Case Study: MKCS: An Entrepreneurial Journey

Being an entrepreneur is very challenging as everything is on your own and you have to be very
competent and do things from scratch; You learn by making mistakes.
- Mariam Khalid
CEO MKCS

Early years:
Mariam was born in Karachi and completed her early education in Karachi.

In 2010, when she was doing her BBA from iqra university she thought of doing some work as

her family was facing financial crisis. Mariam could not do a corporate job because of her

studies therefore she started to search online so that she could earn some money. That time more

than ambition she had need based motivation.

Her search continued and finally in 2011 she found an online content writing job. Though she

was never a good writer but the only thing that helped her opt for this job was to make money

out of it therefore she started content writing. Digital marketing and social media were at peak

that time and that is what helped her to make the decision of doing this job.

“I was never job oriented and always wanted to do something different.”

Soon a person approached her who had links abroad and required a content writer. Mariam never

knew how to do it but she didn’t back out and started learning it online. She then continued to

work for the same person for 6 months.

“I have this problem that I don’t want to stick to one thing, you always want variation and want
to change”

when Mariam understood how the whole work is done she made a decision to jump into the

foreign market by her own, it did take her time to find her own clients but this is where her

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education helped her to make clients and helped her with the conversion rates, dealing with

clients and motivated her to do the work as a freelance writer.

“After 6 months of my content writing I was the employer of my employer the person who
hired me to work for them I later started to hire their people to work for me. I always had a
mindset of never stopping to aim high.”

After 1-2 years her work was at a peak and that time she was not writing but had hired people to

write for her. Mariam’s part was getting clients and hiring people to write for her and delivering

the content to the clients, that is when she learnt how she will pay writers, what will she charge

them, peoples management, generating invoice, paying writer, finance management, customer

service, availability of time, tone of negotiation, where you have bargaining power etc.

“so, what I have learnt is never expect quick results success takes time stay consistent and never
back off so just stay positive one thing that helped me towards earning was my consistency my
persistence, and my determination that mattered a lot”

Mariam was earning good that time but she wanted something else from life. Content writing

was not her passion. She was just doing it to earn money therefore she kept thinking what is it

that makes her happy? Perhaps one day her father suggested to start baking fondant cakes but she

didn’t like it.as she never did cooking and baking.

Making the right decision:

Her search continued and one thing that she found out was that what she liked doing was event

management and flowers are off course loved by all so whenever there used to be any event she

used to be the one who would do all the arrangements and manage everything. she had a flower

shop near her home where she used to go to and get customized bouquets made and everyone

used to love that.

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Later people started asking her to make flower bouquet for them. It was one of her friend who

suggested her to start her own floral work and told her that” you get happy and excited when you

talk about flowers” that is when Mariam realized that maybe this is what she has to do or what

she is made to do.

“I thought that when I get 60 and I would be standing in a flower shop with satisfaction and
content I would get so happy that was when I decided that this is what I have to do.”

The startup:

In 2017, She started searching for different ideas and tried to learn about floral basics, that is

when she got to know about a diploma in IVS regarding event management and thought that this

might help. She took admission in the course and got to learn a lot but sadly no such education

regarding flowers was provided in the course. She started learning floral basics from YouTube

and practiced on her own.

“Sadly, there is no floral education in Pakistan. whenever there used to be any presentation in
class I used to make sure it is related to flowers because that is what I was there for.”

She got her logo printed and other work done for her venture during her diploma. Mariam also

did an event management for a relative which was cost to cost for her own experience and

learning.

Finally, in 2018 she started her work publically and distributed PR packages on 14 February.

Early success:
Mariam got a boom in her business very soon when unilever approached her to do 500,000 floral

boxes for lux style awards. That is where her hard work and dedication to her work resulted

positive.
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 “when my and lux logo were printed together on box that was a very proud moment for me.”

Learning never stops and same is the case with Mariam she says that she still needs to learn on

how to manage a business and also sort out her trust issues with delegating work to her helpers

because of which she ends up doing all work herself

Mariam thinks success in life is to be able to give more to people than what you receive.

She wants to do something for her country and say that peace of mind is what matters a lot to.

Suggestions for future entrepreneurs:

“Whatever you do just be passionate so that if you want to give 200 you give it willingly. pursue
your passion. There might be difficulties in the beginning but it will get easy by the end. Do your
homework, understand you competitors, do your research and keep less expectations
Have a meaningful purpose to start a business
Always. 

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