Mahima Jalan

Hi everyone! Let me keep my intro simple and crisp:

- I am building a leading branding & PR agency: Sorted Brand (the name says it all)
- We have offices in the UAE and India. 
- Worked with +200 clients from India, UAE, Saudi, UK, and Australia. 
- Our clientele also includes famous entrepreneurs, VCs, Forbes 30 under 30, family business owners, and unicorn founders. (If that's a flex) 
- We offer solutions to everything in personal & company branding.  
- As a passion, I also offer a hyper-personalised 1:1 coaching to people who want to scale thier social presence. 
- I also offer training in companies for building personal or company brands. 
- Other than scaling my agency, I love content creation (100k followers across channels), networking, grabbing speaker opportunities at events, and reading books. 

Want to grow your brand? Or invite me to a panel/speaker session? Or simply network? 

Drop me a DM (I reply to almost everyone) or email me at mahimajalan.sorted@gmail.com

Founder

Building personal brand, online reputation, & PR of busy entrepreneurs/executives/startup founders. Helped over 100 clients from all over the world including unicorn founders, Forbes 30 under 30, and VCs establish a thought leadership profile on social media. Want someone who can voice your thoughts and take care of your online presence? Just drop me a message or email me at: info@sortedbrand.com

Mahima جالان

When my family asked, "Why Dubai office when you already have a business in India?”



I didn't have the right answer, but I knew this risk was everything I wanted. 

I grew up watching my family make safe bets, small risks, steady growth. Now the problem was, how do I explain to my family, who built everything with a predictable business, that I’m doing the opposite?

How to justify spending AED 50,000 on a market experiment that might not work?

Back then, it looked like I was chasing a mirage, but when I made 80% of the revenue from the GCC region, it all made sense to them.

Because I knew, the Middle East doesn't reward the person who waits for an invitation.

In a culture built on the Majlis, you can’t build trust over a Zoom call; you build it by being a stakeholder in the region’s future before you pitch your service.

In 2026, the cost of staying safe is much higher than the cost of being bold.

If I had listened to the predictability logic, I’d still be running a local agency competing on price. 

The best business move you’ll ever make is the one that might make absolutely no sense to the people who love you most.

What's that one bold business bet you have taken?

Mahima Jalan ماهيما جالان

Family Offices, Entrepreneurs, & Leaders in GCC trust us for their branding | Content Creator | LinkedIn Top Voice | Training Personal/Company Branding to Companies | Trusted by +200 leaders from 🇦🇪🇸🇦🇰🇼🇴🇲🇮🇳🇶🇦

My latest tweet crossed 4 lakh impressions & got published in countless media pages. 



In fact, if you Google my name, you'll see my multiple tweets making it to the news. 

Every time my tweet goes viral, people ask me the same question: How? Not trying to brag but I just know what resonates with people now.

Because I don’t try to fake anything or give unnecessary “motivational advice”.

I share the real, raw me, documenting parts of my personal life on X. The tweets that perform the best aren’t the cleverest or the most polished; they’re authentic. They come directly from experience.

And that’s exactly what so many people struggle with on social media. There’s so much pressure to “perform,” to chase trends, to sound smart or funny, that authenticity gets lost. People forget that what actually connects is real human experience.

The simple logic is that whether it’s social media, work, or life, people respond to authenticity. So, stop overthinking what’s “supposed to work” and start sharing what’s real.

If you’re struggling to get traction or feeling like no one is noticing your work, ask yourself: Am I trying to impress the algorithm, or am I actually sharing something that someone will relate to?

(And if you are still unable to make it on LinkedIn or X, just DM me.)

Spending 48 hours with 5 high-net-worth founders in Dubai blew my mind. 




These are people running 8-figure empires. They have the product. They have the capital. They have the team.

But their personal brands? Completely invisible.

Despite their success, they were all making the same 3 mistakes.

If you’re a founder in the GCC, you’re likely doing this too:

1. The "Corporate Ghost" Syndrome

They post like a PR firm, not a person. "We are pleased to announce..." "It was an honour to attend..."
Nobody follows a logo. They follow a leader. In Dubai, trust is the only currency that matters. 

2. Ignoring "Borrowed Authority"

They think their bank balance is their only proof. They sit in high-level meetings at the DIFC but never document them. They speak at private events in Riyadh but never share the insights. 

3. The "Broad Audience" Trap

They try to speak to "everyone" in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar at once. When you speak to everyone, you resonate with no one.

The best clients I have worked with are hyper-focused. They didn't want 1 million followers. They wanted 100 of the right followers (Investors, Partners, LPs). 

Your business might be 8-figures, but if your personal brand looks like 4-figures, you’re leaving money on the table. In 2026, your reputation is your biggest asset. Don't let it go to waste.

What is your struggle while building your personal brand? 

PS: I’m helping 2 more founders in the GCC dominate their niche this month. DM “BRAND” and let’s talk.


#UAE #GCC #Dubai #PersonalBrand

You’ll be spoiled once you start working with GCC clients. 


Before you judge me, read till the end.

I’ve been working with clients from Saudi, UAE, Qatar, etc. for over 4 years, and honestly, it has spoiled me badly.

The reason is pretty obvious:

- They don’t micromanage. If we say something will be done in 4 days, they don’t keep checking in every few hours. They give us the space actually to do the work.

- They trust you. One client allowed us to post on a topic he wasn’t entirely sure about. That post went on to cross 1 lakh+ impressions.

- They don’t expect you to work all day, every day. This New Year, I gave my team 2 extra days off. We informed the client. Instead of making a fuss, they appreciated it.

- Pricing isn’t a barrier. I’ve rarely had to negotiate with GCC clients. They know what they’re paying for, and they pay accordingly. Unlike the constant price-cutting I’ve seen with some Indian clients (Sorry, but it’s true.)

- Most importantly, they refer you without hesitation. So many of my clients have recommended us within their network without me ever asking. That tells you everything.

And the data backs this up. Most GCC countries operate on a 40-48 hour workweek, with clear expectations around availability.

Countries like the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia consistently rank higher on employee satisfaction, workplace respect, and quality of life indices. 

Working with them recalibrates your standards. And once that happens, it becomes impossible to ignore how much dysfunction we’ve normalised and proudly called “work ethic.”

What’s one work habit you refuse to compromise on anymore?

#gcc #clientrelationship #agencylife

Apple flipped their entire UI for Arabic users.
McDonald’s added the McArabia to the menu.
Nike launched the Pro Hijab to respect local values.

None of these brands changed who they are; they changed how they show up. 

That’s the difference between operating in the Middle East and leading in the Middle East.

Founders with world-class products, Silicon Valley backgrounds, or Ivy League degrees are getting ignored in the GCC because their positioning feels like an import.

Because they use a brand voice that worked in London or Mumbai and expect it to resonate in Riyadh streets. It will rarely work that way. Especially if you are in the marketing or branding space.

It doesn’t mean you should change your USP or product.
But your packaging absolutely must.

I’ve watched founders with half the experience, but twice the cultural fluency, build empires here, as they sounded and operated like a local. 

Your core expertise doesn't need to change. But your packaging absolutely should.

Apple, McDonald's, and Nike all know this.

Have you ever thought about it? 

#Branding #Marketing #UAE #GCC

ISB Co'24 | Independent Consultant

About me in one line- I help raise funds to create social impact.

You can block some time using the link, would love to see you on the other side- https://topmate.io/bhagyashree_lodha13

I also host a podcast where we invite industry leaders- 

YouTube- https://youtube.com/@bhagyashreelodhaa?si=kAzlpuK0bXWt5gA-

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/4CblVN6KCXOjAzw7noPUQs?

Bhagyashree Lodha

25,000 reasons to say thank you.

Grateful for this community.

25,000 of you here, and I don’t take it lightly.

What matters more than the number is the conversations, questions, and shared intent to build stronger social impact.

Thank you for being here and growing together.

More learning, sharing, and value ahead.

Sumit Chauhan breaks down the concept of "Brand-Led CSR," shares actionable advice for NGOs on how to pitch effectively, and discusses the critical balance between scaling impact and maintaining depth.

Whether you are a social work professional, an NGO founder looking for funding, or someone aspiring to build a career in CSR, this conversation is packed with a lot of insights.

What we discussed:

--Brand-Led CSR: Why corporates fund what they fund.

--The Funding Pitch: Common mistakes NGOs make and how to stand out.

--Scale vs. Depth: Why chasing numbers can sometimes hurt the actual impact.

--Career Advice: The top skills required to succeed as a CSR professional.

--Mphasis Initiatives: Tech-enabled social mobility and environmental sustainability.

The episode is now live on YouTube & Spotify, link in the comment

What I do- I help organizations in fundraising

The podcast with Sumit Chauhan, CSR Head Mphasis, is now live

Watch the full episode on YouTube & Spotify

Link is in the comments

Let me know your thoughts

Top 5 of 25

Being featured in the Top 5 of Top 25 (2025) on Topmate under Unique 
Expertise is a moment of quiet pride.

This recognition isn’t about rankings.

It’s about trust from founders, NGO leaders, and social sector professionals who believed that fundraising doesn’t have to be guesswork, jargon-heavy, or driven by desperation.

Over the years, my work has stayed focused on one thing:

👉 helping organisations think clearly about funding, not chase it blindly.

Thank you to everyone who booked sessions, asked hard questions, challenged assumptions, and implemented what we discussed. 

Your progress is the real reward.

If you’re an NGO, social enterprise, or institution looking to:
• build a realistic fundraising strategy
• engage CSR more effectively
• move from ad-hoc grants to predictable funding

I help organizations raise funds in a structured, credible, and sustainable way.
Onwards. 

If you want to book a call, link in the comment

Dear Hyderabad 

I’ll be facilitating this 2-day in-person workshop on Fundraising Strategies at Bala Vikasa - Center For Social And Responsible Business 

The sessions are designed for social enterprises, early-stage startups, and NGOs looking to build realistic, stage-appropriate fundraising strategies across grants, CSR, impact investors, and more.

If fundraising feels overwhelming or fragmented, this workshop will focus on clarity, readiness, and practical tools you can immediately apply.

📍 Bala Vikasa CSRB Campus, Hyderabad
🗓 29–30 January 2026

Bala Vikasa - Center For Social And Responsible Business

View company: Bala Vikasa - Center For Social And Responsible Business

📢 Registrations Open

Fundraising Strategies Workshop
Bala Vikasa CSRB is organizing a 2-day in-person workshop on “Fundraising Strategies for Social Enterprises, Early-Stage Startups, and NGOs”

📅 Dates: 29th & 30th January 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
📍 Venue: Bala Vikasa CSRB Campus, Ghatkesar, Hyderabad

👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dxw_EXkB

 ⏳ Limited seats available

For any queries, please contact us at 
anil@balavikasa.org (9603861851) & shamini@balavikasa.org (6304621534)

Shoury Reddy Singareddy Sunitha Reddy Rahul Bhardwaj Mogili Vijender Moses John Paul Roy Anil Battini Shamini Ganna Janani Mohan Saadhika Naidu VVS Ramakrishna Bhagyashree Lodha Parvathy A Manoj Kumar Bada Ghar Wala Annie Vijaya Dr. Raveena Kousar

#socialentrepreneurship #socialimpact #startups #fundraising #fundraisingstrategies #NGOs #ruralentrepreneurs

List of CSR that support disability related initiatives

Tata Consultancy Services - India (TCS)

Infosys

Microsoft India

Wipro

IBM India

Accenture in India India

HDFC Bank

Google India

Mphasis

PS- I also host a podcast where we invite leaders from social impact space
Link is in the comments

Fundraising at scale is increasingly happening in places we didn’t traditionally associate with philanthropy.

In one of his recent posts, Arjun Vaidya mentioned how sport is no longer a niche market in India, sharing what he saw at the Get Fit Expo while collecting his half-marathon bib ahead of the Tata Mumbai Marathon.

That same scale is now clearly visible on the philanthropy side.

The Tata Mumbai Marathon has evolved into one of the country’s largest fundraising platforms:

-- ₹72.39 crore raised in 2024 for social causes

-- ₹53+ crore raised in 2025, supporting hundreds of NGOs across sectors

These are not incidental outcomes.

They reflect how sport has moved beyond being just a commercial or engagement platform.

Sport today is:
== not niche for profits

== and no longer niche for philanthropy either

For those of us working in the social sector and fundraising, this is an important shift to recognise.

Large, public, participatory platforms are now central to how capital for impact is being mobilised.

#Fundraising #Philanthropy #SocialSector #CSR #TataMumbaiMarathon

5 Fundraising Skills that will change how you raise funds in 2026:- 


1. Research That Digs Deeper


2.  Skills That Solve Problems


3.  Stories That Move People


4.  Understanding What Makes Donors Happy


5.  Smart Negotiation Top fundraisers create win-wins


Which of these skills are you working on?

Don't do this if you want funding

One of the biggest mistakes organisations make is trying to pitch their cause to anyone willing to listen. 

The result? Diluted messaging, wasted effort, and frustrated teams.

The truth is: clarity beats volume.

 When you decide which donors to target, you stop chasing shadows and start building meaningful partnerships.

== Understand donor priorities.

== Focus your energy where alignment is strongest.

==Map your mission to their CSR or philanthropic goals.

As a fundraiser, I’ve seen how this simple shift from “let’s talk to everyone” to “let’s talk to the right ones” saves time, improves conversions, and builds trust.

Because in the end, donors are not just funders. 

They are partners in impact. And the right partner can transform your vision into reality.

How do you identify and prioritise the right donors for your cause?

CSR budgets don’t close in March. Reputations do.

By the last quarter of the financial year, most CSR leaders are not asking:

-- Who has the most innovative idea?

They’re asking:

- Who will help us close the year cleanly?

This is why funding at FY close consistently flows to “safe hands.”

Safe hands are organisations that:

- Have delivered before
- Understand compliance and reporting expectations
- Don’t create last-minute surprises

In Jan–Mar, uncertainty is the biggest risk.

 And risk is what CSR teams are actively managing.

This is also why new NGOs struggle during this window, not because they lack impact, but because they lack institutional familiarity.

At FY close:
- Long discovery cycles are compressed
- Due diligence is selective, not exhaustive
- Trust substitutes for time
- Credibility becomes a shortcut.

== A strong reputation can do in weeks

== What a fresh proposal may not achieve in months.

This is often misunderstood as conservatism.

 In reality, it’s operational discipline.

At FY close, CSR is less about innovation and more about risk management.

The highest annual allocation so far


The Gates Foundation has announced a record $9 billion budget for 2026, its highest annual allocation so far.

At the same time, it plans to gradually reduce up to 500 staff roles over the next five years, as part of a long-term plan to cap operating costs and focus more resources on grants.

What does this mean in simple terms?

• The foundation is increasing funding for global health, women’s health, vaccines, polio eradication, AI for public systems, and U.S. education

• Annual operating expenses (staff, travel, administration) will be limited to ~14% of the total budget

• Larger grants will be made selectively, especially in areas facing setbacks like rising child mortality

• Teams working on HIV, TB, and global health are shifting closer to the regions they serve, including Africa and India

• This aligns with the foundation’s earlier decision to spend down $200B and close by 2045

The leadership has described the next two decades as the foundation’s most impactful phase, with sharper focus, fewer layers, and bigger bets.

For anyone working in the development, CSR, or philanthropy ecosystem, this is a useful reminder:

-- Budgets, staffing, geography, and grantmaking strategy are deeply connected, and large funders are actively redesigning how they operate for the long term.

Worth paying attention to.

Thank you Mr. Bill Gates for doing what you are doing for the community

Source: NDTV

What actually moves funds in Jan–Mar (and what doesn’t)

After working on multiple fundraises, one pattern is clear:

== Jan–Mar funding decisions are rarely emotional.

== They are operational, reputational, and timing-driven.

Here’s what that looks like on the ground.

What funders have usually already decided by December

- Core renewals with trusted partners

- Strategic commitments aligned to annual CSR plans

- NGOs they are not funding this year

By January, most doors are already labelled even if they aren’t closed.

What can still move in Jan–Mar

- Top-ups to existing or known partners

- Compliance or utilisation-linked allocations

- Organisations with strong credibility, clean documentation, and quick absorption capacity

== At this stage, funders optimise for low friction and low risk.

Their first cohort was house full and this cohort closes on 27th Jan

An NGO helping other NGOs to digitise their ground work flow so that it's easy to track their impact and keep their ground team digitally equipped.

Free access to Avni's robust platform to launch a real, working digital pilot that elevates program monitoring, field data, and reporting.

Kudos to Arjun Khandelwal and his team for the great work on launching this initiative

More details in the comment

🚀 Avni Launchpad — Cohort 2 is here!

After an encouraging first cohort, we’re excited to announce  𝐀𝐯𝐧𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐩𝐚𝐝 – 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 2 🎉

A cohort program for organisations looking to digitise a core program and strengthen it for scale.

Avni Launchpad supports teams in moving from intent to implementation — helping them set up, pilot, and refine digital workflows that actually work on the ground.

This cohort is ideal for organisations that want to:
◆Digitise program data in a structured way
◆Improve visibility, follow-ups, and reporting
◆Prepare own digital systems for long-term scale

📅 Key Dates:
◆Jan 27, 2026: Applications close
◆Mar 12–13, 2026: 2-day in-person workshop (New Delhi)

Learn more about Cohort 2 👉
https://lnkd.in/gYaJ9WyS

#Avni #AvniLaunchpad #Cohort2 #TechForGood #Digitisation #SocialImpact #NGOTech

6th January is the last day for the EOI

So, if u haven't applied yet or wanted to apply, please do

Comment Impact Stories and I'll DM u the link to apply

#impactstories

Call for Expression of Interest

This time, you decide the budget and we design, craft and create the video impact stories.

To amplify the powerful work your organization does

I’m launching an Impact Storytelling Initiative aimed at helping grassroots organisations document and communicate their work through powerful, well-crafted video stories.

With the financial year coming to a close, this initiative can also support organisations in showcasing impact to current and potential funders, helping strengthen reporting, visibility, and future funding conversations.

What this initiative includes:

✔️ On-ground field visits

 ✔️ Professional videography

 ✔️ Deep-dive conversations to understand your work and impact

 ✔️ Thoughtfully crafted narratives aligned to your goals

How the process works:

To ensure depth and quality, a structured screening process will be followed:

-- Understanding your organisation’s work and context

-- Identifying storytelling needs and intended use

-- Designing the storytelling approach based on the Projects and donor requirements

Only shortlisted organisations will be taken forward for detailed planning and execution.

If you are an organisation or know one that could benefit from this initiative, please express your interest below

Comment Impact Stories and I'll share the details

PS- I also host a podcast with senior leaders from the industry. The link is in the comments

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Bhagyashree Lodha

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The Battle

Mahima جالان

Bhagyashree Lodha

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Mahima جالان's LinkedIn Performance

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