Her Story
About Ezzah
I've been in my field for almost 6 years, starting in 2020 when I launched my company as a COVID passion project. I've been passionate about photography since I was very young, doing it since 2015. I was trying to find ways to get my photos published in magazines and get feedback from professionals, but I ran into roadblocks where there weren't many platforms allowing opportunities for younger photographers to gain experience. So I decided to create a magazine to help photographers send submissions and get the editorial experience they want without hitting those 'you need 2 years of experience for entry-level positions' barriers. We grew from just accepting photos to doing interviews and press with individuals and talent in entertainment, then moved into sports, business, and fashion. Now we encompass many different industries, putting out stories of people's narratives and how they've changed their lives, similar to Influential Women but focused on public-facing individuals like athletes, musicians, and founders of fashion design companies or firms. We also have a creative agency where we help people gain more digital awareness and assist with their campaigns. My biggest achievement has been providing job opportunities to everyone I've worked with, whether within my own company or connecting them with the right individuals for industries they wanted to enter. I've gotten more than 15 people their dream jobs working with Peacock and NBC, working in the Olympics as photographers, and being on tour with artists capturing photos. They were all photographers who started with little to no experience and are now in their dream positions. Being able to provide that space and opportunity for these individuals to grow and seeing their success has been my greatest accomplishment.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ezzah
01What do you attribute your success to?
A huge part of my success comes from my parents' push, especially my dad's. He has, since a young age, pushed me into entrepreneurship, and I have a lot to thank him for that. Definitely my parents, and then just following your passion. I believe the more effort that you put into something that you're passionate about, you never know how you can make that your dream job, which is the unexpected way of how my company also came to be. I think having a good support system, like family and friends, are also something that I would attribute my success to.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice would be to, even if you see a risk, take them. Taking risks, you're never gonna know what the outcome is. The worst you're gonna get is a no, or you learn from a mistake, and those mistakes help you grow. So taking risks is, I think, the biggest advice that I kind of live by, and being able to see ambition. Those risks give you ambition, and in turn, you kind of have self-growth, and then you have professional growth as well.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say network with as many people as you can, whether it's through cold networking, like sending a DM or a LinkedIn message. The more you're able to talk to other women in whether it's the industry you're in, or relatively similar industries, or just entrepreneurs in general, you learn from a lot of people. The women that I've met through networking, I'm very lucky to say that they've been a very good support system and someone I could go to. I don't come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I've had a lot of trial and error in my business, and being able to have those individuals I've networked with and connected with and rely on them for asking questions or needing guidance has been very pivotal in being a young entrepreneur, especially a woman in my field that's primarily male-dominated.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say a lot of it has been because I am young, and I started this at a pretty young age, a lot of my biggest struggles have been being able to put myself in front of a group of men, or a group of individuals who are significantly older and actually having them hear my pitch, or having them hear a presentation, and taking it seriously. I think that has been the struggle that I've had to constantly prove that I'm here for professional reasons, here for work, not here to kind of play games, and being taken not seriously. So that's a big struggle, and being able to just push through that, and have faith in yourself and carry yourself with confidence has been something that I've seen work a lot better than self-doubt.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, honesty, and individuality, so being able to be your true, authentic self, is something that my company has been based off of, and that's kind of how I carry myself in my personal life as well. I also think it's important to have a good work-life balance, so being able to take time and spend with my friends and family is something that I focus more on if I have some more free time.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Texas
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.