Long before Saqib Azhar became a recognized face of Pakistan’s digital economy, he flipped burgers in the United Kingdom. He worked part-time at Burger King to fund his accommodation during his master’s degree. Today, Saqib Azhar stands as CEO and Co-Founder of Enablers, the organization behind the Young Entrepreneur Fest. His journey proves Pakistanis can earn in dollars from home — after failures, setbacks, and one bold leap.
Saqib Azhar: Early Years in Lahore
Saqib Azhar grew up in a middle-class family in Lahore. By his own account, he was an average student. He did not score well in his intermediate exams. Nevertheless, he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science — and a willingness to start from the bottom.
His first internship paid him PKR 2,000 a month. It lasted only three months. It offered no glamour and hinted at no future success. Yet it gave him a start, and he treated it as one.
The UK Chapter: Burger King Shifts and a Corporate Climb
Like thousands of Pakistani students, Azhar moved to the United Kingdom on a student visa. He enrolled for a master’s in computer networks at the University of Bedfordshire. To cover his accommodation, he took a part-time job at Burger King. At first, days went to study and evenings went to the counter.
In time, the grind paid off. After completing his studies, Azhar built a solid career in the UK’s IT industry. He worked as a web project manager and rose to Head of Project Management in 2009.
Next, he joined the global agency M&C Saatchi as a project director. Then AKQA made him Associate Project Director in 2014. He later served as lead project manager at DigitasLBi and senior programme manager at Sapient in 2016.
On paper, Azhar had made it. He reportedly earned around PKR 15 lakh a month — the kind of money most people only dream about. Still, he prepared to walk away from all of it.
From Failed Amazon Stores to Global Marketplaces
Back in 2010, while still working in the UK, Saqib Azhar began experimenting with e-commerce. He started selling on Amazon’s US marketplace — and failed. He failed again. Still, several more attempts collapsed before anything worked.
First, the struggle stayed real and solitary. He taught himself product sourcing, listings, and launches — alone and at his own cost. He absorbed the losses without a team or a safety net. Moreover, e-commerce barely existed as a concept in Pakistan, and nobody around him understood his mission.
Eventually, the pieces fell into place. His Amazon business took off. As a result, he expanded to Walmart, eBay, and Groupon across the USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Canada. The former burger-flipper had become an online businessman earning in foreign currency.
The most remarkable decision, however, was not the Amazon store itself. It was walking away from a PKR 15 lakh monthly salary to run his stores full-time. That move came from confidence, not desperation. Indeed, it was a bet on himself — and it changed everything.
Saqib Azhar Returns Home: Enablers and the Young Entrepreneur Fest
In 2018, Saqib Azhar returned to Pakistan and co-founded Enablers. Today, the organization trains people in Amazon and e-commerce skills. Its mission stays bold and simple: “turn job seekers into job creators” and make Pakistan an e-commerce hub.
Saqib Azhar had lived every mistake his future students might make. He therefore built Enablers to help them skip the painful parts. For example, the failed launches and the lonely learning curve became lessons instead of wasted years.
Over the years, Enablers has trained thousands of Pakistanis to earn in US dollars through e-commerce. Its graduates now work as freelancers, virtual assistants, and Amazon sellers. Consequently, many of them support their families without leaving Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s IT exports have hit record highs, with freelancing playing a growing role.
Now, the journey that began with a PKR 2,000-a-month internship reaches a new milestone. Azhar’s organization backs the Young Entrepreneur Fest 2026. The event takes place on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at the Expo Centre in Lahore. Organizers bill it as Pakistan’s biggest entrepreneur gathering.
According to the organizers, the fest should draw more than 40,000 attendees. It will feature 500+ startups, 200+ stalls, and 100+ entrepreneurs. Its projected digital reach exceeds 50 million. These remain the organizers’ own projections; nevertheless, the ambition is undeniable.
Ultimately, the story of Saqib Azhar shows success rarely runs in a straight line. For instance, it passes through failed stores, lonely nights of learning, and the courage to leave comfort behind. For the thousands of Pakistanis earning online because of what he built, the struggle was worth it.
