I come from a humble, middle-class background, grew up in Chakwal. During my school years, academics were never my strength—I was an average student, often scraping through with just above the passing mark of 33%. My journey into the working world began early; I earned my first income of just 80 rupees working at a Public Call Office (PCO) in 2001-2002. That small earning meant the world to me—it was the first taste of independence.
In the years that followed, I took on various small jobs to make ends meet. I went door to door selling mobile software in the bustling markets of Imperial Market and Saddar Bazaar in Rawalpindi. These experiences, though challenging, taught me the value of hard work and persistence.
After completing my graduation, I began my professional career at MCB Bank with a monthly salary of just 7,000 PKR. I later moved to Bank Alfalah, where my salary doubled to 14,000 PKR. In 2009, I was selected as an Admin HR Officer at Redtone, a telecom company where I dedicated nine years of my career. In 2018, I made the difficult decision to resign. What followed was an uncertain period—I was unemployed and unsure of my next move.
To stay afloat, I started working with BYKEA in Rawalpindi for three months. Then, in 2019, through a reference, I secured a position at a company in DHA Phase 2. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 brought everything to a halt.
My turning point came when I stumbled upon a video by Hisham Sarwar about freelancing. Although I had experimented with freelancing in 2017, it wasn’t until 2019 that I fully committed to it, and I’ve never looked back since.
I chose Amazon KDP as my niche, immersed myself in learning, and gradually mastered it. Today, Alhamdulillah, I lead a growing agency named Pen2Digital, with a team of 15 dedicated professionals. We’ve completed over 2,000 projects and published more than 3,000 eBooks for clients worldwide through platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.
I’m proud to be a Top-Rated Freelancer on Upwork and a Level 2 Seller on Fiverr. In 2024 alone, our agency crossed 10 million PKR in earnings.
This journey—from earning 80 rupees at a PCO to building a thriving digital publishing agency—has been one of resilience, learning, and faith. And I believe the best is yet to come.
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