Working in three different time zones, language barriers, cultural differences, and one common goal: Build an international digital marketing agency from the ground up.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at how Dharana Digital was formed in the middle of the pandemic between three people based in the US, Australia and Bangladesh to create a business spanning across the world.

Learn how three co-founders who have never met in person grew from just having an idea into a functioning agency based in different countries with three employees and a steady stream of clients after just one year. We’ll talk about the personal challenges faced in this type of business structure, bank account and business setup, working with different currencies, hiring and training employees, working with international clients, maintaining effective business systems and communication, important items to consider regarding cultural differences, and more.

Get insight into building your own international business, or take your existing business abroad.

Based in the Sunshine Coast, Australia, Dr Karen Sutherland is a social media and public relations educator, researcher, consultant, author and speaker with more than 20 years' industry experience in marketing, public relations and communication roles for organizations such as Monash University, ABCTV, Fremantle Media, and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. She has four degrees (communication, marketing, film and TV) including a PhD focusing on social media and is the co-author of Public Relations and Strategic Communication published by Oxford University Press and her latest book, Strategic Social Media Management – Theory and Practice, was released internationally in December 2020 by Palgrave Macmillan.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Gina Mares has been working with individuals, small businesses, nonprofits, and startups since receiving her BSBA in marketing from the University of Denver, Colorado, USA in 2011. She has extensive experience in business strategy and marketing development, search engine optimization (SEO) for websites and YouTube, and video marketing, helping international startups like Oxford Online English grow from the beginning in 2013 into a thriving online English school today.

Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Akik Chowdhury has been involved in entrepreneurship for a number of years. From working with an engineering consultancy firm that works with the Bangladesh government, to an online cosmetics store, and a small leather factory, Akik has extensive experience working with many different types of people and ideas. Akik is a business visionary, and it was his idea to collaborate with Gina and Dr Karen to create the company that is now Dharana Digital.