This week You! talks to Sarah Lalani to find out more about her business, the new trends in advertising and how she deals with gender biases...
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Sarah Lalani is a 32-year-old ambitious digital marketing professional who started her own company ‘Social Brainiacs’ just before the pandemic hit. Having served in the Accounting and Audit career for about five years with Ernst & Young, Sarah had found her true calling in 2017 in the Fashion and Marketing field. She continued to learn the craft and skills of the business to finally start her own in 2019. Sadly, not long after, the pandemic hit and ruffled many businesses including Sarah’s. However, she managed to keep her company alive and looks forward to diving in the market, full-force. This week You! talks to Sarah Lalani to find out more about her business, the new trends in advertising and how she deals with gender biases...
You! What inspired you to start your own company?
Sarah Lalani: I started my agency in 2019 pre-pandemic when I realised my potential in the world of digital marketing and a dire need to give a professional shape to my expertise for businesses and brands to be benefited. ‘Social Brainiacs’ is a sui generis Digital Marketing Agency with conscious creative minds, experimental approaches to promoting brands, and a team of millennials to know the best of the potential of social media and all that it offers.
You! What are your responsibilities in the company?
SL: I hold responsibility to keep the ship sailing. From internal operations such as recruitment and HR to managing Accounts and Finance to running the Digital Media business, I’m in-charge of overseeing every department. What really makes my leadership effective here is delegating work to my employees and training them to be able to be empowered to take work decisions autonomously. I truly believe my work responsibility is not only to get the job done but to get it done by the right people in the most efficient way.
You! What skills are most important to have for a person in your position?
SL: Leadership, people management, and patience. Running a start-up, as glamorous as it sounds, is full of struggles and back-to-back challenges for at least a good 2 to 3 years if I am not understating the time. Bottlenecks such as capital and human resources are hard to fight and require extreme patience. Besides, training your employees and mentoring them is what’s required the most in this position.
You! How did Covid-19 affect your business and how did you handle operations?
SL: It was devastating on the outside like it was for everyone around the world. We had to lay off employees, sell assets to meet the costs, and do all major divestments to our newly created start-up agency. But I have been confident about the fact that with perseverance, determination and hope, you can win even the losing battles. My start-up survived and I have great hopes for it in 2021.
You! How is the world of advertising changing and where do you see yourself in it?
SL: I think my whole life so far has been about changing that gender-specific narrative starting right from my own house since I was a young girl. The world of advertising is shifting from merely selling your products and pushing sales to promote products ethically and thoughtfully. Pakistani women are not confined to the walls of the kitchen anymore and brands should be conscious of it while creating an ad for their product. For instance, a detergent product can be seen as being used by men of the house to do laundry and not necessarily by women only.
You! What is the role and potential of women in the emerging advertising world?
SL: Women are the standard-bearers of the new and improved world of marketing where the right message is communicated thoughtfully and diligently. I think it is important that all marketing companies digital or whatsoever retain as many women in their creative teams as possible. Women in marketing are more conscious and aware of the impact an ad may create on society.
You! What obstacles and challenges did you face as a female digital marketer?
SL: Surprisingly, most of the stereotypes I face do not come from professional circles. I’m fortunate to move around in broad-minded men and women who possess a sense of achievement, gender-free ambition, and equality when it comes to being a female digital marketer. Unfortunately, stereotypical obstacles mostly come from personal and domestic circles including my loved ones, families, friends, etc. They expect me to embrace certain roles; roles that I don’t see fit for myself at this point or ever.
You! How can society truly support female entrepreneurs?
SL: Female entrepreneurs are the backbone of a progressive and better society. ‘Let us be ourselves’ is the biggest support society can offer us. Accept us; accept our ambitions; the very fact that we can also want something of our desire and not yours.
You! How does being single get along with your family and others?
SL: My father takes pride in my speed, my boldness, and my fearless thoughts. While a lot of people often feel pity towards me for being single at 32, my father takes immense pride in having a daughter who is different, bold, and wants to write her own story. I am very lucky to have him by my side who gives me the ticket to go out in the world and fly. 32 or 42 or 52, this is my life and I will write every page of my story by myself.
You! How do you manage the work-life balance?
SL: To be honest, I don’t. I fail every day trying to achieve that balance. I can’t cook at home when I have work from 10 to 6. I cannot do the housewife or a house daughter bit if I am looking after my struggling start-up with all my might. The very battle I have to fight every day is to make people realise that it’s okay if I don’t have a balance. It is okay just like it has always been okay when a man doesn’t have a balance between his professional and family lives. Wives and daughters are expected to show cooperation and support to someone absent from home for long hours for the sake of work and career. Similarly, fathers, brothers, and husbands should show the same kind of cooperation if a woman chooses to be more focused on their career than domestic chores.
You! What advice do you have to offer to young aspiring women?
SL: At every step of the way in life, you will be given hard choices, not necessarily by the outsiders but by your loved ones. If you truly believe in yourself, be true to yourself before anything and everything. Fight for yourself even if it’s with your own shadow. Don’t give up. You are never too old to be worrying about finding the right man, or never too weak to be believed to be thrown in the realms of the kitchen and all that surrounds you. Sure, you can do that by choice but not by force. Keep fighting, keep pushing, and keep flying.
