Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The Stay-At-Home CEO: Maryam Nasim

When we talk about the Chief Executive Officer of an organization, regardless of the fact that it is a one-person company, we often talk the corporate talk that fits the suit. It’s the startup and the hard working, young men and women who move mountains to make that contract or sign the million dollar deal. And often while focusing on the suit, we tend to ignore a whole segment of leaders who manage their business as a natural extension of what they were meant to do.

If you look at the enrollment rate of women into engineering programs across universities in Pakistan, the numbers are actually higher than they are for men. Unfortunately we’re losing this trained, skilled HR because of several reasons. Could be societal pressures or something else, but few women make it into the workforce. And if they make it that far, even fewer make it up the hierarchy into the decision-making positions.

In the midst of so many challenges, technology and New Media are actually opening up opportunities for people from all walks of life to be able to establish work that runs on their own terms. Call it the Self-CEO or the one-man show, these opportunities allow people to service niche verticals and generate a supporting income for their homes. A perfect combination when it comes to not having to compromise the home neither the career. And that’s what makes the story of Maryam Nasim so great.

"I am a work-at-home mom and provide services to several clients across the globe as a digital illustrator for the web and print media. I am also a 2D cartoon animator for web and television." Maryam has been working as a ‘freelance illustrator animator’ for more than 6 years where she began her career as a student, continued it on after her marriage and is still going strong now that she is a mother.

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