We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Ahmad. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.
Sara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk-taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
2021 was a very challenging year. It was the year that forced me to realize many things and take a big risk that I didn’t know I was ready for.
At the start of 2021, I was working for a corporate marketing agency. In February, I decided to move to a different team within the same company. In this new team, I would be managing higher-budget paid social ad campaigns on a variety of platforms. I was ready and hungry to learn and grow. I didn’t realize was how quickly things would escalate.
In March, Apple released their iOS 14.5 update and Facebook simultaneously released their new changes to their platform to comply accordingly. We didn’t receive any information from Facebook prior to this release. We were unprepared and we didn’t know where to begin.
This started affecting our higher spending clients. They became at-risk to churn since their campaigns on Facebook were becoming disabled. Seeing where the team was headed and the roadblocks we kept running into, I took this on as a challenge. I wanted to understand the problem and find the solution. I spent the next 4-6 weeks working with clients, doing research, and testing different ideas. I was able to successfully find the solution. I created an entire process on how to help our existing clients and another process for our new clients so they don’t run into the issue at all. These processes were shared across the company amongst different teams. I also created and held training sessions. Since most of my team didn’t have the bandwidth to add anything else to their plate, I was able to hop onto several calls to help save their clients.
After this, my next challenge was to learn how to run successful e-commerce campaigns. We were getting a lot of clients who wanted to see an increase in sales, but we didn’t see any major successes with the strategies we’ve been implementing. After a lot of trial and error, I was able to develop a strategy specifically for e-commerce. This strategy worked with every client I had and still hasn’t failed me to this day. I was able to not only save my clients but also the at-risk clients for my team. What happened next is something I didn’t anticipate. People started to request me specifically to work on their campaigns, especially the at-risk e-commerce campaign. Word started to spread that I was able to save clients from churning. I was flattered. However, this meant that my workload started to exponentially grow.
I was working very very long hours. Some nights I worked till 8 pm and other nights I worked till 2 am. I was incredibly stressed and my anxiety was at its peak. I was so focused on my work, that I didn’t sleep, eat, drink, or exercise. My health started to decline dramatically. I was in a pretty bad place in September of 2021. This was a major wake-up for me. I knew that I needed to change my lifestyle. The way I was living was not sustainable. I was able to take a week off from work and traveled to Portland, OR. This was my first break during the year. I began to really think about what I was doing – how it was affecting my mental, emotional, and my physical health.
I hoped that when I returned, things would be better but the holiday season, which is our peak season was approaching and my work started to increase again. I started conversations with my leadership team about a leave of absence, especially since it was recommended by my doctor. The process was starting to get complicated.
I started to really think about leaving the company and taking some time for myself. I wanted to work on the app that I had been working on and didn’t have the time anymore. I wanted to see if perhaps I can start my own agency and better manage my time/work that way. I needed to give myself the time to recover, which meant I could not be working. But, quitting my job with a dependable income and insurance was a huge risk, especially if I considered taking on 2 new ventures. I pondered about this for months. I reached out to my mentors and my family for advice.
I decided to take on the risk because I was going to bet on myself. I am worth betting on. I had the support from my family, mentors, and friends to take the leap. I quit and put in my notice in November and my last day was December 3rd. In November, my team was awarded the excellence award. Later that month I received an email saying that I am nominated for a Gannett Greatest award. This came as a complete shock to me. The award ceremony was set for December 14th. I followed up with my manager, who I also consider as my mentor. We decided to extend my last to December 17th. At this point, all of the work was transferred over and I was just working on completing the last of the training materials for my team. Being nominated for this award is a huge honor as it is. I have nothing to lose at this point and wanted to attend the award ceremony. December 14th came quick, as I am watching the virtual award ceremony in anticipation with zero expectation, they announced 2 winners for my category. A woman from a different team with over 17 years of experience, and me with under 2.5 years of experience. This sent waves across the company. This was a HUGE milestone not only for me also for my time. It was the perfect way to leave — leaving with a bang.
Since November, I’ve spent most of my traveling and focused on healing. I have been working on my own digital marketing agency that I’ve always dreamed of and I’m finally launching my app in March 2022. It truly is an exciting time. So much has changed in a very short period of time and I’m looking forward to what’s in store for me next.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started my journey while I was an undergrad learning how to create content utilizing video production and photography. I went on to explore how to utilize that organically and strategically within digital marketing. I went on to graduate school to learn more about marketing and supply chain. It was during this time, I was able to gain a better understanding of the strategy application. My background includes marketing, design, communication, and supply chain.
All of my previous work experience has allowed me to expand my skillset and discover many new things for me to learn. What I’ve most recently discovered about myself, is that I am most passionate about problem-solving. I use digital marketing and UX Design to provide solutions.
With my digital marketing agency, Ekko Media Inc. my team and I provide solutions through graphic design, website development, social media marketing, and digital paid campaigns. Through my experience, I’ve learned it’s incredibly important to be transparent with clients, provide timely information, and be communicative. Many times, clients have already worked with other agencies, but due to bad experiences, they lose their faith in marketing altogether. I participate in many conversations with clients to help answer their questions and provide them with a sense of ease.
I am most proud of my team. My team is primarily women from different backgrounds eager to learn and grow. They are incredibly dependable and allow me to be at my best. Because of my team, I can continue to explore new avenues. Some of the avenues I am exploring to add next to the agency is a consulting/mentoring opportunity for anyone who needs one on one support and also provide courses related to digital marketing, design, and app design/development.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
My side hustle started out by providing video and photography services. I started when I was an undergrad student in 2014. I was getting a lot of projects and my name started spreading within my community. In 2016, I decided to officially register the business and invest in decent equipment. I continued to this up until the pandemic hit. At this point, I started to realize that this business isn’t sustainable and difficult to scale. Carrying heavy equipment, sifting through hundreds of images, rewatching hours of video, and events canceling – it was dawned on me that I needed to make some changes.
After much thought, I decided to hire a coach. I needed to understand what I was lacking and how to lay a foundation for my business. I spend about 6 months learning, pivoting, and making several adjustments. I had to learn new habits and unlearn some old ones. I was able to create a system that will allow me to scale but also have a personal life. I was able to double the size of my team in a few months. I remember a time when I was struggling to find dependable people to join my team. For me, a key milestone is being able to have a team I can rely on and also support me to become better.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A major lesson that I had to unlearn was to stay flexible and time management. I am the type of person that plans everything. When things don’t go according to my plan, I become stressed and anxious. This would often interfere with completing my other tasks. I needed to learn to become more flexible and pivot at any moment. Time management is a lesson I needed to relearn. I’ve always been taught to prioritize work above everything else. After my experience in 2021, I am now learning to balance work, personal life, and my health.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ekkomediainc.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/xsahmadx?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ekkomediainc/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ekkomediainc/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ekkomediainc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEvID-XslvaDjRQRKST6XFg
- Other: Bite Reel Website: https://www.bitereel.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitereel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitereel/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bite_reel/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitereel/?viewAsMember=true TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bite_reel YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBg8EZ7RHSPe7vOucGrSCtw
Image Credits
Portrait image credit to Robin Hood Photography