Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ambreen Jahangir, CEO of DV8 Communication, located in Richmond Hill, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

DV8 Communication is a 360-degree Multicultural Marketing agency that provides advertising and marketing services to mainstream brands and businesses that want to target the growing multicultural segment. We are the pioneers who first introduced the concept of multicultural marketing in Canada. We work with brands to help them reach various ethnic communities in Canada by offering fully integrated marketing solutions. DV8 constantly strives to provide the most effective, economical, and customized solutions for businesses across Canada and US.

We have been in the industry for over 20 years now, and our clientele range from Beauty, and FMCG, to Finance Tourism and the Car industry. We have worked with companies like the Maple leaf, Scotia Bank, Ford, Food basics, Canadian Tire, La vie en rose, Money Mart, and so on.

Tell us about yourself

I began my CEO journey 20 years ago with my husband Jahangir, the President of the company. I have always been a dedicated, passionate, and career-oriented person who wanted to make a big impact in the business world. Back then, when I relocated to Canada, I observed that marketing was only about promoting your business in mainstream media. And those days, Multicultural Marketing wasn't even a thing. And that's when the idea of multicultural marketing hit our minds. Jahangir and I worked relentlessly to bring this idea into existence, and we successfully established our business 20 years ago, which has now grown by leaps and bounds. So far, we have helped 100+ clients achieve their target of reaching different communities with our effective strategy. As immigrants living away from home, we realized how much power in-language communication holds. We wanted to pave a different path for brands and businesses in order to help them reach their target niche in a more personalized way. Our company aims to connect brands and organizations with Canada's many visible minority populations, and we reach out to them in their language and in their media.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The fact that we have been able to run this business for 20 years now is our biggest achievement amidst the high market competition. So many new multicultural companies have emerged over the past few years, but DV8 has set its standards high in terms of delivering quality marketing and advertising services to medium and big brands. Our mission has always stayed the same- to help brands connect with visible minorities/different communities to help them expand their brand reach.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Risk tolerance and retaining existing clients are the most challenging things that come with being a business owner. Establishing a business comes with many risks. The pandemic slightly impacted our business, but we remained undeterred by this setback. We made a remarkable comeback, started things on a positive note, regained our existing clients, and closed good deals with new ones. Sometimes, things don't go as planned, and the journey further could be daunting, but in such challenging times, we have to keep our spirits high.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Conduct thorough research and reflect on these questions- Why do you want to establish a business? What purpose does it serve? There needs to be more than a rough vision and structure. It is important first to understand your customer requirements and market gap and then provide solutions they are looking for and also how you can make your business distinct from your competitors.
  2. Learn the art of selling. It does not matter how amazing your business ideas are or how great your products/solutions are unless you master the art of selling. In the initial stage, it is crucial to brainstorm and know the right sales strategies to accelerate your business growth. If you don't figure it out, your business might suffer and die eventually.
  3. Lastly, prioritize a strong work-life balance in the initial phase, and slowly you will catch it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://dv8communication.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dv8.ethnic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dv8_communication/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/think_ethnic
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dv8communications/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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