The Origin Of S.T.A.R.S (Pvt.) Ltd.

Every company that has fought its way to do something worthwhile has a journey, and this journey is a tale of all the ups and downs that were faced by the company when it was just starting to place its first brick to set the foundation for the company, there were so many different things to consider, so many unseen events and minor details to look after. However, the company did not lose hope for a second and kept on striving to reach the goals that they had set forward to achieve. The STARS Pvt Ltd story of origin is one of a kind. It serves an array of happiness and sorrows. Like any other company, STAR Pvt Ltd faced many hurdles throughout their journey but the team did not feel demotivated for even a split second; instead, they saw these problems as the perfect tool to help them harness their full potential and hit back with more zest and confidence.

When Shehryar Amir visited Pakistan after completing his studies and gaining ample work experience, he realized that the country had immense amount of unpolished skill available, however, these skilled individuals were unable to polish their work due to lack of productive outlets and opportunities to dwell into new domains of the tech industry. That is when Shehryar decided that he could make a difference. He wished to implement the techniques and tools that he had witnessed in his mother land. He joined hands with a team of likeminded individuals who wished to see prosperity in the nation and got together to achieve what no other company was even aiming for. This is the story of how STARS Pvt Ltd came into being:

HOW THE TEAM WAS FORMED

When Shehryar had a vision in his mind, he recognized the need for a team that would resonate with his goals and assist him in making his dreams come true. It was not an easy task to find the right people. When the vision was shared with those around him, most of the people were very skeptic and they discouraged the idea of taking on such a cumbersome task. A lot of the people that were approached would suggest that it was better to take a more conventional approach to work and they would prefer to do the bare minimum amount of work instead of taking part in more perplexed work that required additional effort on behalf of the people.

However, it was not all doom and gloom. There were others who understood the gap that was created in the market and wanted to play their part in bridging this gap. A lot of the individuals were excited about this new project and they shared what they could do to make the project more fruitful and that too in a smaller amount of time. Initially, the team consisted of a handful of people that gathered together for this project but that never became a hurdle in the process as every single individual who was working on creating STARS was deeply motivated to achieve something greater than themselves. This ardency for doing the extraordinary drove the team towards wonders.

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

-Andrew Carnegie

THE INITIAL STEPS

Once the team was created, that was when the real work initiated. From the departments that needed to be created, all the way to the sort of work the company would initiate with, everything had to be tackled. This team of passionate individuals would then sit together day and night, putting their heads together; trying to devise the most effective strategy of execution. There was frustration, confusion, pressure, worry and concern but the team understood that this work needed to be done in order to avoid any roadblocks in the progress of the company. It took multiple drafts to get to the right one. The team picked each other up when one of the member’s felt low and kept each other motivated by being the support system for one another.

“You must take the first step. The first steps will take some effort, maybe pain. But after that, everything that has to be done is real-life movement.”

-Ben Stein

The initial stages were by far the most difficult as nothing was organized and there were multiple things to keep in consideration. Although it took a lot of time to get things in order, all the tiresome work was worth it in the end. There was a final draft that came into existence and it was a complete elaborate plan of action that explained all the milestones of the company that would allow it to reach its final goal. This was the first brick that the team placed in the construction of the company; the first step on a journey towards success!

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT SPACE

Once the company had been registered, it was time to look for a formal office. The company had a very unique vision in mind that was not similar to what the market was used to. The company wanted to keep all communication open and to make this happen, they decided that the office should not have any cabins. Mostly the companies have separate rooms for the people in the higher posts which makes it difficult for the rest of the team members to communicate with them. To cater to these concerns, STARS Pvt Ltd kept an open door policy from the very beginning. The company opted for an office without any cabins so that everyone would work on one floor without any sort of barriers. This allowed the employees to feel open towards communication from the very first day without any hesitation or discomfort. The office was decorated in the colors of the company logo to a touch of vibrant colors to the environment. This was later seen as a very optimistic approach as the team would comment that entering the office would fill them with energy rather than making them feel lazy and gloomy. STARS Pvt Ltd aimed to make the team members satisfied by giving them an amicable environment to work in that would make them want to return to the office every day.

THE COMPANY LOGO

The company paid extensive attention to every detail of the company and the company logo was no exception. The logo was not a mere image or phrase that meant nothing to the company. Within the logo, the company portrayed a very important message. The company logo was designed after excessive consideration of what the company wanted to stand for. The logo consists of three people sitting in a circle around artificial intelligence (AI). This image may not seem like much at first glance, however, when you understand what it stands for, that is what gives the logo its true meaning.

“The strongest logos tell simple stories.”

—Sol Sender

The three people in the logo represent the founder, the team and the client. The company believes that success of any company consists of these three people getting together and working in collaboration. Completing a project is not the only task, the real task is creating a project that speaks to the client’s work while being a true representation of the company’s work ethic. It is only through the vision of the founder, the dedicated hard work of the team members and the communication with the client that an innovative design can come to life. In the logo these three people are sitting around artificial intelligence (AI). This further goes to portray how with the collaboration of the company, the team and the client, innovation would be inevitable. Wonders could be unlocked and creativity will peak, resulting in work that would benefit both; the company and the client.

The logo of the company was designed in the colors orange and white. Orange is a mix of yellow and red. The orange of the logo represents the energy of red and the optimism of yellow. It indicates that the company believes in creating an environment for their employees that will keep them motivated and boost their morale. The company wishes to be one of the countable few in Pakistan where employees are always put first. The office culture promotes the wellbeing of the employees in a manner that keeps the team members loyal to their company and provides them with a sense of belonging and comfort.

The white of the logo represents purity and goodness. It is a constant reminder for the employees of the company that the company stands for a lot more than what one may see at first sight. It is a representation of the higher goal that the company wishes to achieve. It shows that the company believes in goodness and in spreading this goodness out into the world and assist those who face a difficult time due to lack of opportunity and skill refinement. The company aims to stay pure by always providing ethical work and never taking part in unethical selling. The company strongly believes that it is essential to stay true to the client at all times and a company should put the client’s interest above the company’s interest.

These colors of the company logo along with the image being portrayed serve as a symbol of what matters to the company and the values that are quintessential to the people of STARS Pvt Ltd.

“Logos and branding are so important. In a big part of the world, people cannot read French or English–but are great in remembering signs”

― Karl Lagerfeld

THE PROCESS

Once the company was up on its feet, the company started to sign up clients for work. The company was advised by a lot of people to take up any work that they came across. Every other individual would say, “Beggars can’t be choosers” or “Be grateful that you even have work”. STARS Pvt Ltd did not take these comments to heart. As a company, they always knew what they were worth and they never settled for less. The company would not compromise on quality of the work delivered or the experience that the company would share with the client. In return, the company knew its worth. They have a clear mapped out budget for every single service that they were willing to offer and they priced it well to accommodate for the hard work and dedication of their employees.

“Genius is no more than childhood recaptured at will, childhood equipped now with man’s physical means to express itself, and with the analytical mind that enables it to bring order into the sum of experience, involuntarily amassed.”

― Charles Baudelaire

Initially, this was a burdensome task to complete as it was not easy to say no to a lot of clients that were more willing to save capital than to sign a company that would not only get their work done by providing the services that they were signed up for, they would also help nourish the business of their clients by ensuring that the work being delivered was true to the essence of the client. This allowed the STARS Pvt Ltd clients to profit from their collaboration in the long run. When the initial clients work got published and became known to the general public, STARS Pvt Ltd received a lot more clients through referrals or by interested customers who had seen the quality of the work being produced by the company. This started a snow ball effect and the word about the work being done by STARS Pvt Ltd grew. Slowly but surely, the company made its mark in the industry and planted their feet strongly in the market where they were able to stand beside the top players of the time. All of the work that was heading towards STARS Pvt Ltd did make the team jovial however; it was not in the limelight for the employees. The team was more invested in growth and polishing their skills each day was their biggest joy.

This started the growth of the company which has kept on improving ever since. The company has also stayed strong on their end of the bargain by never compromising on the work of the client.

WOMEN OF STARS PVT LTD

STARS Pvt Ltd also makes a conscious effort to incorporate women in the work place. As the company began to grow, the team realized that there was a huge under representation of women in the IT industry of Pakistan. Generally fewer women are seen in the software industry and STARS Pvt Ltd wanted to ensure that this was not due to lack of opportunities or hurdles to work in a generally more male dominated domain of work.

The company always makes sure that a person is not denied a job or a position in STARS Pvt Ltd due to their gender. The company believes that talent over powers all of these differences. This has allowed STARS Pvt Ltd to create an environment that women can be comfortable in. The company understands the needs of both men and women and plays an active role in accommodating the requirements of women in a work place which is why the company has been able to have almost 50% women working in the office. This creates a very gender neutral environment where women feel freer to thrive and voice their concerns that they may feel hesitant to speak about elsewhere.

It would not be wrong to say that women get an added edge in the company however; these benefits do not extend to work, promotions or leverage in case of failure to provide the expected quality of services. The company does provide women with extra care when it comes to lending an ear to their concerns regarding the environment of the office, their requirements as employees who spend a great amount of time at work and their duties as women, daughters, wives and mothers. The company is pro working women and this is a huge trend shift from what most software companies have to offer. The reason for focusing so passionately on these issues is to empower women in the software industry and to promote a positive ideology that gives women the confidence to step into technical fields without having to worry about how they will adjust in the market that is not very accommodating or inviting for them. Tayari Jones said, “Women’s work is never easy, never clean”. Even if that may have been true, STAR Pvt Ltd ensures that the women working in their office never have to feel this way at work.

THE STARS PVT LTD FACILITIES

STARS Pvt Ltd has a passion for the work that they do and to keep that passion alive in their team members, the company provides their people with many facilities. These facilities are well thought out by observing what the clients need over time. One of these facilities is the leaves that are provided to the clients. The clients get to enjoy paid leaves every year so that they can create work and life balance by taking out time to spend with their loved ones. A lot of people get so invested in their work that they begin to exhaust themselves in the process. STARS Pvt Ltd does not wish to exhaust their team members or cause them work burnout so they promote the culture where their employees feel comfortable taking off a day or two to connect with family and relax at home. This also allows the employees to feel refreshed from the break and they return to the office with more energy and motivation.

Another facility provided to the team members is life and medical insurance. It is not very common for companies in Pakistan to provide this facility to their employees, however; STARS Pvt Ltd believes that it is essential to take care of the health of the team members. It may not seem important to a lot of individuals at first, however; when and if the need arises, only then an individual understands the importance of this facility. STARS Pvt Ltd thinks long term for the well-being of their employees and caters to their requirements before they even arise.

Although there are many other facilities that are provided to the employees, one that is very essential to mention is providing to the team whatever they might require for making work more efficient. It may be a software, a CRM or a device, the team members can always voice their opinions at STARS Pvt Ltd and their opinions are always taken into consideration. This allows the team members to make their work easier with the help of artificial intelligence and utilize their own skills to move the work along more swiftly and smooth by avoiding delays that may occur.

CONCLUSION:

STARS Pvt Ltd was not built overnight and it did not get to where it is today overnight either. The company was built after resilient efforts from the employees, day in and day out. The company takes great pride in where it has reached and the things it has accomplished over time. The team that the company has created over time is like a second family. Every single individual that works in this company takes great pride in their work and is a self-starter who does not need to be micro-managed. These individuals, innovative clients and the strong foundations upon which the company stands, all add up to the success of the company and the growth of the team members. This drives the company to achieve more which in turn translates into quality work for the clients. Every single day, the company moves one step closer to their end goal. STARS Pvt Ltd wishes to achieve its goal and empower the IT experts of Pakistan and help them leave a mark in the world with their skills.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *