One of the main objectives of OPEN LINK is to introduce you to the people behind OPEN DC. The Rendezvous section provides a glimpse into the life of an OPEN DC member while weaving a compelling professional narrative to budding and established entrepreneurs alike. This issue profiles Mr. Altaf Khan, the chairman of OPEN DC and Senior Vice President at NuAxis LLC (http://www.nuaxis.com). I had the pleasure of spending an evening with Mr. Khan and his wonderful family, obtaining a glimpse into his life and his journey as an entrepreneur.

A resident of the Washington, D.C. area since 1976, Mr. Khan currently resides in Herndon, Virginia. After over a decade working in upper-level corporate management, Mr. Khan made the choice to venture on his own, starting Dulles Networking Associates in 1989. Over the next 16 years, Mr. Khan guided the company through a number of organizational successes and trials; in 2005, Dulles Networking Associates merged with Washington, D.C.-based NuAxis. NuAxis is a professionally managed information technology consulting firm providing innovative and cost effective business solutions using state of the art technologies, architectures and lifecycle management.

Brief Background: Mr. Khan is a native of Lahore, Pakistan, where he studied and taught at the University of Engineering and Technology. He then moved to the United States in 1974 to pursue graduate studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  During his studies at the University of Massachusetts, he worked with Burroughs (now part of Unisys).  After four years there, he continued his career with Control Data Corporation.  Control Data became Mr. Khan’s corporate nest for the next ten years, providing an environment for both professional advancement and the acquisition of the invaluable skills and knowledge needed to become a successful entrepreneur.

In 1989, Mr. Khan took a different step and launched his entrepreneurial career with Dulles Networking Associates, which provided voice and data communications hardware and software to a number of federal government agencies and private sector clients. The company’s areas of excellence included systems engineering and integration, on-site technical support and maintenance, communications engineering and service provision, LAN/WAN design and computer modeling, simulation and training. Following Dulles Networking Associates’ 2005 merger with NuAxis, the new NuAxis, LLC focuses on information technology service provision for both the public and private sectors, with particular expertise in enterprise content management, project implementation, software and systems development and network infrastructure planning and support. At NuAxis, Mr. Khan is charged with oversight of the firm’s overall strategic direction and competitive strategy.

Inspiration: Mr. Khan’s inspiration is undoubtedly his wife, Nasim Khan, who has been a serial entrepreneur since 1984. We will cover more about Mrs. Khan’s entrepreneurial journey in a future “Rendezvous” session.

Challenges: Like all entrepreneurs, Mr. Khan faced multiple challenges as he developed his organization.  When he started, few small business support organizations – such as OPEN – existed to help him with his journey.  He thus had to learn everything by trial and error – be it negotiations, business loans, contracts, government vending and corporate sales and marketing. Providing other budding entrepreneurs the solid support system he lacked fuels Mr. Khan’s motivation to lead OPEN DC. He firmly believes that challenges are a natural part of entrepreneurship. Small business owners should not be afraid of such challenges, he says, but should instead draw inspiration from them.

• Advice: When asked for advice for business owners, Mr. Khan didn’t even need to pause to think about it. He believes:
• People should go into business if they have a passion for it.
• business, especially one that is IT-related, is hard work; if you are up for the challenge of hard work, then go for it.
• Utilize local resources such as OPEN DC and its network learn from others experiences and attend the sessions offered by the organizationsEvolve, don’t remain static – for things change and so should your business.
  

Current Activities: Mr. Khan is involved with two new projects in collaboration with his wife, Edu-care and Edu-growth, aimed at improving education, health care and growth opportunities for Pakistani children and women. Mr. Khan loves spending time with his sons, daughter and granchildren.  He is an avid golfer and is also active with the Reston Interfaith.  He is involved with OPEN events and is often the sponsor  of and speaker at many of the events held by OPEN DC.