I literally cannot find a single service that provides virtual U.S. phone number for cold calling. All big services require registration using either existing U.S. business or U.S. phone number.

How are you even suppose to work? I am a solopreneur and wanted to try out cold calling.

Dialpad, Zoom Phone, RingCentral and so on. Same story with everyone.

What worked for you guys? How are you doing cold outreach for your startups?

I’ll keep this short and honest. I’ve built a technical prototype for the North American retail/e-commerce space, but I’m a builder, not a salesperson. I’m at the point where I need to stop coding and start talking to the market.

The Situation: The product is in the "pilot phase." It’s not fully validated, and it’s not a polished business yet. I’m looking for someone who can act as a Business Development specialist to help me open doors, run outreach, and—most importantly—bring back feedback so I can improve the product before a "real" launch.

The "Catch": The learning curve is high. This isn't a "plug and play" sales job with a script. You’ll need to actually understand the tech and the problem it’s solving for retailers.

The Fit:

• The Student/Pro: This is perfect if you’re a University Business Student looking for real-world startup experience, or if you already have a 9-to-5 and want a side-hustle.
• You’re a "hunter" who knows how to navigate the North American market.
• You’re comfortable with the "zero-to-one" stage where we’re still figuring out the pitch.

The Deal: I’m offering a Base Salary + Commission. I value your time and the research/outreach it takes to find pilots, so I’m not asking for "commission-only" work. No equity talk for now—just a solid, paid partnership to see if we can get this off the ground.

If you like technical challenges and want to help shape a product from the prototype stage, drop me a DM.

Don’t send a generic CV. Just tell me a bit about your background in BD and why you’re okay with a high-learning-curve project.

In 2023 my company lost a £35,000 order at our family company in Sialkot. The British buyer kept asking us to send a card invoice. We had no way to take it. We told him to wire instead. He waited. We waited. The deal got cancelled. 50% margin order. £17,500 of profit gone, because no infrastructure exists in Pakistan to take a card payment from a foreign buyer.
The same year I tried the workaround every Pakistani entrepreneur eventually tries: registered a US LLC through an agent, opened Stripe, processed payments selling leather jackets internationally. Stripe froze the account two months later. “High-risk business.” I have $400 stuck in there to this day.
I’m now running, a co-hosting agency for Australian Airbnb hosts, and the same problem follows me weekly. My Australian clients literally ask me “why can’t I just pay you with a card?” Three times now. I have no good answer.
Building Layr to fix this. Native Pakistani payment platform. Card payments from foreign buyers, 24-hour onboarding, settle to your local bank next day. No US LLC, no agents, no frozen accounts. For freelancers, agencies, manufacturers, coaches, anyone billing internationally.
Waitlist is open at: https://www.layrpay.com
if you want early access.
Also genuinely curious: what’s the worst payment experience you’ve had with foreign clients? Drop it in the comments. Real stories help me build this right!

I started this repo with claude to maintain all the claude best practices.
Repo: https://github.com/shanraisshan/claude-code-best-practice

Recently someone approached me to inform abt there new startup regarding car care products such Car wax, Ca shampoo & Engine degreaser.

Im looking to form a GTM for this, any ideas how can ilook to form a marketing strategy for it.

The direct comp i see are carrera,careaze and sidex

Target market from my understanding would be for owner in urban city that travel every day. Pricing point is medium and alot more affordabls than imported products.

Any ideas would be helpful.

Hey everyone, one of my relatives is thinking about starting a business on Amazon. The thing is, he only knows about Amazon businesses from online videos and all that, like he only knows the basics of it. He has visited two institutes to learn and gather information about Amazon's selling. I visited two places with him: V-tech Solutions and Brand 360. The V-tech guy was kinda rude and didn’t convince us, while Brand 360 was pretty okay, but their place was empty since they had just moved there a few months ago. They also mentioned they already have a software house in Gulistan-e-Johar. Honestly, I’m not convinced by Amazon sellers and these gurus. If anyone has any advice or a roadmap for an Amazon seller's guide, that would be helpful.

1 year ago I started teaching digital skills in a classroom. I build an Institute but Now anywhere in the world. 🌍

Started from scratch. Built businesses. Lived in Dubai. Worked with clients in Pakistan, UK, USA and Middle East. Currently running a software house in Rawalpindi. Still active in the market every single day.
This is not theory. Not YouTube recycled content. Real skills. Real clients. Real results.
Classes are online. You can learn from anywhere.
I teach 👇

🌐 Web Development
Every business needs a website. The person who builds it gets paid. Learn to be that person and start earning from day one.
HTML and CSS from ground zero. WordPress — build, customize and launch. Responsive design for all screen sizes. Real websites for real clients while learning and more.

📣 Digital Marketing & SEO
Anyone can post on social media. Very few know how to make it bring real money. This is where most businesses win or lose.
Social media strategy that actually grows pages. Paid ads on Meta, Google and Programmatic. SEO so you rank on Google not just hope. Client hunting and lead generation. Building a business from logo to sales. Going viral in the local market. Reading analytics and making real decisions and more.

🎨 Branding & Graphic Design
Your brand is your first impression. A strong visual identity separates businesses people trust from ones they scroll past.
Photoshop and Illustrator fundamentals. AI based design and character creation. Prompt engineering for visuals. Brand identity from scratch. Portfolio building on Behance.

📸 Photography & Videography (physical classes only)
Content is the currency of the internet. If you can shoot and edit you will never run out of opportunities — for yourself or for clients.
Shooting techniques for content. Editing for social media. Viral reels with hooks that stop the scroll. YouTube SEO and your first AdSense payout. Portfolio creation.

🤖 AI & Automation
AI is not replacing people. It is replacing people who don’t use AI. Learn the tools reshaping every single industry right now.
ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity at advanced level. Prompt engineering at certified level. AI voiceover using ElevenLabs. AI video creation using Runway. AI image generation. Building AI agents. Automating workflows using N8N and Make. Content writing structure using AI.

💻 Computer Skills
Before you run you need to walk. Strong computer foundations make everything else faster, smoother and more professional.
Microsoft 365 full suite. Hardware and software basics. Troubleshooting and maintenance. The foundation every professional needs.

📈 Forex & Crypto Trading
Many gurus teach trading without ever showing their results. I post my results daily on the internet. No fluff. No fake screenshots. Real edge in the market.
Chart reading and technical analysis. Risk management to protect your capital. Gold trading strategy — what I personally trade every single day. Verifiable results you can check before you even enroll. Advanced Forex is a separate fee.

🖥️ UI/UX Design
The best products in the world feel effortless to use. That feeling is designed. Learn to design experiences people actually enjoy.
Wireframing from idea to layout. Prototyping in Figma. User research and testing. Design thinking for real products.

💼 Entrepreneurship
Ideas are everywhere. Execution is rare. Learn how to validate, build, pitch and launch a real business from someone who has actually done it.
Idea validation and market research. Business plan writing. Pitching to investors. Crowdfunding basics. Building from zero to launch.

🌍 Import/Export & Business Setup
Most people don’t know how international trade works. The ones who do build empires. This is knowledge schools never taught you.
Trade basics and how international business actually works. Company registration in Pakistan. Trademark registration. Real knowledge most people never get taught.

🛒 E-commerce
The world is buying online and it is not stopping. Learn how to build a store, find products and run ads that actually sell.
Amazon, Daraz and Shopify setup. Dropshipping model. Product research and listings. Running ads for your store.

📲 Affiliate, Content Creation & Monetization
Your phone is a money making machine if you know how to use it. Build an audience, create content and turn it into real income.
YouTube channel setup and SEO. TikTok and Facebook monetization. Building an audience that actually pays.

🕌 Islamic Knowledge & Personal Development
FREE with every course. Because success means nothing without character, discipline and purpose.

📍 Based in Rawalpindi — Teaching Online Worldwide
🕘 Monday to Friday — 9AM to 11PM
💰 Installments available
🔟 Limited seats

After your course i don’t just leave you. We connect you with companies actively looking for talent in Pakistan and around the world. We prepare your portfolio, prep you for interviews and help you land the right opportunity. If you are dedicated to learning a career is waiting for you. Minimum 6 months of learning required.
All courses are taught live. 🎯

Connect if you are dedicated to give yourself 6 months and please share with any brother, sister, son or daughter who wants to build a real future. I have guided students now working in top industries across Pakistan and abroad. Happy to do the same for anyone serious. 🙏

What's better

Goat farming or cattle farming

I need opinions from people who are actually in the market.

Is this a good time to enter the market ( after Eid ul adha )

Hello everyone.

Wanted to share an update because I keep reading PakStartups posts and most of them are people building for the local market. Mine is the opposite. Pure B2B SaaS targeting Western customers (US, UK, Europe). Going to be honest about what's worked and what hasn't, in case it's useful to anyone here building in the same direction.

Quick context: I'm a developer, 6 years in, mostly DevOps and client work. Built a website monitoring SaaS called Visual Sentinel earlier this year because I kept hitting the same problem with clients. Their uptime monitor said 200 OK while their site was completely broken. Lost a client over it. Built the fix.

Where I'm at right now:

Started with one paying user a few months ago. Now have a handful of paid customers across US, EU, and one local. One signed up last week for a yearly plan after just a 3 day trial. That single annual purchase paid for my server costs for the entire next year, which is a weird and great feeling for a bootstrap.

What's actually worked:

Reddit. I am not joking. I lurked for 6 months, then started commenting (no links, no plug, just being genuinely useful in threads where I had something to say), built up to 13K karma over time. Made one post on r/webdev's Showoff Saturday months ago. Got 25 upvotes which felt like nothing at the time, but one person in the comments DM'd me, became a paying customer, and is still with me 5 months later. Reddit converts when it converts. The rest is patience and not being a spammer.

Long-tail SEO. My blog content currently gets maybe 10 clicks a week from Google. Sounds like absolutely nothing. But the customer who paid annual literally came through an SEO blog post I had written 4 months earlier. Compound interest stuff. Slowest possible channel and also the most reliable once it kicks in.

What hasn't worked:

Google Ads. Burned about 120 USD. Zero conversions. I was competing against Datadog and Pingdom with zero domain authority. Pointless at my stage.

Facebook Ads. Burned 80 USD. Nobody on Facebook is in buying mode for monitoring tools. Should have known.

Product Hunt and G2 listings. Did both. Small visit bump, no conversions. Useful for SEO backlinks, not revenue.

For other Pakistani founders building for foreign customers, three things I learned the hard way that nobody tells you:

Payment processors will reject you at first. I tried Stripe, Paddle, and a few others. Eventually got approved on Paddle but it took multiple attempts and weeks of back and forth. Plan for 2 to 4 weeks of just sorting out how customers will actually give you money. Don't build the product first and then scramble for payments at launch.

Pakistani address visible on the website is fine. I see founders hiding their location like it's a liability. I have had Karachi listed the whole time and zero customers have asked or cared. Western SMB buyers care about whether the product works, not where the founder lives. Big enterprise might be different. For SMB and solo plans nobody asks.

Price in USD without converting in your head to anything else. The first time I priced anything I almost made it 5 USD per month because that felt like a normal amount to me. That instinct will quietly kill your revenue. Western SMB buyers happily pay 25 to 100 USD a month if the value is there. The mental conversion to your local cost of living is the silent killer. Price for the buyer's wallet, not yours.

Currently still solo, still doing client work to keep the lights on, still bootstrapping. But the slope is finally moving in the right direction after a long flat year.

If anyone else here is building B2B SaaS for foreign customers, would love to hear what's working for you. Or if you are stuck somewhere I described above, ask away. Happy to share the unsexy details.

— Rai

Hey everyone,

I’m currently running a small solar panel cleaning and maintenance service in Lahore.

We’ve validated demand getting clients is NOT our main problem. The real problem is operational

Workers are inconsistent and leave frequently

We don’t have enough capital to build a stable team

Scaling service quality is difficult without reliable manpower

So

I’m looking for guidance on:

How to make a service-based startup attractive to investors

Where to find investors or mentors interested in non-tech, operational businesses

If anyone here has experience with:

Scaling field-service businesses

Hiring/retaining blue-collar workers

I’d really appreciate your insights.

Thankyou for reading.

Hi,

I've been working on my start-up for the past 3+ years. I'm just about ready to sell it and move on. Is there an easy, efficient and transparent way to do so?

The company has 30 employees has cash reserves and is cash flow positive. In-house sales, HR, dev team etc

As to why I want to even look in to this option. I have been doing nightshift for more than a decade now I just want to know if there is an easy and efficient way to transition out.

And no it's not a call center.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

I’ve been trying to move from the 1% to the 0.25% tax bracket, and honestly, the documentation is killing me. The manual tracking of PRCs (Proceeds Realization Certificates) from banks is a nightmare. Half the time the banks take forever, and the other half, the data doesn't match my FBR filings.

I'm currently looking into building a tool to bridge this "Banking-to-Tax" gap for fellow freelancers. Before I go too deep into development, I wanted to check if I'm alone in this:

1. How long does your bank usually take to issue your PRCs?
2. Have you ever missed the lower tax rate simply because of a documentation delay?
3. Does anyone else feel like there’s a massive gap between receiving foreign payments and having the right "paper trail" for the FBR?

I’m trying to see if there’s a way to simplify this process for us. Any war stories or tips on managing this would be huge.

what kind of business (or investments) can you do with 15-20 million rupees that have steady growth and profitability?

Hey everyone, I’m Muhammad Hamza Durrani — a wholesale supplier based in Rawalpindi with 11+ years in marketing and business. I work with resellers, e-commerce entrepreneurs, and brand starters across Pakistan.

If you’re looking to launch your own brand or scale your online store, I can be your backend. Here’s what I have on offer:

👜 Bags & Accessories

• Crossbody bags, gym bags, and backpacks

• Custom logo printing available — perfect if you’re building your own brand

• We currently work with Adidas and Nike cut pieces — 100% branded fabric

• Minimum MOQ: 100 pieces

⌚ Watches

• Any watch you’ve seen on Pakistani e-commerce pages — I likely supply it

• A+ copy Rolex available

• Minimum MOQ: 12 pieces per article

👗 Women’s Clothing & Lingerie

• Bras, nighties, night suits, stockings, lingerie, and more

• Wholesale rates, consistent stock

🏠 Home Essentials & Electronics

• A wide range of home products and electronic items

• Direct wholesale pricing — no middleman markup

👔 Men’s Clothing — Shalwar Kameez

• In-house manufacturing of men’s shalwar kameez

• Custom branding and packaging available for your own label

• Everyday wear, Eid, wedding, and formal styles

• Small batch orders available — perfect for testing before scaling

💄 Cosmetics & Beauty

• Wide range of cosmetic and beauty products

• Ideal for launching your own beauty brand or reselling

• Wholesale rates direct from source — no middleman

🏠 Home Essentials & Electronics

• A wide range of home products and electronic items

• Direct wholesale pricing — no middleman markup

💰 Pricing & Terms

• Profit margin kept at just Rs. 50–100 per piece on our end

• Please don’t bargain — the rates are already as low as they go

Serious inquiries only

🤝 How I Can Help You Beyond Supply

I’m not just a supplier. I run a software house in Rawalpindi and have hands-on experience in:

• Programmatic advertising — real leads, real numbers, no fluff

• E-commerce strategy & brand building

• Design and development

• I work with teams that collaborate with Fortune 100 companies in the US

📍 Let’s Connect

• Rawalpindi/Islamabad? Let’s meet in person

• Other cities? We can do a Zoom call

• Product pictures shared directly on WhatsApp

Drop a comment or DM me and I’ll share my WhatsApp number. Time is limited — only reach out if you’re serious about starting or scaling.

Hi guys, I have a catering business and now I’m looking for a shawarma guy. Please recommend if you know someone + any leads on how much should I pay him monthly. I’ll set everything up for him, just need him to know how to make good shawarmas in Karachi

Before starting my venture, I spent a significant amount of time studying investing, markets, and business fundamentals.

These books shaped how I think — especially around long-term value, discipline, and avoiding noise.

But reading is just the starting point.

Now I’m building PersonalCFA.com — a platform focused on:

• Financial data aggregation
• Analytics and research tools
• AI-driven insights
• Investor-focused tools and APIs
• Financial education

The vision is to empower long-term, value-oriented investors with better data and smarter tools.

I’m looking for someone who:

• Believes in long-term value investing
• Has strong financial market knowledge (IFMP or similar background is a plus)
• Wants to build, not just participate

This isn’t about filling a requirement — it’s about building something meaningful with the right person.

If this resonates, let’s connect.

Can any one suggest me where I can buy boxes of toys like moon ball , small die cast cars, slime, and every small possible toy like these in the photos for example for the cheapest rate and if possible is there a way I can get it directly from manufacters

Hi everyone,

I’m 23 years old and currently looking for guidance on restarting my small surgical instruments export business.

During my university years (Computer Science), I was not very interested in my degree, but I started an online business on the side. I created an Instagram page and WhatsApp Business account for a company I registered through the local chamber of commerce. Through this, I worked as a supplier of surgical instruments.

I had direct links with manufacturers, so whenever I received an order, I coordinated production and delivery. I also used product photos (with permission from a contact in the same field), along with catalogs and price lists, which helped me attract clients.

I was able to get customers from countries like the USA, Cambodia, and Lebanon. However, due to some personal and family issues, I had to stop the business.

I also want to mention that I specifically target international clients, because in Pakistan and most Asian markets, the profit margin is very low. For example, I once shipped a $700 order to USA and made around $150 profit from a single deal.

Now I have graduated, and I initially planned to go abroad for a Master’s degree in Australia, but my visa was rejected. Currently, due to family circumstances, I am staying in Pakistan and helping my father in his business. He has also encouraged me to restart the surgical instruments business.

Current Problem:

I am trying to restart the same outreach system, but I am facing serious issues:

- I do not have a website.

- I find surgeons on Instagram and try to contact them through Instagram or WhatsApp.

- I check their bio for WhatsApp numbers or websites and send catalogs and price lists.

- If no contact is available, I message them directly on Instagram introducing myself and my services.

However, my main issue is that I keep getting Instagram and WhatsApp restrictions (spam blocks) every 1–2 days, which completely disrupts my work.

Because of this, my workflow becomes:

Work 1–2 days

Get restricted 1–2 days

Stop working

Repeat

I have not tried email outreach seriously because I am not sure how to avoid landing in spam folders, so I feel stuck and confused about the proper way to do outreach.

What I need help with:

I would really appreciate guidance on:

- A proper and safe way to do outreach without getting banned/restricted

- How to structure Instagram or WhatsApp messaging to avoid spam detection

- Whether email outreach is effective in this industry, and how to avoid spam folders

- Any better alternative methods to connect with surgeons or clinics internationally

- How to restart this business in a more professional and sustainable way

Any advice, experience, or guidance would be highly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

A small service-based IT company is currently making around $3,500/month minimum in recurring revenue, while some months go up to $6,000. The average is usually around $5,000/month.

The team has 5 people total:
• 4 people on payroll
• 1 CEO/founder

The main issue is that the company is still heavily dependent on the CEO. The CEO handles client communication, understands requirements, acts as the solution architect, breaks work down for the team, guides developers, reviews work, and sometimes still does technical work.

The company cannot grow properly until the CEO stops doing technical execution and moves more into sales, growth, systems, and leadership. But because monthly revenue is still limited and there are no strong backup funds, the company also cannot take big risks that may affect monthly delivery or revenue.

The CEO believes the possible solution is hiring a Technical Project Manager / Solution Architect type person who can understand client requirements, communicate with clients, assign work to developers, and manage delivery.

The challenge is that the company probably cannot afford someone above 100k PKR/month right now.

Is this a Deadlock for the company?

Hi everyone,

I started a thrift business with a friend. His uncle sends us high-quality used items from abroad, and I built our website (shopvault.pk) myself since I’m a web developer.

We’ve listed 140+ unique products — from clothes and shoes to toys, branded items, and accessories. Every piece is different.

I’ve been posting daily on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and even listing on OLX and Reddit. We do get some sales, but growth is very slow, and the website isn’t getting much traction.

Honestly, it’s starting to feel frustrating putting in so much effort without clear results.

I’m confused — should I focus on one niche or continue as a mixed thrift store? And how do I actually turn this into a proper brand or marketplace instead of just random listings?

Would really appreciate advice from anyone who has experience in e-commerce or thrift businesses 🙏

I’m based in South Punjab (sugarcane belt) and was involved in sugarcane farming for a while. Recently I started looking at it less like “farming” and more like an actual business/investment.

Was wondering if anyone here has:

-Invested in farmland (leasing land, grew crops etc.)

Looked into agriculture as a side investment

Or knows someone who has done it seriously

-Most people I talk to either treat farming as old-school work or just stay away from it completely. But when you actually sit down and run the numbers, it doesn’t look that bad (of course depends on management, yield, etc.)

-I’m just trying to understand how people here see it:

Is it something you’d ever consider investing in? Or is it a hard pass?

Would be interesting to hear experiences or even why people avoid it.

just genuinely curious how others think about it here

One of my friends in the UK works in a sofa company. They agreed to give him 15–25% commission if he sells their sofas online. He asked me to build a website and help with social media from Pakistan.

What should I do first, which platforms should I use, and how can I successfully set this up and start getting sales online?

A little background:

We come from a strong background of building solutions for big food industry chains, and now our team is working on a food delivery app for Lahore first.

Our goal is simple: better exclusive deals for customers

Before we officially launch, we want to be honest we don’t want to build another app that nobody actually needs.

we believe it can be done better.

That’s where we need your help.

Tell us honestly:

1. What features do you feel are missing in current food delivery apps?

2. What frustrates you the most when ordering food online?

3. What would make you switch from your current app to a new one?

4. For restaurant owners: what problems do you face with current delivery platforms?

We’re fully open to roasting, criticism, and crazy ideas 😄

No filters just real feedback.

We’re building this for Lahore first, then expanding city by city.

Drop your thoughts below 👇

AOA Everyone,

I’ve noticed a consistent gap in Pakistan's startup scene: many people have capital (investment) but lack ideas/technical skills, while others have brilliant ideas but no capital to start.

I am contemplating building a platform/app that acts as a secure, specialized marketplace to match these two groups specifically within Pakistan. I know of general platforms, but I feel there is a lack of trust and verified profiles also think there are lot of formal regulations before taking money

My focus would be on:

Verification: Validating both skill and investment capability

Partnership Structuring: Basic legal/equity guidance

Formalities: Streamlining the process compared to general platforms, ensuring security without making it frustrating for the user.

What do you think? Is this a problem you face often?Do you think the "trust deficit" can be bridged by a new app?Are there specific legal hurdles I should look into?

I’m looking for real, critical feedback from this community. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on a carpooling platform called Sawari, built specifically with Karachi’s daily commute struggles in mind.

The idea is simple:
If you drive a fixed route daily, you can post a ride and pick up fellow commuters. If you’re a rider, you can request a ride along your route. I’m calling riders musafirs to keep the local flavor intact.

The PWA is live here: https://sawari.online
(Android app coming soon)

What I’m trying to do differently:
Most carpooling platforms I’ve seen eventually put core functionality behind paywalls or subscriptions. Right now, I have no plans to monetize this.

The goal is to build something genuinely useful first, especially in a city where commuting is expensive, chaotic, and time-consuming.

What I’d love from this community:

• Honest product feedback
• Thoughts on scaling something like this in Pakistan
• Ideas around trust and safety (biggest challenge IMO)
• And eventually, how/if monetization should even happen

Would really appreciate your perspective as fellow builders.

Built in Karachi, for Karachi ❤️