Rabail Shaikh - An Endowed Entrepreneur

by Rabail Shaikh
(Karachi)

An insight on your business:

Basically, I make polymer clay jewelry, photo frames and decoden Jewelry boxes. I started it as a hobby and it’s been more than 4 years now and I’m now exporting my handmade goods all over the world. By the Grace of Allah, I’m the only crafter in Pakistan who works on decoden projects. I make all kinds of funky and ornate clay jewelry.

How long have you been in this profession/running this business?

It's been 4 successful years and definitely hoping to achieve more in the coming years.

What has been your vision and what do you most love about your job/business?

It’s quite difficult to find funky and totally customized jewelry in Pakistan so my vision was to give shape to unique imagination of my customers and provide them fine quality products in quite reasonable and pocket friendly rates.

What do you think is your biggest achievement throughout your professional/entrepreneurial journey?

4 years ago I started from the very beginning and I had no links, no publicity, I didn’t have any idea how to keep it going then eventually I started receiving orders and number of orders started to increase rapidly. I never thought I would make it up to this point, Now I am delivering my handmade products all over the world, I consider this my biggest achievement so far.

What are your current projects and what will you be doing in near future also?

I never stick to same kind of product, I like to experiment new things and love to provide varieties to my customers. So, currently I am enhancing my skills of decodening, I’ve recently introduced handmade decoden photo frames and decoden trinket boxes. My decoden pieces are very popular in U.S. and my customers from U.S. are looking forward to my decoden mobile cases and I’m on it so this will be my future project.

A word of advice you would like to pass on to women professionals who wish to pursue same career as you?

It takes a lot of patience to be a successful entrepreneur. You go through some mistakes and blunders too. You can’t nail it in the first go so you need to be patient and never give up! Before starting your work, you should take complete info and piece of advice from the other successful crafters from the same field as yours so you might have an idea of Do’s and Don’ts.