By Aneesa Malik
Multi award winning PR tycoon Farzana Badeul recently added to her shelves of accolades as she was presented the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2015 held at the London Hilton Park Lane, on Tuesday 19 May.
Baduel has been at the helm of Curzon PR since she founded the firm in 2009 and has grown the company into a leading media agency with arts and cultural institutions, international government projects and NYSE-listed companies as clients. Farzana has recently overseen a period of rapid international expansion and Curzon PR’s Dubai office opened in May 2015 with the New York office having opened in January 2015.
Having begun her business in the most pressing of times, Farzana spoke with Asian World about the difficulties of a start-up business, the reasons why south Asian women are shying away from the media industry, and very kindly provided her top tips for a successful business.
1) Talk us through the difficulties you faced in setting up your own company?
One of the main difficulties I found when I initially set up Curzon PR, was one of timing. I set up the company in 2009 at the height of the recession, it was a time when companies were going out of business on what seemed like a daily basis, and the companies that were still around were reluctant to spend money on services such as public relations. Fortunately, through a strategic plan and a highly talented and dedicated team I was able to navigate Curzon through uncertain times to become the company that we are today.
2) What are your top 3 tips for success?
My first tip would be to pursue a career that you genuinely love and are passionate about. Achieving success in any field, especially when starting your own business, is an endeavour that requires a huge amount of time and energy. It is much easier to commit that time and energy if you love what you’re doing.
The second would be to have a clear vision of what you want from your life, whether personally or professionally and an outline of how you intend to achieve this. By having a clear vision of where you see yourself, whether that’s five, ten, or even forty years down the road, you can ensure that you stay on target and remain motivated.
Finally, you need to take risks; few people have ever achieved greatness by being risk averse. Possessing innovation and the courage and conviction to take chances is crucial for anyone trying to break new boundaries. It is important to avoid being constrained by fear when taking risks; we have to learn from our failures in order to progress in the future.
3) How important is it for Asian women to be recognised in the business community?
Asian women make a huge contribution to the business community in the UK, and it is immensely important to recognise this. Placing a spotlight on successful Asian women in the business community is a key way of inspiring the next generation of young Asian women and young women in general. Recognising their achievements highlights the fact that success in business is attainable for every woman and something worth pursuing.
4) What advice would you give to someone starting up a business in media?
The first thing I’d advise is to make sure you know your sector inside out, whether you are thinking of starting up an online magazine or a production company, knowing the ins and outs of the industry you will be operating in is essential for someone starting a business in any field.
I would also stress how important it is to always stay up-to-date, through keeping abreast of the news and technological advances that effect the way that the media is broadcast and consumed. The media, as an industry, is incredibly fast moving and thrives on the new, ensuring you are on top of the latest developments is integral to a business surviving and remaining relevant in the media industry.
5) How has social media impacted your company?
Social media has hugely impacted my company in a variety of different ways. The rise of social media has probably been the most significant development in recent history and has greatly affected the way people communicate. As a communications firm this affects the way that we work and the services that we offer our clients, Curzon PR offer Content Marketing (including Social Media) and we target our media campaigns to include bloggers and key digital influencers.
Social media has also transformed the way that we market and promote ourselves as a company and we take great care in maintaining high quality social media channels.
6) What more can be done to inspire south Asian women to be involved in media?
I think the first step is trying to get more representation for Asian women in the media. Part of the reason so many south Asian women are dissuaded to pursue careers in the media is because the lack of visible Asian females in the media causes many to feel that the industry is not for them.
Additionally, I feel that the media can go a long way to being a lot more meritocratic. One reason why South Asian women are more inclined to enter fields such as medicine or professional services is because there is the perception that entry into these sectors is relatively straightforward, with a strong academic background. Getting your foot in the door in the media can seem much more difficult, and heavily skewed in favour of those who can gain access to work experience through connections, an advantage that many do not have.
Curzon PR work with an excellent initiative, Creative Access, through which we offer, paid internships for young people of graduate standard (or equivalent) from black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds. It is incredibly important to boost diversity in the media, as ethnic minorities are vastly underrepresented in the sector.
