Meet Ameet Khabra | Founder & Owner of Hop Skip Media

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ameet Khabra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ameet, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am the daughter of two immigrants. Growing up, I used to think that being raised by two immigrants was a disadvantage, but I was so wrong; it was the greatest gift I could have ever received.

I firmly believe that I got the best traits (and possibly some of the worst, haha) from my two drastically different parents.

My mother showed us how compassionate people could get things done and done well. My mother is a natural leader, and watching her go out of her way for her friends and co-workers but then watch those people and more do the same for her was truly unique. She worked two jobs, but we never had a stranger babysit or pick us up from school.

My father worked 16 hours a day, six days a week, and if my brother and I wanted something, he made sure we got it. When my father decides, he is firm in it and won’t back down from it. He speaks up for himself and tells you exactly what he’s thinking, almost to a fault.

The quality both my parents share is their persistence. They do not know when to quit because they didn’t have the option to do so – Although their persistence was out of necessity, it’s still the most valuable trait they passed down.

I was a starry-eyed 23-year-old South Asian woman when I left everything I knew and loved in British Columbia when I moved to Alberta on a whim. I had no job, no money and, frankly, no life skills.

What I did have was my persistent attitude; like my parents, I don’t know when to quit, which is why I am where I am today.

I had very little knowledge of digital marketing when I began my career. Still, I would show up to meetups for other digital marketing skills, and even when everyone at the events would question why I kept showing up, I, well, kept showing up anyway. This allowed me to create valuable connections that paid off several years later.

As I attended these meetups, I started working at agencies which is where I built up my reputation. Remember how I said my father stands up for what he believes in? This time in my life is when I realized this is what he passed down to me. Agencies are a great place to be, but some are just in it for the money and not the clients. I would watch agency owners do things that I disagreed with, so, as my father’s daughter, I spoke up. As a result, I created a reputation of being the person who would not steer you in the wrong direction, someone who would look out for you.

After leaving agency life, I decided to freelance, where my persistence paid off. The people I met at the meetups could now make hiring decisions, and I quickly went from having zero clients to being fully booked.

Now, I lead a team of 10, some of whom have worked with me for the last four-plus years. I credit that these people have stayed due to the compassion my mother taught me. I lead my team as I would want to be treated. I allow them to air out their grievances, take time off without questions, and not argue their decisions.

My team shows up every damn day for our clients and me and does their best work because they know and feel valued at Hop Skip Media, and that is thanks to my mother. She showed me that doing random acts of kindness and just telling people that you appreciate & adore them can go a long way.

I would have never had the courage to leave something comfortable for the unknown had it not been for my parents.

I would have never kept going even when I wanted to quit had it not been for my parents.

I would have never reached all my career highs had it not been for my parents.

I would have never had this successful business had it not been for my parents.

I would have never become this person had it not been for my parents.

What should our readers know about your business?
Hop Skip Media was born out of a frustration that people deserve to see and understand how their ad campaigns and messages resonate with people. But instead of looking at how many people see their ads, we judge by how many people buy what those ads promote. The reason a lot of our competitors don’t do this is because it’s hard to do. And doing the hard work is what gets the best results, for our clients and for us.

I got to where I am today in my business by being a compassionate leader and willing to speak with people even if they don’t have the funds to hire us. I spent a lot of time educating people on social media to help solidify that my agency is an agency of experts. It hasn’t been easy but it has definitely been worth it.

I think the best way to overcome the challenges is to take them day by day. I also lean on my team and colleagues a lot as ask them for their opinion instead of pretending that I’m the only person that can solve these issues.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents, of course!

Website: www.hopskipmedia.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/adwordsgirl

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hop-skip-media/?viewAsMember=true

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbh-ir9DFu12fEQ0Hd3YIxA