Jenna’s journey into digital marketing did not begin with a marketing degree.
She came from a Science background and initially moved to Bangalore for entrance coaching. After spending years preparing for it, she realised that although she could study, it was not something she wanted to pursue.
Her interests were elsewhere.
She enjoyed meeting people, taking part in activities and building connections. After college, she decided to explore that side of herself by starting a business.
Building a Business From Scratch
Jenna started Gozo with a friend.
Later, she was approached by someone who wanted to start a travel business. Their areas of expertise were different, which made Janna realise that a startup does not always need people with the same skills. Having co-founders with different areas of expertise can bring different strengths to a business.
After college, Jenna decided to take the business seriously. She registered the company, opened an office and started getting projects through referrals.
The business was getting work, but something was missing, and that is Growth. They did not know how to properly showcase the business or build it further.
The Problem Was Marketing
Jenna and her team approached several agencies to understand how they could market the business. The quotes they received were around ₹1.5 lakh to ₹2 lakh for basic research.
As a startup, this was difficult to afford.
But the bigger realisation was that hiring an agency was not the only thing they needed. They needed guidance on how to build and market their business.
Digital marketing started becoming a serious area of interest for Jenna. She had already been exposed to marketing through her business, but she did not understand the professional side of it.
That led her to consider learning it herself.
Why She Decided to Learn Digital Marketing
In 2024, Jenna got married and entered a quieter phase in her personal life. With more time to think about what she wanted to do next, she returned to the idea of digital marketing.
She already liked the field; she had seen agencies charging significant amounts for marketing services. So she thought about learning the skill herself instead of depending completely on others.
That was when she decided to take up a digital marketing course at HACA.
Why HACA Was Already on Her List
Jenna was familiar with Haris Aboobacker and Haris&Co., long before joining HACA.
She had followed Haris' work, subscribed to his newsletter and followed him on Instagram to learn more about marketing.
She had also heard about the culture at Haris&Co. through people in her network. The way the team worked together and the agency environment interested her.
She had even tried applying for content writing opportunities at Haris&Co. earlier, despite not having professional experience.
Janna also followed Rizwan Ramzan. When Rizwan and Haris came together, it increased her interest in the company.
She had wanted to join HACA from the first batch, but missed the earlier batches because of fees, packages and other commitments.
Eventually, she got the opportunity to join Batch 14.
Starting with Batch 14 at HACA
Janna joined with a clear purpose. She wanted to understand digital marketing and use what she learned for her business.
She also wanted her time at HACA to be a new experience. Instead of joining with people she already knew, she wanted to meet new people and learn from different backgrounds.
Her batch had around 32 students, with different ages, interests and experiences. That gave her a chance to interact with people outside her usual circle.
When the Course Did Not Match Her Expectations
Jenna entered the course with high expectations.
The first class was Content Writing, which she was especially excited about because she had loved books from a very young age.
But after some time, she felt that the course was not going exactly as she had expected.
Since she had joined HACA mainly to gain knowledge that could help her business, she wanted to make sure she was getting enough value from the programme.
Instead of staying silent, she decided to share her concerns. That became an important part of her HACA experience.
How Feedback Changed Her Experience
Jenna messaged Haris and asked to speak with him when he was free. Haris was busy at the time with preparations for its UAE launch, so she did not expect an immediate meeting.
However, Haris arranged a meeting with her that same evening, and Jenna explained her concerns.
Haris listened, took notes and discussed what could be improved. He also told her that while appreciation was welcome, criticism was equally important.
The next day, changes were made based on the feedback she had shared. For Jenna, this was an important moment because it showed her that feedback was being taken seriously.
It also helped build her trust in the organisation.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Jenna also appreciated that HACA did not try to spoon-feed every part of digital marketing.
The field is too broad for one mentor to cover everything. Instead, when students wanted to learn about a specific area, they could be connected with people who had experience in that field.
For Janna, this created an environment where she could ask questions and explore topics beyond the regular curriculum.
She also found that there were people around to support and guide students when they worked on client-related tasks.
This gave the learning experience a practical, agency-like environment.
How One Community Link Created New Opportunities
One of the biggest influences on Jenna's journey was Lazim, her Content Writing mentor.
After a Content Writing class, Lazim spoke about the importance of communities and shared links to different communities in the student group.
Jenna joined one of them, the Ecom Show community.
Through the community, she interacted with new people and later got an opportunity to intern with the Ecom Show team.
The experience introduced her to areas she had not worked with before, including podcast production and editing processes.
She also discovered communities such as SEO Community Kerala and Digital Hub. Through these communities, she found workshops and other learning opportunities.
For Jenna, this showed how one small introduction could lead to several new experiences.
Building the Confidence to Pitch
Another mentor who strongly influenced Jenna was Umair.
One thing she noticed at HACA was that students were encouraged to ask questions and take responsibility. She experienced this herself quite early in the course.
Within the first month, before even completing the basics of digital marketing, Jenna and her friend Shan picked a client and decided to pitch their brand.
The people they were pitching to had much more experience in marketing.
Still, Jenna and Shan went ahead with it. The environment at HACA gave them the confidence to experiment, knowing that they had people around them who could guide them when needed.
What Jenna Took Away From HACA
Janna joined HACA to learn digital marketing for her business. Along the way, she gained exposure to much more than the basic course content.
Her experience included:
Content Writing
Digital Marketing
SEO
Client Pitching
Industry Communities
Workshops
Networking
Practical Projects
Learning from Industry Professionals
More importantly, she became more comfortable with asking questions, exploring new areas and taking on challenges.
Her experience with Lazim showed her the value of industry communities. Her interactions with Umair and other mentors helped her become more confident in taking action.
Jenna’s Advice to Future Students
When people ask Jenna about HACA, she has one clear point. Do not join expecting everything to be spoon-fed.
She believes students should come with curiosity, ask questions, participate actively and be willing to take on challenges.
For Jenna, that approach made the difference between simply attending a course and making the most of the opportunities around it. Her journey started with a business that needed better marketing.
At HACA, she found a way to explore digital marketing through classes, mentors, communities and practical experiences.
From starting a business to learning how to market it, Jenna's HACA journey helped her explore a new side of digital marketing and take her learning beyond the classroom.
Hear Jenna Share Her HACA Experience
Watch Jenna talk about her journey from a Science background to entrepreneurship, her decision to learn digital marketing, and the mentors and communities that shaped her experience at HACA.
Link: https://youtu.be/EO_EDoHDu2Q?si=DhNPljxgfheOMH-E
