Career Transition and Agency Foundation:

Babar resigned from a senior fintech growth marketing role in 2022 to launch Branding Limited, a digital marketing agency focusing on ethical growth strategies.

His motivation stemmed from lessons learned working with many agencies, aiming to avoid common mistakes by taking fewer clients but offering premium, “red carpet” service.

Fintech Niche Complexity:

Fintech marketing, especially proprietary trading firms, is highly technical and compliance-driven. Many advertisers blow up their ad accounts due to lack of experience with strict platform rules.

Babar’s agency specializes in navigating these challenges, scaling clients to seven-figure monthly revenues.

AI Integration in Agency Operations:

AI is viewed as a complementary tool, not a threat. Babar heavily invests in AI to automate internal processes like…

SOP creation
Onboarding/offboarding
Client proposals
Redundant tasks

Freeing time for strategic activities without impacting core paid advertising services.

Managing Diverse Client Portfolios:

Babar’s agency serves clients across fintech, luxury lifestyle brands (cruise travel, watches, fashion), and coaching sectors.

He highlights a strategic overlap: both fintech and luxury audiences are lifestyle-focused, targeting aspirational financial milestones or affluent consumers, allowing a cohesive marketing approach.

Business Environment: Hong Kong vs Dubai

Babar compares Hong Kong and Dubai as business hubs:

Hong Kong offers government-backed benefits like healthcare and schooling, a safer environment, and convenient lifestyle without the need for a car. It suits family life with lower financial pressure compared to Dubai.

Dubai offers entertainment and a social community but has high living and schooling costs, significant traffic congestion, and time lost in commuting.

He emphasizes the advantage of Hong Kong for remote, multi-timezone work without commuting hassles.

Entrepreneurial Mindset and Challenges:

Transitioning from a stable corporate job to entrepreneurship took Babar two years.

He underscores the importance of:

1. Having at least six months of financial runway.

2. Mental resilience to endure uncertainty, pressure, and setbacks (e.g., clients not paying, employee turnover).

3. Staying aligned with personal and religious values, even if it means turning down business opportunities.

4. Viewing discomfort as a prerequisite for success.

Final Advice from the Babar:

Babar stresses the critical importance of hiring the right people and promptly ending contracts with those who don’t fit the company culture or values.

Skills can be trained, but character and attitude are non-negotiable to maintain a healthy work environment.