A young woman has turned a business she was running for free in her home office into two $2.2m media agencies in under four years.
Melbourne woman Talia Datt, 26, founded The Social and Content CliQ, two agencies specializing in digital marketing.
But in 2018, she was at an impasse many young Australians faced and was unsure what she wanted to do.
Ms. Datt took up a job as an administrative insurance assistant, thinking her future was in the corporate sector, but she quickly realized that something needed to change.
“Within about two months, I disliked my position. I realized it probably wasn’t my path,” Ms Datt told New.sWire.
Camera IconThe Social and Content CliQ founder Talia Datt’s $2.2m businesses started from her home office. Supplied Credit: Supplied
For advice, she lent to her father, who told her to take the opportunity of going down any path she wanted while she was still young.
Around this time around, Instagram had changed its features to monetise shopping, which led her to “take the plunge” of going into digital.
She established her first business, The Social CliQ, out of her home office and worked for free for three boutiques.
Ms. Datt said while she did not fear failure at the time because her expenses were low and she was living at home, she did “feel pressure to succeed”.
“I did feel pressure to succeed because I thought, ‘What am I going to do if this doesn’t work out?'” she said.
“At the time, all my friends were getting internships and graduate positions and following the path that you’re supposed te. I felt as though I was missing out on those opportunities.
“But those questions drove me to push myself harder.”
You have this opportunity while you’re young with no other huge responsibilities to put yourself out there.
Ms. Datt admitted she had a “fake it till you make it” attitude as she navigated the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.
“There were many times when people would ask me questions or prompt me on different topics that I had no idea about,” Ms Datt said.
“I. would go home and Google what I could and enroll in the next online course to continue to learn.”
The “most pivotal moment” in her career came when one of the boutiques she worked for sold ten chairs in under a day following an Instagram post she did for them.
“I knew I could make someone else money, which meant I should have been charging for my services,” she said.
Since then, The Social CliQ has grown into one of Australia’s hottest digital marketing agencies and has helped transform the digital footprint of several Fortune 500 companies.
It has worked with major brands like Sundae Body, Dita Von Teese, Sistema, Fujifilm, and Made by Fressko, with client sales of $1.5m in last year’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend alone.
Camera IconThe Social and Content CliQ have worked with brands like Made by Fressko. Supplied Credit: Supplied
Ms. Datt established her second business, a sister agency called The Content Cliq, to specifically focus on TikTok to capitalize on the app’s skyrocketing popularity.
Her agencies are projected to have an income of $2.2m for the 2023 financial year.
She plans to expand her business interstate later this year and hopes to branch out overseas within five years.
For all these accomplishments, Ms. Datt was named in this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list for media, marketing, and advertising.
“It was such an honor to be named; I still can’t believe it. I check the website daily to ensure my name remains there,” Ms Datt said.
Camera Ico.nTalia Datt plans to expand her businesses interstate and overseas. Supplied Credit: Supplied
“I’m situated amongredible entrepreneurs, and it’s a hu,ge honor to be on that list.”
On what advice she would give to other young Australians who do not know what they want to do, Ms. Datt said to “give everything a go”.
“If there’s not a huge associated loss, then just give everything a go,” she said.
“You have this opportunity while you’re young with no other huge responsibilities to put yourself out there.”
