Sheikh Asif is an Indian school dropout who has built a UK-based creative digital agency. His company, Thames Infotech, clocks as turnover of Rs. 2.5 crores.
Have you ever heard of a youngster dropping out of school and achieving goals that even graduates cannot?
Meet Sheikh Asif, a class 8 dropout from Srinagar’s little town of Batmaloo. He is the CEO and Founder of Thames Infotech, a Manchester-based firm. He is a successful multitalented man with a 2.5 crore yearly turnover who is also a professional web designer / developer, graphics designer, digital marketing author, and influencer.
Sheikh Asif was eight years old when his father, a valley chief constable, became ill. As a result, his family’s financial situation deteriorated, and he was forced to leave out of school at the age of eight.
Sheikh Asif was always attracted by computers and was quite interested in them. With a keen interest in computers, he landed his first job as a data entry operator at the age of 16, earning Rs.1500 per month.
Despite his financial difficulties and difficult circumstances, Sheikh Asif has always had lofty goals and aspired to be an entrepreneur since boyhood.
Sheikh Asif had access to a computer when he was younger and was interested in learning how to use it. But his valley had a significant internet problem: they were still on 2G while the rest of the globe was upgrading to 4G. But that didn’t stop Sheikh from studying and attaining his objectives.
Sheikh Asif worked in a variety of businesses, from a tour and travel firm to a medical agency where he sold medical equipment. He worked hard to meet his fundamental requirements.
Sheikh Asif has previously worked for firms such as Airtel, Vodafone, and Aircel. His life took a change in 2014 when floodwaters swept over the valley, destroying his home.
Sheikh Asif spent all of his funds to rebuild his home after it was destroyed by floods in 2014. He had to start his life over, and it seemed like a new beginning for Asif. He constantly had to encounter some form of difficulties at his every step despite all of his hard effort towards his ambition.
Fortunately, in the year 2015, Asif was given the opportunity to work in Delhi, which opened the door to the start of his prosperous life.
Sheikh Asif’s financial situation improved while he was working in Delhi. His first project was to develop a website for which he would only be paid if the customer was delighted with his work. He worked hard on the assignment and made his customer happy with the results. Following his work in Delhi, Sheikh Asif was given the opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom for a project he was working on in 2016.
He worked inside his client’s garage, where he had to build a logo and website for him. He got paid roughly Rs.7 lakh for his task once it was completed.
This sum gave Sheikh Asif the confidence he needed to start his own firm in the United Kingdom. He also employed more employees. Until 2018, Asif employed about 35 individuals in two offices, one in Kashmir and one in the United Kingdom. It took Sheikh Asif more than ten years and eight different occupations to get to where he is now.
Even after establishing his firm in the United Kingdom, Asif opted to return to India and work for the development of his community.
There was no good internet connection in Asif’s hamlet until 2016. People were still utilising 2G connections at exorbitant fees, roughly Rs.150 for 1GB of data every month. The 2G connection was frequently disconnected in the middle.
Only after 2016 did decent internet connectivity become available and significantly more inexpensive. Sheikh Asif spotted an opportunity in this and began his free online lessons for students in his hometown, where he teaches Digital Marketing, Website Design, and Graphic Design.
After his free lessons became popular, he began receiving inquiries from all over the world, including Australia and the United States.
Through his free online lessons, he now educates youngsters from all around the world. Sheikh Asif, in addition to teaching, is a mentor to many young entrepreneurs who wish to establish their own businesses. Sheikh Asif has taught over 900 students from all over the world about Designing and Digital Marketing. He has also assisted over 40 firms in growing digitally, and his major source of revenue is his own company, ‘Thames Infotech,’ which he founded in the United Kingdom.
Sheikh Asif says, “There are no prerequisites for being an entrepreneur. You must be willing to take risks in order to begin your entrepreneurial path.”
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