Karen Boustany, the Owner and GM of Eyestrategy Business Communication, CEO of Luxury Network Lebabon, Founder of Lebanese ALS Association, Founder of the Lebanese International Network Assoiation and a public figure tells us about her career journey and company. She is an inspirational entrepreneur, writer, TV host and a philanthropist as well. Learn more about Karen’s work process and Eyestrategy Business Communication through our interview below.
Starting The Career Journey At A Young Age
Our first question to Karen was, “Which career path led you to where you are today?”
She starts, “Starting a career from a young age is not easy, especially when you are a young woman in a Middle Eastern world. The challenges were many but I am the kind of person who loves challenges and overcomes all difficulties with a smile! I am a multi facet woman: A writer, a TV host, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist and a public figure. Since the age of 7, I have written poems and published two books and more than a hundred of cultural, social and political articles.”
“In 2005, I established my own company Eyestrategy Business Communication in Lebanon and in 2017 in Dubai. Since 2019, I am the CEO of the Luxury Network Lebanon. I am also a social activist and work hard to make a change in Lebanon on all levels. In addition, I was a candidate in the Lebanese Parliamentary elections last May 2022. I started working very early in different international advertising agencies as copywriter then as Creative director and Senior Account director until I founded my own advertising & marketing company, Eyestrategy Business Communication in 2005 in Beirut and then in 2017 in Dubai. We are very professional, always on the move, proposing updated tools and creating new services to cope with new demands.” she continued.
Passion To Make Change
We were also curious about how Karen started her company, so we asked, “What inspired you to develop the idea of your company?”
She shares, “What inspired me to create my own company is passion: passion for leadership, teamwork, passion for writing & creating. It is also my wide imagination, my big ambition to make a change in digital marketing and production. I produced many great documentaries, TV ads, and I even produced my own TV show Asmaa min Al Tarikh through which I traveled around the world and interviewed more than 600 successful personalities from Lebanese origins.”
Different businesses have different priorities and that too changes based on their business development. Let’s see how it is for Karen’s company.
Evolving Needs & Business
How have your priorities in terms of business evolved since you first started?
“Priorities evolve depending on global changes as well as local market’s needs. Business before Covid is not the same as after Covid and the economic world crisis we are encountering. You have to cope with the new needs and demands. You have to solve the new issues and face difficult challenges specially that 80% of the world went digital. Yesterday’s priorities were to increase the business through be-to-be solutions but today it is through digital platforms and Meta! Priorities vary depending on the new needs.” She says.
Every business comes across some sort of challenge at some point. So, we wanted to know if Karen and her business came across such a situation.
Tackling Challenges & Focusing On Strength
What are the most challenging situations that your company overcomes?
Karen continues, “I guess today, in the beginning of 2023, each and every human being as well as company is encountering new challenges. Keeping the same quality of work as well as a good relationship to maintain the customer’s satisfaction is in itself a big challenge in this global economic crisis. Today we are trying to keep up the same high level and work rate we used to have and to grow in terms of clients & projects through our new marketing tools such as meta and growth hacking.”
What’s the key strength to overcome it?
She continues, “The key strength to overcome all challenges today is to manage keeping a strong & vivid spirit amongst employees and keep the team work always on the run. I have always been a positive, hard working, demanding but human boss. I arrive before my employees and am the last to leave. I always have time to ask about each employee and be on their side in their time of trouble. On the other hand, they have to dedicate their time with passion to their work. They have to deliver on time and propose satisfying ideas and projects. Being passionate, humble and hardworking make things easier!”
Standing Out From The Crowd
We further asked, “What makes your company stand out from all the other businesses in your industry?”
“What makes my company stand up is the fact that it is a full fledged communication company offering a wide realm of services in advertising, marketing, digital marketing, production, PR & events. Moreover we are specialized in all of them with an experience of more than 18 years in the GCC as well in France & the USA. Further, we always propose new services to cope with the modern world’s demands.” replied Karen Boustany.
What KPIs do you use to measure your business success?
“At Eyestrategy we track the following eight sales and marketing KPIs:
- The Cost per Lead (CPL).
- The Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs).
- The Customer Retention.
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- The Cost per Customer Acquisition.
- The Marketing ROI.
- The Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs).
- The Opportunity-to-Win Ratio.”
Focusing On Communication Needs
We were also curious about the services of Eyestrategy Business Communication. So, we further asked, “Tell us something about your services. What are you working on now?”
“Eyestrategy Business communication can handle all kinds of communication needs. It offers a wide range of services in different fields such as: advertising, Marketing, digital marketing, Media booking, event planning, production and PR. We are working now on two new services: Growth Hacking & Meta. Please find below all our services:
- Above the line. TV, Radio, and Print Advertising
- Below the line, POS Design & Production
- Corporate Identity Development & Deployment
- Brand Planning & Advertising Strategy
- Branding
- Media Planning and Booking
- Consumer Research Management
- Event Management
- Integrated Promotions
- Web Design, Management & Marketing
- E-Commerce
- Digital Marketing: Social Media, Apps & Youtube Channels platforms
- Production
- Copywriting
- Press Releases pre or/and post events
- PR: Local & International – We have an international database of VIPs around the world.
- Meta
- Growth Hacking
We are many companies in one and that can make the customer’s life easier!”
Focus Towards Teamwork
Challenges and differentiating factors are one thing, we also wanted to know how Karen handles her team. So, we asked her, “How do you build trust with your employees and boost productivity without causing burnout?”
She shares, “Building trust within your team is crucial. I tend to trust each new employee and give them the total responsibility of handling their position. Giving trust is risky but at the same time it is the only way for the employee to give back in terms of work. Trust will inspire the employee to work hard and give the best results. Trust is given and at the same time it is gained. As already told I am a hardworking and workaholic lady so the people around me cannot be lazy. They will cope with the atmosphere. Even if the team works hard and seriously, there is always a friendly atmosphere and some breaks in between with good laughs.”
Aligning With Technology
“How do you stay on top of new technologies and trends in your industry?” We further asked.
“We have a professional team and a department that is specialized in computer & Information Technologies and that is always tracking all new innovations in the field. We also create new solutions such as growth hacking, a tool that will grow any company’s data of clients through their online presence.” replies Karen.
Lastly, we asked, “What advice would you give to starting entrepreneurs?”
She concluded, “I will advise the starting entrepreneurs by telling them: be innovative, be professional, work step by step and listen to your clients’ requests & needs, save time and money and above all be passionate.”
Connect with Karen Boustany on LinkedIn.
Follow Eyestrategy Bidiness Communication on: www.eyestrategy.com
