Shoaib Khan has spent the past three decades founding and growing companies and helping the world’s needy people. The Canadian businessman began his career in Toronto, Ontario, after graduating from York University. In 1999, he founded Clearoute Inc., aiming to provide a broad range of services to emergent businesses operating within the digital and information economy. By the early 2010s, his business had come into its own, attracting major clients like Sony, General Motors, Nestle, and Johnson & Johnson.
With his first company thriving, Khan founded M Worldwide Inc., an investment and private equity firm with holdings in the real estate, media, technology, marketing, and consumer goods sectors. The firm now operates globally, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, and is recognized for its expertise in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and public offerings.
A humanitarian at heart, Shoaib Khan founded the nonprofit Humaniti in 2016. Under his leadership, Humaniti provides essential aid and relief to regions in crisis, helping countless people in need around the world.
Q: What initially inspired you to start Clearoute Inc.?
Shoaib Khan: I suppose I had a bit of a ‘eureka’ moment in the late 1990s as I realized that the future of almost every business would soon be tied to the digital revolution. I knew everything was shifting to the online sphere, and I knew that not every business would have the know-how to properly negotiate that shift, so that’s why I decided to make Clearoute.
Q: Can you share some of the most significant challenges you faced in the early years of Clearoute and how you overcame them?
Shoaib Khan: Like virtually all new businesses, Clearoute and I had to fight against the odds during the first few years. For a long time, it was pretty touch and go. I even had to take on some day jobs just to pay the bills and keep my dream alive. It was difficult working for eight hours a day and then coming home at night to spend the rest of my time building up my company. Back then, my whole life was just work, work, sleep, repeat. That was probably the biggest challenge I faced in the early days.
Q: In your opinion, what role do successful business people have in addressing humanitarian issues?
Shoaib Khan: The chief concern of a businessperson is tending to their business; making sure that it’s profitable, efficient, and healthy. However, once a certain level of success has been achieved, I believe it is incumbent on businesspeople to give something back to the world. There are many ways in which to do this—scholarships, food and clothing drives, environmental initiatives, and the like. The way I chose to give back was by creating Humaniti, an organization designed to distribute much-needed aid to the world’s most troubled areas.
Q: How do you balance your responsibilities between running your businesses and your humanitarian efforts with Humaniti?
Shoaib Khan: I’m very lucky to have an outstanding team of talented people working for me in all of my organizations, which takes a lot of the more granular work off my plate. Delegating tasks to my competent and energetic staff was something I had to learn and become comfortable with over a period of years. But I did learn how to do it in the end, and I, as well as my companies and my nonprofit, are much better off because of it. These days, I can afford to be more of an idea person, although I do step in and address some of the finer details whenever I feel it’s appropriate. So, to answer your question, I’m able to balance my responsibilities thanks to the help of a lot of great people.
Q: Can you share some of your plans for the future of your organizations?
Shoaib Khan: Sure. Without delving into particulars, Clearoute has a lot of big projects scheduled for the near future. We’re excited about onboarding some well-known clients and doing great work for them. M Worldwide will continue to invest wisely and concentrate on solidifying our holdings. But the truly gratifying work is with Humaniti. Whether it be providing surgeries to folks in conflict zones or food and material relief to victims of natural disasters, we’re dedicated to channeling our resources to wherever they can make the biggest difference.
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