Shayan Mahmud

businessman linked to Icon7 and Trademore

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

Shayan Mahmud is the CEO and managing partner of Icon Seven, TradeMore, ProPakistani. Mahmud moved back to Pakistan in December 2014. He has said he was told he had a British passport and could have taken a job and been comfortable there, but he came back with no plan.

Early life and background

Mahmud was born and raised in Islamabad. He has said his father told him that if he wanted to continue, he should also learn Chinese, because Chinese was the future. [1]

Education

Mahmud completed high school. He started a bachelor's degree at a university and says he failed there. He completed a bachelor's degree in international business at European Business School. As part of that degree, he spent one year in China to learn Mandarin. [1]

He has said his year in China was one of the most entertaining, adventurous and different experiences of his life. He went to Nanjing for the experience, while his friends were going to Hangzhou. [1]

Career

Mahmud moved back to Pakistan in December 2014. He has said he was told he had a British passport and could have taken a job and been comfortable there, but he came back with no plan. He has said he had zero connections when he started out. [1]

He did an internship at a film studio. He has said he worked on the production side as a hobby, alongside others. He has said he had been a content creator for almost nine years by 2019. [1]

He has said that, together with the Ministry of Health, they gathered creators and built a network. He has also said he worked with the government on an event with YouTubers and publishers. [1]

Icon7

Mahmud has said Icon7 is a creative agency with offices in Islamabad, Bucharest and Dubai. He has said they do production, web development, app development and design. He has said they once had an affiliate company in Kigali. He has said he looks after the Pakistan side. [1]

He has said another company was shut down and Icon7 Romania was opened. He has said the space downstairs in his house, which had belonged to his grandparents, was revamped. He has said their first pitch was to an insurance company. He has said they were registered with Pakistan Tobacco, worked there for a long time, and are still working with them. [1]

He has said production makes up 30 to 40% of Icon7's business. He has said one of the first people he hired runs production, and that a colleague who is still with him is his head of digital. He has said all of the team that was there on day one is still there. He has said Icon7 was too early for the market. [1]

Trademore

Mahmud has said he and two others wrote a joint bid to become Alibaba partners. He has said they are channel partners in Pakistan and help manufacturers across Pakistan come on to Alibaba. He has said the first person he hired is his partner in Trademore and runs it. [1]

He has said Trademore has about 100 employees and six offices across Pakistan, with three more opening. He has said they are in Islamabad, Karachi, Sialkot, Wazirabad and Faisalabad, and are opening Lahore and Multan in the next few months. He has said their main focus is Faisalabad, because it is untapped. [1]

He has said he replaced Trademore's whole team four times in its first two years. He has said they made their first sale after eight months. He has said Trademore was first sold in the same way as Icon7, which he calls a mistake, and that it was chasing big fish when the real market is small and medium businesses. [1]

ProPakistani

Mahmud has said ProPakistani is significantly profitable. He has said they grew their profits by, he thinks, 100% in the last year. He has said they call themselves Pakistan's largest online independent publisher, with traffic of about 17 million. [1]

He has said he was interested in developing videos. He has said he was asked whether he wanted to become a partner. [1]

He has said they have moved to an app, which is available on the Android store, with iOS launching. He has said their challenge, as they expand into entertainment and food, is reaching the next audience, not the millennials. He has said ProPakistani has a loyal audience of people in their mid-30s and early 40s who grew up reading it. He has said major tech companies, telcos and banks are ProPakistani clients on monthly retainers. [1]

Views

Mahmud has said running an advertising agency is very difficult. He has said that in advertising, fear remains even after the money arrives in the account. He has said digital has made life so real-time. He has said most people in Pakistan are still advertising like it is the 1970s. He has said that in 2012 everything was cash on delivery. [1]

He has said Alibaba's Pakistan activity is mainly in Sialkot at present. He has said Pakistan's leather, salt and surgical goods are good. He has said the lack of data is the biggest problem, and that even Alibaba does not have enough. [1]

On publishing, he has said their job is to tell the happenings of Pakistan, and that they are in the business of telling a story. He has said audiences may not want only to read articles, and may want to watch videos. He has said publishing is difficult because it needs paid individuals. He has said the net still has the ability to tell a good narrative irrespective of the mainstream. [1]

He has said that what you are doing is either too early or too late. He has said there is no concept of 'anyone can do it'. He has said privilege alone is not the means to success. [1]

Mahmud describes himself as a very optimistic person. He has said hope is the most powerful weapon in the world. He has said luck favours the brave, that you miss all the shots you do not take, and that karma matters, and he is a strong believer in it. [1]

He has said that in his heart he sees a Pakistan that is very successful. He has said he expects Pakistan to become a very big wave within 10 years, which he plans to ride. He has said he sees Pakistan's youth bulge working in the country's favour. [1]

Timeline

2012
Mahmud has said that in this year everything was cash on delivery.[1]
2014
Moved back to Pakistan in December.[1]
2019
Had been a content creator for almost nine years.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2021-12-27 Luck favours the brave: how Shayan Mahmud built three companies Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

What does Shayan Mahmud do?

Shayan Mahmud has said Icon7 is a creative agency with offices in Islamabad, Bucharest and Dubai, and that he looks after the Pakistan side. He has said the first person he hired is his partner in Trademore. He has also said ProPakistani is significantly profitable.[1]

Where did Shayan Mahmud study?

Shayan Mahmud completed a bachelor's degree in international business at European Business School. As part of that degree, he spent one year in China to learn Mandarin. He has said he went to Nanjing for the experience.[1]

Where is Shayan Mahmud from?

Shayan Mahmud was born and raised in Islamabad. He moved back to Pakistan in December 2014.[1]

What is Icon7?

Shayan Mahmud has said Icon7 is a creative agency with offices in Islamabad, Bucharest and Dubai. He has said they do production, web development, app development and design. He has also said production makes up 30 to 40% of Icon7's business.[1]

What is Trademore?

Shayan Mahmud has said Trademore has about 100 employees and six offices across Pakistan, with three more opening. He has said they are channel partners in Pakistan and help manufacturers across Pakistan come on to Alibaba. He has said the first person he hired is his partner in Trademore and runs it.[1]

What is ProPakistani?

Shayan Mahmud has said that ProPakistani is significantly profitable. He has said they call themselves Pakistan's largest online independent publisher, with traffic of about 17 million. He has also said major tech companies, telcos and banks are ProPakistani clients on monthly retainers.[1]

What does Shayan Mahmud think about Pakistan's future?

Shayan Mahmud has said that in his heart he sees a Pakistan that is very successful. He has said he expects Pakistan to become a very big wave within 10 years, which he plans to ride. He has also said he sees Pakistan's youth bulge working in the country's favour.[1]

References

  1. Luck favours the brave: how Shayan Mahmud built three companies . Thought Behind Things , 2021-12-27.
Show the source passages (73 statements)
  1. He was born and raised in Islamabad. Islamabad hi, born and bred.
  2. He completed high school. high school toh maine, uh, Froebel's se kiya tha
  3. His father told him that if he wanted to continue, he should also learn Chinese, because Chinese was the future. abbu ne kaha ki agar continue karna hai, toh saath Chinese bhi seekhoge, ki Chinese future hai
  4. He started a bachelor's degree at a university and says he failed there. Toh udhar bachelor shuru kiya ek university mein. Um, udhar fail ho gaya.
  5. He completed a bachelor's degree in international business at European Business School. ek school tha called European Business School, wahan pe maine bachelors kiya. And, uh, I did it in international business
  6. As part of that degree, he spent one year in China to learn Mandarin. and then I spent one year in China as a part of my degree, uh, to learn Mandarin
  7. He has said his year in China was one of the most entertaining, adventurous and different experiences of his life. meri zindagi ka I think one of the most entertaining, uh, adventurous and, uh, different sa experience tha
  8. He went to Nanjing for the experience, while his friends were going to Hangzhou. all my friends were going to Hangzhou, toh maine kaha chalo experience ke liye ek jagah jaate hain, Nanjing
  9. He has said that in 2012 everything was cash on delivery. 2012 mein har cheez cash on delivery hoti thi
  10. He moved back to Pakistan in December 2014. I, I moved back to Pakistan in December of 2014
  11. He did an internship at a film studio. I was doing an internship at a place called Castel Film Studios
  12. He has said he worked on the production side as a hobby, alongside others. main lekin shauqiya unke saath kaam kar raha tha, production side pe
  13. He has said another company was shut down and Icon7 Romania was opened. they shut down Bad Cat and opened Icon7 Romania
  14. He has said the space downstairs in his house, which had belonged to his grandparents, was revamped. Yeh mere ghar mein neeche, uh, meri dadi-dada ka jo ghar hota tha, usko revamp kiya
  15. He has said their first pitch was to an insurance company. hamari pehli pitch, um, was to an insurance company
  16. He has said they were registered with Pakistan Tobacco, worked there for a long time, and are still working with them. we were registered onto Pakistan Tobacco. Wahan pe humne kaafi arsa kaam, but still working with them
  17. He has said running an advertising agency is very difficult. Ek agency chalana bahut mushkil hai
  18. He has said that in advertising, fear remains even after the money arrives in the account. advertising aisi business hai ki jab aapke account mein paise aa bhi jaate hain na, phir bhi aapko dar hota hai
  19. He has said digital has made life so real-time. ek aur digital has made life so real-time
  20. He has said most people in Pakistan are still advertising like it is the 1970s. abhi tak most people in Pakistan are advertising like the 70s
  21. He has said he and two others wrote a joint bid to become Alibaba partners. Alibaba partners ke liye dhoond rahe hain, toh humne apni taraf se ek, you know, bid banayi, maine aur Talah ne aur Hassan ne
  22. He has said Trademore has about 100 employees and six offices across Pakistan, with three more opening. Trademore, Alhamdulillah, today has, you know, 100 employees, we have six offices across Pakistan, we're opening three more
  23. He has said he replaced Trademore's whole team four times in its first two years. Trademore ki team pehli do saal na, humne, when I say humne teams change ki thi, I mean, completely team khatam kar di thi. Achha. Char dafa.
  24. He has said they made their first sale after eight months. Humne pehli sale 8 mahine baad ki thi
  25. He has said Trademore was first sold in the same way as Icon7, which he calls a mistake. hum ghalat yeh kar rahe the ke hum Trademor ko jis tarah hum iCon7 bechte hain us tarah Trademor bech rahe the
  26. He has said Trademore was chasing big fish, when the real market is small and medium businesses. Aur hum badi-badi fish ke peeche ja rahe the. Game SMEs ki hoti hai
  27. He has said Alibaba's Pakistan activity is mainly in Sialkot at present. Asal mein Alibaba is primarily Sialkot right now
  28. He has said Pakistan's leather, salt and surgical goods are good. Hamara leather asal mein accha hai, hamari salt acchi hai, surgical goods mein hum bohat aage hain
  29. He has said the lack of data is the biggest problem, and that even Alibaba does not have enough. No, yeh sab se bada masla hai. Um even Alibaba ke paas data itna nahi hai jitna unke paas hona
  30. He has said their main focus is Faisalabad, because it is untapped. So hamari jo main focus hai wo Faisalabad hai. Faisalabad untapped hai
  31. He has said they are in Islamabad, Karachi, Sialkot, Wazirabad and Faisalabad, and are opening Lahore and Multan in the next few months. we're in Islamabad, Karachi, Sialkot, Wazirabad, Faisalabad and we're opening Lahore, Multan in the next few months
  32. He has said the first person he hired is his partner in Trademore and runs it. he was the first guy I hired, he's my partner in Trademore, he runs Trademore
  33. He has said one of the first people he hired runs production. Danish hai, he runs production, one of the first people I hired
  34. He has said production makes up 30 to 40% of Icon7's business. production does, you know, 30, 40% of Icon 7's business
  35. He has said a colleague who is still with him is his head of digital. Hassan, ek aur, who's still with me, as well, head of digital hai hamara
  36. He has said all of the team that was there on day one is still there. So all of the team that was there, day one pe, um, they're all still there
  37. He has said he looks after the Pakistan side. jo Pakistan wala side hai, woh main dekhta hoon
  38. He has said Icon7 is a creative agency with offices in Islamabad, Bucharest and Dubai. Icon7 is a creative agency. Um, we have an office in Islamabad, we have one in Bucharest, Romania mein, aur ek Dubai mein bhi hamara office hai
  39. He has said they do production, web development, app development and design. production karte hain, web development, app development, design
  40. He has said they once had an affiliate company in Kigali. hamari ek affiliate company Kigali mein bhi thi
  41. He has said they are channel partners in Pakistan and help manufacturers across Pakistan come on to Alibaba. basically channel partners hain Pakistan mein, and we help manufacturers across Pakistan come on to Alibaba
  42. He has said they call themselves Pakistan's largest online independent publisher, with traffic of about 17 million. we call ourselves Pakistan's largest online independent publisher. So we have traffic of about 17 million
  43. He has said he was interested in developing videos. main ek cheez mein interested tha which was developing videos
  44. He has said he was asked whether he wanted to become a partner. mujhe Aamir bhai kehte hain ke, 'Mera partner banna hai?'
  45. He has said that two of those three people are his investors. Un teen mein se do jo hain na, wo mere investors hain
  46. He has said ProPakistani is significantly profitable. Hamare case mein Pro Pakistani, alhamdulillah, significantly profitable
  47. He has said they grew their profits by, he thinks, 100% in the last year. We've grown our profits, you know, I think 100% in the last year
  48. He has said they have moved to an app, which is available on the Android store, with iOS launching. we've moved on to an app now, it's available on the Android store, iOS bhi launch ho raha hai
  49. He has said their job is to tell the happenings of Pakistan. hamara kaam yeh hai ke we tell the happenings of Pakistan
  50. He has said they are in the business of telling a story. we are in the business of telling a story
  51. He has said audiences may not want only to read articles, and may want to watch videos and listen to podcasts. shayad aapko articles hi nahi padhne, videos dekhni hain, podcast sunni hain
  52. He has said their challenge, as they expand into entertainment and food, is reaching the next audience, not the millennials. Hamara challenge yeh hai ke as we expand into, you know, entertainment and food etc., is ke jo agli audience hai, not the millennials
  53. He has said ProPakistani has a loyal audience of people in their mid-30s and early 40s who grew up reading it. jo log abhi mid-30s mein hain, early 40s mein hain, they grew up reading ProPakistani. They're a very loyal audience
  54. He has said publishing is difficult because it needs paid individuals. Publishing ke andar, it's difficult because you have to have paid individuals
  55. He has said major tech companies, telcos and banks are ProPakistani clients on monthly retainers. major tech companies, telcos, banks, lots of businesses now are on Pro Pakistani, on retainer every month
  56. He has said the net still has the ability to tell a good narrative irrespective of the mainstream. Woh net still has ability to tell a narrative and tell a good narrative irrespective of the mainstream
  57. He has said Icon7 was too early for the market. Icon 7, we were too early into the market
  58. He has said that what you are doing is either too early or too late. jo aap kar rahe hain is either too early or too late
  59. He has said there is no concept of 'anyone can do it'. So there's no concept of, you know, anyone can do it
  60. He has said privilege alone is not the means to success. just privilege is not the means to success
  61. He has said he had zero connections when he started out. Mere zero connections the
  62. He has said that, together with the Ministry of Health, they gathered creators and built a network. Ministry of Health ke sath ke ji humne creators ko ikatha kiya, ek network bana liya
  63. He has said he worked with the government on an event with YouTubers and publishers. humne government ke saath mil ke humne YouTubers ka ek event karwaya. Jiske andar, you know, publishers bhi thay, creators bhi thay
  64. He has said he had been a content creator for almost nine years by 2019. 2019 mein, um, as a content creator, I've been working for almost, at that time 9 years
  65. He has said he was told he had a British passport and could have taken a job and been comfortable there, but he came back with no plan. tera toh British passport hai, udhar job karta, aaram karta. I came back, no plan
  66. He has said luck favours the brave. and luck favors the brave
  67. He has said you miss all the shots you do not take. you miss all the shots you don't take
  68. He has said karma matters, and he is a strong believer in it. karma matter karta hai, main main is cheez ka bohat bada believer hoon
  69. He has said that in his heart he sees a Pakistan that is very successful. in my heart I see a Pakistan that's very successful
  70. He has said hope is the most powerful weapon in the world. hope is the most powerful weapon in the world
  71. He describes himself as a very optimistic person. I'm a very very optimistic person
  72. He has said he expects Pakistan to become a very big wave within 10 years, which he plans to ride. mujhe lagta hai na 10 saal mein Pakistan bahut badi ek wave hogi and I'll be riding that wave
  73. He has said he sees Pakistan's youth bulge working in the country's favour. I see this youth bulge actually working out in our favor