Trishla Doshi

On inquiring from Ms. Trishla Doshi about the idea to start something like this and her journey as a Womanpreneur, she apprised that;

The idea to start to have “the Actuary Intern” came to my mind when I tried to get myself registered in various institutions for an internship while I was doing Graduation in Actuarial Science and my request to become an intern was rejected because I was an undergraduate. I realized that not all students will be lucky enough to secure an internship in their under graduation. At that point in time, I decided to introduce an internship program based on my learnings in the field of Actuary Science. Thus, I founded my startup “The Actuary Intern” and introduced its first Virtual Internship program in Health Insurance. The purpose of this program is to facilitate the students to get an entry-level knowledge required to work in Insurance Companies. I completed my graduation recently in the year 2020 in Actuary Science. I have done an internship at Hdfc Ergo General Insurance and have also completed 2 project internships at KPMG and Deloitte. I am a volunteer at Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) United Kingdom (UK). My internship at Hdfc Ergo took 8 months of researching companies, applying on company websites, message professionals on LinkedIn.

On requesting her, Why did she choose entrepreneurship over a job? Ms. Trishla Doshi explains that;

I have always fascinated being an entrepreneur. I used to get ideas while studying which had the potential of being a good business. I knew I had to experience being an entrepreneur at some point in time. The lockdown gave me the opportunity of unlimited time and no distractions to pursue being a Founder. There is no one reason why I became an entrepreneur. I loved the freedom of creativity, no one to answer to, to change things as much as I can, to be truly in charge of something.

​Ms. Trishla Doshi explained to the question of How she found the industry/niche that she is in?

I am in an E-learning space in the Actuarial and Insurance domain. I find the insurance industry to be evergreen and blooming even in this pandemic period. Insurance is something very important and a continuously adapting field. A couple of months after the coronavirus struck us, I came across quite a number of Companies who had introduced Insurance products, especially for coronavirus. So, the main thing necessary for survival in the Insurance domain is the ability of research, Insurance product comparison, and innovation which I have included in my Internship program.

What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?

My main motto is to keep working until I do not have to introduce myself. I wake up each morning thinking about the problem I am facing on my business, the desire to just wake up and solve that problem before the day ends. The problems get me out of my bed in the morning.

On inquiring from Ms. Trishla Doshi about the challenges/obstacles she faced in her journey so far, She explains that;

So far, I have faced numerous problems most of which are the result of the coronavirus lockdown. I find it difficult to work from home, it’s difficult to distinguish my working and my personal space. Additionally, I am facing payment integration problems because the customer support of the payment gateway I am using has reduced significantly. I had to record videos for my program which I had a lot of problems with screen sharing software as I had no prior experience with it. But I am trying to solve one problem at a time.

On inquiring about the uniqueness of her startup "The Actuary Intern", Ms. Trishla Doshi explained that;

My start up combines the learnings of a course and includes practical projects to mimic an internship. It’s a combination of an internship and a course. It's a virtual program meaning you can complete it at home, at school or anywhere remote. You earn an Internship certificate. This program can be completed at your own pace, no strict deadlines, instantly generated certificate. There is no selection procedure so anyone willing to learn can start this program. There are on pre requisites because any knowledge is taught in the program itself, and projects test that knowledge.

On inquiring, how does she handle the pressure and manage stress? Ms Trishla replied that;

I take a break to handle stress. When it becomes unbearable, I just take a half hour break from social media and take a nap. I get up with a solution and a freshness to continue my work.

What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup?

People from my industry know me. I started posting on the hashtag I created: #actuarialfact since October 2019. At present, the hashtag has more than 800 followers. People have trusted me with their queries and I have mentored over 100 people through LinkedIn. Helping people has given me a sense of accomplishment and I feel that is the one strategy that I believe has helped me to grow.

In your opinion what are the keys to success?

I feel my key to success is to never quit. Every problem has a solution. We just have to keep our cool and work till the problem is solved. Also, it's ok to take breaks, we are humans, after all.

What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?

First, create an audience on social media. The key to become a successful entrepreneur is 02(two) things, people must trust you to solve their problems and you must add value to them.