Karachi to Dubai: A woman entrepreneur defies the odds

NAHEED WENT FROM SELLING WALKMANS AS A CHILD TO THRIVING IN DUBAI

- BY LAKSHANA PALAT Assistant Features Editor

She smiles over her toast and says, “There’s nothing groundbreaking here. It’s just my life story.” But from selling Walkmans as a child in Karachi to building a small business in Dubai, Naheed Maalik’s life story does stand for something.

Maalik and her friend and business partner Rachel Lloyd wanted to run a business, but also their lives alongside. Maalik has always had a resilient entrepreneurial spirit. Back in the '80s, “I used to sell Walkmans. I also made brownies and sold those. I’ve done it all,” she says.

When she moved to Dubai from Karachi, she brought with her a background in nonprofit communications and magazine journalism. “I worked first with the Red Cross for three years, and then the British Council for another four years,” she says.

Closing The Loop

In 2018, Maalik and Lloyd launched The Loop — a one-stop agency offering reliable, cohesive services in branding, marketing, communications, design, and PR.