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Rahul's honesty and intention for good work have been the strengths... < All Interviews Rahul Todi Managing Director Entrepreneur We as VictoryTales believe that an ideal business family is the one which understands that the survival of the business is important for the survival of the family and the Family enterprises are different because they involve families. This time we came across Mr. Rahul Todi, Managing Director of Shrachi Group who is from a business family and is carrying the legacy of his father to new heights. Mr. Rahul Todi, one of the most prominent young entrepreneurs of Bengal and son of a reputed Industrialist – Shri Shrawan Kumar Todi. He is one of the paramount forces behind the Shrachi Group, a highly regarded family owned business of West Bengal that ventures into Real Estate, Agro and Engineering. Under the leadership of Mr. Rahul Todi, Managing Director, Shrachi Group, the business has grown exponentially. His creative way of thinking has brought a new vision to the business. His honesty and intention for good work have been the strengths that have contributed to the success of Shrachi Group. Mr. Rahul Todi also started a notebook brand besides the family Real Estate business to establish the company’s presence across the country. Share this Interview: Know more about Shrachi Group Shrachi Group is a leading conglomerate. Dynamism and the desire to evolve have always led Shrachi to explore newer territories in its ventures. Since its inception, Mr. Ganesh Narayan Todi and Mr. Brijlal Todi have inspired the team to Dream and Do. Thus began the journey of Dreamers who Do. Today, the Rs.1000-crore conglomerate has expanded into businesses as diverse as Real Estate, Agro Machinery, Engineering & EPC, and Stationery under the able leadership of Mr. S.K.Todi and his sons Mr. Ravi Todi and Mr. Rahul Todi. From a humble beginning in 1966, Shrachi Group has grown from strength to strength to be where it is today. The company's transparent policies and a penchant for perfection have always satisfied shareholders and consumers alike. Brijlaxmi Paper Products Pvt. Ltd., belonging to the group, is a young company engaged in the manufacturing of an entire range of paper products and stationery for students and executives alike. On enquiring background about Mr. Rahul Todi, and his journey as an entrepreneur, he apprises us that; The idea to start a notebook brand besides the family Real Estate business came from a thought process that our family business was geographically restricted to West Bengal and due to the success in Real Estate involving direct consumer interaction, I thought of launching an exciting children focussed brand and starting with a “notebook”. It was a good way to establish our presence across the country. I belong to a family where overall interest as mentioned is in Real Estate, Agro, and Engineering. My first personal venture was in IT which I started with two of my college mates from Australia and we grew the business to about 1300 people in IT Services. We sold the company to Manpower Inc which is a global manpower services company. On requesting him, why did he choose entrepreneurship over a job? he explains that; I think from very early in my childhood I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I belong to a multi-generation business family who have been in business throughout their life. So I have grown up seeing my father being an entrepreneur which probably inspired me to be an entrepreneur myself rather than doing any job. How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? This industry is very exciting and challenging. Exciting because every day is new; everyday you are building something; every day you are planning and looking at each project in a new way. One of the most fulfilling parts is the fact that to see something you envision in your head, then to plan for it and finally to see it being built, is one of the most enriching experiences about the industry. On enquiring about what gets him out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s his source of motivation? Mr. Rahul explains that Motivation ! The most important thing one needs in life. Motivation is the prerequisite for better performance. Intelligence, hard work, talent- everything is a mere waste without motivation. My source of motivation, I believe, is creating something new and my family. On enquiring about the challenges/obstacles he faced in his journey so far, Mr. Rahul narrates that; Challenges and Obstacles are always a part of any journey and naturally my journey has been no different. One of the biggest challenges I feel every entrepreneur faces is a failure and also in your entrepreneurial journey you are bound to make some mistakes which might lead you to business losses, and also might lead you to some distractions. In our mind we feel these obstacles and challenges as a problem but if you use it as a learning for your next venture or the next part of your venture you will surely overcome the obstacles and challenges. One straight question, how do you handle the pressure and manage stress: It is easier said than done and every individual has his own way of managing stress and pressure. Pressure and stress are part of the entrepreneurial journey and we all must learn to handle pressure and stress. To be very honest there is no formula that can work for everyone. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? The one strategy or believe that has helped me is the intent to do good work. A lot of problems and issues will arise doing these part and temptations are there to change your path but in the end, if you have honesty and if you have the intention to create a great business or a great product and service you will succeed. Personally this has helped me to grow and come to the stage where I am today. Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO You may also like to read

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Anuj is on a mission to spread happiness among businesses, their employees, and customers. < All Interviews Anuj Sehgal Founder and CEO Entrepreneur This time, In our latest interview on VictoryTales, we would like to introduce Mr. Anuj Sehgal, a very unique and admirable personality who is having God’s gift in his life to make millions of millions of people Laugh through his very unique idea to bring Comedy as his main objective to make the world happy. Mr. Anuj Sehgal is the Founder and CEO at “Comedy Munch”. Mr. Anuj with his mission to spread happiness among businesses, their employees, and customers. He is the Founder & CEO of Comedy Much, a company that helps brands in employee & customer engagement, brand communication, community building, and online integration through humour & entertainment. The journey of Mr. Anuj Sehgal as a startup comedian started since 2015 when on one evening he attended his first stand-up comedy show in Delhi. Share this Interview: Know more about Comedy Munch Anuj was inspired by the quality of the content and the kind of crowd-puller which led him to the creation of “Comedy Munch”, an exclusive digital platform for comedy. By then at the age of 37, Mr. Anuj Sehgal had over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, strategy, and operations as Country Manager for European MNC and Sales head for OTT player- NextG TV, and later as the co-founder and director of IT solutions company Inavit Digital. On enquiring from Mr. Anuj Sehgal about himself and his journey as an entrepreneur, he replied that It was one evening in the year 2015 that shaped his new start-up when he attended his first stand-up comedy show in Delhi. Mr Anuj apprised that he was inspired by the quality of the content and the kind of crowd-puller it was in that stand-up comedy show. That got him thinking and led to the creation of “Comedy Munch”, an exclusive digital platform for comedy. Then at the age of 37, Anuj had over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, strategy, and operations as Country Manager for European MNC and Sales head for OTT player- NexG TV, and later as the co-founder and director of IT solutions company Inavit Digital. Mr Anuj further said that when you think of comedy nowadays, in a world full of technologies and endless opportunities, we can imagine some witty humorous people performing stand-up comedy. ROFL is no more just a slang, it has become more relatable owing to the new age comics. And what if on that stage, we see a backbencher comedian from our class performing and making people crack out of laughter or someone we’ve always known for making everyone laugh at correct timings, how overwhelming of an experience would it be! That’s the exact idea of having a platform where people from all walks of life who are like any of us would come together to put their best jokes together and share with people what they’re best at. And as we all know nothing is greater than a morale boost and appreciation from the audience the artists work for; live for! Comedy Munch believes in spreading happiness and with this agenda in mind they organize happiness sessions and gigs across the country which is a one-stop destination for relieving out all the stress accumulated by the discomforts of life. With an online content platform, public shows and corporates, brands integration, adding that dose of laughter boosting to live up to the higher aspirations for brands, corporates, and the public in general. Your introduction and journey so far; Anuj is on a mission to spread happiness among businesses, their employees, and customers. He is the Founder & CEO of Comedy Much, a company that helps brands in employee & customer engagement, brand communication, community building, and online integration through humour & entertainment. The company plans and organizes events and programs for dealer/vendor/corporate meets, brand/product launch, community building, and online audience engagement through a unique integration of comedy and entertainment content. In his 15+ years of experience, Anuj has been part of many successful projects. He launched the First Telco OTT Platform in India at Aplaya Technologies, LIVE Streaming of IPL on Mobile TV Platform, and the successful launch of Timwe – An European MNC Operations in India. He has been instrumental in planning, launching, and managing these and many other projects. He is almost always involved passionately in running a growing Comedy Munch and making businesses a happier place. You would find him meeting with HR/Marketing Heads and CEOs and discussing unique ways for them to make their employees and customers happy and how humour and entertainment can help them in their missions. He loves to travel and decode life through a spiritual process and music. That’s where he gets most of the unique ideas about living a more enriching and fulfilling life. That's what drives Comedy Munch at the core and keeps the company fresh and innovative. Get in touch with Anuj to discuss unique ways on how comedy, humour, and entertainment can help you build a positive and happy brand image, keep your employees and customers happy and more engaged. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? I always wanted to create value in the ecosystem and give it back to the society, there was always a hunch to do something creative around performing arts and comedy came as a boon and exciting to live like a dream. As Steve Jobs says “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life”. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? Good Question. I would say not just in but at night, it usually happens. I am always fond of figuring out something niche or new, which may create a proposition for me and the public at large. I usually keep this mode on all the time and it serves as the source of my motivation all the time. The kind of positivity the smiling faces bring around me is so encouraging. Making people laugh while making money seemed like a win-win idea. We all seek peace in the busy city lives after working 9 to 6, five days a week, I thought what if I could make those days better? That’s how I get motivated every morning and plan on spreading happiness amongst the stressful environments of any working space. As we are in the business of creating happiness, it does not feel that getting to work is a task in the morning. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? Every business has risks. Our risks are associated with the right skill set that we look for expansion in the future. We already have a core niche team but I see from future expansion perspective, we would need innovative minds, with a flexible thought process. Although, with a clearly defined process, and innovative means to reach out to search resources, we are confident enough that we will mitigate it. Finding the right team/talent/partners is the constant battle and we have achieved some milestones with their support. What comes first for you - money or emotions? I am an emotional person. Business needs to have emotions, not personal, obviously, but business ones like concern for quality deliverables, client satisfaction, targets & roadmaps, you planned & how you will achieve it, etc. Money is obviously the priority but I believe if your value creation process is right for others, the money will automatically come as an outcome of it. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? The meditation, exercise, right food and right people around you is the key to manage the pressure and stress. I have been lucky to be around the right people in the form of family support, an amazing team that helps me to balance the day to day stress and pressure. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/start-up? In my journey so far what has helped me immensely is the lean methodology and the relationships with people/team/partners. In your opinion what are the keys to success? There are a few and you can learn it on your way up. As long as you have a growth mindset it is not a problem. Persistence, Discipline, Empathy are some of the keys, and if you love what you are doing, you will gradually succeed. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? I always work on a tag line ‘add value to get value’. Don’t focus primarily on money or investments but keep your focus on creating a sustainable venture & value creation. I believe, rest things will automatically set with time. Don’t start the business to raise money, start to add value, and solve the problem. Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO You may also like to read

Vandana Tolani is a Strategy Advisor / Mentor, Business Management Consultant, Investment Management and having over 15 years of experience. < All Interviews Vandana Tolani Founder Women Entrepreneur VictoryTales believe that people who can inspire others are the real hero in the present world and we always look forward to such personalities for our inspirational platform. Besides this, it is said that learning what success is to you is more about deciding what matters most to your spirit and your happiness is all about, we are introducing Ms Vandana Tolani, Founder of Convanto, after spending fifteen years in Singapore and Jakarta returned to India and founded her own company Convanto. Today, Convanto is one of the most well-known boutique investment banks in India and led by a female founder. Vandana Tolani is a Strategy Advisor / Mentor, Business Management Consultant, Investment Management and having over 15 years of experience in International and domestic business advisory & fund-raise. Her core area of work is fundraising for early-stage start-ups across sectors and industry sub-verticals. Vandana has a diversified set of experiences and has enabled her to develop an eagle's eye for spotting opportunities in industries that are set for long term growth in the Indian economic context. She is also passionate about helping businesses reach the right people and fulfil their business requirements. A highly organized and detail- oriented professional with a large network of VC Funds, angel investors and family offices. Her vision of driving a two-way value innovation exercise has helped her create trust with most of India's marquee investors. Share this Interview: Know more about Convanto Convanto is a boutique investment bank firm with a wide range of services aimed at enabling young start-ups, it provides them with services such as Fund Raising, Marketing & Growth Advisory, GTM strategic Advisory, and value-added services such as building Investor Presentations and Financial Models. Convanto also advise small, medium and large enterprises to raise capital, assist in finding products-market fit and implement a successful go to market & branding strategy. Tell us a little about your organization and your organization’s journey so far. Convanto is a portmanteau of the words “Consultant Vandana Tolani” and it started seven years ago, in Gurgaon, Haryana. It is a boutique investment bank firm with a range of services aimed at enabling young start-ups - it provides them with services such as Fund Raising, Marketing & Growth Advisory, GTM strategic Advisory, and value-added services such as building Investor Presentations and Financial Models. We at Convanto advise small, medium, and large enterprises on raising capital, finding their product-market fit, and implementing a successful go-to-market strategy, branding strategy and brand positioning. Unlike traditional consulting firms, we have proven our operational expertise in bringing money, creating value, and driving growth to help you maximize your results. Tell us a little bit about yourself (background) and your journey as an entrepreneur, please. I had my own Family Office in Singapore and Jakarta. I worked as an Investment Banker & Advisor to Family Offices and Angel investors in Jakarta, Indonesia, helping start-ups from a diverse background, from Fin-Tech and B2B Tech all the way to consumer start-ups. I was raising funds for them & providing them with a range of services just as Convanto does today. After 15 years of staying in Singapore and Jakarta, I came back to India. I did investments for a bit, and then returned to advisory. That is when Convanto was founded. Today Convanto is one of the most well-known boutique investment banks in India and led by a female founder. Today, I am also a Venture Advisor with Loyal VC, the INSEAD-led Canadian VC Fund, having a core portfolio of over 160 investments in more than 35 countries. I am also a Partner with GSD Venture Studios, a Silicon Valley-based Venture builder. Over the years, I have arranged Funding for start-ups & growth-stage companies in diverse sectors like, EdTech, FinTech, Consumer B2C & B2B, AgriTech, Health- tech, Food- tech, Disruptive & DeepTech as well as non-Tech sectors. Please do have a look at my website for testimonials. I feel proud to apprise that this month I have been nominated as one of the Top 10 Women Leaders in Wealth Management 2021. My expert opinion is often sought by leading business news channels and publications like VCTV, and Business World, and I have participated in 100+ talks. You can easily see them on YouTube and the VCTV streaming site. https://latoken.com/vctv/investor/1038 and www.convanto.com I am also connected with 300+ investors globally, picking up global deals while being sector agnostic. Our ticket size is $1-$25 million. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? About choosing entrepreneurship over job I would like to sum-up with the popular quote of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs perhaps summed this idea up best when he said: “When you grow up you tend to get told that the world is the way it is. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it … Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again.” Entrepreneurs don’t just want to change their lives -- they want to change the world. Mark Twain also explained the lure of entrepreneurship best when he wrote, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Being an entrepreneur gives me the opportunity to take a calculated risk on a passion. Entrepreneurship constantly presents new challenges. As I overcome the adversity in my business, it leads to personal growth as well. I love owning my own business because I feel there is always something that I can do to improve. Being an entrepreneur is awesome for a lot of reasons, but I think the most important and overlooked reason is that it forces a person to develop parts of their personality that make them more well-rounded and a better person. I think being an entrepreneur is great because the possibilities are endless. You can be as creative and innovative as you want to be, and the results are the most rewarding. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? Let’s face it, feeling motivated is perhaps one of the most difficult things you could ever do. If it were so easy, everyone would be making progress and achieving their goals they’ve set out to achieve. Even worse is when we read countless articles from around the web that make it seem straightforward. As a result, it often becomes frustrating due to it seeming easy to apply on paper. It does little to improve your self-esteem and confidence, especially when you face difficulties in applying the advice you know and understand so well. But all of this should feel encouraging, because one of the main things I personally found with regards to motivation is that it takes very little of it when doing the things, you truly love. It seems very confusing at first, but it makes sense when understood. Have you ever felt like you needed motivation when doing something that excited you? So, I think because I love what I am doing that keeps me going on, having huge responsibilities and having set goals keeps me going on. During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption? The best measures we took is to give work from home and closed deals online, without much disruption and we went all digital during this COVID-19 crisis. Every aspect of business is online and tech-enabled to ensure automation as much as possible to maintain the required social distance. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? Coming back to India after 15 years was not easy, but I was determined to move on in my journey. I set up Convanto 7 years ago, a boutique investment bank led by a female founder. Determination is a quality that makes you continue trying to do or achieve something that is difficult. I had to believe in myself and not others, and at one point I even had no support, but I was still firm on my decisions. The day I stopped listening to negativity from many people I found out that I was skilful, talented, and was doing things in the right manner, which was why I succeeded, not mere luck. When many doors closed many others opened, and it felt like God himself was by my side. I think looking for more solutions and less problems, and staying positive and happy, helped me overcome my roadblocks. Ultimately, we always must help ourselves as someone won’t always rescue us, and not giving up easily always helped me. What comes first for you - money or emotions? I think a balance of both along with ethics is important to have. What many of us have forgotten is that our money can do so many important things. It enables us to secure education for ourselves or our children, support or recover our health, and gives us freedom to enjoy our lives. Though we may conflate money with all sorts of attributes—wealth, power, intelligence, style, even human worth—money has no personality of its own. It does, however, reflect our feelings, values, and beliefs. Importantly, money can endow us with an irrefutable sense of freedom. Numbers can’t do that. Emotions I think we all have but we need to have balance of emotions always. Emotion isn’t all bad. It tells you what you’re passionate about, what really matters to you. It makes you feel alive. The key is self-awareness. Much of our emotional world is unconscious. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? As you know everyone has to deal with pressure, both in their personal and professional lives. In the workplace, this pressure often manifests itself in the form of tight deadlines, demands from your clients, investors etc. Since stress is unavoidable, it's important to learn how to channel and deal with it in a healthy, productive way. In doing so, you'll not only survive tough situations, but thrive despite of them. I do morning walk daily; meditation and I drink lots of water. When under pressure, our first response is to work harder and grind through it. But you can't get out of the problem by doing what got you into the problem. Take contrary action by creating a daily habit of pushing away from your work for 15 minutes or more of "purposeful slacking." Walk, stretch, breathe, meditate, be still and allow yourself mental and emotional freedom from all the pressure. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/start-up? My persistence was one of the key factors that helped my brand to grow. I was always on my toes, looking for new ideas and ways to position my business, often even stepping out of my comfort zone when it came to the events I did. Moreover, I am a firm believer that growth is largely related to client satisfaction, and so I do everything in my power to make sure they are satisfied with my work. Over time, I have learned that the best way for sustainable growth and success of any relevant strategy is to focus continuously on customer problem-solving or feedback and improving the service to them and their successful experience with what you offer them. This builds continuous consumption, trust, value and growth, and is what I have implemented in my brand. This, combined with my determination and persistence, has helped my brand to grow the most and reach where it has today. In your opinion what are the keys to success? The number one lesson I’ve learned in my lifetime is that nothing beats hard work. Hard work outweighs talent and intelligence and is necessary if you want to succeed. This not only means working hard when things are going well but working harder when things are not. It means taking calculated risks and sticking to them, no matter how challenging they are. This is very important to keep in mind as an entrepreneur. No business is perfect, and just like people, they too have their faults, no matter how successful or unsuccessful they may be. Recognizing and accepting these faults as an entrepreneur, facing reality and doing your best to work around these faults is the best way to move forward and the secret to success. With time, I’ve learnt of the importance of adaptability too. How adaptable a business is defining its ability to stay afloat in the future. Being progressive in terms of keeping up with the ever-changing market is of great importance in an industry such as this, and we ensure that Convanto does its best to keep up with these changes. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? Every single person I know who is successful at what they do is successful because they love doing it. Anything can be done, as-long-as you truly believe it. We led with our conviction rather than rational, because rational said it was impossible. Find something you love and do it better than everyone else. Failure is a steppingstone to greatness, and we all fail. I read the book ‘Power of the Subconscious Mind’ and found it inspiring, and I practiced the law of attraction. Also remember that you will never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you. You will only be criticized by someone who is doing less, so always remember that. Successful people do not put others down. Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO You may also like to read

Gunjan Arora, Founder & CEO of a Made in India beauty brand which has effectively bridged the essential price gap in the skincare industry and provided affordable luxury to all. < All Interviews Gunjan Arora Founder and CEO Women Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its objective to bring more inspiring stories around the world, this time introduces Gunjan Arora, Founder, and CEO at Matra Skincare Essentials, a Made in India beauty brand which has effectively bridged the essential price gap in the skincare industry and provided affordable luxury to all. Ms. Gunjan Arora, a quintessential nature lover is the brain behind the brand. With a background in Chemistry from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi followed by a Post Graduate Diploma in Management, developing skincare was a natural flow for her in her career to infuse her love for laboratory with her vision for the corporate. She loves working her ways around natural ingredients and giving her creative side a challenge by concocting recipes for beauty and grooming. Hailing from an Indian business family, Gunjan recalls that entrepreneurship was always in her blood. Ever excited by the energy, exploratory nature, and the immense potential of entrepreneurship within her, it was an obvious path for her to choose the induction of her own brand rather than continuing her job. Share this Interview: Know more about Matra Skincare Essentials Matra Skincare Essentials is inspired by Ayurveda and offers Ayurveda inspired skincare reaping the brilliance of nature and the tremendous benefits of essential oils, precious herbs, and natural ingredients. Led by a strong management and execution team of Gunjan Arora & Angad Arora, Matra aims to manifest the innumerable miracles present in nature, in the form of luxurious skincare. With its Revolutionary, Ethically Natural, and Traditionally Modern bath and beauty range, it seeks to fulfill the holistic skincare needs of its consumers. Matra’s unparalleled products provide a complete body pampering regimen resulting in the accomplishment of healthy and nourished skin. From the perspective of Matra, the root words “Ayur” meaning life and “Veda” meaning science or knowledge together constitute “Ayurveda”, the rich Indian text that elaborates the medicinal and rejuvenating properties of elements present in nature and their infusion to render effective treatments for holistic wellness. Using the same inspiration and formulation guidelines, Matra brings together tradition with modern research to offer bespoke and deeply nourishing products. Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur; Matra is the manifest dream of nature and skin-care lovers. With a fascination for the wisdom of Indian Ayurveda, I saw the immense potential of Ayurvedic skincare amalgamated with modern, breakthrough R&D in the beauty industry. By default, I found myself experimenting with ingredients and recipes until finally, the deeply embedded bug of entrepreneurship bit me and I decided to develop and launch a range that was so safe and natural that one could just pick the product and use it without any fear. It was only a matter of time with the wide-scale acceptance of the products that I discovered how aware the current generation was and how keen they were to know more and to customize their skincare. This wise orientation of the customers today gave Matra its newfound vision! Matra Skincare Essentials is a holistic skincare brand with a vision to revolutionize the beauty landscape. With a view at consolidation, we seek to eventually bring together all the skincare needs of our customers under a single umbrella and change the way people perceive and shop their products. The company’s philosophy is to bring together dermatological advice, home remedies and clean, natural beauty products along with consistent follow-ups to ensure that we walk with our customers along the entire life cycle of their skin rejuvenation. As for my background, I come from an Indian business family idolizing my father and his skills at business. Graduating from St. Stephens College, University of Delhi, I went on to pursue my PGDM while harboring a love for Branding and Strategic Management within me. It wasn’t long before I realized that entrepreneurship was my calling. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? Excited by the energy, exploratory nature, and the immense potential of entrepreneurship, it was an easy choice for me. As I recall now, the idea of Start-up India was just kickstarting then under the vision of our Hon'ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, and the socio-economic environment seemed just perfect to launch a new venture. After leaving my job, it took me one more start-up and a year of research to finally introduce my first skincare product! By all means, there has been a constant struggle and learning throughout these years but as I grew as an entrepreneur I learned to constantly evolve and get past the challenges. As I saw the manifestation of my idea and its various benefits to my customers, it all seemed to pay off! What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? Back in my school days, my school Principal gave me a thought, “Sky is the limit” and I carry it with me since then and this has also been my driving force. You know that any seed that has been implanted in your head can be given a live form if only you have the courage, self-discipline, and motivation to see it through. Being a woman entrepreneur, I have further seen my own share of challenges but when you are internally driven and have faith in your vision, things do start falling in place eventually. It's exciting, fulfilling, and deeply humbling to see so many girls finding their inner beauty and confidence, so many men taking care of themselves, so many women taking time out for themselves for self-care. We work with a lot of brides-to-be giving them not just skincare advice and products but also seeing them living their day with confidence in themselves. Every single appreciation received from my customers drives me to do even more for them! What’s your source of motivation? My customers are my constant motivation. For Team Matra, customer feedback is very important. We share all customer appreciation throughout the entire supply chain and the same goes for criticism as well. Financial success is one but being able to solve problems for people specially giving them a sense of well-being and being beautiful in and out indeed is fulfilling for us. As a beauty start-up, being in easy reach of all customers is our focus and the customer care number mentioned on the label of every product is always available with one of our senior team members so that customer feedback and concerns are directly available with us and this will continue to stay the same. How many hours a day do you work on average? For me, there are no working hours. I am always available for work. Still being at a nascent stage of my start-up, my work is my commitment and it’s very exciting as the new ideas keep pouring in. I strongly believe that as a First Generation Entrepreneur, you are living towards your dream manifestation each and every day. Further fuelled with passion, coming to work is like coming home! What is the uniqueness of your startup? Coming from those times when there was a major gap between affordable and healthy skincare, Matra at its onset envisioned bridging the gap and provide affordable luxury to all. Having successfully done the same and with its growth curve we came up to understand the skincare challenges of our customers which thus shaped our current uniqueness. Matra is your one-stop solution to skincare. When approached for product consultation, our team of experts looks into the skin concerns of our customers, gives them home remedies, dermatological advice as well as products suitable for them. It doesn’t end here. We stay with our customers over their entire process of cultivating healthy skin and are always available as their beauty advisors. This is a complimentary service offered by Matra Skincare Essentials and will always continue to be the same. With our ground-breaking ingredients dug out from ancient scriptures, latest researches, and a ready to help consultation team of experts, we seek to bridge the gap between the dermatological world and commercial beauty industry. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Trying to make a place for myself in today’s competitive environment, I have definitely had to face various challenges, often setbacks, and downfalls as well. There are times when you have to think of basic funds for sustenance, especially in the initial days of the business. Being a woman entrepreneur further comes with its own pressure and stress points and it continues to surface from time to time. I think you just keep growing along the entire learning curve. I faced situations where suddenly the major source of business revenue came to a stop and we were suddenly back so many steps. Innovating, solution hunting, and upping your game is the only option. And indeed you learn at each step, becoming more confident when the next hurdle comes up! However, I surely supplement my efforts with good sleep, meditation, and spiritual retreats. The study of the Bhagavad Gita gives me some sense of direction, inspiration to be my best, and to accept whatever comes my way. How do you generate new ideas? Nature is my favorite inspiration! With my immense love for skincare formulations, my mind keeps on revolving around how I can infuse nature in my offerings. My skincare works very congruently with food ingredients. Any new revelation in the food industry gets me developing the same in our portfolio as well. As a team, we are very open to customer feedback and suggestions as well and have often tweaked our system for their convenience. How did you come up with the name of your company? Matra derives its inspiration from the Sanskrit word “matr”, meaning Mother. It is both an offering to and a derivation from Mother Nature. I think when it comes to naming your brand name, it has to resonate with you. It took us months of brainstorming, numerological suggestions 😄, and an endless list of names coming from so many linguistic positions until finally, it all fell in place when we came up with this name. Simple yet complete in itself, the name Matra had our hearts! What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? As a student of Financial Management, I used to study, “High risk, high rewards”. Well, that’s my definition of what entrepreneurship brings on the table. There is no safe business and yet nothing can be more rewarding than seeing your venture grow. I would totally wish to be known by my brand name than for anything else in the world. For all the aspiring entrepreneurs, I would just advise them to follow their hearts and minds towards their dream fulfillment and move ahead with an all-in attitude. The road might not be as well defined as taking up a corporate job and rising up the ladder but if you see yourself loaded with a dream to create, Manifest it. As a start, Have a clear idea of what you wish to set up and your offerings A detailed business plan is non-negotiable Even if the strategy keeps evolving with time, an initial idea of work, funds and revenue flow is indispensable Building the right team is equally important Once the basic groundwork is done and you are ready to step into the vast ocean of opportunities, be prepared to grow, face hiccups, and even fall. Learn and keep learning from your mistakes and always hold on to that zeal. Remember, “Sky is the limit” Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO You may also like to read

It is the destiny and karma which guides you to generate the ideas by itself. < All Interviews Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its objective to bring meaningful & inspiring stories around the world, This time we are introducing Mr. Anand Mani Tripathi, Founder & CEO of Aryavarta Organics Pvt. Ltd. having more than 13 years of experience to know all about an organic culture by working on grass root level in cultivating crops, Procurement, sales and marketing, Mr. Anand is on the mission to share his experience in Agriculture food production by traditional ways of farming and inspiring with his ideas to be an entrepreneur. Before making his dream of becoming an entrepreneur, Mr. Anand has worked with eminent companies in the Organic Industries viz “Morarka Organic Foods Limited”, “Sanjeevani Organics” and “Natureland Organic Foods Pvt. Ltd.” at Leadership Positions. He has a proven track record of increasing revenues, establishing channel networks, developing new business models, streamlining workflows, Cutting Costs, and creating a teamwork environment to enhance profitability. He has added a feather in his cap by establishing two leading Organic Brands in India and Abroad. The name of Brands is “Sanjeevani Organics” and “Natureland Organic”. Share this Interview: Know more about Aryavarta Organics Pvt. Ltd. "INDUZ" Aryavarta Organics Pvt. Ltd. i.e induz Organic, striving to bring the Ancient Indian farming and fooding traditions back in our culture, become the leading producer and supplier of Indian organic products and become a trusted companion for farmers across India and doing their bit to help make farming sustainable, profitable, and environment friendly. Working with the mission to promote, develop and innovate Ancient sustainable Indian Farming Techniques to farmers, Excel in Agriculture through sustainable agriculture development, Promote Indian recipes, food products, food traditions, and chemical-free healthy food products to consumers. With their integrated approach at Aryavarta, they begin by offering organic certification and training to the farmers associated with the Aryavarta. Through their certified sources and under the guidance of ground-level force, the company ensures a supply chain of quality organic goods. The company pays their farmer partners a premium over market prices and subsequently makes agriculture a viable option for them. To make the process of procuring and marketing our goods as efficient, transparent, and fair as possible, Aryavarta has integrated each crucial step into its working business model. To know more about Aryavarta Organics Pvt. Ltd. please visit the company’s website: https://aryavartaorganics.com and https://induzorganic.com. Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur; In my opinion, it is destiny and karma which guide you to generate the ideas by itself. I would like to tell that I was brought up in a farmer's family and since my childhood, I am cultivating and observing various shifts in farming and the problems being faced due to change in farming methods being due to environmental and ecological, and behavioral changes. Besides this, there are several social and economical effects which are coming on the way to affect our life being farmers. Earlier Farming was done with help of Natural resources only where less dependency on the market was there. Today farming is totally dependent on Market Inputs, which of course has pros and cons. But it's more harmful than being beneficial. Later when I studied History, Science, Religion, Philosophy, and Agriculture, I tried to join the dots and summing up to reach a conclusion and realized that how everything is interconnected and how lives can be changed. Since farming is the base of our existence and it is the way I think we can bring back the old glory that we Indians were having earlier and what all we have to offer to this lovely planet in general and humanity in particular. That is how the whole idea of having Aryavarta Organics for executing the concept which I dreamt of and am happy that I am traveling on the right path. And as said, It's not Just about Farming but It's about enriching the lives of an individual and making this whole planet a better place to live in. It's about a Culture, developing not only Organic Farming but a Culture where Organic Farming can Live Long and that can only be done through doing everything right by everyone, and that will happen only with the real knowledge of doing right things and developing that “Aryavarta Culture” The Ancient Indian Culture. Later to take this Organic Culture to the next level and to align my vision and learnings to that level, I started my journey as an Entrepreneur. I believe that Creative and Hard Work, Determination, Dedication and most importantly Communication is key to open all doors of Opportunities. I believe in the philosophy that a stone fit for a wall will never lay, long lying on the road, and a firm believer in Destiny and Karma. I hail from a small village Patni, Kushinagar District of Uttar Pradesh which is 26 Km from Gorakhpur, I have done my schooling at Maharshi Patanjali Vidya Mandir, Prayag, Graduation from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and MBA in Marketing from Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune. Being a farmer myself and from a Farming Family Background, I have my own Organic Agriculture Farms of about 40 Acres in my village where we cultivate Wheat, Rice, Tur Dal, Peas, Potatoes, Sugarcane, Mustard, and some other crops. I feel privileged to apprise you that in the recent Past I have been nominated for PARIVARTAN SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP AWARDS- 2018 and I addressed "OFIC 2019" i.e ORGANIC FOOD INDIA CONCLAVE -2019 Summit, TEFLA, and ICCOA as Guest Speaker, held in Mumbai. I have been awarded as “Most Influential Industry Professional” in Organic Food Industry at Asia Food Congress and Awards, held at Taj Land Ends, Mumbai on 12th February 2020 by World Federation of Marketing Professionals and My Organisation Aryavarta Organics has been awarded as “Best Brand - Organic”, in Rajasthan Brand Leadership Awards 2020 by World Marketing Congress in association with World CSR, Aryavarta Organics has also been nominated recently as Best Startup Organisation in Field of Organic by Rajasthan Udyog Ratna Shree. The Journey as an Entrepreneur till date is really great, interesting, and learning for me. Hope to get more out of it in the future too. That is the ultimate desire I wish to have of being a successful entrepreneur. On enquiring from him about choosing entrepreneurship over the job, Mr. Anand narrated that; Entrepreneurship is your idea which you think and converts your ideas and vision into reality to execute the desired goal of making something of your own. Whereas in the Job you need to align your vision and goals along with the goal of the organization, You can’t get the things executed as you wish. It is always about how the organization for which you are working thinks to get it completed. You can be your own in Entrepreneurship and can achieve what you dreamed of and most importantly, The internal satisfaction because entrepreneurship allows you to explore what you are and gives the sense of freedom of a soul which it always Wishes. What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? The driving force which makes me courageous is the DESTINY & KARMA . The DETERMINATION in me to achieve my VISION which I retained through the MOTIVATION FROM MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS to achieve utter SATISFACTION IN MY WORK are the key driving forces leading me to become an entrepreneur. What’s your source of motivation? The real source of Motivation is the Vision and the goal which I have set for myself and secondly My Parents, Family and Friends who are always there to support and encourage me in my success and my Failures. How many hours a day do you work on average? Normally, You don’t count hours when you enjoy what you do, so we at Aryavarta, really enjoy doing what we are doing and when it's all fun It goes as long as 12 Hours and believe me it's refreshing rather than Tiring to work for your venture. On inquiring about the uniqueness of his startup “Aryavarta Organics Pvt. Ltd”, Mr Anand explained that; Induz Organic, Organic Products are designed to promote the most sustainable way of living life in harmony with nature that is Organic. It is a well-said proverb of ancient times that "We are what We Eat.” Eating healthy and Organic food makes us healthy, fit from mind, body, and soul, whereas eating contaminated adulterated and high chemical food not only has its ill effect on our health and body but also on our thought process and work we do. To explain this, have we ever thought why we don't feel energetic even after having our meal, we tire very easily, our patience level has gone down, we get angry very easily, we feel annoyed on simple things, the food taste has been changed from old times, children don't feel hungry, this is all because of the food we eat, which is adulterated, contaminated and not as nutritious as they should be and intended to be, Chemicals in our food has replaced the nutrition and energy. A healthy, uncontaminated, unadulterated, and chemical-free food is the answer to all these problems and makes us healthy. Food is the fuel that keeps the system of living entities running, and we all know a good fuel is a key to the sustainability of the system as well as the ecosystem! Organic Food Products are different from Regular products as: It takes three long years for any farm to get certified as an organic farm and fit for organic production. Organic farmers are skilled farmers, which grow organic crops after rigorous training and on-farm practice. Organic food products are cultivated using indigenous seed varieties, holistic and traditional agriculture methods, and natural inputs. Organic farming goes through authentic and genuine third-party multistage inspections to guarantee its authenticity. The crops and farms are inspected before and after sowing of seeds, during its growth, Its harvest, its procurement, its storage, during its processing, and finally during its packing. Induz Organic Farm, Processes, and its Products are certified by Government Agency RSOCA as per India Organic, Jaivik Bharat (NPOP), and USDA (NOP) standards. No chemical fertilizers, chemical preservatives or colors neither any other kind of adulteration are done during the cultivation and processing of the Induz Organic Products to safeguard and ensure their naturalness, quality, and nutritional value. Further, the Concept of Aryavarta Organics is not only limited to Food but is divided into Three Stages to bring back the Organic Culture in a Holistic manner. Food of Ancient Times - Where we shall convince farmers to do Organic Farming, nature-based, cow-based Organic Farming to lower the cost of production, proper utilization of resources and our organization shall market those products. Medicine of Ancient Times - In this step we are focusing mainly on the Indian Vedic Medicines and which are easily available in our kitchen, we will promote and market Ayurvedic Medicines to cure most of the diseases and will ask people to follow Ayurveda principles of eating the right food at right time and in the right way. Education of Ancient Times - To Make both of the above stages followed for long and for imbibing it in everyone's life. Aryavarta will also bring back the Ancient Education System - which teaches how to live and enjoy life… teaches Humanity and develops skills in humans as per their area of interest to make them entrepreneurs who can work on their own, which further eradicate the unemployment. This will bring employment and skilled youth. At Aryavarta /Induz we are committed to bringing the Old Good Days and Old Good Practices, Traditions, Techniques Back with Technological advancements for the benefit of Human Civilisation. We believe firmly in “ Let Food be the Medicine and Medicine be the Food “ How do you generate new ideas? We try to create a creative environment within the organization so that seeds of new ideas are born and do Brainstorming sessions for generating New Ideas. This is the process we normally adopt to bring everyone together onboard to reach into common consciousness. How did you come up with the name for your company ? The Name of our Organization is “Aryavarta Organics Pvt Ltd” and our Brand name is “Induz Organic”. Aryavarta our organization name owes its name to Ancient India, the Akhanda Bharat and our Brand name Induz is taken from Indus Valley Civilisation the oldest known human civilisation on the Earth. Reason and Meaning for Putting our Company and Brand Name: Aryavarta Team has researched on Ancient Indian History, Human Settlements, Cultures, Traditions and most importantly on the basic style of Living Life in Ancient India, i.e - Agronomy, Animal Husbandry, Education, Social infrastructure, lifestyle, Varna Vyavastha, Economy rotation, Ancient knowledge and Philosophies which bound all this together and found that it all leads towards being a better Individual, which builds a strong society, A robust Nation and Importantly leads towards contentment and Happiness!! And all this In Harmony with Nature and other Living entities, Though after so many dominances lot of ill practices came in this system due to rumours, fake evidences, misinterpretation and hyperbolism of traditions being followed which were planned to make our lives miserable and of this planet as well! Our Team tried to find the actual scientific reasons, resemblance to the Values, Systems and culture which was followed during old times and if some part of it is being followed in India or not and to our surprise, Yes, It is still being followed and practiced in India by followers of Ancient Religion though in limited numbers as westernisation and Capitalisation has prevailed and has engulfed those and we moved from containment and Happiness to Greed and Frustration! But the good news is Even after 800 years of Mughal and 200 years of British Dominance. The reminisces of that Ancient culture, tradition, thoughts and practices and still being followed, which are actually science and research based practices which a human should practice not only for his betterment but for the whole world. “Sadiyo raha hai dushman daure jahan humara…. kuch baat hai ki hasti Mitati nahi Humari” It says a lot about our ancient culture and speaks volumes about those who are practicing those values, now whole world is doing research behind the philosophies of those practices and accepting it as well as appreciating it after knowing that actually that’s the best, sustainable and scientific way to do things and thats the only way how life and humanity can survive on this Earth, Be it your Daily Work Routine starting from the time you wake up till you sleep, to eat the food, digest it and excrete it or be it Agriculture, Education which leads towards Knowledge not just information or be it Spirituality and Knowing you and What you are here for! Our Ancestors has done lot of research on all most all of the subjects and connected the dots and in summary given the best way to do everything smallest of the smaller and biggest of the bigger just to bring only one thing Sustainability, Equilibrium and for survival of Humanity and betterment of our Planet Earth!! They not only formulated and formalised it, but also ensured that it is being followed and transferred from one generation to another in the form of informal education, Knowledge and in the name of Culture/ Sanskara and Values. In ancient India, believe it or not, there was a way to do each and every thing, there is a way explained in old texts how any work need to be done, starting from eating, sleeping, waking up, standing, talking, walking and what not and after research scientists are finding out Yes it's true and that’s the best scientific way it should be done, i.e. In India there is way how a person should sit when he is eating and likewise a way how he should sleep and how he should wake up, in which directions to sleep and which directions not to, what he should eat when and when he should not, and everything so detailed and so scientific that its not possible for a normal human being to interpret it all but at the same time it's easy to follow in form of Values and Sanskara. And then a phase came when all these traditions and values were declared as old world systems, were rejected and called worst systems to be followed, by some modern gentleman just to prove them better and to break us and our systems, Culturally, Socially, Economically and Intellectually, lot of making and breaking of our old system was done, until it became confusing and very hard to practice and digest! And then this system was declared as Third World Culture, Backward, Anti Humanity, Anti Social and what not! Ironically the People who asked others to reject these started following up secretly after knowing the benefit of the same, There are countries who teach Sanskrit in their schools, our Mother Tongue even though they can’t Pronounce it properly and who doesn’t know that Sanskrit and Hindi (Devanagari) is the most Scientific language that exists on earth today! So, this doesn’t happen coincidentally, neither its serendipity. We as Ancient Indians actually taught the World what Agriculture, Science and Mathematics looks like and importantly, How to be Human and Why you are a Human and as a Human what you should do ! And that’s why when the world talks about Agriculture and specifically Sustainable Agriculture they have to come back to India to find out the way what is the best way to do it…how to do it…. and answer is Organic Agriculture and in a nutshell what is Organic Agriculture, Zero Budget Agriculture its Agriculture with Animal Husbandry and where Indigenous Cows play an important role. So we put our organisation Name as “ARYAVARTA” which strives to create rural empowerment and employment through innovatively designed business models to employ and empower the rural population and farmers, where a farmer will do Cow Based farming, where he will be able to cut his cost of production and will be self dependent for the inputs to be used in farms instead of being market dependent and further will value add the products at his end only before selling the same in the market or to us. Organic Farming will yield Organic Food Products which we market will solve problems like Food Adulteration and will give options to consumers for chemical free pure organic food. Organic Farming will further prove to be a mechanism for Combating Climate Change and Environment Preservation as Chemical Based Farming is responsible for 27% Pollution which we face today! What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? Take up an idea, make that idea your life, think of it, dream of it and dive on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves and every part of your body be full of that idea and just leave any other idea alone Also, it's not only about only the idea. it's also about making it happen and to make it happen you need to believe in it. with unwavering enthusiasm, unquestionable dedication and unshaken Determination. Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Gamethon Professional Gamers You may also like to read

Ms. Anchal Andrews carries an International experience in Management Sales, Service, Learning, and Development. < All Interviews Anchal Andrews Founder and CEO Women Entrepreneur We are privileged to introduce a passionate woman entrepreneur Ms. Anchal Andrews, the Founder and CEO of SkillMaker Consultancy-India. Ms. Anchal Andrews carries an International experience in Management Sales, Service, Learning, and Development. The Company SkillMaker Consultancy-India, established in the year 2017, with a track record of successful business through SkillMaker Training Services in the United Arab Emirates from the year 2013 to 2017. Licensed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in India as SkillMaker Consultancy, SkillMaker Training Services had also been licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in the United Arab Emirates with successful completion in the year 2017. Ms.Anchal Andrews, wrote a book about the Spirituality in Business for frontline professionals titled “Beyond Frontline Excellence” published by Partridge, a Penguin Random House Company. With over 20 years of work experience in Management, Sales, Service, Learning, and Development, Ms.Anchal Andrews happened to be the first in the globe to write on the subject “Spirituality in Business” for frontline professionals. Ms.Anchal Andrews has been awarded a Fellowship at the Chartered Management Institute incorporated by the Royal Charter in the United Kingdom to contribute to their Leadership and Management forums and have been the finalist for the Stars of Business Awards in all of the Middle East for the category of Professional Services. Even though She has successfully designed and delivered Training Programs for employees of over 20 Franchises in the United Arab Emirates and India. We would also like to apprise that, Ms.Anchal Andrews also received a Scholarship by the Admissions Board towards a Master of Science in Strategic Human Resource Management from the University of Roehampton in the United Kingdom. I have left footprints across the globe including Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and India. Share this Interview: Know more about SkillMaker Consultancy Tell us a little bit about yourself (background) and your journey as an entrepreneur, please; As the Founder and CEO of SkillMaker Consultancy, I have a passion for developing people, and so delved into Business and Spirituality. In 2015, I wrote a book about spirituality in business for frontline professionals called “Beyond Frontline Excellence” published by Partridge, a Penguin Random House Company. I happen to be the 1st in the globe to write on this subject for Frontline Professionals. With over 20 years of work experience in Management, Sales, Service, Learning, and Development - achievements while in the business have been numerous. I have been awarded a Fellowship at the Chartered Management Institute incorporated by the Royal Charter in the United Kingdom to contribute to their Leadership and Management forums and have been the finalist for the Stars of Business Awards in all of the Middle East for the category of Professional Services. Even though I have successfully designed and delivered Training Programmes for employees of over 20 Franchises in the United Arab Emirates and India, I received a Scholarship by the Admissions Board towards a Master of Science in Strategic Human Resource Management from the University of Roehampton in the United Kingdom. I have left footprints across the globe including Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and India. To know more about what SkillMaker Consultancy does, plug into www.theskillmaker.com We are a success-driven family - my father Dr. Sudhir Andrews D.Lit. has empowered me as a Woman Entrepreneur and my mother Roma Andrews opened a few doors for me as the Former Executive Director for a Conglomerate Business in UAE, the Al Habtoor Group. To that extent, we are all self-made. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? An entrepreneur has the possibility of accepting and rejecting assignments. Entrepreneurs should be able to discern between the two. An Entrepreneur is one that backs an idea with Innovation and concrete Leadership. Just like I back The Rakshin Project by Sakshi which is a Youth-Led Movement to Stop Child Sexual Abuse. The innovation I bring to this assignment is my expertise in SHRM, Operations, Leadership and, Learning, and Development. To know more you can plug into therakshinproject.org What’s your source of motivation? My passion for making me the best version of myself. As a Global Thought Leader once said to me, "It isn't whom you marry that matters, what matters is making 'you' the best version of yourself". This is a source of inspiration, not just motivation. Along with my passion for developing people, while an Entrepreneur is selfless to the degree that they can support the larger picture that can bring change to the Nation and to the Globe. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? I wouldn't call it an obstacle, but yes, a challenge I made friends with. Having Bipolar Disorder has been the biggest challenge I overcame. Thanks to the experts and the forces that helped me learn how to swim in the deep end. Those forces were many, in my profession and in my personal life. What comes first for you - money or emotions? This is an easy question, I know this pat on my lips. Emotion comes first for me, precisely what makes the business a Value-Based Organization. Money follows passion and not the other way around. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Stress is okay, but distress isn’t. I am a lot like a pressure cooker, as we all are when the pressure does surmount, the whistle blows. That's when I need to cool down and enjoy the food for thought. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? There have been a lot of struggles that I had to face while turning into an Entrepreneur running a business for 6 years now. 4 years in UAE and 2 years in India. I would title it 'Transformational Leadership'. This is the conversion of struggles into success opportunities and this is an authentic way for any business, translating an Entrepreneurs vision to reality. In your opinion what are the keys to success? To qualify oneself as successful the 3 doors they must open to begin their success story are: The door of struggles The door of innovation through it The door is the best way to position the result of this in one’s life. Success is not a Bed of Rose's. It is a Path of Thorns. The fact is everyone can walk down that road. On enquiring from Ms. Anchal Andrews about what advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur, She explained that one should believe in himself. THINK BIG, AND DELIVER BIGGER THAN THAT. Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO You may also like to read

I believe that Customer Relationship and its satisfaction are among one of our main focus as a strategy and it is worth nothing... < All Interviews Shouvik Sarkar Founder and CEO Entrepreneur As part of our pursuit to identify young entrepreneur and share some of the compelling stories from the startup, we introduce Mr Shouvik Sarkar who is founder & CEO of the SARK Technologies. The services extended to various domains, platforms and technologies. Share this Interview: Know more about SARK Technologies The company provides services on the basis of requirements of various set of industries. The products of SARK Technologies were designed to provide the clients to enter a new digital era in which manual computation is of least use and software takes up the jobs.The company provides services on the basis of requirements of various set of industries. The products of SARK Technologies were designed to provide the clients to enter a new digital era in which manual computation is of least use and software takes up the jobs. Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur; I had been in the software field since my graduation back in 2011. From that time I always thought to provide something to the world in the field of software and other technologies. That made me think to start a company from that time. This idea had just started with this firm just stepping into the field of delivering, understanding business but there's a lot of ways to go. I worked in Wipro which gave a brief idea to me about corporate. So as a start-up and a big dream we still have a lot of ways to go. As an entrepreneur in spite of capabilities, there are a lot of challenges most important if which is to make the others understand your capabilities. Just started around 6 months this is the biggest challenge but the best way to deal with it is to build a portfolio. And that's what we are mostly looking into now. Let's see the better part of the business comes how quick. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? On enquiring about the selection to become entrepreneurship over the job, Mr. Sarkar expressed that the freedom of delivering and expression of our ideas to the emerging world and not to stick to only other's ideas, he has chosen to add his contribution as well. How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? Being a Software expert It's always interesting and amazing. In my eyes, the Software companies and its working are always at the highest esteemed job and the one I have i.e TheSarkTechnologies is soothing to my taste which I like the most. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? Like a young entrepreneur, it too gets me out of bed in the morning to begin my day with to work for my company which I like the most and obvious, To earn money to invest later in more advanced technological researches. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? The uncertainty about the future, Generating financial resources, Regulation and compliance, competencies and recruiting the right talent for enhancing my technological products and especially to satisfy different types of customers are the biggest challenges/Obstacles besides making others understand your capabilities Tell us about the uniqueness of your startup; It's based on delivery. Our main goal is not to earn money but to provide the world with something new and amazing which we always look to stick throughout. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Well sometimes getting off work releases a lot of stress. That's what I implement. Besides this also try to maintain a calm demeanor no matter what happens in my life and try to stay focused on what needs to be accomplished besides stay positive to achieve the desired goal. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? Though Strategy is a set of lofty ideas, ungrounded in reality however I believe that Customer Relationship and its satisfaction are among one of our main focus as a strategy and it is worth noting, that had been a lot beneficial in our journey so far. In your opinion what are the keys to success? In my opinion, the keys to success mean a Clear cut goal which I need to know exactly to built my company with confidence and faith in myself. Besides this, I feel Motivation, Dedication and the freedom to get started can always lead to Success. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? Just be focused, bad times can come, so stick to your goals and if required use an alternative plan to overcome difficult situations but always learn from your successes and failures. Bad times can come but continue efforts, dedication, and experience you gain can help get pass by them. Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO You may also like to read

**It's like an adrenaline in your blood… once there, always there.** < All Interviews Taron Mohan Founder Entrepreneur We as VictoryTales, with our extensive & strenuous efforts in the search for bringing more and more meaningful and inspiring stories from around the world, this time introducing Mr.Taron Mohan, Founder of NextGen, a graduate from the IIT Delhi. Mr. Taron from day one of his career wanted to become an entrepreneur with his strong beliefs in 5 C's. His first 'C' is committed to his project, his team, and the product. Second 'C' is Clarity on his thoughts, objectives, and development. Third 'C' is Collaboration as one can never work alone, build a strong partnership ecosystem. Fourth 'C' is Cash which maintains cash flows as one cannot keep borrowing continuously, and Fifth 'C' is the Conviction that one should have in it. Share this Interview: Know more about NextGen Telesolutions Nextgen Telesolutions brings disruptive creativity and technology innovation to customers, bridging gaps in existing services and targeting the masses to reach the last mile. Including both legs of transactions i.e customer and merchant / agent, the company helps you bridge the digital gap on financial inclusion/digital payments/transit and more. The main products of the company are Secure Banking on Feature Phones, TapNPay on Any Mobile Phone, NFC Readers - Transit and Retail,Merchant POS / mPOS Solutions, Mobile Couponing, Mobile VAS Solutions - SDP and Components, Mobile VAS Solutions. Besides this Nextgen Telesolutions has a "Smarter Smart City" solution, Digital Toll Management Systems,Automatic Fare Collection Systems (AFCS), and Parking Management Systems Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur; Having been an entrepreneur from day one of my career, straight after my graduation at the IITD, I want to become an entrepreneur and set up my manufacturing facility. The family help was there, but was asked to be totally independent on my own – a different vertical and 100% on my own. Raising finances, putting together the project and then building my own customer base and product line. The core focus from day one has been : Innovation : be different Maintain the tech edge over competition : always set the benchmarks for the products you make Continue and keep ahead of competition Build on IP and technology : you will remain ahead of competition Build a team of thinkers : you will grow And I always believe in the 5 “C’s” in my entrepreneurial career : Commitment : be committed to your project, your team and the product Clarity : on your thoughts, objective and development Collaboration : you can never work alone, build a string partnership ecosystem Cash : maintain your cash flows, you cannot keep borrowing continuously Conviction : have it in what you and your decisions With the above, my 35+ years of being an entrepreneur have been very exciting, challenging and rewarding in multiple ways : The first manufacturing facility : was the country’s first precision low volume sheet metal fabrication facility and it grew to be the largest facility in India over time. The second venture : a CAD/CAM facility and the first for sheet metal processing, taking drawings direct from a digital drawing to the machine tool path generation – the first in India and again had the major market share in India The third venture : built the base for mobile VAS in India – with the first offerings on mobile VAS and premium billing, we graduated to providing full solutions to telcos / device OEM’s and network providers The current venture : secure banking solutions, and the first in the country for sure, and globally a pioneer in these services. If you see the history, all 4 ventures have been totally different and have learnt the technology, identified a vacuum and a gap in the needs and then fulfilled it with a strong business model supported company. Never been funded, always boot strapped and built a team together here. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? To keep the mind alive, ticking and living on challenges. It's largely due to the fact that my father also was an entrepreneur and built a highly successful business for himself (again on technology and IP), and he was always my guiding factor on my career. Being an entrepreneur is a challenge and a bug, once you get it, experience the highs and the lows, you cannot get back to a job, where life is secure and comfortable. In a job, you will have challenges and you will overcome them and achieve a lot, but then the satisfaction is in the salary / promotion and recognition. As an entrepreneur, the highs also include : Providing jobs and livelihood to your employees Defining your own roadmap and path in life Being an all-rounder in life – technology, finance, branding, production, team building and more. And achieving a lot more than money / promotions. Life is a lot more than this. Of course, you do have your lows and some of these can be at the edge of life, when everything seems to fall apart and tomorrow seems difficult to cross, but then remember the 5 “C’s”… these are what get you over this and continue the fight. It's like an adrenaline in your blood… once there, always there. What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? The challenge in life has been the driving force… as detailed already, it’s the “high” of achievement – can be anything : A product developed A bugging problem solved A contract closed for which the team has been fighting a lot and working hard on Giving your employees a great working environment Giving your family a well earned and a well deserved holiday Celebrating with your family a personal event And this is what drives me still to keep at work and building new products, addressing new verticals and adding to the technology in the team. What’s your source of motivation? To achieve more and give to everyone what I have : Knowledge : it’s the best gift for anyone, be it your team at work or the family. I keep reading and learning all the time. Product : to give to our customers a new solution / solving an existing bug or a problem or then just simplifying an existing product / process or enhancing quality of output. To think for tomorrow : what next How many hours a day do you work on average? A day is never enough… even 24 hours is sometimes not enough. Of course, you have to balance life between work, family and friends, but then you also need to bring in the fun and physical exercise also there. Life has never been less than a 12 hour day, sometimes even the weekend at work. but then it's always worth it. What is the uniqueness of your startup? It's always different on : The business model : string on the whole concept of generating revenues, and making it a self sustaining model to grow The technology : always building on technology and involving patents, and maintain an edge over competition Innovative : keep thinking on the next development, improvement on current solutions and making life simpler. We have a “mantra” in our whole product design and development : KISS : Keep It Simple for the Stupid If you keep this core line in your thought process, you will always have the innovative edge in your products. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Taking a break – music / physical burn out exercises or just taking a few hours off work. it helps you break away from the stress and pressure of work. Sometimes, it's simple cooking and can be at midnight also. I cook a lot and never from the book – again, it's straight from the mind, impromptu and experimentation. The dish can turn our either way, edible and enjoyed by all or then also destined for the trash can. But then, this is the same as being an “entrepreneur” here I enjoy sports – and again different activities from the general crowd : Scuba diving The Triathlon Swimming And these are all stress busters. How do you generate new ideas? It's based on the principle of “high spirits” – the days are spent working with customers, the team on development and regular mundane stuff. It’s the evenings which are relaxing or then early morning where the brain goes into overdrive and analyses an opportunity, thinking and then putting together a possible solution. Generating a new idea is quite simple – it’s quite like the PDCA chart, but implemented differently for planning / designing / curating and acting. And then doing the homework properly on the environment, competition, customer needs and finally then evolving it to a final product outcome. You need to be a thinker, keen observer and a constant reader – ideas just don’t come up “out of the blue” Another of my basics here is: The solution has to be a global product, not area specific There needs to be a core business / revenue model to it It has to have a technology edge to it How did you come up with the name for your company?? My basic outline here : The name must convey to the customers / employees what you do It must be catchy – sometimes a “shady” name is better than a straight name. the recall value here is higher It must be simple to pronounce and ideally not more than 2-3 syllables. And then build a logo / brand for the company. What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? Go ahead, jump into it, but with clarity on what you want to do. Just jumping into Entrepreneurship for the same of giving company to your friends or following the leader is not going to work out. Be prepared for a long haul on getting there, but then don’t plan for short cuts. They will give you a straight “cut-out” in life. Read, think and plan properly. Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO You may also like to read

She wanted to start her own venture because she felt she is not that good to fit for office work because of her shy nature. < All Interviews Sanjana Guha Founder Women Entrepreneur At VictoryTales, we always make efforts to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week, we invited Sanjana Guha for an exclusive interview to know more about her inspiring journey and the way forward. Ms. Sanjana started working as a freelance content writer to secure her pocket money while she was pursuing her post-graduation. It was her mother who inspired her and also her elder sister who supported her a lot. She wanted to start her own venture because she felt she is not that good to fit for office work because of her shy nature. Due to this, she takes time to mingle with people and also fear from office politics. Sanjana’s startup i.e “littletry.com”, basically provides the best content writing services to various firms and organizations. LittleTry provides you with the best content for business and could promote the brand among the larger audience at an affordable price. Apart from this “LittleTry” also has a separate blog page for children. This page is not monetized and has been created purely for the children so that they can showcase their talents. One more thing wanted to apprise our viewers that Sanjana used to provide tuitions to little kids and she found that the children are really very talented however, there isn’t much to tell the world about these talented children. She made up her mind to do something for children and she made a page called “Little Step” where they will not only write, sing, dance but also can do things they are good at. She further apprised that “Little Step” is entirely by the children and for the children. Share this Interview: Know more about Littletry.com On inquiring from Ms. Sanjana Guha, Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as a womenpreneur; she replied; I never thought to be an entrepreneur or something like that. In a middle-class family, it is quite rare to have such dreams, but I have always wanted to be a writer. My mother and my elder sister, they can beautifully pen down stories and poems. However, due to marriage, due to their everyday office, due to the responsibilities shouldered upon them, they can never go through that path although they had all the potential. I used to write for the student supplement of the newspaper daily, The Statesman. I used to write for “Voice,” it was the name of the student’s supplement. Later on, I started working as a freelance content writer when I was pursuing my post-grads, to earn my pocket money. It was my mother who inspired me and also my elder sister who supported me a lot. After completing my post-grads I started working in a firm as an academic writer, however, due to some problem with the management I had to quit my job and I took up full-time freelancing. While doing freelancing I came across many people, especially students and homemakers, who are looking for opportunities that would help them earn a certain amount and at the same time do the work they are doing. For students their studies and projects, for homemakers, it was managing household chores and the kids. They thought this is a great opportunity for them to learn something, and at the same time earn a certain amount. I also wanted to start this venture, because when I was working as a freelancer I gave many interviews because my father had always wanted me to do a 9-5 job and have a secure life. Hence, I worked in an online web newspaper too, and I understood that an office job is something that I am not fit for. I wanted to have something of my own. However, without the support of my family, especially, my mother, I wouldn’t have been able to start it. Of course, my elder sister and my father helped me a lot in this regard. On inquiring about, Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? Ms. Sanjana apprised that; I still don’t know that. Maybe because when I had a lady senior I had to leave my job proving the age-old cliché that “lady bosses are bad.” Maybe I wanted to start something of my own so I at least turn out as a good example to many other people, especially to my juniors. Maybe I want to be a leader rather than a boss. Maybe because I am not that good fit for office work, because I am very shy, I take time to mingle with people, I fear office politics. I don’t know how I ended up as an entrepreneur but the truth is I am one now. How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? I guess post-COVID-19 the importance of digital marketing will increase as they are more budget-friendly than traditional marketing, but their reach to the audience is quite wide. Moreover, in the current situation, people will hire more freelancers who can do their work remotely without coming in contact with any office goers. Hence, I guess the industry will grow in near future, and at the same time, it will evolve a lot with time as well, because today, as we all know, “Content is the King.” What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? Deadline! Well, LOL, but I fear deadlines a lot. However, I guess, the thought that only a few can achieve their dreams and most can’t because they don’t have that support from the family. Is something that motivates me a lot. I have seen many people’s dreams ruining not just because they haven’t worked hard or something but because they didn’t have the support that will give you the strength to move on. I am one of the very few, who have the support, and I will make the most use of it. On inquiring from Ms. Sanjana about the challenges/obstacles she faced in her journey so far, She explains that; The most important challenge that I had faced and still facing is the delay of payment or not receiving the payment at all. This industry has frauds, like many other industries, and one has to be very careful regarding payments here. Oftentimes, things work on the basis of trust but whom to trust and who actually should be suspected is a very difficult thing to determine. On inquiring about the uniqueness of her startup Little Try, Ms. Sanjana Guha explained that; Well, my startup basically provides content writing services to various firms and organizations. However, apart from this Little Try also has a separate blog page for children. This page is not monetized and has been created purely for the children so that they can showcase their talents. I used to provide tuitions to little kids and I found they are really very talented. However, there aren't many online platforms for them, where they will not only write, sing, dance, and do things they are good at. So, I opened up a page called, “Little Step,” and this is entirely by the children and for the children. My page is still not monetized but if I can ever monetize it, I will make this bigger and create a space where children can spread their wings of imagination, without any fear and hiccups. On inquiring from Ms. Sanjana Guha that How she handles the pressure and manages stress, She frankly replied that; I feel when stress persists, I cry. Tears help me to release my stress. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? I guess for me the eagerness to learn new things has been my greatest strength and strategy. It has helped me to improve and grow. There is one more thing that has helped my startup grow and that’s my relationship with my writers. I have never stopped them from moving out and opt for a better opportunity and many people who may have lost hope to do something in the creative field gained courage when they started working for Little Try and then with that experience they also applied to various other big organizations and firms and started working there. I never stopped them from moving out and it has helped me to grow as later on, they provided me with not just good writers but with good clients as well. I guess, all my writers, who have worked with Little Try since its inception, are my strength. I owe them a lot. Being good and kind to the writers is the strategy that has helped me a lot to grow. In your opinion what are the keys to success? Sanjana expressed that each person is different. So, are their doors to success and the subsequent keys. My key to success has always been my passion for writing and loads of stubbornness. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? Sanjana advises someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur that “Be sure of the fact that nothing will back you out from your dreams”. Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO You may also like to read

VictoryTales.com is an Online Inspirational portal that publishes the finest content around Personal development, Success Mantras, Interviews, Startup Stories, and Entrepreneurship. At VictoryTales, we always strive to bring you meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate... “Goodbye blue Monday.” - Kurt Vonnegut Top Stories Meghna Joshi A dedicated advocate for social impact & sustainability and the founder of SWAN Livelihood, committed to empowering the workforce through tailored training programs and workshop sessions. Read full Interview Sai Poorna Patnaik With his firm beliefs & determination, Sai came out of the hardship he faces after the demise of his father who was a Teacher in Railway runs School. Read full Interview Exclusive Interview Deepak Kumar Pandey Deepak Pandey has a unique bent of mind & also developed his emotions by jotting down on by publishing a book & becoming Writer and Author. Read full Interview Top Stories Soumita Sinha she has grown comfortable managing litigation files, preparing and negotiating contracts, and performing an array of legal tasks. Read full Interview Dr. Sushindri Sridharan If you dedicate your mind towards your goal, you will achieve it so as I am doing to achieve my goals. Read full Interview Interview with Women Entrepreneurs View More Interview with Entrepreneurs View More Entrepreneur Sai Poorna Patnaik With his firm beliefs & determination, Sai came out of the hardship he faces after the demise of his father who was a Teacher in Railway runs School. Entrepreneur Shankar Sahai Mr. Shankar Sahai started his career as a marketing executive in a small IT start-up and gradually raised his rank in various companies and gained experience. Entrepreneur Anand Mani Tripathi It is the destiny and karma which guides you to generate the ideas by itself. Entrepreneur Rahul Todi Rahul's honesty and intention for good work have been the strengths... Entrepreneur Tushar Kansal I always try to make sure that I empower the right people for the right work. This way I do not feel overburdened with work that leads to stress. Entrepreneur Ranjit Baruah Mr. Ranjit Baruah, Founder of AROMICA TEA with his vast experience of working in Mcleod Russel India Limited, the largest tea company in the country for the last 20 years Entrepreneur Prabhu Velusamy I feel most of the time playing and spending time with friends ease my pressures. Entrepreneur Dr. Vipul Lunawat Vipul did Level 02 Coaching certification from Australian Ice Racing (AIR) in Short Track Speed Ice skating, & certified by Olympic Solidarity, Melbourne, Australia. Entrepreneur Shailender S Tripathi Shailender is an effective communicator with perfect relationship building & interpersonal skills with vast experience in consistently raising sales. Entrepreneur Amrit Singh Job restricts your boundaries, and Art like Designing needs no boundaries... Entrepreneur Siddharth Deshmukh Sport is an integral part of Mr. Siddharth’s life and in fact, his “head is in technology and heart is in sports”. From being a competitive athlete to a game-changer Entrepreneur Paras Khanna Paras Khanna & his team provides interior design services from classic traditional to modern graphic or fusion pattern. Inspiring Tales Read More Jessica Cox Jessica Cox graduated from the University of Arizona in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in communications. Apr 9, 2021 2 min read Sergey Brin Brin immigrated to the United States with his family from the Soviet Union at the age of six. He earned his bachelor's degree... Apr 9, 2021 2 min read Sara Treleaven Blakely An American businesswoman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She is the founder of Spanx, an American intimate apparel company with pants... Apr 9, 2021 2 min read Nick Vujicic Mr. Nick is a world-renowned motivational speaker born in Melbourne to Dušanka and Borislav Vujičić, Serbian immigrants from Yugoslavia. Apr 9, 2021 2 min read 1 2 3