Some heirs to family businesses are forced to join them, some have to earn their place while others are more than eager to assume the mantle. But no matter what industry, most struggle against the traditions set by their predecessors. But wait, there are exceptions.

Here’s the story of five young men who were cast in a different mould. With business in their blood, these enterprising men have brought their own dash of colour — their own vision — to their family empires. Their approaches, though, were in no way uniform. One ran away from home while another was your quintessential nerd. Still, they had one thing in common: they all followed their dreams.

It is effort, not blood, that has ensured they are all sitting where they are today. Sure they made their share of mistakes, plenty actually, but they got up, dusted themselves off and went on. In conversation with Newsline, these young entrepreneurs speak about the hurdles they overcame to follow their passion and how they single-handedly initiated projects. Along the way, they offer a few tidbits on their personal lives, revealing that despite the weight of business empires on their shoulders, these men are easy to relate to and, just as the rest of us, like to kick back and have fun.

Click on any name to read the profile:

• Shoaib Shafi
• Ali Siddiqui
• Bilal Lakhani
• Danish Iqbal
• Adil Moosajee