In today’s conversation, Elena sits down with Saad Bin Shafiq, a relentless serial entrepreneur whose journey takes us from a tiny Himalayan village in Pakistan to scaling companies, overcoming failures, and building innovative products in the heart of the tech world. Saad shares how he went from selling peanut butter sandwiches as a kid, to navigating scholarship life abroad, working every job imaginable, and ultimately founding Nodes.inc—a hiring platform that’s turning heads in the recruitment space.This episode is packed with authentic insights about the entrepreneurial journey: the real grit behind “overnight success,” the invaluable lessons that come from failure, and the mindset required to keep building, no matter how tough things get. Saad opens up about the drive rooted in family, why passion is sometimes overrated, and how listening to customers can transform not just products, but entire businesses. Whether you’re deep in your founder journey, or just dreaming of your first venture, Saad’s story will motivate you to think bigger and stick with it—even when no one’s watching.Plus, Elena and Saad dive into the future of recruiting technology, including how AI is making hiring smarter and simpler, and what that means for both companies and job seekers. It’s a conversation full of actionable advice, entrepreneurial energy, and a reminder that the journey to success is never a straight line.Tune in, share with your fellow builders, and get ready to shift your mindset with Saad Bin Shafiq!Time stamps:00:00 Entrepreneurial Journey with Saad Shafiq03:08 Childhood Ambitions to Entrepreneurship09:12 From Consultant to Automation with GPT10:31 Unexpected Entrepreneurial Success Story12:59 "My Transformative Elite School Experience"17:46 Embracing Independence Through Wealth21:15 Customer-Centric Product Development25:02 AI-Driven Talent Matching System26:12 Candidate Feature Launch with Fit Score29:01 Evaluating Technical Screens and Inclusivity32:07 Think Bigger, Achieve MoreConnect with Saad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saad-bin-shafiq/Website: https://nodes.inc/Follow Elena: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaagaragimova/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenaagaragimova/Website: https://elenaagar.com/Listen on:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-with-elena-agar/id1530850914Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5UKh6dWcuQwJlmAOqD8wijIf you like this video, please like, subscribe, comment, and share! Your support is extremely valued! #careercoaching #careertips #careerresilience #futureofwork #careerstrategy