My Experience at the AI Baithak with Sr Irfan Malik & Sr Hisham at Innovesta Islamabad

Assalamualaikum everyone!

I recently had the incredible opportunity to attend an AI Baithak session at Innovesta Islamabad with Sr Irfan Malik and Sr Hisham. It was not any lecture, it was a discussion session. MashAllah, it was an absolutely amazing and enlightening discussion! As an entrepreneur, I learned so much from their wisdom and experience, and I wanted to share my notes so we can all benefit together.

🎯 1. Focus on YOUR Journey - دوسروں کی پرواہ نہ کریں، اپنی کرنی کریں

"Just pay attention on your work"

Stop comparing yourself with others posting their wins on LinkedIn. Don't be intimidated by what others are achieving. Your journey is unique. Focus on building yourself, your skills, and your business. Consistency beats comparison every single time.

👥 2. Identify & Understand Your Team

Not all team members are the same. Understand what drives each person:

Leadership-driven: Want to become leaders in tech
Job-focused: Looking for paisa (money)
skills development: want to improve their skills
Security-conscious: "Kahin meri job na chali jae🚀 jae"

The key? Treat each team member differently based on what motivates them.

💼 3. WHEN TO HIRE? (Don't Mess This Up)

Before you hire ANY developer or resource, make sure you have:

✅ Business analysis of the client → Know the project inside out

✅ Strong backup plan → What happens if they quit suddenly? (Backup is your everything when there is no worker)

✅ Domain knowledge → You MUST understand the field they'll be working in

Don't hire just because you got a project. Hire strategically.

🎯 4. HOW TO WIN ON UPWORK

Always bid with SOLUTION to the problem

Here's what works:

Show them the solution, not just your skills
Include portfolio links of similar work
Example: "A client needs website? Show what he will write on Google and how he will find you"
Keep it focused - no fluff, no extra details

Make your portfolio so strong that clients find YOU easily and trust your skills immediately.

🤖 5. USE AI AS YOUR PERSONAL MENTOR

Game-changer advice here:

Feed your AI assistant your daily journal, activities, and ideas regularly. Over time, it learns YOU and becomes your expert teacher.

It will help you: