FROM GOLD MEDALS TO HUSTLE MASTERY
Maham Khalid’s Success Tale
By Laiha Bilal
By Laiha Bilal
Meet Maham Khalid, a tenacious and visionary individual whose journey from Karachi University to becoming a contentpreneur, host, and co-founder of ‘Hustle’ epitomizes resilience, determination, and a passion for education.
Despite academic setbacks that kept her from IBA, Maham’s passion for knowledge and respect for top instructors drove her ambition. As a gold medalist from the University of Karachi, her academic excellence facilitated the way for a remarkable career. Starting her career at Trax, a logistics startup led by Hassan Khan, Maham Khalid faced uncertainty due to the industry’s unfamiliarity. Her transformative two-year experience there provided rare insights, and after exploring other opportunities, she returned to Trax with renewed confidence.
Her second term brought significant growth and success in the L2L (Ladder to Leadership) program. Once, Maham Khalid and the director of Genisis Holdings Asad Abdulla were talking, he asked her, “If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one thing you’d want to do?” She replied,
“I’d start my own interview series.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I want to educate those students who lack opportunities for learning, teaching them skills that traditional universities or educational institutions may not provide.
“My goal is to ensure that students from UOK, NED, or MAJU are well-prepared and confident when applying for jobs, without feeling stressed.”
Maham replied. Asad Abdullah, a person whose interest sparks in entrepreneurs with strong values, he sensed her passion at that moment and offered to invest 100% in it, asking her to pitch it. At that moment, her incomplete pieces of dreams swirled in front of her eyes, and her heart delighted as her passion’s path came into sight. She saw the first step of the staircase she was about to ascend. She excitedly began the project, from designing the logo to naming it. After much effort, she chose ‘Hustle,’ reflecting her relentless drive.
Maham faced challenges with videography, editing, and writing questions due to her limited experience in journalism, but she endured. For her debut interview, Maham aimed to feature 19-year-old Hamza from “Extreme Commerce,” earning lakhs. For some interviews, Maham stayed off-camera due to her family’s unwillingness, but she remained resilient and convinced them. Maham interviewed many great personalities, including Asad Umer, Junaid Akram (aka Ganji Swag), Azad Chaiwala, to name a few.
Additionally, Maham is teaching people how to develop a LinkedIn profile through “Hustle’s Hacks.” The greatest challenge emerged when Maham received an enticing offer from a fashion brand—a higher salary and equity. It was the ultimate dilemma: passion versus career. She shared a wise tip:
“Passion is nothing without financial strength.”
Yet she couldn’t bring herself to abandon Asad. He posed a question that stuck in her mind: “If I believe in you; why don’t you believe in your project?” Asad Abdulla, more than a boss or guide, a mentor for Maham.
He offered a valuable piece of advice to entrepreneurs, that resilience and consistency is the key because being an entrepreneur is much harder than it seems. You’ll face challenges, and it’s during these times that your entrepreneurial spirit shines. To anyone wanting to start a business is to get some practical work experience in a corporate setting first. It will prepare you better for the startup world. As Maham grows with Hustle, she reveals her secrets to acing every interview: which is being authentic, vulnerable and just honest conversation with the guest, with extreme confidence. She said,
“My biggest lesson is that creating good content starts with consuming good content. The more I learn from others content the better I am able to work on my channel.”
If we were to give Maham a microphone to advise mass communication students, she would say,
“To succeed, start your career with startups for better knowledge, exposure, and soft skills. Rapid success in multinational companies is harder due to their large employee base.”
Her wisest counsel for growth, both personal and professional, is:
“Take care of your psychological diet. Pay attention to what your brain is consuming, be mindful of the people you sit with, the influencers you follow, the content you watch. You need to value your time!”
