Having worked in different roles in numerous companies, Mohammad Imran Qureshi has emerged as a successful entrepreneur in the industry in just five years. The Founder and CEO of MetTech Metal and Glass Workshop, who admits that he loves challenges, worked in the architectural metal and glass industry for many years before deciding to start his own business.
However, COVID-19 soon struck and posed a huge challenge to the business, which was still in infancy. Not the one to be intimidated, Qureshi took steps at adapting the new business to the changed environment and ultimately emerged a winner. In a candid interview with Business Frontier’s Senior Editor, Megha S Anthony, helays bare his views on leadership and navigating business barriers.
Q. How have the early stages of your career helped shape your achievements as the CEO of MetTech Metal and Glass Workshop?
I worked in the service industry before joining the metal and glass sector and had the opportunity to work in various roles related to sales & marketing, business development, commercial and operations departments of different companies. This provided me with a well-rounded understanding of different organisations and their environment and culture, teaching me the importance of collaboration, communication, and empathy in leadership. As I progressed, I focused on building strong relationships with clients, colleagues and mentors, learning from their experiences, and continuously seeking opportunities for growth and development.
These early experiences also helped me develop resilience and adaptability, essential qualities for navigating the challenges of leadership. I learned to embrace failure as a learning opportunity and approach problems with creativity and innovation. Overall, the early stages of my career laid the foundation of my leadership style and approach as a CEO. They instilled in me a deep appreciation for the value of teamwork, continuous learning, positive attitude, self-confidence and a growth mindset.
Q. What inspired you to start MetTech Metal and Glass Workshop?
I started my career in this industry as a Sales & Marketing Engineer and rose to become an AGM of a leading company. This long journey created a reputation for me as a brand in the sector. The group that I was working for closed in 2019. So, instead of hunting for another job, I decided to start my own business in the same sector and hence MetTech Metal and Glass Workshop was born. The moment we started MetTech, COVID-19 struck. Fortunately, the pandemic didn’t affect the business adversely and we got orders and executed several jobs in different emirates. Since then, there has been no looking back.
Hence, I can safely say that my personal interest, market opportunity, self-confidence, creativity, passion, hard work and 23 long years in the metal and glass industry were some of the crucial factors that led me to start this business.
Q. How did you deal with the challenge of starting your own company during the COVID-19 pandemic when even established businesses were struggling to survive?
Starting a company during the pandemic came with an array of challenges, but also offered opportunities for personal growth and lessons in business adaptability. I had learnt from my previous boss that even a recession provides a good opportunity as we can grab more business shares even if it is at a loss.
During the pandemic, we were pushed to stay open-minded and constantly reassessed our business model and strategies with the changing landscape of the industry and its needs. We also adopted a conservative method of cost management and focused on managing finances where possible. When it comes to quality and services, I don’t compromise which has made us stand out in the business.
Q. What is the change in approach you had in mind when you started your own business after working in other companies over so many years?
It’s a big challenge to start your own business. In the other jobs, I was largely independent and able to make my own decisions. But it seemed tempting to do it for myself rather than someone else. When I started, there were huge challenges like visa, labour issues and so on. But I am a positive thinker and took the challenges head on to emerge successful and achieve whatever I have today. It’s been five years now and in the next five, we hope to grow across the Middle East.
Q. What qualities inspire you to be a better leader for MetTech?
For me, the first principle of leadership is respect for others which in turn gets us respect from others. If you take care of your team and look after their well-being, the company is sure to grow. The leader has to meet the genuine requirements of his team and be polite or strict in keeping with the requirements of the situation. On the whole, it is about creating a good environment in the company, good policies related to employees, and quality consciousness among staff. It is good to have informal gatherings of employees to know them better and provide a fertile ground for new ideas.
Q. How do you keep abreast of the changes taking place in your area of work?
Our technological landscape is rapidly changing and advancing with the emergence of artificial intelligence. I focus on being on top of these advancements and learning to integrate them within the organisation through reading and researching online. I also attend conferences such as Big 5, Index and SteelFab to network and learn about different perspectives on the current changes within the industry.
Q. What are the hobbies and interests that help you maintain a work-life balance and recharge yourself professionally?
I find time to relax by watching TV and spending time with my family after completely logging out of work. I am an avid listener of music and enjoy old Indian songs by Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar. I also like watching sports as a means to de-stress with my favourites being wrestling and cricket. Meeting friends and socialising is another form of relaxation that I like.
