Hala Taha gave up everything for her dream job in radio. She worked for free, dropped out of college, and showed up every day for three years at Hot 97 with blind faith, only to be quietly fired and blackballed from the industry she loved. With no way back, entrepreneurship and personal branding became her lifeline. She built her own brand, grew her own audience, and transformed rejection into a multimillion-dollar podcast business. In this special 7 Years of YAP series, Hala joins Matt, Aaron, and Leah on The Lonely Office to share how career setbacks became the foundation of her influence and success.

In this episode, Matt, Aaron, Leah, and Hala will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:38) Early Career Struggles and Toxic Workplaces

(11:30) The Pivot to Blogging and Entrepreneurship

(15:37) Building a Side Hustle While in Corporate

(25:18) How Hala Leveraged Personal Branding for Success

(33:45) Why Personal Branding Is Non-Negotiable

(40:48) The Future of Work: Thriving in the Age of AI

Hala Taha is the host of Young and Profiting, a top 10 business and entrepreneurship podcast on Apple and Spotify. She’s the founder and CEO of YAP Media, an award-winning social media and podcast agency, as well as the YAP Media Network, where she helps renowned podcasters like Jenna Kutcher, Neil Patel, and Russell Brunson grow and monetize their shows. With her business on track to hit eight figures in 2025, Hala stands out as a leading creator-entrepreneur.

Sponsored By:

Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/profiting

Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/PROFITING 

OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first 6 months at OpenPhone.com/profiting

Airbnb - Find a co-host at airbnb.com/host 

Mercury - Streamline your banking and finances in one place. Learn more at ⁠⁠mercury.com/profiting⁠⁠ 

Policy Genius - Secure your family’s future with Policygenius. Head to policygenius.com/profiting 

Framer - Launch your site for free at Framer.com, and use code PROFITING

Resources Mentioned:

Hala’s Podcast, Young and Profiting: bit.ly/_YAP-apple 

Hala’s Agency, YAP Media: yapmedia.com   

The Lonely Office by Matt, Aaron, and Leah: bit.ly/TLO-apple 

Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals 

Key YAP Links

Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap

YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/

Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/

Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com

Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new 

Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Passive Income, Online Business, Solopreneur, Networking