Why 90% of Businesses Never Become Brands | Mastering Marketing, Branding & Customer Experience

What does it really take to turn a small business into a successful brand? Why do some businesses stand out while others struggle to find customers? In this episode of Raftar Now, Salman Parekh, founder of Manto, joins Farhan Mallick to break down the real meaning of branding, marketing, retail experience and building a sustainable business in Pakistan. From understanding your target audience and identifying customer needs to creating a strong brand identity, building customer trust and designing an unforgettable shopping experience, this conversation explores what separates a business from a brand. We discuss why marketing starts before a product is even made, why businesses fail, how customer behaviour shapes buying decisions, and why a brand's promise must match the experience it delivers. Whether you're an entrepreneur, small business owner, startup founder or aspiring brand builder, this episode offers a fresh perspective on business growth, consumer psychology, marketing strategy and the future of retail in Pakistan Raftar is independent, viewer-supported journalism. If conversations like this matter to you, help us keep making them by joining us on Patreon:   / raftardotcom   #SalmanParekh #MANTO #Business #RaftarNow #Raftar #Podcast #Raftar Please Support Us by subscribing to our channel and sharing and engaging with our content, even if you don't like please let us know your thoughts because @raftarnewsofficial is not just a content company producing highly researched quality videos about the economy, youth issues, gender roles & cricket. It is actually a movement for social change and we cannot do that without YOU. For more amazing content, SUBSCRIBE NOW! YouTube    / @raftarnewsofficial   YouTube    / @raftartv   YouTube    / @raftarsports   Website: https://raftar.com/ 00:00 - Montage 01:43 - Businesses have products, brands have stories 03:20 - Is business really for everyone? 04:50 - Know your “why” before you start 07:45 - Why everyone opens the same food, coffee and perfume business 09:54 - Would you be fine if your business failed? 10:51 - Why Farhan doesn’t hire toppers 11:27 - Marketing starts before the product exists 13:05 - Your perfume can’t be for 12 crore women 15:55 - Solve problems, not tools 17:18 - The one thing that destroys a brand 18:03 - Imtiaz, Springs, Fresh Basket: same industry, different promises 19:13 - The atheist viewer who still trusted Raftar 23:44 - Start small: how Uber began with zero customers 24:25 - “Pakistan is an offline country”: why MANTO opened stores 26:13 - Who MANTO is really for 28:17 - Your clothes signal who you are 32:07 - Why every mall store looks the same 35:50 - “How you do anything is how you do everything” 42:46 - Why MANTO runs only one sale a year 44:49 - How much discount can a clothing brand really afford? 46:53 - Why the same brand stocks different items in different malls 47:53 - The exchange refused over a missing number 52:58 - The lowest-paid job that matters most 54:02 - What Park Hyatt gets right about service 56:41 - The salesperson is the brand, not the celebrity 58:42 - Why Pakistani shops hire 8 people for 2 jobs 01:01:41 - Rs 25,000 for 10-hour shifts: the minimum wage problem 01:02:44 - “Every business is shaped in the shadow of its founders” 01:04:20 - You’ll have to do work you don’t enjoy 01:06:18 - What Salman wants to build next 01:09:14 - Why Pakistan’s youth are losing hope 01:10:52 - Closing Statement