Meet Talal Shaikh

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Talal Shaikh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Talal, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My work ethic comes from my dad. He immigrated from Pakistan, became a doctor, and built an incredible life for our family through pure discipline and sacrifice. Growing up, I watched him work eighty hour weeks, show up for his patients, show up for us, and never once complain. He is one of the smartest and hardest working people I know, but what stood out to me even more was his consistency and his ability to keep going no matter how difficult things became.

Seeing him build everything from the ground up taught me that nothing meaningful comes without effort. It also taught me that success is not about talent alone, it is about showing up every day even when you are tired, overwhelmed, or unsure. That mentality shaped the way I approach my corporate career, my businesses, and my personal goals. When things get stressful or uncertain, I think about how he handled challenges and it reminds me to keep pushing.

I also carry lessons from my own journey. Moving around when I was younger, dealing with pressure, navigating expectations, and figuring out life without a perfect blueprint forced me to become adaptable and resilient. Today, I combine what I learned from my dad with my own experiences. I work hard, I stay curious, I rely on data, and I keep showing up because that is the standard I grew up watching. If I can become even a fraction of the man he is, I would consider myself successful.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I split my professional life across three main areas. I work full time in the corporate world in a data driven and strategy focused role, and at the same time I run two growing businesses. Balancing all three has pushed me to become more disciplined, more focused and more intentional with how I spend my time. It has also shaped the way I build systems and approach problem solving.

The first business is The Tech Guys, a repair and technology service company that my business partner Ajmal and I have poured years of effort into rebuilding and scaling. What makes The Tech Guys special is the heart behind it. We are not just fixing devices. We are restoring people’s work, memories and connections. We built our brand around transparency, honesty and treating customers the way we would want our own families treated. Watching the shop evolve from a struggling operation into a trusted, systemized and steadily growing business is one of the most exciting parts of what I do.

The second is Digital Dominance Marketing, where I help businesses improve their digital presence, build better systems and make data driven decisions. I enjoy taking something unclear or inefficient and turning it into something organized and scalable. Helping a business go from confusion to clarity is something I find genuinely rewarding.

I want people to know that everything I build is rooted in resilience, consistency and the belief that you can figure out anything with enough effort. I do not come from a technical repair background. My approach has always been to learn quickly, rely on data, solve problems and show up every single day with the mindset that even if I do not know something yet, I will learn it.

We also have exciting things ahead. The Tech Guys is expanding further into phone repairs, data recovery and advanced PC builds, and we are continuing to refine our internal systems for future growth. Digital Dominance is expanding its consulting and automation offerings so we can support more businesses at a higher level.

I am proud of the direction everything is headed. Balancing a corporate career while growing two businesses is not easy, but it has taught me discipline, patience and the value of building things that last. I believe the best work is still ahead.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

When I look back, there are three qualities that made the biggest difference in my journey.

The first is resilience. Things will go wrong, plans will fall apart and there will be moments where quitting feels easier than continuing. What helped me was learning to stay calm, stay focused and remind myself that every problem has a solution. My advice to anyone starting out is to embrace challenges instead of fearing them. Difficult moments are where you build the most strength.

The second is consistency. Success does not come from one big moment. It comes from showing up every single day, even when you are tired, stressed or unsure. Working a full time corporate job while building two businesses taught me the power of steady effort. If someone wants to grow, they should create daily habits and routines that keep them moving forward, even in small steps.

The third is data driven thinking. Instead of guessing or reacting emotionally, I learned to look at facts, patterns and real performance. Data removes confusion and helps you make better decisions in business and in life. My advice is to start tracking what matters, whether it is finances, performance, customer behavior or personal habits. The more clarity you have, the easier it becomes to improve.

Together, these three qualities shaped everything I have built. Resilience helps you survive the hard moments. Consistency helps you grow over time. Data helps you make smarter decisions. If someone is early in their journey, developing these three areas will give them a foundation that can support any goal they choose to pursue.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was believe in me. They pushed me, held me to high standards and trusted my decisions even when the path I chose was different from what they expected. Knowing that they supported me gave me confidence to take risks, build businesses and pursue opportunities that required faith and commitment.

They also gave me something I will always be grateful for: a real head start in life. I never had to worry about food, housing or basic needs. They provided stability, a strong foundation and an upbringing where education, knowledge and hard work were always emphasized. They made it clear that effort matters, discipline matters and learning never stops. That shaped the way I approach every challenge today.

Another thing they instilled in me was the importance of being a good person and staying true to my values and my faith. They encouraged me to grow not only professionally, but also as a Muslim and as a human being. That guidance has grounded me through every stage of my journey.

Everything I have today is built on the foundation they created. Their support, their teachings and their sacrifices are a huge part of who I am and what I strive to become.

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