Why do we consider regular e-commerce stores to be startups?

Entrepreneurs in Pakistan need to understand the difference between startup and a regular business.

Abdul Qadir November 14, 2016
For the past couple of years, new startups are popping up everywhere in Pakistan. Everyone seems to know someone who has recently started a new ‘e-commerce’ store which will revolutionise the industry in Pakistan.

To be honest, I’m starting to get fed up with this constant stream of ‘entrepreneurs’ who set up a website, put some products on it and call it a startup and Pakistan’s best online shopping store. I mean how far can we be from reality? Why do we think starting a regular e-commerce store with WooCommerce or OpenCart, without anything different from the thousand other competitors, should still be considered a startup? Yes, you can call it a business, but is it really a startup?

According to Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup, a startup is defined as:
“A startup is a human institution designed to deliver a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty.”

Now starting up a regular e-commerce store or copying a business model followed by hundreds of other people isn’t exactly delivering a new product or service. So the first thing that should be done if we want the true startup culture to thrive in Pakistan is to understand the difference and stop claiming every other e-commerce store to be a start-up.

I’d like to mention here that I’m definitely not against calling an e-commerce venture, that really does something new and offers something different, a startup. The only criteria to be considered a startup is to bring something new and innovative to any industry, and unfortunately in Pakistan, it’s a very slow process because most of our ‘entrepreneurs’ are focused on copying already established concepts only. Even the different incubators across Pakistan are focused on a few verticals and pushing ventures in those verticals only. It’s time our entrepreneurs, mentors and professionals start finding solutions for real problems. I’m positive though as under the noise created by these ‘non startups’ some really good startups are being born in Pakistan where the founders are really looking to make a difference and tackle issues. Some of these that recently came to my attention are:

Nutright 

Nutright is tackling a growing obesity problem in Pakistan and developing mobile solutions to help people lose weight safely by following professional nutritionists and trainers.

Fori Mazdoori (FM)

Labour is an industry that’s regularly exploited and taken for granted. Fori Mazdoori is bringing technology to the labour industry; it connects professionals in various labour-inclined tasks with people who are looking for these services.

DoctHERs 

Fifty per cent of medical graduates are female and only 13% go on to pursue medical careers due to social and cultural issues. DoctHers is bringing those medical professionals back to the workforce by connecting these doctors with patients through the concept of Telemedicine.

EcoEnergy 

EcoEnergy is bringing clean and renewable energy solutions to the grassroots. Connecting under-served areas and localities by providing low-cost small energy solutions.

Some other startups that I didn’t mention in this article can be viewed in this article here.

These are just a few startups I have read about recently that are definitely solving problems and bringing innovative solutions to Pakistan. It’s time we started giving startups like these the airtime they need and help them push innovation forward.

I know my post might hurt many who consider their e-commerce store a startup. I, too, have some e-commerce projects going on, but I do understand the difference between what a startup is and what a regular business is. Unfortunately, most ‘e-commerce startups’ are just regular businesses.

This post originally appeared here.
WRITTEN BY:
Abdul Qadir A digital marketer and strategist helping companies, brands and people convert digital media into profits. He tweets @qadir5000.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (1)

Paul Cook | 7 years ago | Reply This is interesting. Totally worth my time! Take a look at this, it is a very insightful read: https://goo.gl/edQF5h
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