From just offering delivery services to being a ride-sharing giant, the journey of Pathao has been impressive. Today, Pathao has not only simplified the lives of people in Dhaka city, but their journey is a valuable learning lesson for many aspiring entrepreneurs.
Shaha Rakesh Nishan interviewed Kishwar Hashemee, the company's vice president of Operations and Growth, to learn about the operations, challenges and future of Pathao.
Question (Q): Firstly, congratulations on Pathao being more than USD 100 million worth as a company. What are your thoughts on this feat that Pathao has achieved?
Answer (A): Well, the valuation is around that figure at the moment. But it is not just for the sales or revenue that we generate; rather it is due to the potential Pathao has. Pathao believes that Bangladesh market has enormous potential.To capitalise on that, we need to increase education among users and riders, improve the existing infrastructure of our technology, expand to other cities, invest in the operations and marketing team etc. We are not only looking at the current scenario but also planning on where this company and Bangladesh will be in 10 years.
Q: Pathao has recently expanded by offering services in Narayanganj. What factors come into play and how difficult is it to expand?
A: Initially, we were very optimistic about the expansion. We were expecting a similar result to that of the Chittagong expansion. However, we faced several issues. Firstly, not all the motorbikes had all the required paperwork which made it difficult for them to move on the roads. Secondly, this particular market did not have sufficient education on the way our platform works. We are currently trying to make this expansion fruitful by adopting new measures.
As for the factors we consider for expansion, we mainly look into traffic density, percentage of motorbikes that can be acquired under the Pathao platform and the cost of available alternative transportation.
Q: Tell us about the employees and work culture at Pathao. Also, what do you look for in a candidate seeking a job at Pathao?
A: Pathao is a private company which is making an impact on the society. Here the employees are passionate and driven because of the impact their contributions have on society. We have a combination of both young and experienced people here at Pathao. In recent times, we hired seasoned employees from Grameenphone, Banglalink, Eastern Bank Limited, etc. Interestingly, the top management at Pathao does not have their own desks or rooms. The idea is to promote a flexible and open work culture where the information can quickly and efficiently flow from all levels of the company. For a fast-growing company like us, it is necessary this flow of information should not be barred at any stage.
Well, we primarily look for one thing - is the new candidate better than the people we already have? See, bringing in talented and competitive people helps raise standards and creates a competitive mindset among existing employees. Besides, we look for employees who would not restrict themselves to the original job description and will be ready to go the extra mile to deliver higher customer satisfaction.
Q: Pathao depends a lot on the technology and its infrastructure. What challenges did you face regarding disruptions caused by technology?
A: So far we have not had any significant technological breakdowns, but we did face challenges and glitches a few times. Initially, this technological framework and its adjacent infrastructures were built for serving a smaller cause and target market. But with time, we expanded rapidly, and hence scalability became an issue. The challenge was and still is to scale the technology to serve the vast audience we have right now. We are continually working with our technological architecture, hiring professionals and experts in this field.
Q: You are responsible for operations and growth. What difficulties do you face in monitoring and leading this department?
A: We are doing a real-time business. This means specific factors like changes in weather conditions, sudden incidents on the roads, etc., which are not under our control, profoundly affect our operations. As a result, my team needs to continually monitor these factors and also check its impact on the operations. We try to implement efficient processes to serve the vast customer base that we currently have.
Q: In a country like Bangladesh where people go for mainstream jobs, how do you think Pathao can attract young talents for a career in a ride-sharing company?
A: As I mentioned earlier, we are a team of enthusiasts who are driven by the vision of creating a positive change in our community. We are working tirelessly to take our services to all the corners of our country. Hence, we welcome people who are ready to take up challenges and contribute to the impact we are trying to make on our community. Today's youths think differently from their past generations. Now that our work is out there and people know about it, I think the right enthusiasts will join us anyway.
Q: Pathao has been a massive success as a startup. What do you think future entrepreneurs can learn from this success story? Can you share the future plans of Pathao?
A: Our CEO, Hussain M Elius, often says, "Everything that moves, moves through Pathao." This vision that he had about Pathao was not taken positively by many. When I became a part of Pathao, I also faced severe discouragement from many. But that didn't stop any of us. So my message to aspiring entrepreneurs: Believe in your ideas and its execution. You will fall many times, but each time you will stand up with a new learning. Those who tell you that your idea won't work tell you so because they don't know the potential of the concept. Hence, educate your target market with your idea and innovate responsibly.
As for our future plans, we plan to offer products that will help simplify the lives of the people of Bangladesh. Currently, besides providing ride-sharing services, we are also offering courier, parcel and food delivery services. We recently launched Pathao Pay to simplify the payment system. Our team is continually working to develop new products for our highly growing market.
The interviewer Shaha Rakesh Nishan is a final year student of BBA programme at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka. He can be reached at [email protected]
