Scents N Stories CEO: We Have 40+ OUTLETS Across PAKISTAN! | Saad Afridi | 474 | TBT

Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle Read the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building: https://muzamilhasan.com/thesis My website: https://muzamilhasan.com Find out more about Endeavor: https://pakistan.endeavor.org In this episode of Thought Behind Things, we’re joined by Saad Afridi, the Founder & CEO of Scents N Stories, Pakistan’s leading fragrance brand with over 40 outlets, 300+ employees, and one of the top 5 players in the country’s perfume market. From starting with men’s grooming products to building a nationwide perfume empire, Saad shares the story of how Scents N Stories grew from a small e-commerce experiment into Pakistan’s most recognizable fragrance brand. We explore: Moving from beard grooming to online perfume sales Building 40+ outlets across Pakistan using e-commerce data Why Pakistan’s perfume market is more advanced than Indonesia & Bangladesh Local manufacturing vs import, and how they keep costs low Why luxury perfumes cost 30x more than theirs How they built brand trust without outside investors 🔔 Subscribe and turn on notifications to never miss an episode. #thoughtbehindthings #scentsnstories #muzamilhasan #pakistan #startup #tbtxendeavor Socials: TBT’s Instagram:   / thoughtbehindthings   TBT’s TikTok:   / tbtbymuzamil   TBT’s Facebook:   / thoughtbehindthings   TBT Clips:    / @tbtpodcastclips   Saad's LinkedIn:   / msaadafridi   Endeavor's LinkedIn:   / endeavor-pakistan   Special thanks to Kickstart for providing us with the studio space. You can find out more about them at: https://kickstart.pk/ Listen on: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3z1cE7F Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3cgIkf Google Podcasts:    / @tbtgo   Credits: Executive Producer: Syed Muzamil Hasan Zaidi Associate Producer: Saad Shehryar Publisher: Talha Shaikh Editor: Jawad Sajid Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:52 Early Life & Career 06:38 Choosing Business Over Job 10:31 Failed Businesses that Led to Scent and Stories 13:10 How Big is Scent and Stories Today 15:04 Franchise Model that Changed Everything 15:54 Impact of Economic Downturn 17:43 Why Local Manufacturing Beats Importing 26:11 How to Increase Profitability 30:47 Moving From Online to Retail 36:52 Building Logistics Network 38:23 Investment & Capital 41:32 New Customer Acquisition vs Repeat Customers 43:56 Sales in Karachi, Lahore & Islamabad vs Small Cities 46:01 Understanding Low-Tier Markets 50:38 Distribution & Manufacturing Locations 51:57 Packaging & Local Manufacturing 56:32 The Truth About Perfume Costs 1:06:28 Future Goals: Faith, Fragrance & Impact 1:09:13 Can Entrepreneurs Really Make a Difference? 1:14:52 The Author Side of Saad Afridi 1:17:02 Fraud Culture: Why Pakistani Entrepreneurs Struggle 1:23:29 Understanding Israel’s Growth Playbook 1:27:54 Why Religion Exists in the First Place 1:40:52 Why Islam Rejects “Get Rich Quick” Schemes 1:47:49 Value-Based Work Attracts the Right People 1:52:54 Book Release Plans & Muzamil’s Suggestion 1:54:17 Hard Truths Learned 2:03:19 Pakistan of 2050? 2:06:11 End Closing Note Instagram:   / muzamilhasan   LinkedIn:   / muzamilhasan