Today we’d like to introduce you to Umm-e-hani Anis.
Umm-e-hani, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My Kahani begins in Sharjah where I was born. Then, three years and one brother later, my parents decided to move us to Cherry Hill, NJ. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment with barely any furniture and my mom stayed at home while my dad was the only one working. After a lot of moving around, we finally settled in Rockville, MD — a place I have called home for over 20 years.
I started out as most South Asian kids do – aspiring to be a doctor. I did all the AP classes, internships, research, and hospital volunteer work but then eventually got to Organic Chemistry in college and decided that medicine was definitely not for me. Distraught, I came home to my dad and said, ” Now what do I do?” We decided that business – particularly finance – would be a good fit and turned out, it was.
Fast forward to my senior year of college and with the help of my friends and family, I founded Anis Collections, a luxury South Asian bridal boutique that helps brides, grooms, bridesmaids, and groomsmen find their dream outfits for their big day. This business is truly my passion project and my favorite part is doing fittings with clients and watching them react to my custom creation.
I still went off and got a full-time position in Investment Banking, where most recently I was working on digital strategy for a Venture Capital firm. Through the pandemic, I was also freelancing and working for Natalie Barbu’s agency. I learned that I loved working on small businesses through my agency work and found that being a South Asian founder myself, there was no agency that really catered to that niche.
The more I worked freelancing for South Asian-owned and founded brands, the more I realized that this is the market I wanted to help. In February 2021, I quit my full-time position in VC and went freelance full time. Through word of mouth and my network, I was able to book more clients, and the business doubled in less than a month of my leaving my job. I then worked to establish a name, branding, and hiring out my team.
Kahani means to tell a story and that is exactly what we believe in doing for your brand through social media and digital marketing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It 100% has not been smooth. I was devastated when I decided I couldn’t be a doctor — it was all I knew for so long. Once I made a change there, quitting my banking job and career in finance was a tough decision because of the uncertainty when it comes to starting a business.
I went through a ton of phases where I struggled with anxiety and imposter syndrome because I felt like I wasn’t doing enough or in the same phase of life as my friends.
What truly helped me during this time was the support of my friends and family who pushed me to pursue my passions — from physically coming to expos for Anis Collections to offering me advice when it came to starting Kahani.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Kahani Digital Marketing?
I am the founder and CEO of Kahani Digital Marketing! We are the first agency to specialize in supporting brands that are South Asian-owned or founded with their digital marketing and PR strategy. We work with a variety of brands from lifestyle, beauty, and food to tech, finance, and more.
We like to think of digital marketing as more than social media. While we offer social media strategy and content creation, we also offer copywriting, website and SEO, paid media, influencer marketing, traditional PR, and launch strategy/event-based marketing.
We are a minority and women-owned business, with a team of all BIPOC women! I also am the creative director of Anis Collections, a luxury south Asian bridal boutique where I custom make to order bridal, grooms, and wedding party outfits.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I went to college in Baltimore so it always feels like home to me.
When I moved there during the pandemic I fell in love with Fells Point, walking by the water, and going to the farmers market on Saturday. I found peace reading by the water when the weather was nice. I loved Aveley Farms Coffee and Papi’s Tacos. The food scene was AMAZING!
I think the city is a little small but it’ll always be somewhere I call home.
Pricing:
- Starting packages are at $2000 monthly.
Contact Info:
- Email: hani.anis@kahanidigital.com
- Website: www.kahanidigital.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kahani.digital
Image Credits
http://manaliphotography.com
