This week, we sat down with Ali Afzal, CEO and Co-Founder of IDR , to hear his story, leadership lessons and perspective on building a global business. 

Q: Firstly, congratulations on obtaining your Entrepreneurs’ Organization membership! Tell us more. 
The process was quite rigorous. You go through multiple interviews with experienced entrepreneurs who challenge everything. 

I joined the EO network so I could speak openly with peers who’ve built something of a similar scale. This is our first business; we’re not serial entrepreneurs. Being able to learn from other people’s experiences while sharing our own is incredibly valuable. 

Q: What shaped your entrepreneurial thinking? 
It might sound cliché, but a lot of it came from my father. He worked in banking and would talk about the rewards of working hard, especially around bonus season! My dad encouraged me to always challenge myself and aim higher than whatever was already in front of me. 

Q: You launched IDR right before COVID. What were those early days like? 
Pretty crazy, to be honest. 

We had left well-paid jobs and were sitting in New York running the business from a dining table with broken laptops. We were doing everything ourselves; analysis, recruiting experts, invoicing clients, chasing payments. 

Then COVID hit. 

At the time we were thinking, did we make the worst decision possible? But it actually worked in our favour because the whole world moved online, which is how we were already operating. 

Q: When did the team start growing? 
Our first hire was in October 2020; at that point we were still extremely startup-mode, working out of my dining room. 

Soon after we moved into a tiny co-working office and hired our first batch of five people. One of those hires is still with us today. 

Looking back, it’s pretty incredible how quickly things moved. 

Q: What keeps you motivated through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship?
I think when you realise you have a real opportunity, you have to go all in. Chances like that don’t come around very often. 

Persistence and self-belief are also important. You have to believe you’re capable of more than what you currently have. A lot of entrepreneurs wait for external validation, but real progress comes when you trust yourself and take action. 

It also helps that I’m doing this with a friend. Alejandro and I were friends first and business partners second, which makes the journey a lot easier when you’re navigating challenges together. 

And of course, there’s the team. Being able to create opportunities for people in emerging markets, where they can work with global clients and build serious careers is incredibly motivating. 

Q: What does excellent client service mean to you? 
It comes down to two main things: transparency and open communication. 

In our industry it’s very easy to say yes to everything. But sometimes the best thing you can do for a client is to be honest and say, “We can’t do this in two days.” 

If you’re upfront about challenges early, clients trust you more. If you try to hide problems, you damage the relationship. 

For me, great client service is about being honest and reliable. 

Q: Can you share a time you went above and beyond for a client? 

One example that really stands out is a client project we secured in Turkey. Alejandro and I flew to Istanbul to meet the firm’s leadership team, using the flight to immerse ourselves in thick briefing documents and ensure we understood every detail of the project. 

At that stage, we were still building the company, but we knew that if we committed to something, we had to own it fully. 

The good news is we secured the project, and it became a meaningful global engagement for us. For me, it was a reminder that client excellence means doing what it takes! Showing up prepared, being accountable, and going the extra mile even when it’s challenging – even flying across the world if needed! 

Q: Looking ahead, how do you see the expert network industry evolving? 
In short, demand for ENS will increase. 

With AI and the speed of information today, we’re also living in an age of misinformation. It’s becoming harder to know what’s real and what isn’t. 

That’s where expert networks come in. Access to real people with real experience will become even more valuable. 

Q: Finally, tell us something people might not know about you. 
I’m currently balancing two firsts in my life: building my first company and becoming a first-time dad. 

We recently welcomed a baby girl, and it definitely puts things into perspective. Entrepreneurship keeps you busy, but moments like that remind you what really matters.