family. His family is in the textile business and runs mills. He moved back to Faisalabad after 2024.[1]

What company did Ibrahim Shaukat found?

Ibrahim Shaukat founded Daari Mooch. The beard oil idea came in December 2016 and the brand launched in September 2017. The company started as a beard grooming brand and later became a men's grooming brand.[1]

When was Daari Mooch founded?

The beard oil idea behind Daari Mooch came in December 2016. Ibrahim Shaukat launched the brand in September 2017.[1]

How did Ibrahim Shaukat start Daari Mooch?

Ibrahim Shaukat was using beard oil himself, and when he came back in December it was not available in Pakistan. The first batch was made from a 3-litre sample, filled into 100 bottles of 30 ml each. The first batch sold out within two weeks.[1]

References

  1. How Daari Mooch turned a beard-oil bottle into a 3M brand . Thought Behind Things , 2025-12-11.
Show the source passages (99 statements)
  1. Ibrahim Shaukat was born in Faisalabad. yaar I've uh paida main Faisalabad mein hua hoon. Uh textile hub of Pakistan.
  2. He was born into a business family. being born in a business family. Toh the conversation always revolved around business.
  3. His family is in the textile business and runs mills. family textile mein hai milen chala rahe hain
  4. He saw his nana go to a factory to work. Maine apne nana ko kaam karte dekha, factory ja rahe hain
  5. He attended Beaconhouse in Faisalabad and then another school before going to the UK. Faisalabad mein Beaconhouse, last year maine Roots mein kiya tha. Woh karne ke baad phir main uh UK chala gaya tha.
  6. He went to the University of Edinburgh for his bachelor's degree. main apne bachelors karne UK chala gaya. Um University of Edinburgh.
  7. He started his bachelor's degree in 2014 and graduated in 2018. 2014 mein main bachelors ke liye gaya tha. 2018 mein main graduate kiya hoon apne bachelors se.
  8. He then went to the United States for a master's degree. main phir masters karne US chala gaya
  9. He taught himself HTML and CSS. maine HTML seekh li, maine CSS seekh li
  10. Ibrahim Shaukat is the founder of Daari Mooch. we sit with Ibrahim Shaukat, the founder, who turned Daari Mooch from a small beard-oil experiment
  11. He became a director of the company and was not working for it full time at that point. Uske baad main step jab director ban gaya, main I was not working for the company full time
  12. He moved back to Faisalabad after 2024, after the company hired a CEO. So 2024 ke baad after hiring a CEO, I have moved back to Faisalabad.
  13. The company has a new CEO and a new team. again naya CEO aaya hai, nayi team hai
  14. His family pushed him to decide what he would do next. meri family thodi si mujhe push bhi kar rahi thi ke yaar tumne kya karna hai, kya karna hai.
  15. He said that in the family business one cannot experiment freely and the learning suffers. Family business mein aapko us tarah khul ke aap khel nahi sakte, aapki learning bhi phir nahi hoti
  16. The beard oil idea came in December 2016 and the brand launched in September 2017. 2016 December mein idea aata hai 2017 September mein hum usko launch karte hain
  17. He was using beard oil himself. Yaar main khud use kar raha tha
  18. When he came back in December, beard oil was not available in Pakistan. jab December mein wapas aata hoon to beard oil jab Pakistan mein search kiya to Pakistan mein beard oil available hi nahi hai
  19. He said the company started as a beard grooming brand. we started off as a beard grooming brand
  20. He said beard oil was a new concept that customers loved. It was a new concept, people loved it
  21. He said the company later became a men's grooming brand. we converted into a men's grooming brand
  22. He said customer feedback led the company to add hair clays and face washes. same customers hi humein feedbacks aane lag gaye ke acha humein na hair clays bhi chahiye, humein face washes chahiye
  23. He said the company now sells face washes, body washes, shampoos and hair styling products, not only beard oil. Daadhi Mooch does not only sell beard oil, we're into face washes, body washes, shampoos, hair styling products
  24. The first batch was made from a 3-litre sample, filled into 100 bottles of 30 ml each. Wo 3 liter aaya uski 30-30 ml ki humne 100-100 botlen banayi
  25. The early batches were imported from China. wo humne China se kiya so shuru mein hum China se import kar rahe the
  26. The company ran ads when the first bottles went on sale and sales started. humne ads lagaye and it started selling
  27. The first batch sold out within two weeks. wo hum bechte hain do hafte mein out of stock ho jate hain
  28. A shipment was delayed until December, orders were fulfilled at the end of December, and he called each customer to apologise. hamari shipment phans jati hai wo December mein aati hai December mein aane ke baad December end pe usko hum fulfill karte hain I called each and every customer apologized
  29. In 2016 he interned at a company, where he learned SEO. 2016 mein hi maine Eelo mein internship bhi ki Umar ke saath maine kaha acha yaar SEO ek cheez hoti hai
  30. He said his family was not supportive of the business. maine isme ye zaroor bataya ke family was not supportive
  31. When he showed his family a beard oil bottle, they laughed. maine apni sari family ko dikhaya and log sare hasne lag gaye
  32. His father asked what he was doing and warned that he would fail university. mere abbu keh rahe hain ke bhai tu ye kya kar raha hai tu university bhi fail karega
  33. His grandfather wanted him to come back and set up a factory. nanabbu keh rahe hain beta aa ke aapne factory lagani hai
  34. He told his grandfather the business was only an experiment. Maine kaha jee nanabbu ye to ek experiment hi hai
  35. He said factories would not make the 500 boxes he needed for packaging. mujhe 500 dabbe chahiye the main char factoryon mein ho ke aaya hoon bana ke nahi de raha tha
  36. He said the company learned in 2018 and 2019 that inventory needed more working capital. 2018-19 mein ja ke samajh aayi ke acha yaar inventory ke liye hume paise aur chahiye working capital
  37. He said the company moved shipping from air to sea, which lengthened lead times. By sea ki taraf move kiya humne dekha hamara lead time aur badh gaya
  38. He returned to Pakistan in 2020 after graduating and began running the business full time. 2020 mein graduate ho ke wapas aa jata hoon wapas aane ke baad phir usko full time kar rahe hain
  39. He said the company brought in people from large companies such as Nestle. Nestle se log uthate hain Group M se log uthate hain badi badi companies se uthate hain
  40. He said revenue fell about 50 percent while spending doubled. Jo hum revenue kar rahe the usse hume 50% neeche pe le gaye aur paise inhone double lagane shuru kar diye
  41. He said three videos took off and revenue doubled the following month. Aur wo teen videos they blow up. Aur wo revenue jo hamara us time hota hai wo 2x ho jata hai next month
  42. He said the company grew constantly in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and grew again in 2023. 2020 21 22 hum constantly grow kar rahe hain 23 mein bhi humne grow kiya
  43. He said the company rebuilt its structure and returned to growth at the end of 2024. structure sara tod ke phir se build karte hain. Wo karne ke baad 24 ke end mein hum wapas phir se growth phase mein aate hain
  44. He said the company took on about 15 million of debt to fix its working capital problem. So hum takreeban 15 million ka debt uthate hain wo hamara working capital issue sare solve karta hai
  45. He said he interned at EY in 2016 and was sent to audit a listed company. maine na 2016 mein ek internship ki EY mein. To EY ne mujhe ek listed organization ke audit ke liye bhej diya
  46. He said the audit experience made him want to be a business owner, not self-employed. I want to be a business owner, not self-employed.
  47. He said the company has used SOPs and documentation since day one. day one se SOPs chal rahe hain, day one se you know documentation pe kaam chal raha hai
  48. He said the company has allocated equity to a few people in the organization. So we have uh allocated uh equity as well to a few people within the organization
  49. He said sharing equity makes the overall pie bigger, even if his own share shrinks. Piece of the pie jo percentage hai woh beshak meri percentage kam ho jayegi but pie bada ho jata hai
  50. He said the company's employee churn is very low. So hamare paas employee churn bahut kam hai
  51. He described offering a person a salary plus ownership in the business. Tumhari jo salary hai tum wo bhi nikalo. Uske upar tumhe hum ownership bhi dete hain in the business.
  52. He said the company wants to move to a franchise model with people already in the industry. So we do want to go on a franchise model jidhar hum is tarah ke logon ke saath partner kar rahe hain
  53. He said the company is deciding whether to run its next branch itself or bring in an operating partner. Do we want to run it on our own? Ya hum dusri branch mein hi ek operating partner le lete hain
  54. He said the salon is profitable now. Salon hamara ab profitable ho gaya hai
  55. He said the company is talking to salon operators about a partnership. So we're speaking to a few people uh jo ke salon business mein pehle se hi hain
  56. He said the company knows how to build a brand, so it may bring in an operating partner for its salons. we know how to build a brand. So maybe it makes sense to maybe get an operating partner on board
  57. He said the company plans to open 50 to 100 salons in Pakistan. main dekh raha hoon ke hum Pakistan mein 50 se 100 salon khol sakte hain
  58. He said the first salon is about 1800 to 2200 square feet over three floors. Abhi humne jo salon khola hai wo I think 1800-2200 square feet pe hai. It's three floors.
  59. He said the company is testing a salon format of 600 to 800 square feet. Ab hum dekh rahe hain ke yaar 600 se 800 square foot ke andar hum isko kholein
  60. He said the company aims to pay salon investors back within two years at most. hum investor ko saal ke andar maximum do saal ke andar andar uska payback dein
  61. He said the salon charges 1000 rupees for a haircut and 500 rupees for a beard trim. Hum 1000 rupaye ki cutting hai aur 500 ki daadhi hai
  62. He said the salon membership was raised to 3000 rupees. 2000 ki membership I think humne 3000 ki kar di hai ab
  63. He said members pay 650 for a haircut and 350 for a beard trim. ke aap wo lo aur 650 ki aapki cutting hai, 350 ki aapki daadhi hai
  64. He said the company opened a barber shop because it wants people to come again and again. Barber shop humne ki isliye because we want people to come again and again
  65. He confirmed the company has four retail outlets and a salon. Yes, four retail outlets and a salon.
  66. He said the company's products are sold in 600 to 700 shops. Currently hum 600 se 700 dukano mein hain
  67. He said the company has about 70 people, including 30 to 35 corporate staff. that's around 30 to 35 but we have uh people in the warehouses and other staff as well. So we're a company of around 70 people right now.
  68. He said the company planned to launch perfume on 15 November and hair dyes on 15 December. Hum November 15th ko perfumes launch kar rahe hain, December 15th ko hum hair dyes launch kar rahe hain
  69. He said the perfume is planned at about 3000 to 3500 rupees. Hum idhar soch rahe hain taqreeban 3000 se 3500 pe isko launch karein.
  70. He described the perfume launch as a limited-stock pilot. It's a pilot for us aur it's going to be limited stock
  71. He said the perfume launch is mainly to raise average order value. perfume hum solely isliye launch kar rahe hain ke hum apni AOV kaise behtar kar sakte hain
  72. He said the company already makes deodorants, which gave it the capability to produce scents. Hum pehle se deodorants kar rahe the toh we know how to produce scents
  73. He said the company's current strength is in cosmetics and similar products. Hamara abhi jo muscle built hai woh for cosmetics hai ya is tarah ke products mein hai
  74. He said he wants to enter the female cosmetics space, including color cosmetics. I want to get in the female cosmetic space. I want to do color cosmetics.
  75. He said brands with revenue between 3 million and 6 million are the sweet spot for his partnerships. aap jidhar 3 million se 6 million ke darmiyan agar revenue kar rahe ho that's the sweet spot for me
  76. He said a house of brands sharing services can cut costs through economies of scale. ek house of brands I think build karne ki zarurat hai aur economies of scale pe jab hum ye sari services ko club karte hain
  77. He said the founder only has to work out what the product is, how it is made, and what to give the consumer and how. So product hi sirf founder ne figure out karna hai ke wo kya product hai, kaise banna hai aur consumer ko maine kya dena hai aur kaise dena hai.
  78. He said offline distribution sales are about 60 to 70 percent of online sales. abhi offline is about 60 to 70% of online
  79. He expects offline to beat online by the second quarter of next year. Next year quarter two pe hum offline ko online beat karta dekh rahe hain
  80. He said more than 90 percent of transactions in Pakistan happen offline. more than 90% transactions offline ho rahi hain
  81. He said a brand is always omnichannel. brand is always omni channel
  82. He said the company moved into salons to find where it could reach men. humne socha hum aadmi ko kahan pe intercept kar sakte hain. Uh to humne phir is liye salon side pe chale gaye
  83. He said men often do not buy grooming products themselves. Ab aadmi hai woh khud ab yeh cheezein lene jata nahi hai
  84. He said most footfall in trade shops comes from women. trade side pe agar hum baat karein ke jo jo zyada footfall hai woh aurton ka hai
  85. He uses the term purchaser for the wife or mother who buys grooming products for a man. Purchaser jaise uh purchaser hai woh you know biwi ya maa hai
  86. He said trade sales will beat e-commerce next year. trade jo hai woh e-commerce ko agle saal beat kar jayega
  87. He said the company has four kiosks. jo hamare kiosk kiosk hain ek Lake City mein, ek Packages mein, ek Giga Mall mein, ek Gulberg Shapes mein
  88. He said KLI is the main market for any brand. Kisi bhi brand ke liye KLI is the market
  89. He said the company's major salon branches will be in KLI, while tier-two cities may follow. major jo hamari branches hongi woh KLI mein hi exist karengi
  90. He said there is a huge opportunity in tier-two markets, where competition is limited. there's a huge opportunity in tier two markets. Theek hai wahan pe aap itni zyada branches nahi khol sakte but wahan pe competition hi nahi hai
  91. He said the company must start in KLI before moving into tier-two cities. So starting off we have to be in KLI. KLI ke baad jab aap tier two mein jaate ho
  92. He said Pakistan has not improved over time and is still declining. Pakistan behtar nahi hua. Pakistan neeche hi jata ja raha hai
  93. He said current indicators show the consumer market and the stock market growing. yes indicators aise hain jidhar humein consumer side pe bhi logon ko hum dekh rahe hain grow kar rahi hai, hamari stock market bhi grow kar rahi hai
  94. He said Pakistan's talent keeps leaving the country. hamara itna acha jitna bhi talent hai woh bahar chala jata hai
  95. He said Pakistan will not grow unless it values and keeps its talent. jab tak hum in logon ko value karenge aur in logon ko yahan pe rokhenge
  96. He said he cannot see progress without drastic changes. mujhe nahi nazar aata ke jab tak drastic changes
  97. He said he was 29 years old at the time of the interview. main abhi 29 saal ka hoon
  98. He said Interloop was smart in building its systems early. Halanke professional agar aap Interloop dekhein, aap style dekhein, aap these guys were very smart in building the systems early on
  99. He said that when he came back, Daari Mooch was doing about 3 million rupees in revenue a month. but what compelled me to come back is ke daadhi mooch us time it was doing 3 million rupees revenue monthly