Riaz Agha

British born Riaz Agha was living and studying in Boston when he first had the idea for Rich Media House in 2004. The medical graduate was brainstorming with a friend over dinner when the idea hit him. He knew it had potential due to the increasing influence of the internet in the business world and in 2004, having worked out the finer details, he made the decision to leave an established career behind him and set up on his own.

Rich Media House Ltd is a digital communications agency focusing on digital marketing, content management and technology solutions, based in Central London.  Riaz and his colleagues work with clients to develop and build their brand online, offering a complete services package that few other companies can.

Riaz’s first experience of business came when he was still studying medicine. He had applied to become a sub-editor of a new medical students’ journal at university, and when he was turned down for this he decided to set up his own journal – the International Journal of Surgery.  The critically acclaimed journal is distributed to over 11,000 libraries worldwide and has been covered by the 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner Amy Dockser Marcus in the Wall Street Journal as well as over 80 other media outlets including Fox news, ABC, Reuters, Forbes, Voice of America, USA today and the Boston Globe.

Riaz said, “This was an extremely important step for me in getting to where I am now. Running a business at that stage allowed me to develop my basic business skills, and most importantly gave me the confidence to launch Rich Media House.”

Since 2004, Rich Media House has grown steadily, picking up praise from clients and industry awards. Riaz now employs three full-time members of staff at head office with partners worldwide.  The company is projected to turnover £300,000 for the 2007/8 financial year. In March 2007, Rich Media House also picked up a Vision Site Design Award.

Riaz continues, “My advice to the budding entrepreneurs out there would be to do your research, plan well, get a mentor to guide you, and keep the momentum of your venture rolling. Be inspired by others who have achieved great success; I believe this is key to getting over the fear of failure. You have to absolutely love what you do and the journey you are on or you won’t be successful.”

Going global!

In partnership with publishers Elsevier, Rich Media House runs global publication the International Journal of Surgery. The journal publishes original research, review articles and more, greatly contributing to knowledge in clinical surgery, experimental surgery, surgical education and history. The International Journal of Surgery’s information is free to access in developing countries, helping to address global issues of health care development and provision.