‘You’re successful when you feel comfortable in your uncomfortable zone’

Prasanna Dhakwa, Digital Marketing Manager of White Hat Digital

Prasanna Dhakwa, Digital Marketing Manager of White Hat Digital, is a certified Facebook media buying professional graduate from Tribhuvan University. The Facebook Media Buying Professional Certification examination identifies candidates who possess advanced competency in the skills, tools, advertising policies, and best practices required to buy ads on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. While pursuing his Bachelor’s, Dhakwa used to work with Honda. He says joining the Jyoti Group and working with Honda for a decade has given him the exposure which has helped him flourish on a personal level. After some time with Honda, he joined White Hat Digital, which is a digital marketing wing of Jyoti Group. Having a keen interest in all things digital, Dhakwa enjoys the space it provides to explore his creativity. He is also an avid fan of trekking and loves going on solo treks. In this edition of Business 360, Dhakwa talks about some of his favourite brands and what he has learnt from them.

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Top 4 apps that you use the most

• Among social media apps, the only one I like to engage in is Instagram.
• Another app I use the most is Procreate. I like spending my leisure time sketching and creating digital art and it’s quite therapeutic to me.
• I occasionally use LinkedIn as well, just to keep myself up-to-date with the trending topics and updates, especially in the tech and marketing industries.
• Besides these, I mostly use Google's Recorder app and Microsoft’s To-Do for my work.

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3 destinations in Nepal you want to travel to

Travelling is where I find the most joy. I like going on random solo treks every once in a while. My most recent trek was in November when I solo trekked to Everest Base Camp. The top three destinations on my bucket list have to be the Gokyo Lakes Trek, the Everest Three Passes Trek and the Manaslu Circuit.

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Women-run businesses you think deserve accolades

I think we have some incredible business women and entrepreneurs in Nepal who deserve all the attention and appreciation in the world. Nikita Acharya, CEO and Co-founder of Urban Girl/UG Cakes/UG Bazaar is someone who really inspires me. Likewise, Anushka Shrestha, the founder of Makkuse, is also expanding her business in a remarkable manner. It is inspiring to see all these women working so hard in creating their own business empires in Nepal and challenging the patriarchal mindset of our society.

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A startup you think will ace later

A startup that I think will ace in the future has to be Yatri. In my opinion, they have an excellent vision and commendable passion to grow their brand into a globally recognised one in the coming years.

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An entrepreneur who inspires you

Because I have worked so closely with the Jyoti Group of Companies for more than a decade now, Saurabh Jyoti and Srijana Jyoti inspire me a lot. Most of the skills and knowledge in marketing I have acquired so far have to be credited to these amazing entrepreneurs. Besides them, another personality that has inspired me immensely is Bill Gates.

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A non-profit you want to contribute to

As I have a huge love for dogs and animals in general, I would like to contribute towards something related to animal welfare. Shree's Animal Rescue Nepal is doing an amazing job in rescuing street dogs, so I would love to contribute to their mission in the future.

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What do you think about digitisation in today's era and to what magnitude do you think it is important?

With the world rapidly moving forward with technology, more and more people prefer a digitised replacement for almost everything. From utility payments to creating connections, everything is digital today. Therefore, I believe it is essential for everyone to adopt at least some if not all digitised ways. As I am a digital marketer by profession, I personally feel there is a lot of scope for content creators especially creating the 3D contents for virtual reality and augmented reality. I can’t wait for Metaverse to be honest as that’s a complete game changer in the world of advertising where your target audience can experience your content on the virtual world.

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The best work advice you have received

“You’re successful when you feel comfortable in your uncomfortable zone.” This is something that I truly believe in. I constantly push myself to thrive and do my best even in settings where I am uncomfortable and try to make it my comfortable space. This mindset has helped me become a stronger working professional.

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Future plans for the company

Make White Hat Digital, Nepal’s first digital marketing company, a Meta Business Partner.

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3 Nepali startups you think deserve the spotlight

Tootle, Khalti, and Yatri. READ ALSO:

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