2017 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur TELUS Trailblazer Award Finalist: Sharifa Khan

Sharifa Khan

CEO & President, Balmoral Marketing Inc.

TELUS Trailblazer Award, CENTRAL

Balmoral Marketing was established in 1989 by Sharifa Khan to address the multicultural communities in Canada and to offer companies a communications path to speak to these audiences. As such, it is the longest established woman-owned marketing firm in Canada. From strategy to media buying, Balmoral does it all, but stays focused on the ethnic niche segment in Canada, driving awareness and importance of this these often forgotten demographics.

What do you wish you knew at the beginning?

When you start your business, while you are the carrier of your mission, you wear not just many hats, but all hats. In the beginning, I wish I had known, beyond championing the business, just how much administrative work would be required to be successful. Over the years, as the business grows, while you can outsource many administrative functions, your role of “running the business” never changes. Having the right mindset from the beginning can help you prepare for this.

What makes an effective leader?

An effective leader has to be open to listening – to ideas from employees, the community, and also peer groups. As a leader, you bring great ideas together and you then empower people to bring those ideas to life. I believe that is how effective leaders build success.

Who else are we celebrating? See all of the 2017 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award finalists.