Today we’d like to introduce you to Ibrahim Halawa
Hi Ibrahim, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It all started with my hobby and passion for photography. I started out by doing architecture photography as a hobby when one of my friends who was a food blogger invited me to a “food tasting” I came by and realized there is a need for great content for restaurants. This was back in late 2016 entering 2017. I quickly invested in a camera and lens suitable for food photography and began self-teaching. I would go to restaurants and order food and shoot for free! I became noticed by some large brands in the Houston Area, who wanted me to become their in-house food photographer. So I formed a package of food photography and some light social media management and started a monthly subscription. As my expertise and connections grew, so did the business. Restaurant owners starting telling each other about who I was as my social media grew, and my reputation became known, before I knew it, I had a small social media management company. By 2022, I had entered in a large scale of digital marketing, with the right partners and formed a larger team. Today we employ over 20 people throughout the world and service many brands in the Hospitality industry. We offer branding, full scale marketing, and keep things as real and genuine with our partners and clients. Our office is located at 6671 Southwest Fwy, Houston TX. We have branded into Minty Marketing Agency.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was fun for the most part, until the challenges of running and growing a business came in. Many years we had negative cash-flow, and I had to sacrifice my own desires to ensure the growth of the company. I got burned by many clients who did not pay for services, who closed down suddenly, who did not commit, but we also had alot of committed partners as well. Its a challenge everyday, but we are in the business of dealing with personalities, so its best to stay calm and work through all the hurdles.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Minty Marketing Agency?
We are a full branding and marketing agency. We have worked with over 100 brands In Houston and throughout the US. We even have some international clients. Minty specializes in the Hospitality industry, so we know the exact remedy for clients in this sector. We are not your general marketing agency, we try our best to be the experts in this field, and we even do consulting, in store work shops, training, and long term strategies. Our amazing content sets us aside from others in the industry, and we have a huge focus on how we can tell the brand story in a way that speaks to the audience. We are very proud of our ability to maneuver in the rough climate of the Hospitality industry, being that it is one of the most volatile industries to be in. We have a combined experience of 20 years, with myself being at 8 years in this, our connections are really strong as we can introduce some great people to our clients to help find solutions. We grow our business in terms of new offerings every few months and are constantly researching the next big thing.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
For networking and mentorship, its best to learn from your clients and put yourself in the middle of events, speak to people, learn from what they are telling you, understand your audiences because at the end of the day they are the ones who make purchases, Be sensitive to buying behaviors, economic stressors, and continuously seek knowledge from case studies in the industry. Going to places where restaurant owners hang out is a great hack too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mintym.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mintymarketingagency
