From Immigrant To Millionaire: Shama Hyder Hits Big with Rise of Media Empire Zen Media

In 1994, at age 9, Shama Hyder moved from India to the United States. At the time, her father drove a taxi, and her mother ran a small cafe. While life was similar to that of most immigrants for Hyder and her family early on, it wasn’t long before they were all partaking in the American dream.

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In addition to her mother turning her cafe into a Subway franchise, Hyder started her first business — selling gift wrapping paper — at age 10. 

When speaking to Kiplinger about her parents, Hyder said, “I saw them work hard and doubly so because they were in a new country trying to adjust. They worked very long hours, and I was a latchkey kid well into high school.”

After graduating high school, she earned a master's in organizational communications from the University of Texas at Austin. It was there that her love for social media grew, leading her to write her thesis on its impact.

With a degree in hand, she was ready to enter the working world as a social media professional, but low demand led to one rejection after the next. Instead of giving up, Hyder took the entrepreneurial route by launching Zen Media, a full-service online marketing and digital public relations (PR) firm. 

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From Immigrant To Startup Founder To PR Firm CEO

What began as a one-woman startup in 2008 has developed into one of the leading marketing and digital PR firms in the world. With 50-plus employees and revenue estimated in the $10 million to $20 million range, Hyder has proven that it’s possible to build a multimillion-dollar business as an immigrant. 

While Hyder has had great success building her agency from the ground up, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. She’s also grown into one of the most recognizable international marketing professionals, which has helped her become a best-selling author with both “The Zen of Social Media Marketing” (now in its 4th edition) and “Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age.” 

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That’s in addition to delivering keynote speeches to organizations in more than 20 countries. 

There are many reasons for Hyder’s success, but her determination and nose for innovation are what have helped her rise from her humble beginnings to the top of the marketing world. 

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