In a very charming setting, Bayt.com had the chance to talk to one of the most creative female entrepreneurs in Jordan. Her name is Zayna Al-Hamarneh, she is Co-founder of MODE Marketing & PR, and this is how our interview with her went.
Who's Zayna Al-Hamarneh? Zayna Al-Hamarneh is a 26 year old entrepreneur from Amman, Jordan. She holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Jordan. Along with her business partner, Zayna established MODE Marketing & PR in 2010 with less than $1,000. She started out from her own bedroom at home to cut costs. Two years and three months later, Zayna had her own office, three full timers, two part timers, and more than 30 projects and clients in her portfolio. Passionate about life, madly in love with marketing and full of energy, this charming workaholic has embarked on a magical journey with more than a trick in her hat... 1. What is the best thing about living and working in Jordan? For me, Jordan is home. I was born and raised in this beautiful country. I grew up knowing my way around it and created a lot of connections during the course of my working experiences. The best thing about it is that you always know someone somewhere; the close-knit society comes to our advantage when it is business related. 2. Take us through your average day at work... I usually wake up around 7 or 8 am. The first thing I do before getting out of bed is check my emails and all my clients' social media accounts. I get up, brush my teeth have my coffee and start making my daily phone calls. I hit the road and I either go to the office or to my meetings. During the day, I usually spend my time in meetings with my already existing clients and potential ones. I get back home around 7pm and I either hang out with my friends or family, work, or watch television. My days end on average at 1 am. I prepare my team's to do lists and mine before going back to bed, work on proposals and finalize my paperwork. 3. How did you stumble upon your business idea? For some time, I did a lot of consultancy. I was working as a consultant for a number of companies. My major problem was not having a registered company of my own. A friend of mine, who is now one of my business partners, came up with the idea of registering this startup of ours… and this is how MODE Marketing & PR was established! 4. What is the main hurdle you have faced in growing your business? My age. People usually underestimate the level of professionalism and experience someone in my age has. 5. What are the three things you think it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? 1. Stay focused. Make sure to focus on building a great team and a good reputation. 2. Always be involved. Even if your team becomes bigger, supervise, monitor and make sure that you are always on top of things. 3. Never give up. An entrepreneur is a fighter. If I gave up every time I failed or something bad happened, MODE wouldn't be here today and celebrating its 3rd anniversary in February! 6. What is the one most important thing you look for in new hires? Passion, dedication, responsibility, and being eager to learn and improve. 7. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent? Naturally, it's finding the most qualified individual for the job in the right time. So I would say, having the right person for the right position at the right time. 8. What is the primary piece of advice you would give aspiring entrepreneurs? Do not start something only for the sake of being called an entrepreneur! Find your passion and make it happen.
