Tariq Mehmood learned to fix phones at 16 from an older cousin who ran a stall in Lahore's Hafeez Centre. Three years as an unpaid apprentice — sleeping on a mat in his cousin's shop, learning every Samsung, Huawei, Vivo, and Oppo that crossed the counter.
At 19, his cousin offered him a salary: Rs.12,000 per month. Tariq kept it for one year and realised something important. He was making his cousin Rs.2–3 lakh per month while earning Rs.12,000 himself. He had the skill. He just needed the system.
Borrowing Rs.1,40,000 and Starting
Tariq borrowed Rs.1,40,000 from his two brothers and opened a 100 sq ft shop in Johar Town, Lahore. His very first action, before buying tools or stocking parts, was to set up RepairCoreX on the free plan.
"I had seen shops with no system fall apart," he says. "I had watched my cousin forget jobs, lose phones, and argue with customers about what was charged and why. I was not going to be that shop."
Day One
His first customer was a neighbor's Samsung with a cracked screen. Tariq created the job ticket in RepairCoreX, sent the customer their ticket link, and completed the repair in 45 minutes. The customer received a WhatsApp notification saying the phone was ready. She came, paid Rs.2,200, and told her sister.
Her sister came the next day. The sister told a friend. By the end of week one, Tariq had 14 customers and Rs.31,000 in revenue.
The Growth
Today, Tariq runs two shops in Lahore and employs 4 people. His monthly earnings: Rs.7–Rs.9 lakh. His two brothers who lent him money have both been repaid and are now asking him to help them start their own shops.
What He Tells New Entrepreneurs
"Pakistan has millions of broken phones and almost no professional shops. The market is completely open. All you need is technical skill and a system that makes you look professional from day one."
"RepairCoreX gave me that system. The free plan was enough to start. Once I saw what it could do, upgrading was obvious."
Your skill has value. Pakistan's market is ready. Start today.