Seasoned Entrepreneur with a Magnetic Personality
Alveena Khalid has created a benchmark for aspirationals through her indescribable dedication towards making a difference with her outstanding work. She has a decade of experience in building communities from 0 to 10M+ users, running C-level positions, developing teams, and advising startups. This makes her describe herself as a ‘seasoned entrepreneur and Web3 marketing advisor’.
She is the founder and CEO of Alvs Blockchain Advisory—the fastest-growing advisory firm that is the premier destination to scale Web3 projects with best-in-class industry professionals. Prior to this role, she was a marketing wizard in many tech Fortune 500 companies. Alveena has been bestowed with numerous awards, including Best digital painting by Techno Fest in 2016 and Outstanding Leadership Award by Marketing 2.0.
Having been entrepreneurial since a young age, Alveena started her journey at the age of 12 when she helped her father with his restaurant business. Her father was running one of the most renowned Pakistani restaurants in the UAE. As a result of her exceeding intellect at a ripe age, she advised him to expand the business in different ventures, which would be enabled by building a strong social media presence. This led her to the corporate world, but she felt that her lack of knowledge in the field made it arduous to earn sufficely.
Her diligence made her work twice as hard in order to prove her mettle. In order to do so, she started writing about everything she encountered. Her reservoir of research gathered a tremendous amount of information about different avenues. She recalls, “During this, I learned one thing – you’re never born talented, and it was made very evident considering the number of rejections I got from clients. So instead of taking a step back, I invested all of my earnings back into my education, which included enrolling in courses, attending seminars, and meeting inspirational people. I became so obsessed with becoming the best version of myself that I had to give up everything else I enjoyed.”
She has been a firm believer in the fact that 6 months of undisrupted focus can get a person 6 years ahead in life, that is both professionally and personally. She did precisely that when life hit a curveball at her with her family’s severe financial crisis. She exclaims, “When I started taking my work seriously, I had to let go of all of my friends, took a gap year from school, learned to say no to family events and weekend outings, and went on a strict social media detox.”
This strive for perfection distanced her from her family and siblings, whom she had always been close to. Now, she devotes her weekends to spending time with her family. She has made a rule for herself to not even do a quick work task in her free time.
Being a fierce female leader, she feels that though the work environment has improved, there is still a large gap in work equality between the genders. She thinks that even though many developed countries offer equal wages to men and women workers, it is not the same case in underdeveloped countries.
Alveena gives a strategy to help women achieve a more prominent position in an organisation. She exclaims, “One way to achieve this is to individualise the hiring process instead of sticking to stereotypes. Embrace women for who they are and the unique perspectives and gifts they offer. This includes playing them according to their skills and experience regardless of their gender.”
She defines her passion by stating, “My passion roots in being able to change lives and live forever in the hearts of people. I do this by creating solutions for existing problems and always striving for ways how I can make every hour I work more valuable. It’s really the company of people that brings out the best and the most creative side of you as a leader. I’ve had a few memorable experiences that molded me into the leader I am today.”
Alveena is a model student whose classroom is the vast amount of experience she basks in every single day. She explains “People don’t leave jobs; they leave managers, so having that self-awareness to know your strengths and utilizing that to lead a team can be a game-changer. I make sure no team member is afraid to open up to me about the new big ideas or concerns or to stand up to say if something isn’t working. Being a reliable leader also includes keeping your word and being accountable for everything that happens under my supervision. ”
Even today, she spends time enhancing her skills and analysing the work ethics of distinguished leaders. A keen visionary, she has the ability to map out an exact plan for her future. She even uses a lean mindset that stems from anything that doesn’t add value to her life.
Since her job requires her to sit at her desk all day long, she tries to do more physical activities on her off days. In her spare time, she likes to stay outdoors by taking a walk in nature or running around the block. She also enjoys trying new seafood restaurants and attending festivals.
