– Has a “scam” mentality – E24

Not only is Javad Mushtaq’s CV (31) long, but the list of current positions is too long for us to include here.

You had to choose three for this interview: Founder of the investment company JM Ventures and the organization MAK that works with diversity in business, part of the Global Shapers »of the World Economic Forum and temporary member of the management team of the Eat Foundation by Gunhild Stordalen.

That he ended up freelance with a ton of balls and positions in the air at the same time is a coincidence, he says.

– I have always liked to challenge myself and try things that were not part of a five or ten year plan. Some may be comfortable with a linear career, others may be more like me and have a bit of a “scam” mentality, says Mushtaq.

Hear the full interview with Javad Mushtaq here, or where he often listens to podcasts.

He became an “entrepreneur” at age 13.

The “scammer” mentality comes from his upbringing, he believes.

In the 70s, the parents came from Pakistan. The engineer father did not get a relevant job and took business letters along with various positions in the service industry.

– Then he started on his own, and we moved to the pearl of eastern Norway: Halden. I grew up in an average sized Pakistani family – we are eight siblings, says Mushtaq and laughs, before continuing:

– When you do not come from privileged conditions, you have to start working from an early age. My parents taught me not to wait for opportunities to come. If you want something, you have to create the opportunities yourself.

Browse the gallery to read Javad Mushtaq’s school journal page.

Mushtaq took them at their word.

When he was 13 years old, he started buying and selling used cell phones at a profit. At age 15, he and a friend learned to code and built a website to compete in the ringtone market. Everything went so well, right up to an American company threatened with lawsuits.

– The problem was a bit that when you are 15 years old, you don’t know much about copyrighted material, says Mushtaq, who ended up shutting down the website.

“You must have been a dream for the local Halden newspaper?”

Mushtaq laughs and confirms that there were some articles. I especially remember the time Halden Arbeiderblad in a column of “five on the street” asked people what the mobile phone meant to people.

– People responded that it was fine with a mobile phone and such, and then I answer: “I only see a mobile phone as a business.” I was probably perceived as a bit semi-arrogant, but maybe also a bit of an entrepreneur.

He gave up Aker

After a start as a young entrepreneur, it was long before a classic career in business for Mushtaq.

There were economics master’s programs in BI, with various awards, positions, and case contest winners along the way. An apprenticeship at Aker Solutions led him to a position at the Aker Group.

He chose Aker because he wanted to enter an industry that was relevant to both Norwegian and international value creation, and which provided opportunities to travel and work in different parts of the world. He was not particularly interested in the oil and energy industry itself, which gradually became a problem.

– One of the mentors asked me some questions: Are you passionate about what you do? Do you want to be here for the next five years? If the answer is no, it shouldn’t be there. And the answer to those questions was no.

Mushtaq resigned. There was no new plan in place.

– Were you very awake at night during that period?

– No, not really. I wasn’t worried about being out of work for a long time. So I think there is a lot of learning that stress does not solve problems. I am aware of trying to be a little cold, not thinking about what the problem is, but looking for solutions, he says.

– Send a message

There were new jobs.

In addition to continuing with the diversity organization MAK, he began a career in the startup community, investing and developing entrepreneurial projects.

He says that both a wide network and several good mentors were crucial for him to enter a new industry and connect with the right people. However, it does not mean that it is a builder of super networks.

– I’m quite introverted and I don’t like getting on people. But I’ve forced myself to step out of my comfort zone a bit, says Mushtaq.

He believes that everyone can benefit if he gets a little tougher and gets in touch with people who interest him and who he thinks he can learn something from.

– Send a message and introduce yourself, say “I work here, I think you are a super exciting person and I think you have a skill that I want to learn more about,” says Mushtaq.

Add that you can write that you respect that the person has little time, but that you would have liked to spend half an hour on coffee and a chat.

– The worst case scenario is that you get a no, but in many cases you will get a yes, he says.

Hear more about Javad Mushtaq’s studies, career options, and networking tips in this week’s episode of Adult Points with Nora.