Interview: Melissa Alam of Alam Digital

By Angela Tai

As an entrepreneur, you've had quite a few different ventures yet they're all interconnected with a common theme of women empowerment. Can you talk about your idea generation process as you're relentlessly building out your start-ups?

I love to create projects around gaps I see in the market. For me, there weren’t a lot of female empowerment or community-based groups that I could really relate to back in 2013 (when I first launched my media platform called Femme & Fortune). Coworking spaces and conferences were also male-dominated and primarily white. So I saw an opportunity, and honestly a new mission, to change the scene and stir up the pot a bit. I used my knowledge and skills in design and branding to curate experiences and brands that could relate to the modern, multi-passionate and multicultural woman. Using that as my inspiration, I launched my own women’s co-working space and conference, along with running my freelance web design and branding business. My brands are always fueled by my passion at changing the community for the better, so I’m currently taking my time to figure out my next passion project!

What's the biggest mistake you've made while trying to get a company off the ground? 

Not asking for more help. As a true Leo, I try to do it all which ends up with past due deadlines, feeling overwhelmed and too many stress naps. I really need to learn how to delegate better. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh yeah, I also suck with money so finance and accounting have been my downfall as I run my business. 

Words hold a lot of power. As a writer and content creator, when do you know you have a “good thing" that's worth sharing? 

When it doesn’t feel forced or too corny to me. I always follow my instinct when it comes to content, design and strategy because it never lets me down. I’ve found that when I’m truly authentic and in my best creative space, the work I produce is pretty effing amazing and something I’m super proud of. I’m also the goofiest person you might meet, so if it makes me laugh then you bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be sharing it. 

How do you prioritize your day-to-day and stay disciplined when you're your own boss?

To be honest, I still have no idea. Every day is different and I’m having trouble these days staying creative or finding inspiration. On top of that, I travel whenever I can which also disrupts my daily hustle. I’m still trying to figure it all out - with the first step being to hire key people to help me in places I lack such as a VA, graphic designer and a project manager this year. I try to prioritize my work by client launch date - so working on the client work that needs to move forward in order for me to launch with their timeline. Money also motivates me because I have bills and a life to live, so I evaluate what projects I can finish each day that don’t depend on the client and that can get me that much closer to the final invoice. 

As a creative professional, so much of what you do focuses on generating original (and relevant) content. How do you recharge and stay informed? 

I’ve come to accept that I can’t force my creativity because building brands for a variety of industries can really suck the life out of me. On average, I’m working on 10-15 different projects all at various points and on various timelines. Knowing that and actually getting a thrill out of what I do, I travel to recharge and find inspiration. I also love scrolling through portfolios of design work or sites like Pinterest, Dribble and Brand New for the next big trend. I save any and all inspiration because I know it’ll be the perfect fit for a current or future client - and that’s how I keep the wheel spinning when it comes to my work.

As a woman of color, what does diversity & inclusion mean to you?

It means evolving your company to hire people who have been ignored or overlooked in the past because they didn’t fit the status quo. It means showcasing every shape, size and color of a person when it comes to visuals. It means giving a voice to underrepresented groups because they reach an audience that needs to be heard. It means giving and accepting space to those who ask for it. It means doing what’s right; it’s 2020 and we need to be less problematic and more open-minded in everything we do!