Episode 4
Before moving to the story of side hustles alongside my job at Yellow Pages, I want to talk about my perspective on entrepreneurship, economics, finances, and career choices.
My first job was something like, “You need to work to survive,” or “If you won’t work, who will give you money?” So the question remains: do you start working out of necessity, or do you enter a field out of passion? This freedom to choose—or compulsion to jump in—stays with us throughout life, even after we adjust ourselves to a field as if we were meant for it.
There is, however, another aspect to this analogy: the beauty of uncertainty. The quest of knowing oneself has its own importance, and the journey of self-search—who we are—must go on.
I remember seeing an advertisement in the classified section of a newspaper for a sales job in Yellow Pages. I went there and got the job. But in those initial months after B.Com, I had already developed some understanding of entrepreneurship, self-employment, and personal finances. I used to believe that anyone who can make pakoray and samosay can become a millionaire anywhere in the world.
I remember sitting in a friend’s shop after school, where his father and grandfather were the bosses. Many other shopkeepers in those narrow streets sold wholesale goods. I recall listening to their conversations and perhaps asking questions as well.
One of my curiosities was a shopkeeper who always appeared rude—no smile on his face, no shine in his eyes, no visible energy in his movements—yet he worked continuously, cleaning his shop, taking orders, and selling to customers. It puzzled me how someone without a smile could be a successful businessman. I eventually got my answer from the older men around.
They said, “He shows up.” He comes to the shop every day of the week, at the same time, in all kinds of weather. They added that maybe he would never be very successful due to his lack of warmth—or maybe he would eventually learn to smile—but the key was that he showed up every day. Consistency and perseverance, they said, are what truly matter.
Even today, when young people tell me they want to go abroad because there is nothing here, I tell them: go if you must, but don’t say there is nothing here. It is the same everywhere—it is you, or us.
The idea of making pakoray or samosay and becoming a millionaire is not merely a motivational paradox; it is a very practical way of starting an entrepreneurial journey. And if you are living in Paris, you may simply replace pakoray and samosay with croissants, bagels, or donuts.
My side hustle, as mentioned earlier, was home tuition. I started at the age of 18 and continued until I was about 26, or perhaps a year more. I could not expand it into an organised business. I even tried starting an academy, but in hindsight, I realise I was never a very good teacher. I remember learning mathematics from a friend every day just to teach it to an eighth-grade student. The embarrassment of taking fees from parents and not delivering teaching at an optimal level is still vivid in my memory.
That was not my first home tuition. I had been referred by a friend to teach a doctor’s children somewhere in G-6/4. The doctor was from a village in southern Punjab and was quite strictly religious. He interviewed me, and I sensed that his wife was observing me from behind a thick veil. Two incidents remain in my memory. On the third day, the doctor entered the drawing room while I was teaching and began beating his two sons. It was frightening and deeply embarrassing for me. Another moment was when his wife, still behind the veil, asked me, “Master sahib, do take flour as well.” Perhaps it was a village custom, but it left a deep impression on me and has stayed somewhere in my soul.
My salary at Yellow Pages was around PKR 3,000, and commissions were not realised until the publication of the directory—which was not expected anytime soon.
Thank you to everyone reading. Feedback is much appreciated.