"Learn from the mistakes & turn those mistakes into opportunities."
Meet Irfan Ul Haq. He has over 18 years of successful experience in Marketing and Sales of Technology Solutions, and Business Process Improvement with recognized strengths in managing B2B & B2C businesses. Proven track record of hiring, training, and leading multiple teams while developing plans to initiate and expand new markets penetration. Launched several new products and services within the technology space. Avid sports follower having a keen interest in soccer and tennis.
Currently a Co-Managing Partner at CydoMedia LLC looking over marketing and business development along with new business initiatives.
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Table of Contents
Thank you for joining us today. Please introduce yourself to our readers. They want to know you, some of the background story to bring some context to your interview.
Irfan Ul Haq: Coming from a humble background, I spent a large part of the early years in the Middle East (Qatar & the UAE). Living, studying, and working in such heterogeneous societies gave me excellent opportunities to learn about various cultures, which has proved to be an advantage for me professionally.
I have always been inclined towards the tech industry and consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to convert my passion into my profession. After starting my career as a Marketing Executive in Dubai, I have spent over 15 years in the tech industry.
Currently working as a Co-Managing Partner at CydoMedia LLC, I also provide consultation to other up-and-coming tech firms.
You are a successful entrepreneur, so we’d like your viewpoint, do you believe entrepreneurs are born or made? Explain.
Irfan Ul Haq: This is one of those questions that cannot be answered in a simple yes or no. While I believe that most successful entrepreneurs are born with a mindset of doing something incredible, something different from living routine 9-to-5 lives, some who, over time, with their experiences, hard work, and dedication, became successful entrepreneurs.
If you were asked to describe yourself as an entrepreneur in a few words, what would you say?
Irfan Ul Haq: I see myself as someone who doesn’t mind experimenting. I like trying out new and different things. Even if I don’t succeed the first time, I can always learn something new and that is what has worked for me.
Tell us about what your company does and how did it change over the years?
Irfan Ul Haq: CydoMedia started off merely as a web design and development service provider but has grown to provide a wide range of digital solutions like Web & Mobile App solutions, result-oriented digital marketing strategies, impressive branding among other digital solutions. Our primary focus is to provide high-end results to our clients and building a long-lasting relationship with them based on trust.
Thank you for all that. Now for the main focus of this interview. With close to 11.000 new businesses registered daily in the US, what must an entrepreneur assume when starting a business?
Irfan Ul Haq: Starting a business is the easy part, but it requires passion, patience, willingness to take risks, and a drive to add value to those you serve. These are the basic ingredients to make your business a success.
The competition is fierce and there are no shortcuts. But the levels of persistence, hard work, and dedication can define the success of your business.
Did you make any wrong assumptions before starting a business that you ended up paying dearly for?
Irfan Ul Haq: I might have made a few wrong assumptions before starting a business but thankfully none that I ended up paying dearly for. I have and at times I still make wrong assumptions, but what’s important in all those mistakes is to learn from them & turn those mistakes into opportunities.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what advice would you give yourself and why? Explain
Irfan Ul Haq: Start with the word ‘Go’. When I first started, I had an overly cautious approach. But then I learned the only way to achieve something different is by doing something different. And that is how the whole ‘trying out new things’ approach started.
What is the worst advice you received regarding running a business and what lesson would you like others to learn from your experience?
Irfan Ul Haq: The worst advice I ever received was that I needed huge capital to make a business successful. That is probably one of the reasons it took me so long to start one of my own when I realized that is not always the case.
You can always start small but with the right approach, you can grow it into a successful one.
In your opinion, how has COVID-19 changed what entrepreneurs should assume before starting a business? What hasn’t changed?
Irfan Ul Haq: COVID-19 has had a huge impact in ways how businesses are run. The businesses that were not flexible or adaptive to new changes, suffered during this pandemic.
If you’re thinking of starting a business, ask yourself this one questions: Is your business adaptable to the changing and unpredictable circumstances? If the answer is no, then you should perhaps go back to the drawing board and reconsider other ways of doing the business.
The opportunities are still there. The need for products and services is still there. You just need to make sure that what you are offering is catering to the need of consumers and adding value to their lives.
What is a common myth about entrepreneurship that aspiring entrepreneurs and would-be business owners believe in? What advice would you give them?
Irfan Ul Haq: The common myth is something I’ve mentioned earlier. You need a huge capital to make a business successful. If you have that, good. If not, then you can always start small and grow it to be a successful one with the right approach.
What traits, qualities, and assumptions do you believe are most important to have before starting a business?
Irfan Ul Haq: Creativity, persistence, ability to take risks, and adding value to those you serve.
An entrepreneur should not work with any assumption, but a clear vision and roadmap to ace the task of making the business grow massively.
How can aspiring leaders prepare themselves for the future challenges of entrepreneurship? Are there any books, websites, or even movies to learn from?
Irfan Ul Haq: Aspiring leaders can prepare themselves for the future challenges of entrepreneurship by learning from those who have already done that. Study them, listen to them, understand them and there is a lot you can learn from them. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Sam Walton are some of the entrepreneurs I like to read about.
One good book that I’m reading these days is The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. That’s something I’d recommend every aspiring entrepreneur to read. As for movies, the one I’d highly recommend is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
You have shared quite a bit of your wisdom and our readers thank you for your generosity but would also love to know: If you could choose any job other than being an entrepreneur, what would it be?
Irfan Ul Haq: That’s an easy one. I’d be in the TV/movies; behind the camera of course. A writer, or a director. How successful I would have been is a big question though (haha).
Thank you so much for your time, I believe I speak for all of our readers when I say that this has been incredibly insightful. We do have one more question: If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore, but not a politician, who would it be; why?
Irfan Ul Haq: That’s a tough one. But if I have to choose one, it’d be Alan Turing. I’ll quote Time magazine from 1999 here saying, “The fact remains that everyone who taps at a keyboard, opening a spreadsheet or a word-processing program, is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine.
Larry Yatch, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Irfan UI Hac for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Irfan UI Hac or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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