Running a business in Pakistan is not easy which is why many people are choosing to explore Dubai, even if they live in Pakistan. One couple has managed to do this successfully. Salman Sattar and Mina Salman live in Dubai but run a successful e-commerce business in Pakistan.

Bagallery is an e-commerce portal that deals with all kinds of beauty, fashion and home-related products. The couple met in college and started the business with no intention of bringing it to Pakistan and wanted to only cater to customers in UAE and the Middle East.

“When we started out the business the initial idea was not to take the business to Pakistan but when we saw the e-commerce industry pick up in Pakistan, we gradually shifted the focus from UAE to Pakistan,” said Mina.

Here are the lessons one can learn from their unorthodox shift:

1. Hire a team you can trust and rely on
2. Make sure the city you start the business is reachable in a few hours, at least in the start
3. Do not reinvent the wheel, look at successful business models and emulate them
4. Always be open to learning and evolving as conditions keep changing