Darine Sabbagh is a super mom from Lebanon. She specializes in digital marketing training and has been working as a social media consultant for the past four and a half years, although having only taken up freelancing full-time last year when her baby was born.
Following her work in traditional marketing, B2B marketing, and experience gained in the IT sector, Darine saw a real opportunity in social media and digital marketing consultancy and training for top regional companies. Moreover, Darine actively participates in organizing events and other crowdsourced activities within the vibrant online Lebanese community.
Darine specializes in helping organizations train and build their internal social media teams, integrate their social media inside-out, and take full control of their strategic digital presence.
Darine’s agenda:
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
My daughter, who is now one year and four months, wakes up at around 9:30 or 10:00 AM. We play a bit until the nanny comes. I can check my emails and run out to a client meeting once I know my daughter is in safe hands and enjoying her time with her nanny. Work-life balance can be a struggle, but I think it is becoming more and more predominant across the board for everyone really. Working in social media consultancy and being my own boss, I can’t say that I have a day off or a strict work schedule – it’s usually a blend of the two.
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
My days are extremely varied; one day I might be conducting a social media training course, the next would be dedicated to brainstorming on a new online strategy, while another day might include a meeting with an advertising agency or the client’s designer. I love how, as a consultant, I am able to make a real impact on the online communication strategy of companies, and help make their whole organization more social and cohesive. I also love how with consultancy work you get the best of both worlds, i.e. working as part of a team while bypassing the bureaucracy of internal corporate agendas to be able to generate real results. I’ve also had the chance to work not only with big Lebanese companies, but also with top regional businesses and startups.
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
At around 3:00, I come back home to have lunch and finish some work, or I may choose to work from a café. The most rewarding part of my job is the diversity; working with clients from several industries and on different aspects of their business. It is great to see different things happening every day and meet different people, and most importantly, learn new things. It really helps you hone your skill set and gather a thorough experience quickly.
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
I try to be home by around 5:30 when my husband is back so we can have dinner and spend some quality family time together. One of the most challenging things I face in my career is the temptation to be a few minutes late in order to play with my daughter every time I walk into a meeting. Sometimes I even feel guilty for writing an email instead of playing with her. But on the upside, I know that I spend much more time with her than I would’ve had I had a full-time job.
9:00 PM – 2:00 AM
My issue has always been that I am most productive at night, whether I need to write an important document, prepare a presentation or do research, and I have always struggled with this when I had an office job. So now, I usually do most of my work after all my little family is asleep which is usually after midnight.
When I think of advice to give to young professionals in the Middle East, and especially women, who want to enter the field of marketing consultancy, I think of the most important thing women should realize: They do not have to have it all (the way it is imposed by the society), but they can have it THEIR way which is, in my opinion, far more fulfilling. Women should start thinking about how they want to shape their career and what they want to have, beyond job titles. There are so many aspects of work where freelancers and consultants are needed. I knew that this is what I wanted to do for many years and I worked hard to achieve it. I have built my network and reputation, have bargained for flexibility, and have made a few tough decisions too (for example, by refusing jobs I had been headhunted for and not applying for jobs at Fortune 500 companies even though I had referrals from friends working there, just because I knew that at one point this wouldn’t fit in with the lifestyle I had in mind!). Also, I was lucky enough to have a very supportive husband, so this is the second bit of advice I guess: "Choose your partner wisely, as they are one the most important players in your career."
