Articles by Tahir
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Gratitude For A Handshake
Gratitude For A Handshake
Two weeks ago, I shook hands with a stranger for the first time after a gap of about a year. Both of us had masks on…
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Tahir Qazi posted thisI think a lot of us in technology services are pretending we are “doing AI” right now when internally, we are still trying to make our systems speak to each other properly. And I do not mean this critically. I mean this honestly, because we have gone through our own version of it at iQuasar. Over the last year, I have seen so many conversations around AI become centered around replacement. AI consultants. AI recruiters. AI support teams. AI developers. But the more I speak to operators and delivery leaders, the more I feel we are skipping over the harder part of the conversation. Most companies are not struggling with AI capability right now. They are struggling with operational coherence. A recent report by Matillion said only 7% of organizations have fully integrated AI into business operations. That number honestly did not surprise me. Because the blockers were not futuristic problems. Data quality. Disconnected systems. Manual workflows. Lack of visibility. Very unglamorous problems. A few years ago, before AI became the center of every industry conversation, we had our own uncomfortable realization internally. The business was growing, but operationally, too much information lived in too many places. Sales had one view. Delivery had another. Recruitment maintained parallel trackers because they did not fully trust the shared ones. People relied on memory and side conversations more than systems. Nothing looked broken externally. Clients were active. Projects were moving. Revenue looked healthy. But internally, there was friction everywhere. And I think many technology services firms are entering an even more intense version of that phase now because AI increases the cost of operational confusion. You cannot build intelligent systems on top of fragmented operational realities. An AI staffing layer is only useful if resource visibility itself is reliable. An AI delivery assistant is only useful if project data is usable. An AI sales workflow still depends on CRM discipline underneath it. Sometimes I feel the industry is talking about AI chefs while quietly ignoring the condition of the kitchen. And honestly, I understand why. Talking about infrastructure cleanup, operational visibility, process alignment, and data hygiene is far less exciting than talking about autonomous AI agents replacing entire functions. The firms that seem calm right now are usually not the firms chasing every AI headline. They are the firms doing the slower work of making their businesses coherent enough for AI to actually function. Curious how others in technology consulting/services are experiencing this internally. Does it feel like the bigger challenge right now is adopting AI itself… or getting the company operationally ready for it?
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Tahir Qazi shared thisIf you run an IT consulting/services firm, you have probably lived through some version of this. Around 2023, there was a period at iQuasar where almost every leadership meeting ended the same way. Someone would say, “Wait, which sheet is the correct one?” And for a few seconds, the room would go quiet. Not because people were careless. Quite the opposite. Everybody was working hard. Probably too hard. Sales had one hiring assumption. Delivery had another understanding of bandwidth. Recruitment was trying to fill roles that kept changing priority every few days. Finance had a different utilization view entirely. At one point, one of our delivery managers admitted he had started maintaining his own parallel tracker because he no longer fully trusted the central one. I wish I could say that was unusual. It wasn’t. For years, we thought we were being scrappy and efficient. In hindsight, I think we were slowly building operational debt. The strange thing is that the business itself looked fine from outside. Clients were active. Revenue was healthy. Teams were busy. Busy enough that nobody stopped asking why simple questions were becoming difficult to answer. Who is actually available next month? Can we commit to this ramp-up confidently? Is this team genuinely underutilized or just incorrectly allocated? I remember one deal in particular that still bothers me. Good client. Good project. Somewhere in the mid six-figure range annually. We delayed responding long enough internally that the client moved ahead elsewhere. Not because we lacked engineers. Because nobody trusted the staffing visibility enough to commit quickly. That was difficult to admit to ourselves. Especially after spending years believing the hard part of this business was external competition. Nobody really talks about this phase publicly in IT services. The phase where the company is growing, but internally everybody starts creating workarounds for the system. Shadow spreadsheets. Private trackers. Backchannel staffing conversations. People relying on memory because reports feel outdated by the time they reach them. And then leadership slowly becomes a group of adults trying to reconcile operational reality through twenty browser tabs and six versions of the same spreadsheet. Especially because this got worse for us exactly when the business was doing better. Now with AI changing delivery expectations so quickly, I feel many firms are entering an even more intense version of this. Clients expect faster turnaround. cycles have shortened dramatically. And internally, a lot of companies are still trying to operate through systems built for a slower pace. I do not really have a polished conclusion here. Mostly curiosity. Have other IT consulting firms hit a point where growth stopped feeling exciting and started feeling operationally confusing?
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Tahir Qazi posted thisI didn’t expect to feel this way again. Lately, it feels like I’m back at square one. Not in terms of the business. iQuasar has come a long way since those early days. But in terms of… certainty. That feeling of knowing what works, what doesn’t, what to double down on is not as steady anymore. And it reminds me of how this all started. In the early 2000s, we were trying to build iQuasar across two very different worlds at the same time, Srinagar in Kashmir and Northern Virginia in the U.S. In Srinagar, uncertainty was visible. You could plan a week, and the week would have its own plans. Connectivity, movement, even basic coordination had a layer of unpredictability. In Virginia, things looked stable from the outside. But the uncertainty was still there, just in a different form. You are raising a family. You are juggling multiple roles because you cannot afford not to. You are working without the tools you ideally need. You do not have enough resources, so every decision carries weight. Two very different environments. The same underlying feeling. You are trying to build something without the comfort of knowing if you are doing it right. What stayed was the internal state. You are figuring things out as you go, with no real benchmarks. No clear signal that you are on the right track. Just work in front of you, and a quiet doubt running alongside it. There was a phase where I genuinely thought this might not work. Just a constant, low-grade uncertainty. What changed things was not clarity. It was getting absorbed in smaller pieces of work. Finishing one thing properly. Then the next. And over time, those small wins started holding things together. I did not think of it as a strategy back then. It was simply the only way forward that did not feel overwhelming. Right now, speaking to a lot of founders running service businesses, I hear a very similar undercurrent. Things are shifting quickly. AI is changing how services are delivered, how they are priced, even how clients perceive value. And there is just a lot coming at you. Tools, information, opinions, constantly. It becomes difficult to tell what actually matters and what does not. Are we still building this the right way? I do not have a crisp answer to that. If anything, I feel closer to that early phase again. The only thing that feels familiar is going back to the work itself. Keeping things manageable enough to move. Letting some clarity come from doing, not just thinking. Even as I write this, I am not fully sure if that is enough this time. I am trying to understand this better. What has this shift actually changed for you in the way you are building day to day?
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Tahir Qazi posted thisAre you braving the winter storm Fern to be at the National 8(a) Association’s 2026 Small Business Conference in Nashville, TN? We are! Amin Bhat and I are going to be at iQuasar LLC’s booth #200. Come see us to get to know what we are building for our amazing GovCon community of customers, partners, and vendors. Safe travels and can’t wait to see you all! #N8aSBC
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Tahir Qazi shared thisI was in Kashmir a few weeks ago, and the founders I met kept repeating what we’ve discussed in the roundtables: "we should build ventures for customers outside the valley." I agree with that ambition. But I’m realizing the first step is still very "local." Even the most global businesses usually start by proving their offer in one market they can serve really well. For a Kashmiri founder, that first market doesn’t have to be only Kashmir. It could be Srinagar, Delhi, Dubai, or Doha or even a very specific audience that behaves like a local market. The goal of that first market is simple: collect proof. Proof that the business works in real life, and proof an investor can actually trust. This feels especially relevant for tech-enabled businesses such as edtech, logistics, ecommerce, etc. A small market makes it easier to see potential: you can watch behavior closely, fix problems quickly, and learn what really matters before things get big. DoorDash did exactly this. It started with one small area near Stanford. They put a few restaurant menus on a simple site, used one phone number for orders, and in the early days, the founders did the deliveries themselves. They watched a few numbers: who was willing to pay for delivery, who ordered again, and which restaurants stayed. Once those numbers became steady, they raised a seed round and then used it to improve the product and expand nearby. For me, the lesson is clear. Even if we want customers outside Kashmir, we still begin by choosing one real market we can serve well. Which "local" markets are the best testing grounds for tech-enabled businesses in edtech, ecommerce, or logistics?
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Tahir Qazi posted thisiQuasar Software Solutions is looking to fill two roles in its on-site software team in Srinagar: Senior Lead - Software Engineering - Provide technical leadership to a young software development team - Build SaaS products and take them to market - Engage with customers to understand requirements and build solutions Senior Lead - AI/ML and MLOps - Build enterprise grade AI applications and take them to the market - Incorporate AI functionality into existing SaaS applications - Engage with customers to understand their pain points and build AI driven solutions - Lead and mentor a young and dynamic team If you have strong communications, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence skills; crave to work in a team with a dynamic startup culture; are purpose driven; and have 6+ years of experience in software development, this might be for you. If interested please send your resume and a note to careers@iQuasarSolutions.com. [No direct inquiries with me, please.]
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Tahir Qazi shared thisThe Cleared Talent Crunch 2026 - Practical Strategies to Hire, Retain, and Compete in GovCon iQuasar LLC is hosting this LinkedIn Live on November 24 at 10:30 am. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eu3Wb3KyTahir Qazi shared this🧑💻 The Cleared Talent Crunch 2026: Strategies to Hire, Retain, and Compete in GovCon As cleared talent shortages continue to reshape the government contracting landscape, effective strategies for hiring, retaining, and competing for top talent are more crucial than ever. Join us live on November 24 at 10:30 AM EST for a deep dive into the cleared talent crunch, featuring Farrukh Shah, Senior Recruitment Manager at iQuasar LLC, and Shoaib B., Marketing Manager at iQuasar LLC. In this 45-minute session, we’ll explore: 🔹How to streamline clearance-related hiring delays 🔹Adapting recruitment to focus on skills and clearance readiness 🔹Designing retention programs that reduce turnover 🔹Building partnerships with cleared staffing firms 🔹Aligning talent strategies with compliance and contract requirements 💡 Don’t miss these practical, actionable takeaways to help you stay ahead in the competitive GovCon talent market. 🔗 Join the conversation and secure your spot now! #ClearedTalent #GovCon #GovernmentContracting #ClearedRecruitment #TalentAcquisition #SecurityClearance #WorkforceStrategy #FederalHiring #GovConRecruiting #StaffingSolutions #ClearedStaffing #TalentRetention #GovConSuccess #iQuasarLive
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Tahir Qazi shared thisThe Invisible Jinn and the Gig Economy: This was my first time riding a driverless robotaxi, using a service by Google's sister company Waymo. While the experience brought back the childhood memories of reading Alif Laila - the Arabian Nights - it also provided a moment of reflection and clarity. Millions of jobs in the gig economy providing services with companies like Uber, Ola, DoorDash, etc., and, by extension, in organized sectors like business process management are vanishing or fundamentally changing. Clearly the pace of transformation will be modulated by maturation of technology, economic fundamentals of stock replacement, technology adoption lifecycles, etc. Those of us in knowledge or business process outsourcing industies cannnot but see this as an inflection point! I don't know if there is a "copyable" answer for all companies, but those who have invention, adpatability, and resilience in their DNA are likely to find this as an opportunity. And those who have been preparing for this moment are likely to win. How do you see KPO/BPO industries transforming? What are some transformation models you can think of or have seen working?
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Tahir Qazi shared thisIt has been about 90 days that we started a conversation on the state of entrepreneurship in Kashmir. Got overwhelming support that led to the creation of "The Waav (Fanning the Embers) Initiative." The next logical step is to go from thinking and discussion to executing. The wait to express your interest as a founder, aspiring founder, investor, or a mentor in the Waav Iniitiative is over. Here is the registration form: https://lnkd.in/eABcMz5c Please share your interest by Oct 19th. So many founders, aspiring founders, mentors, and investors have reached out directly to me. I would appreciate it if you can register your interest using this form to help a small team get us organized. Can't wait to see us give shape to a small but meaningful initiative collectively and work together to make a difference!
Tahir Qazi replied to a comment
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Mir Irshad - thanks. A coherent system where operational data lies should ease this.
Tahir Qazi replied to a comment
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Murk - totally! “Half the data living in side chats” is the operational reality for most firms
Tahir Qazi replied to a comment
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Shariq - no matter how integrated and scalable, if AI layer is built on top of data that lacks coherence, we get the “adoption ≠ impact” outcome
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Tahir Qazi reacted on thisTahir Qazi reacted on thisAI is evolving from conversation to execution. This carousel explores how businesses can move beyond AI pilots and build agents that support real workflows. Inside: 1. Why AI initiatives often stall 2. Where agents fit across existing tools 3. How governed AI can drive measurable outcomes For more visit our website- https://lnkd.in/gY8-xVzm #AIAgents #AgenticAI #Automation #EnterpriseAI #iQuasarSoftware
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Tahir Qazi reacted on thisTahir Qazi reacted on thisThe countdown ends tomorrow for our new webinar "Winning As a Subcontractor in a CMMC-Driven Supply Chain"⏳ Primes are cutting non-compliant subs right now. Don't get left behind. What we're covering: 🔹 Current prime vetting demands 🔹Winning bids through compliance 🔹 Scaling a secure pipeline 📅 20th May ⏰ 11AM EST 🔗 Lock in your spot: https://hubs.la/Q04gZDGs0 #CMMC #GovCon #FederalContracting #Subcontracting #iQuasarLLC
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Tahir Qazi reacted on thisWatch out for my session with Nate BanksTahir Qazi reacted on thisMost founders don’t realize how much growth they sacrifice in “busy mode.” In this episode of The Financial Hour with Nate Banks, we discuss how delegation, operational support, and Software VAs help founders scale faster without burning out. We’ll cover: ✔ The Founder’s Trap ✔ $20/hour CEO tasks ✔ Operational firefighting ✔ Scaling leaner with remote talent Join us to learn how founders reclaim time and focus on what drives revenue. 🗓 May 24, 2026 ⏰ 12:00 PM EST #Podcast #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #StartupGrowth #MyRemoteWorkforce #VirtualAssistants #MyRemoteWorkforce
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Tahir Qazi reacted on thisTahir Qazi reacted on thisStop Guessing Your SOFGSD Score and Start Validating Ahead of the May 28 deadline. The clock is ticking on your final submission. No discussions means zero room for error. Audit your bid with our expert Checklist ✅ Maps Section L/M requirements ✅ Validates technical self-scoring ✅ Ensures "Pass/Fail" compliance ✅ Identifies hidden evaluation risks Don't guess your way through a multi-billion dollar IDIQ. Use the Matrix to map it and the Checklist to win it. 🔗 Shop Now at 50% OFF : https://hubs.la/Q04gvpGy0 #GovCon #SOFGSD #USSOCOM #ProposalCompliance #iQuasarLLC
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Tahir Qazi reacted on thisTahir Qazi reacted on thisIf proposals in your company happen by “𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻,” I have great news: You’re not disorganized. You’re just running a group sprint with one pair of shoes. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: Most small businesses don’t lose proposal time because they write slowly. They lose time because everything waits on the same person at the same moment. You don’t have a proposal process. You have a bottleneck wearing a headset. (And if you're the founder, that bottleneck is probably you). 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺-𝗯𝗮���𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 (𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀): 𝟭) 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗹, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: While one person shapes the approach, someone else assembles past performance proof, and another tightens the narrative. The proposal stops being “one long night” and becomes “several short wins.” 𝟮) 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀: With a team, you time-box work and hit checkpoints: “lock the outline,” “lock the proof,” “lock the pricing.” You don’t need more hustle; you need momentum you can repeat. 𝟯) 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁; 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹: Light AI use here is simple: accelerate the mechanical stuff (draft scaffolds, consistency checks, cleanup) so the team spends time on what actually matters - credibility, proof, differentiation, and reviewer-friendly structure. The payoff isn’t just a better proposal. It’s capacity. You stop trading sleep for submissions. You can bid more selectively and still move faster because your process no longer requires a heroic sacrifice to the deadline gods. 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯: 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁. #GovCon #ProposalDevelopment #SmallBusiness #ProposalManagement #ProposalTeams #BidManagement
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Tahir Qazi reacted on thisTahir Qazi reacted on thisHeadline: Time is on your side but don't slow down. SOFGSD is extended. The update just landed: The submission deadline for the SOF Global Services Delivery (SOFGSD) contract has been extended to May 28th. For those of us in the GovCon space, we know that an extension usually means the government is looking for high-quality, comprehensive responses. This $2.6B vehicle is a "must-win" for many, and this extra time should be used to sharpen your competitive edge. The extension is a gift, but the competition remains fierce. Is your team currently pursuing this? Don't just use this time to wait, use it to win. Whether you need to refine your technical volume, audit your self-scoring matrix, or finalize complex teaming agreements, precision is key. Let’s connect and ensure your submission is 100% mission-ready. If you’re looking for a partner to help navigate the complexities of this bid, iQuasar is ready to lead the way. Let's cross the finish line strong on May 28th! #SOFGSD #GovConStrategy #BusinessDevelopment #RPO #FederalContracting #DefenseIndustry
Experience & Education
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iQ GovSolutions
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Organizations
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Missouri State Customer Experience Program
Advisory Board
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Habitat for Humanity - Burlington County
Board Member
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Revive Kashmir
Board Member
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Kashmir Education Initiative
Board Member, President
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Amana Academy Charter School
Board Member, Strategic Planning and Leadership
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Child Nurture and Relief
Board Member, Founder
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