Today we’d like to introduce you to Maham Qadri.
Maham, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
On April 16, 2020, I decided to create an online platform called Texapreneur. If you did not already gather, Texapreneur is a combination of the words Texas and Entrepreneur! I wanted to search for entrepreneurs from all over Texas and bring awareness to their brand. Once I was able to do that, I then marked them and their business as an official ‘Texapreneur’.
For many years now, I have always advocated for supporting local businesses whether it is a local coffee shop, a friends’ business/side hustle, or even local restaurants nearby. Once COVID-19 hit, I saw the immense downfall and financial crunch business owners were having on their sales, some having their business be their only source of income. I then decided I wanted to create a platform to help shed light on these business owners and entrepreneurs.
Over a month in, I have been able to bring light to over 100+ businesses, built a community of Texapreneur’s, and exchanged business ideas, advice and tips with other entrepreneurs. Currently, I am in the process of working on a few extra services to help business owners function their platform efficiently. I want this platform to not only be a place to find a Texapreneur, but also be a place to be inspired, inspire, and grow your business to an even larger scale with the exciting services that are being added soon.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When it comes to having an online platform, listening to your clients, staying alert, and making sure to take criticism well, is all part of putting yourself out there. For the first month of my launch, I had decided to stay anonymous. If a business were to check out Texapreneur on Instagram, there was no recollection of who was behind this organization. I did that for multiple reasons: one being I wanted to build credibility. Building credibility is one of the most important traits that an entrepreneur should embody. I was able to have clients trust in me, just from looking at my page and speaking to me via Instagram or over email. I was able to give business advice, help share their stories, as well as confide in one another on how important it is to bring awareness to supporting locals. Once I had announced, I have felt an immeasurable amount of support from clients, friends, and family. I hope my clients can always see my sincerity, trustworthiness and dependability in Texapreneur.
Texapreneur – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Texapreneur is a place for entrepreneurs to come and get inspired by others, as well as proudly showcase their own business. It’s been rewarding to create a platform where business owners can proudly speak on their brand. Not only does it give them a sense of ownership of their business, it solidifies their confidence in knowing that they are truly a hardworking “Texapreneur” and they should not shy away from that. I want to be able to give these owners a sense of self-assurance that they are doing something great. I am most proud of the fact that a few days into my launch, I was having business owners reach out to me to be featured. It was a marking point for me to know that I am doing my part in helping the greater good. What sets me apart from others is that I plan to become a platform where no idea or a concept is an insignificant one. I want to showcase to aspiring business owners that their idea can be put into place by just that one push. A quote I stand by is, “You don’t have to be great to start. You have to start to be great.”
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I personally define success as a keenness to create an idea or a concept and to have it resonate with even one person. Most of the time, a business comes down to the numbers and monetary value; however, when I first launched Texapreneur, that was never my intention. I wanted to be a place where business owners could proudly speak on their accomplishments. When a business owner creates an idea and brings it into their own perspective/twist, there is nothing more inspiring than that. I always want to leave a work day feeling inspired, inspiring others, as well as wanting to better myself. Success to me is not only the capability of achieving a goal for myself, but to also help my organization grow and expand. For me to be considered successful, I want my clients to feel they gained something from this as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: texapreneur.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texapreneur/
Image Credit:
Philip Emerson (Instagram: @philipephotography)
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