The news of arrival of first child in family is a celebrated event. In anticipation the first thing that an expectant mother does is anybody’s guess…yes, shopping! This is what Rafia Zahid set out to do for her first child. She looked for clothes that would be comfortable as well as trendy for her first child to be, but she was rather disappointed. She observed that most of the available garments and products for newborn were imported. And they did not necessarily catered to the need of the children as would a local brand in a certain price range. She thought of turning this disappointment into an opportunity, and found out a solution. She would make children’s garments with all things local, all made in Pakistan. This is how the idea of Tippitoes came into being.
She shared her idea with her husband, Zahid Farrukh, and took him on board as a cofounder. In 2016 they launched Tippitoes with a single retail store; after all the work that goes into setting up a brand new business, from market research to procuring raw material. Tippitoes is basically a mother’s idea of comfortable and practical apparel for new born to 6 year old children. Rafia Zahid, Co-Founder of Tippitoes, declares her venture as “a brand for the parents by the parents”. We can safely say that Tippitoes is a mother’s gift to children across Pakistan.
With business established, Rafia runs the show while Zahid supports her in managing accounts and procuring materials. Zahid Farrukh offers his unwavering support to his wife and is of the opinion that women entrepreneurs are more dedicated and loyal as business counterparts. He advocates women’s active participation in the economy and believes that there should be opportunities, platforms, and financial support to encourage women to step in the world of entrepreneurship.
Five years down the road with 14 outlets and 70 employees, they are still going strong. Growth in their business is evident from these numbers. With business growing rapidly, they needed capital to keep things going at this pace and also implement their growth plans. As all of us in Pakistan do, friends and family are the first to be reached out for loans as a matter of convenience. Rafia recalls that they had already exhausted that option and at this stage loan from the family could never have been sufficient. To raise the capital they visited different financial institutions. They were taken aback when they read the terms and conditions put in place for business like theirs by these financial institutions.
When they were just about to lose all hope, Rafia came across Karandaaz on a social media platform. Informing Zahid about her finding, together they explored different initiatives by Karandaaz. One being Women Ventures is an initiative, which is specifically designed to encourage women entrepreneurs to grow their business with easy access to capital and business support. They were happily surprised to see a financial offer specially carved out for women entrepreneurs, that too by a financial institution in Pakistan. Besides the provision of capital, it offers women-led businesses customized business development support, training, and capacity-building sessions.
They considered themselves fortunate to have come across Women Ventures just at the right time. They applied and Karandaaz led Tippitoes to a journey of exploring new horizons of business expansion. Its financial management assistance was an added advantage along with the provision of capital.
Talking about challenges women entrepreneurs have to face in Pakistan, Rafia says it is not easy to work in a predominantly male sector. She thinks that “Men in Pakistan are not ready to see women in the driving seat and are reluctant to work under the supervision of a woman. But this will change with more working women around, men in society will get accustomed to working for and with women.” To give women more opportunities to work Rafia prioritizes hiring women in her workforce and is very supportive, as being a woman entrepreneur she is well aware of the challenges working women face. She makes sure that women, depending on their potential, have enough representation in her workforce. She is glad to be in a position where she can enable other women to be financially independent and be an active participant in the country’s economy.
Covid-19 changed the dynamics of businesses all over the world. The retail business was particularly hit hard and Tippitoes was not an exception. With all stores closed as per the measures of the government to control the spread of Covid-19, Tippitoes assessed the challenges posed by the pandemic and redesigned their business model, with a focus on collaborations for online businesses. Closing down physical stores paved the way for the trend in online shopping. Tippitoes rising to the occasion, who had already made adjustments in its business model, we’re ready to provide online services to the customers. In the meanwhile, despite the economic uncertainty they did not layoff any of their employees and facilitated them however they could. All these measures were possible with the financial support that they had availed from Karandaaz.
Rafia Zahid is proud of the struggle and effort that she puts into her work. With the expertise and experience, she has gained all these years taking Tippitoes from 1 outlet to 14 outlets, she’s all set to give the world a Tippitoes and Pakistan experience of children’s apparel. She is planning to introduce the world to Tippitoes, making her brand international. Expansion of her business will bring new job opportunities and hence more economic activity.
Rafia thinks that it is a challenge and equally demanding as a woman to manage a business, home, and children. But once you are organized with your priorities set, you are all set to conquer the world. She urges women of Pakistan to come out of their homes and make their mark in the business world. She agrees that it is not at all a bed of roses when you decide to work, there are challenges and difficulties of all sorts but women should not lose heart and keep striving for their goals. Sooner or later success will surely be their fate.
Rafia’s confidence, determination, and perseverance in the face of adversities are contagious and will inspire women of Pakistan to strive for their dreams.
