The road to success is never easy, and those who wish to achieve their dreams or make a noticeable contribution to their surroundings must have the dedication and the firm will to do so. Hashim Sarwar, now a well-renowned freelancer in the freelancing industry in Pakistan and internationally, was set on a path that needed to be paved with shortcuts or easily won victories.
The journey of success is marked by sleepless nights, sacrifices, and the constant doubt of “Will it work out?” Dedication drives people like Hisham Sarwar to achieve their dreams and earn their place. This unwavering resolve transformed his aspirations from mere dreams into realities. Come with us as we explore the life of Hisham Sarwar, the Pakistani Guru of Freelancing
Hisham Sarwar’s Background and Educational Journey
Hisham Sarwar was born in 1975 in Pakistan. Throughout his academic life, Hisham classified himself as an average student, getting average academic marks. He also described how he was already in graphic design by how he would doodle in the back of his classrooms.
Hisham Sarwar describes in his book his experience of studying high school, calling it a “nightmare.” He pursued a degree in Business and Administration following his graduation from high school.
His Public Service Career
Hisham Sarwar tried to land a government job in Pakistan in 1997. Still, as he describes how the interview went, the interviewer tells how Hisham Sarwar has a low IQ and is technically unfit to handle the job and, hence, is turned away.
Hisham Sarwar describes that he was never the type of person who would prefer to work daily at a 9-5 job. He approves of the people who do office jobs, but he thinks that jobs limit an individual’s potential. Additionally, the money a person earns from a job often keeps them at a stage where he would have to manage his earnings carefully.
Virtues of Freelancing
On the other hand, Freelancing makes you your boss and the margin of earning in freelancing as opposed to a job depends on the individual’s hard work, commitment, and seriousness. As Hisham Sarwar describes, the margin of earning in one month of freelance can make 4-6 more than an office job makes in a month.
Job at Telco Rawalpindi
Hisham Sarwar was hired by a Telco company in Rawalpindi but was fired within a year. The reason for the termination was that the employer stated Hisham had poor communication skills and lacked the confidence necessary for the job.
Whether it was confirmed that he lacked confidence or not, the termination reduced his confidence. Hisham was in his early teens and without a job; as he describes that, he was heartbroken.
Job Termination and Freelancing
While still working the office job, an acquaintance of Hisham introduced him to Freelancing. Freelancing, as of today, is shared amongst the young generation of Pakistan, but the times of the 90s were a completely different story.
His acquaintance explained how he could earn online from international clients with his graphic designing skills, web designing skills, and content creation services like Photoshop. Hisham describes his discovery of freelancing as “totally by accident.”
Windows 1998 and Bill Gates
While still doing his Master’s in Business Administration, Hisham Sarwar and his friend came across the book of Bill Gates, which had information on how the now-billionaire created windows. His friend described the book, which eventually led Hisham to purchase it and read it for himself.
Hisham Sarwar describes that he had always been a Mac user before his exposure to Windows. Even with this, he was unaware of which operating system he had been working on beforehand.
The story of Bill Gates ignited a spark of enthusiasm in him. He praised Bill Gates’s idea, and how he brought it into reality today was impressive. Since Freelancing was rare then, the only known freelance websites were Elance.com and Moonlight.
Hisham Sarwar was still working when he stumbled upon the idea of Freelancing. After his termination from the Telco Company in Rawalpindi, he tried part-time jobs but soon realized that “jobs were not meant for him” and began dedicating his full time to Freelancing.
Hisham Sarwar’s Experience at Elance
Of course, acing the job in one go is almost impossible, which is why Hisham Sarwar was met with little to no success on Elance.com. Despite the failure, he still looked for freelancing opportunities and eventually found the freelancing company Moonlighter, known as Guru.com today.
Guru.com
While freelancing on Guru.com, Hisham Sarwar came across various types of projects. To build his portfolio and attract international clients, he took on multiple projects, paying little attention to the sizes of these projects.
Hisham Sarwar describes how he crossed the 5,000 project milestone and that his commitment to Freelancing had earned him the achievement of being featured in Guru’s Hall of Fame for 11 months. This achievement is further solidified by the fact that he was the only Pakistani who had achieved the prize of being featured on an international freelancing website.
Informal Initiatives
As of 2001, Hisham’s freelancing company had only consisted of a single computer. His dedication to achieving something and his years of hard work brought about the founding of Informist, which now provides one of the best services in project outsourcing. Informist has multiple head offices outside of Pakistan, focusing primarily on foreign clients.
Unveiling the Workchest
Apart from Informist, another notable contribution of Hisham Sarwar was his founding of Workchest, which focuses on international clients while connecting them to Pakistani freelancers. Workchest is a Pakistani freelancing website that features projects from international and local clients. Employers can hire Pakistani freelancers from here.
Hisham explains that Pakistani accounts on Fiverr, an international freelancer website, would often result in bans. The rejection of PayPal in Pakistan worsens the situation as multiple employers prefer paying via PayPal. The absence of Upwork registration has also pushed Hisham into introducing Workchest.
Growth in YouTube
Hisham Sarwar had already set up his LinkedIn and YouTube accounts, but his YouTube, in particular, has yet to be much under the spotlight. During a convention in Islamabad in December 2019, an accomplice suggested that he post videos regarding freelancers on his YouTube channel.
As a tech entrepreneur by heart who loves to give what he learns to his people, Hisham Sarwar started posting educational and informational content on his YouTube channel. What he posts on his channel was previously what he used to teach at Digiskills, but the gaps in registration of batches often left students to wait for months before the next batch was open for registration.
Conclusion
Hisham Sarwar’s narrative embodies the epitome of resilience in facing challenges. Born in Pakistan, his journey was marked by rejection from job avenues, propelling him into Freelancing. Faced with setbacks, he embraced this unexplored realm, leveraging his graphic and web design skills to navigate the emerging landscape of online Freelancing in the ’90s.
From the founding of Informist to the launch of Workchest, Hisham’s ventures served as bridges, connecting international clients with Pakistani freelancers and creating growth opportunities. Hisham inspires the youth of Pakistan and says there is no need to be disheartened if you have no job; he is living proof that where there is nothing for you, anyone can use the internet to earn.
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