[00:00:00] Nadiyah Rajabally: Hi everyone and welcome to another interview for our Next CareerCon, which this month is why is work experience so important? And today I've got the lovely Kian and we're going to go behind the scenes of business, a journey to entrepreneurship, because one of our programs for our new WEX launch is entrepreneurship, and I'm Kian introduce himself to Kian.
[00:00:34] Kian Bakhtiari: Thank you, Nadiyah. Great to be joining you for this conversation. I'm Kian. I am founder of The People. And we are a gen z consultancy Powered by a global community of young changemakers.
[00:00:49] Nadiyah Rajabally: So I met Kian, I remember at Voxburner, which was like, I think three years ago now. Cause yeah, I started with hundo over three years ago.
So I've known Kian for a long time now. And I feel like Kian's more of a friend now than a partner with hundo. So it's lovely having you Kian and thank you for your time. So let's dive in. Can you share your journey of becoming entrepreneur and including what inspired you to start your own business and what the people do?
[00:01:15] Kian Bakhtiari: Yeah, I think it's an interesting one. When you think of becoming an entrepreneur, I don't know how it was for you, Nadiyah, in school, and I don't know how things are in school today, but it wasn't really on the list of things to do. I remember when I was growing up, when I was going to school, Most people my age and a lot of my friends and myself, including wanted to be the, uh, footballer.
And then very quickly I realized that's not, uh, happening. And then you start to think about other career paths. But again, I don't think entrepreneurship was on the list. It was a lot of careers, a lot of professional careers, some kind of, uh, Different types of work, but there wasn't really an avenue to become a business owner or entrepreneur.
So randomly is the answer to your question. I. In terms of my journey. So I studied, I went to school and I was, I wasn't bad at school, but I was very mischievous. I was always getting into trouble, but I think what's, yeah, I never
[00:02:27] Nadiyah Rajabally: imagined that
[00:02:28] Kian Bakhtiari: really? Um, yes, I was, I even got excluded a few times. What? Yeah.
But I think what's interesting about that is the same skills or the same. Thought processes that got me in trouble in school, which is a system of compliance and following the rules have actually been really helpful for me when it comes to business and entrepreneurship, which is all, because the thing was, I was asking too many questions.
I wanted to explore things that were outside of the curriculum, and that's not always rewarded in the school system. So that was kind of my background. I had a teacher that really believed in me and that changed my trajectory, I think. Most people I speak to, there's that one person that makes a big difference in their life and sometimes in different stages of life There's different people.
So that was the first person that really Supported me and then I studied so I went to uni I studied sociology and I graduated and I wanted to change the world like a lot of young people So I went into the world of politics I was a researcher, uh, at House of Parliament, which, uh, sounds exciting, but it was super boring.
Uh, and then I ended up in the world of marketing and media. I worked at a marketing and agency, and my focus was around youth insights. And strategy, and I think that's important as well. I gained some work experience and some real world experience before starting my own business, The People, because that was invaluable understanding how systems already operated in.
And what I learned was that like lots of money is being spent to create these marketing campaigns. But it's not always engaging communities. And that's the reason I decided to start The People, to create a new model where businesses can co create and collaborate with communities. But if I didn't understand how things were done, I wouldn't be able to rethink or create a new model.
[00:04:55] Nadiyah Rajabally: No, definitely. One point that you said at the start was obviously about, um, the school and curriculum and everything. When I was in school, because we're roughly the same age, so when I was in school, yeah, everyone would be pushed to like, go to uni, go to this, you have to go to uni, or you're going to be a failure, you're not going to get a good job.
And obviously, I, my personal journey, I didn't go to uni, but all my friends did. And, um, so for me, that was like a Big change and a big shock of everyone because everyone will be pushed like given family wise everyone be like you have to go to uni to get a good job that's the only way to get a good job but I chose a different route and now you're seeing more and more people pushing younger people to have different opportunities where you can do an apprenticeship, you can do an internship, there's so many things available out there which you can do.
I feel like that's important. But yeah, like you said, I still feel like the school system's the same where they're still pushing you need to go to uni to do the traditional route. But I feel like some places now are starting to change that. And even like, obviously, hundo and the people who try and push people to do other stuff and give opportunities, especially when you work with, um, Employees and we try and get like entry role jobs and stuff and obviously now we're going down the avenue of work experience So yeah, like you said that's interesting.
I feel like that's a really cool journey So like you'd think yes for anyone that's obviously listening a young person out there or parent which has a child that's obviously Not doesn't like Doing academic stuff, but could start a business. Like you said, like your own journey, like you got expelled, you didn't like school, you got into trouble, but look at you now, how successful you are.
And I feel like that's a really nice story. And like, cause I feel like a lot of people don't have those like personal stories where they can relate to. And I feel like having you speak at your journey and where you, how far you've come is really like eyeopening. So thank you for sharing that. So what has been your most rewarding aspect of starting a business?
As well as any challenges and hardships you've encountered along the way and how you overcome them.
[00:06:49] Kian Bakhtiari: Yeah, definitely. Happy to answer that. I think just going back to what you mentioned, there's something really cool about what you said of when I think about the work hundo's doing and also who you're interacting with.
My message is almost what an amazing time to be alive because as you said, there's so many options and so many paths young people today that might have not been open. I don't know, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, like you can do apprenticeships like you say, and earn money while learning real world experiences.
You can start your own thing. Yeah. You can learn from others. And I think That university model is great in some ways, probably the social aspect, but that was for a time where, if you think about it, the only way you could access knowledge was if you went to like a physical library where they had books, whereas now everyone's got access.
To the world's information. So just going back to that, I think there is a element of not forgetting. It's an amazing time to be alive. Like if you're a young person today, there's so many options for you to explore, and actually there's a lot of value in exploring loads of different things. There's that whole thing of like having your own business, like the highs are higher and lows are lower, but definitely you feel it more because in some ways you have to take responsibility for everything.
So if things are working out and they're going great, you have to be humble enough to say, okay, things are almost going in my favor, but also if things are not going so well, you have to accept responsibility because, uh, there's no point of trying to. Outsource who's responsible for that in terms of highlights.
I think a lot of our work we do is around supporting young people, both from a perspective of getting into the world of work, but also making sure their voices are heard in the decision making process and the creative process. So the thing that brings me the most joy is when we bring young people into the and they're able to share their voice.
But I don't think that's enough for us. It's not just about them sharing their voice and perspective. It's about creating the conditions so that they can shape the future. So when we see our community members contribute to something that makes a real difference, to a business or wider society. I think that's the thing that brings me the most joy.
And then when you see some of them start their own thing or start a new job, I think stuff like that, you know, you've played a very small role. In someone's amazing story.
[00:09:54] Nadiyah Rajabally: Yeah, no, definitely. And I love what the people do. I always sing your praises. I mean, I love everything that you guys do. And I feel like you have such a, you, um, get so many different projects, which people don't really know about.
And then you bring these like. You bring this across to everyone to a wider audience and it's just so interesting like even stuff that you guys post there's so many interesting I feel like I'm always learning something new with you guys and I really found it interesting with the one of the reports you did last year obviously about Muslims and then during Ramadan I know if it can releasing all of that I feel like you really do bring out different communities and you you really share that across to everyone.
To businesses and just like around so people know more about and just learn more. So yeah, I really love what you guys do and I feel like you said Yeah, it is rewarding like when we did our kickstart, um, when we did kickstart, um with hundo We had like a few young people join us and one of them was Peyton who's still with us at the moment Um who does all our website stuff and all our cool tech things And um, and he's still with us and I think he's been with us for like two years now and you just feel like You, like you said, you, you're part of all these young people's journey and just like a small part of it, but you feel like you're still part of it and you've helped them and you're helping them have a better future and career.
I feel like, yeah, that's quite similar to what hundo and how we feel when we get to help young people, even just hearing like testimonials about the students using our platform, it's just nice to know that you're making a difference, even if it's just one person, you've helped at least one person. So, yeah.
So diving more into that, what do you think are the top skills that Um, an entrepreneur should have that young people should take on board if they do want to start a business.
[00:11:31] Kian Bakhtiari: I would caveat that with I'm still learning. So I'll, I'll, I'll also give you update in a year, two years, five years and 10 years time.
And I think that's part of it. It's never an end. It's always a journey. Like I'm learning all the time. The first thing I would say is a mindset above everything of like, and you would know this working in a startup. It's. your own business, there's a lot of uncertainty and that's great for some people thrive under those conditions.
Others prefer structure. So what I would say is I know it looks really kind of, uh, attractive and there's lots of like movies and magazine articles about entrepreneurship, but honestly, I don't think it's made for everyone. There's. an equally amazing opportunity working in big businesses or other businesses, learning and being able to contribute and make an impact as part of a collective and a company.
So I would say the same way a career isn't the only path, entrepreneurship's not the only path as well. And you have to be really comfortable with being uncertain. You have to be comfortable with not knowing the answers, but willing to learn. So I think the first thing is a growth mindset of always trying to better, always trying to learn.
And what I look for, even with myself, but also in the team is this mindset of, I don't know the answers, but I'll figure it out. Rather than, I don't know the answer, so I'm going to stop. So it's. That curiosity to find and figure things out amidst uncertainty. Second, I think this is goes like this. You're here in like all business podcasts, but I do think it's true.
You need resilience and you need persistence and that's not possible if you're not passionate, because there's going to be some really challenging moments and if you're not passionate enough, you'll give up because there's too many things going against you. Even the idea of. Starting and creating things, something into the world that doesn't exist.
There's so much friction and challenge and pushback the world and the establishment doesn't want you to change things. So you have to be super determined, passionate, but also resilient. So that's the second thing. And part of that is becoming comfortable with rejection. You're going to hear nose. You're going to, things aren't always going to be go your way, but being.
Comfortable. And then the third, not going into skills, I'm purposely focusing it on mindset is adaptability. Um, as you would know, like with a startup, you go in with one thought, but I think the same as in nature, in order to survive and thrive, you have to adapt based on what the world wants and how the world response to your proposition to your mission and.
To what you're trying to achieve.
[00:14:52] Nadiyah Rajabally: Yeah, no, definitely. Obviously I've started with hundo when it was a startup and we're still in that phase where we're moving slowly towards obviously coming out of the startup. And I feel like even though it's not my own company, I feel like I'm part of it. And I feel like I do feel this, uh, struggles and worries that our founders have, and I feel like also.
Being like, like you said, adaptable at staff isn't easy. It's all constantly changing. Everything's changing every day. Something new happens. And it's just like, depending on the market, on the climate, what's happening, you just need to be adaptable and obviously communication. I think it's really important as well.
And even the team that you have. And obviously if you don't have the right people in a team, then. I don't think you'll be able to get that far. Um, Kian, it's coming towards the end of our interview. I could talk to you all day. I feel like there's so many things. I feel like I've personally learned so much about you as an individual, even though I've known you for like three years now.
So this is interesting. Um, is any, any last advice and tip you want to give any young person that's listening?
[00:15:52] Kian Bakhtiari: Yeah, I think, um, above everything else, like, believe in yourself. Believe in yourself and invest in yourself. invest in your learning, invest in your future. And when I say invest in your future, part of that is do things today that will have a positive impact for you tomorrow, but also has a positive impact on the world.
But you can only do that if you believe in yourself.
[00:16:29] Nadiyah Rajabally: I agree, that's very important. I feel like it's hard to believe in yourself sometimes when the world is against you. Um, but yeah, I think yeah, definitely believe in yourself and invest in yourself. Because I feel like a lot of people think about their future too much and don't realise like right now counts and you think about now to get to your future.
I mean that's super important. So Kian, where can people find you, connect with you and obviously learn more about the people? Yeah.
[00:16:54] Kian Bakhtiari: Yeah, sure. If people want to connect, they can check out our website, which is www. thepeople. work, or they can just, if they type my name, I guess they can find me and. Drop me a message.
[00:17:11] Nadiyah Rajabally: Yeah, you can find Kian on LinkedIn. He's doing a lot of posts and he's always out and about doing cool events. So Kian, thank you so much for joining us. Um, as usual everyone, if you can learn more about hundo.xyz, if you can't stay for the whole event, then this will be available on demand on our website and our platform.
So you can follow us at hundo.xyz on all our socials and it's been lovely talking to you Kian. And I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the day and on our event. So yeah,
see you. Bye!
