Alyssa Al-Maiahi on how she built a sustainable business
Since launching in 2018, Mint Stalk Creative and Digital Marketing Agency embarked on its journey to becoming the fastest growing agency in the UAE. Despite that only 5% of Marketing Agencies in the region have survived the pandemic, Mint Stalk has expanded aggressively in a span of just 2 years.
Alyssa Al-Maiahi, the Founder of the Marketing Agency in the UAE, shares some insight as to how she made it happen: “My mission was to create employment opportunities for young talent. I was always ambitious at a young age, and found it frustrating whenever I’d get turned down for jobs just because I didn’t have enough ‘years of experience.’ I wanted to build an ecosystem of passionate and driven people based purely on their potential to learn and grow.”
As a fully integrated agency, Mint Stalk have built a strong portfolio from the ground up. With major government entities on board such as Sharjah Investment & Development Authority and The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, as well as renowned hospitality brands such as Anantara, St. Regis and The Chedi Al Bait, Mint Stalk caters to a diverse set of industries for both Creative & Digital Services.
Alyssa Al-Maiahi adds: “Maintaining high quality Client Servicing and work standards were also imperative as we scaled; I was on the Client side for all of my career, and often faced issues with deadlines being met, and briefs being adhered to accurately by agencies. Recruiting efficient and detail orientated staff was key.”
As the youngest female entrepreneur in the MENA region, it is safe to say that Alyssa and her team really beat the odds. She says: “I encourage each member of our team to be entrepreneurial in their decision making and approach to daily challenges. Whether it’s design work, photography or social media management, it’s important that each employee has the confidence to make their own decisions and find their own solutions, in order for us to scale.”
“What I love about the UAE is that it’s a young country, which promotes the notion that nothing is impossible. I feel it in the support we have from our clients, the opportunities we’re given by multinational brands, right down to the help we get from our freezone. It’s definitely enabled us to build credibility in the market fast, and overcome challenges we faced during the pandemic. ”
The agency, which goes by the quirky tagline ‘A Fresh Way To Grow Your Brand,’ is now entering their 3rd successful year of business in the UAE.
