Is following your passion worth the effort?

Elle M. Dhahani's & Lauren Galeana's journey from a passionate social media lover to an independent entrepreneur!

Well, I attended a Digital Media Marketing webinar that was hosted by Wendy Greenwood the other day. I got to know and virtually meet 2 wonderful personalities, Elle M. Dhahani and Lauren Galeana, who were the speakers and did a wonderful job while presenting. It was insightful and inspirational, so I thought I'd write about it, as it covered all aspects of digital media marketing and also inspired me to follow my passion for Social Media.

Elle (L) Lauren (R) Elle M. Dhahani (Left) Lauren Galeana (Right)

Elle M. Dhahani is a digital content director at her own creative boutique “ELLE MARIE CREATIVE SERVICES”. She offers in-house professional photography and filming, and also provides branding and marketing services to her clients. Although she has a master’s degree in Digital Media and Marketing from George Brown College-2021, the majority of what she learned and put into practice has come from years of grit, amazing experiences, and self-teaching. She made a profession out of her interest which is what matters the most.

Lauren Galeana on the other hand is also an entrepreneur. She’s the founder & social media Strategist of “LAUREN GALEANA SOCIAL MEDIA”. She’s currently helping “Keynote Speakers Canada” with their social media strategy to build a targeted online community. Lauren offers customized packages to her clients by assisting them to manage and grow brand awareness/presence, increase engagement, manage the community, and increase leads using organic social media strategies and content. Returning to school full-time to study Digital Media and Marketing at George Brown College 2020 during the tough days of COVID was a brave decision that she made which reinforced the love she has for social media.

Now, I would like to share some valuable life & professional lessons that Elle & Lauren shared with us which helped them achieve what they wished for & were passionate about.

1) Don’t burn bridges – Lauren said one should never have any sort of grudges or misunderstanding with anyone as you never know when that person can be a guiding angel in your life. The right people can help you fight a hard time & motivate you. Never burn bridges with any of your connections.

2) Word of mouth – Word of mouth is one of the good strategies for job seeking. Putting in a good for someone can really help that person to find the right job. So, make sure you have a good number of connections.

3) Don’t lead with your weaknesses, lead with your strengths – As Elle said, one can’t control their weaknesses beyond a point, but one should definitely know their strengths as they are going to set you apart from the others. Strengths are your superpowers which are special & unique.

4) Never say “NO” to an opportunity – Elle believes, one should never ever say NO to any kind of opportunity, it's better to explore & get to know more about that particular domain. Say yes even if it's not in your favor or your area of interest.

The 3 takeaways from the lessons I learned from the honorable speakers, that would help to get my dream job are: -

1) Never stop networking – It’s always good to keep on making new connections. Connections with the right people can help you to find the desired job. Make LinkedIn your best friend.

2) “YES” to opportunities – I will stop saying NO to opportunities thrown at me even if they are not from my area of interest. You never know what’s in store for you.

3) Always follow the job posting rules – It's always better to follow the process of job application rather than just doing what you know. If you don’t follow the norms, you will never get a response from the recruiter.

In order to get a dream job & be successful it’s really very important to follow some basic steps such as having your resume up to date, cover letters as per the job requirements, maintain a work portfolio & above all, start making connections & keep in touch with them always.

Elle M. Dhahani and Lauren Galeana made a wonderful presentation that covered all the bases of networking. They reminded me how important networking is to get a good job & get more opportunities. In conclusion, be it any industry or field of work, it's very important to have a good number of connections that will help in the longer run. Digital Media is the best way of making connections with people in and around you.