Creating a connection with your audience and developing content that resonates is a good starting point. However, sustaining this momentum is a challenge for many influencers today, as it requires passion and resilience to remain consistent. Hamza Bhatti, a versatile digital creator, has successfully navigated this challenge by establishing his own production house. Through it, he shares engaging stories about food, travel, and various exciting subjects with his audience. In a conversation with SD, Hamza revealed that while he recognizes his inherent talent, he emphasizes the need for daily hard work to ensure the value of his content. Read On:
SD: Share with our readers a little about your childhood.
Hamza: As a youngster, I was always very curious about trying different things that other people might think twice before doing. For instance, I would pick out clothes that stood out. If many opted for black, I had that orange hoodie and orange shoes. My childhood was filled with curiosity and I always wanted to explore and do things that other people were afraid of doing. In my 20s, I came across the platform YouTube; my curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to see if I had what it takes to become a successful YouTuber.
SD: What is the main lesson you’ve learned as an entrepreneur and want others to know?
Hamza: I would say that if you’re an entrepreneur, the biggest challenge is to basically to manage all of these different challenges and still be able to work consistently.
SD: How important was it for you to create a platform on social media to interact with your followers with your content?
Hamza: Something that I realized a few years back was that influence is power now. Your numbers on social media can help you go to places that we felt were accessible to celebrities only. I knew I had to start working on making better content. And as I went along, I learned that the more content that you make, the more that you can refine that content. And the better the content becomes, the more followers you’ll get.
SD: With competition at its peak and influencers coming forth daily, how do you create a niche for yourself?
Hamza: I think creating a niche is very important considering there are so many people creating content nowadays. But it’s more about being yourself and doing what you want to do and making sure that your audience gets to enjoy your content. When it comes to food videos, they have been universal but it’s the style with which you conduct your videos that makes an impact. I mean anyone can go on and make a food video but are they able to give value to it? It has helped me learn a lot about social media and more importantly how to engage, how to interact, and how to make sure that you’re continuously and consistently delivering value.
SD: As the founder of Hamza Bhatti Productions, Islamabad’s first creator-first production house, what were the major challenges you had to overcome to create your brand?
Hamza: The biggest challenge in Hamza Bhatti Productions was investing capital because if you’re starting a company, you need to dig into your savings to get into a running position. Since I have no members in the family who are doing business, when you’re trying to build a company from scratch, you’re always trying to find people who can guide you on what works and what doesn’t. So I think not having those people around, not having anyone to support you financially, but more importantly, not having someone who could just guide you in business had been my biggest setbacks.
SD: The best thing about being an influencer?
Hamza: The best thing about being an influencer is the love and support you get. Being able to inspire others and motivating them to do what they love is a major boost to keep on making videos! It’s not even about the likes, comments, or views that you get on social media. It’s about when you go out and when you see people actually recognizing you and just being so nice to you, I think that’s the best feeling.
SD: The worst thing about being an influencer?
Hamza: It’s the fact that you find yourself in this mill where you continuously have to produce content. And if you don’t make content, if you don’t make sure that you’re pleasing the algorithm- the social media gods, it becomes something that eventually can hurt your mental health, considering that now you are kind of enslaved to these apps and the fact that you know that your money is coming from here.
SD: If there was one thing you could change about how you proceeded with your life, what would it be?
Hamza: I don’t carry regrets, but if I could alter one thing, I’d have begun my professional content creation journey earlier. Looking back, starting at 30 seems late; I wish I had initiated it at 22. Nowadays, I find myself envious of kids who benefit from advanced facilities and platforms. The earlier you dive in, the better; initial mistakes are invaluable learning experiences.
SD: Traveling remains your strong forte on your channel- will you consider exploring international waters too
Hamza: Yeah, traveling is something that I love probably more than anything else, probably as much as I love food. And I have done it quite a lot; I’ve been to Turkey twice; I’ve been to Saudi once.
SD: How do you plan to step into 2024?
Hamza: In 2024, my primary focus is on enhancing my knowledge through reading and continuous learning. I’ve recognized the potential for stagnation when solely immersed in day-to-day activities, neglecting the exploration of new ideas found in books. I’m determined not to become too comfortable in my current routine, understanding that complacency can hinder personal growth. Financially, I aim to strengthen my position by delving into financial learning and exploring areas like cryptocurrency and real estate. 
