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Her experience of more than ten years in journalism and content creation makes it one of the most dependable, trustworthy, and ethical digital media companies in India. < All Interviews Anu Sehgal Founder Women Entrepreneur We at VictoryTales are delighted to introduce our growing community of entrepreneurs to another shining Entrepreneur, Leader, Digital Marketing Consultant, and Coach. To add another inspiring interview for our growing entrepreneurs, we interacted this week with another passionate entrepreneur Anu Sehgal for an exclusive interview with us. Ms. Anu Sehgal, the former senior correspondent with The Economic Times, heads the young and energetic team at “Digital Mill”. With her experience of more than ten years into journalism and content creation, which makes it one of the most dependable, trustworthy and ethical digital media companies in India. Anu is the Founder of Digital Mill and She has dealt with key CEOs, and industrialists and has written hundreds of articles on various topics. Let’s learn more about her inspirational success story and her advice for our growing community of entrepreneurs. Share this Interview: Know more about Digital Mill Digital Mill is a company which is dealing with the Social Media Marketing & Management besides having digital platform with technological advancement to cater for the rising demands of the digital marketing around the world to reach the target population through Search Engine Optimization, web/graphics designing by providing quality content. With her decade-long hands-on experience in journalism and content creation, Anu Sehgal is implementing the newsroom experience in The Economic Times to leverage the numerous opportunities thrown by the dicey industry. Getting involved pragmatically to build a prolific digital identity of clients by boosting their digital presence across various platforms, the Digital Mill team crafts exclusive and appealing content that not only hooks the audience and but also helps them to take notice of the various business brands. Dynamic team of Digital Mills is ensuring optimum client services across the various verticals of digital marketing and also addresses social media marketing, content management, graphic design and video making, Search Engine Optimization, Web Development and many more for clients belonging to the political and corporate arena. Tell us a little about your organization and your organization’s journey so far. I have been associated with the Media industry for a long time and worked as a special correspondent with The Economic Times for 10 years. The idea to have a platform to multiply my experience, and the raising of Digital Mill comes in between my experience and my will to multiply my experience. Digital Mill is a great way to leverage my expertise and the learnings & insights to add value to our client’s projects. Social media as you know is a dynamic platform and we have evolved ourselves into a 24X7 agency which has given us the perspective to reflect with maximum flexibility. Steering into political content creation at a very early age, I realized its importance when Obama was contesting in the US election and social media was flooding with causes and propaganda. When our Prime Minister was elected in 2014, a very strong emphasis was made on politics across social media platforms. At that time, I understood the need of a politician to be at the forefront of social media and started handling a lot of political clients also. Am to inform that we are one of the very few companies in India that have done so much work for politicians and political parties, understanding the nuances in political geography.” We have an excellent team equipped with the new-age expertise related to research, content creation, graphics designing, media planning and video editing. Digital Mill brings a lot of holistic digital marketing solutions to the table. With the help of my brother Harpreet Narula who is the major force behind my dense content available in the digital platform and being a political influencer myself, I remain abreast with the recent trends on social media.” For creating good content across all these digital platforms, my team is completely well-informed with the latest happenings and all the tools that are used for developing websites. Since we have got some very serious clients onboard with us, we intend to bring that seriousness to our work as well. What makes your company so special and how is Digital Mill poised to grow? The digital marketing industry is evolving as a major marketing trend of the 21st century intensified by digitization and rapid internet penetration. Contributing to this flourishing domain significantly, Digital Mill has emerged as one of the most dependable, trustworthy, and ethical digital agencies across the NCR in India. With a vision of clients creating meaningful relationships with their audience and building better brands through connected digital experiences, Digital Mill is striving hard to be known for its disciplined approach toward providing the highest value of satisfaction to every customer. In fact, people who were very traditional marketers once have also realized the potential of going digital, reaching out to more people by creating a pan India presence through venturing down south as well will be our upcoming goal. We are abreast with international trends, and how they are working online. Upgrading ourselves with graphics, animation, video and many more features essential for digital marketing, we are gearing up to meet the standards of the international market as well.” Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? I chose entrepreneurship because I always wanted to make an impact. I have always been intrigued by entrepreneurship and read the success stories of almost all successful entrepreneurs. It’s incredible how you build something from the scratch and scale it. Not everyone can do it. It takes a lot of courage, planning, perseverance, hard work, and teamwork, combined with good strategy & execution skills. In your opinion what are the keys to success? I’ve learned in my life 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 I believe this is the secret to success. What are the business mantras you have embraced to grow as an entrepreneur? We feel that “Content & visuals are the king and queen” of social media & we like to stay ahead in that game! I believe that client satisfaction is the prime objective and we are doing that that is our MANTRA. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as an entrepreneur? 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 Digital Mill. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? I believe entrepreneurship is not easy stuff – you will need to put in 150% of yourself to get things done. If you are ready to give away your sleep, weekends, vacations, and time with friends for your idea, for years, where the result is still unknown, you are welcome. I am not scaring the aspiring ones, but that is the reality. As I said above, it’s all your passion, and how you implement the same tested idea or a new one is where you are going to get noticed. 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

Mr. Shubham Maheshwari, MD & CEO of Being Chef who is making cooking and nutrition convenient for the masses. < All Interviews Shubham Maheshwari MD and CEO Entrepreneur We as VictoryTales, with our long & arduous search for bringing more and more meaningful and powerful stories from around the world, this time are introducing our audience to Mr. Shubham Maheshwari, MD & CEO of Being Chef who is making cooking and nutrition convenient for the masses. Shubham is a Mechanical Engineer from NIT Jaipur. He was awarded as the Best All Rounder of his batch. Before starting his venture Being Chef, he has worked with a US-based consulting firm and helped renowned companies with their sales and marketing strategies. He also runs a self-help group named People For People, in which his team works for bridging the gap between societal problems and their solutions. For his social contributions, he was awarded the “Youth Change Maker Award” in the year 2010. He is also a motivational speaker and has spoken in various events and colleges like FMS, IMI, IIT, NIT, etc. Share this Interview: Know more about Being Chef Being Chef is a start-up operating in Gurgaon since 2014 in the Food and Beverage space and provides an exhaustive solution to daily food requirements in a healthy and economical manner by flexible mode of subscription and on-demand nutritional meals. Being Chef's - Recipe kit empowers consumers to cook anything in less than five minutes. It provides buyers with all the ingredients (chopped & processed) customized as per one’s taste with a simple 8 step recipe card. Along with this, Being Chef has built other lines of business like delivery of fully prepared meals, customizable meal boxes, customizable party packs which have helped them in absorbing their fixed cost and generating profit. Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey, please; I was born and brought up in Jaipur and have pursued my engineering from NIT Jaipur. Post that I joined a US-based consulting firm at its Indian office in Gurugram. For the first time in 2013, I left Jaipur and was out of my comfort zone. Initially, living an independent life was fun but soon I realized the challenges with it. I was staying with my friends and we hired a cook to manage our daily meals. After too much effort, we found a good cook but were really disappointed with boring and repetitive meals. Finding a good cook is such a big problem, because of huge demand-supply mismatch, that you are afraid of firing him even if you have to face hassles like frequent offs (without prior information), limited knowledge, etc. We also tried cooking ourselves, but it was so much time consuming that we ended up eating from outside most of the time. This was an unhealthy option but there was no alternative. Also, one thing always bothered me a lot – “ FOOD WASTAGE “. A lot of food gets wasted in the millennial's kitchen (in both raw and prepared format). In a country like India, where more than 15% of the population sleeps hungry every night, this becomes a major concern. So, we started working on a product which could make cooking easy and fun. We did extensive market research and started working on building the product full-time (left the job in 8 months of joining). In March 2014, Being Chef was formed with a product, known as 5 Min. Recipe Kit. Being Chef’s Recipe kit empowers buyers to cook anything in less than five minutes. It provides buyers with all the ingredients (chopped & processed) in exact quantity along with a simple 8 step recipe card. By simply following those 8 steps, one can cook any dish in any cuisine with zero wastage of ingredients. The quantity of cooked food will be as per the no. of persons you have ordered for, thus resulting in zero wastage of raw material(s) and/or cooked food. Quality concerns are also taken care of as buyers can physically see the quality of the ingredients being used for cooking the food. Thus all hassles of managing ingredients, kitchen, pre-processing, etc. are taken care of, thereby resulting in saving your time for near and dear ones. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over the job? Since childhood, I was inclined towards social causes. In school days the pressure of studies doesn't allow you to do a lot and thus I started exploring it properly from my college days. During college, I got involved in multiple initiatives working for the betterment of society, along with my curriculum. I was also lucky enough to get an opportunity to coordinate INDIA AGAINST CORRUPTION movement in Rajasthan. We organized a big rally with more than 70,000 people attending it. I was supposed to address them and I was really nervous. After my speech, I came out as a more confident person with more risk appetite. I also did a few internships during college and realized that a monotonous job in a big company can never be my cup of tea. Initially, I joined the job as I didn't have the conviction for any such big problem that needed to be solved. After moving out of Jaipur, I soon realized that food which is one of the 3 basic necessities, needs proper attention. It's one of the most important yet the most ignored things in our life. And thus I jumped into the boat of entrepreneurship to contribute to this sector to the most possible extent. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? I have learned one thing from my family that life is short and it should be lived with experiences instead of regrets (I wish I should have done - that kind of regrets). So I get up every day with a single thought to live that day as much as I can. This thought boosts my energy up and helps me in keeping going. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? Challenges and obstacles are part of every journey, may it be a job or entrepreneurship. I also faced a lot of challenges. I started at the early age of 23. Also, most of the team members were around the same age. Initially, vendors used to take us lightly, but then our work started speaking. Also, I was having zero knowledge of food. Understanding the industry was a little time consuming, but it also helped in innovation in our products, as we used to think with no preconceived notion that " Yeh To Aisa Hi Hote Aaya Hai ". Any accomplishments that motivated you in this journey? It has been an exciting journey of 6 years now. I am glad that our team is intact since the beginning and has shown their integrity and commitment to positively impact as many lives as we can. Because of their efforts, we did accomplish a few things like: Have served 5,00,000+ meals till date. Received the " Transformation of the Year '' award at Amazon SMBhav 2020 (biggest event of SMBs of India) in presence of Mr. Jeff Bezos and many other distinguished personalities. Recognized by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Govt. of India. Served lunch and dinner to 17,000+ people in a single day at 5 locations simultaneously. Finalist (out of 20,000+ start-ups from India) of Smart50 competition, which was organized by Govt. of India to find those 50 companies which will transform India. Have 1,00,000 + followers on Facebook even with the operations in just one city. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Pressure, stress, etc. comes when you overthink. Ups and downs are part of life, business, and everything you do. So instead of overthinking, if we enjoy the journey and the flow, and boost up the morale, looking at the final goal because of which we started, things get managed on their own. Also, I do practice Yoga and Meditation, and it helps me a lot in balancing my energy. What is that one strategy you believe has helped you grow as a person/start-up? I believe in accepting the mistakes and try avoiding repetition of the same. As human beings, we always make mistakes. Accepting and analyzing them grows you as an individual. In your opinion what is the key to success? I believe that living every day happily is the key to success. What advice would you give to the budding entrepreneurs? Firstly, understand how big the problem is. Don't ride the wave of entrepreneurship because it’s cool. Trust me, it is not that rosy, as it seems. So it’s really important to have a very strong conviction for your own idea. Do proper analysis before entering this wave. And once you enter, just stick to it no matter what. Make changes, adapt as per the market trends along with setting some new trends of your own too, evolve, struggle but stick to what you believe in. To win a game you have to be in the game. 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

Ms. Neha Gupta is of the opinion that in the next 10 years, she is looking to revolutionise the domain industry and educate the common man about a new way of investment. < All Interviews Neha Gupta Founder Women Entrepreneur This time in VictoryTales, we are introducing Ms. Neha Gupta, an entrepreneur, Domain Investor, Brand Consultant, Naming Expert, Public Speaker, Influencer, Developer and Digital Marketing expert. She is Founder of Namaxis Pvt. Ltd. When Ms. Neha was in M.Tech Chemical final year in IIT Roorkee she started working on her idea and started investing with her college stipend, and with a few college students as a freelancer. She is on a mission to educate masses about an alternative stream of investment i.e domain name investment and revolutionise domain industry like never before and in reach of the common man. Ms. Neha is working to create a whole new pool of domain investors by helping them earn good income on a monthly basis, helping startups / corporations to brand themselves with right domain names and helping NHIs and high end investors earn huge returns on investment by investing in digital assets i.e. high end domain. Her vision is to make digital investment as a mainstream investment and make India a digital India in a way how people invest their money. Ms. Neha Gupta is of the opinion that in the next 10 years, she is looking to revolutionise the domain industry and educate the common man about a new way of investment and educate entrepreneurs/startups about the right way to brand their business. Share this Interview: Know more about Namaxis Pvt. Ltd. Namaxis.com provides relationship based domain advisory, acquisition and brokerage services with an emphasis on accessibility,trust and integrity. At Namaxis every client is allocated a highly qualified dedicated Broker who can advise on a diverse range of domain opportunities listed on the world’s main domain markets. Namaxis helps by offering professional and discrete domain name acquisition service to help secure the premium domain name one’s business deserves. Namaxis also has developed a unique approach to domain name brokerage to help find and secure a buyer for premium domain names. Besides this, Namaxis also helps to make the right domain name when buying or selling domain names. On inquiring from where did the idea to start something like Namaxis came from and requesting her to tell us about her background and her journey as an entrepreneur, Ms.Neha Gupta apprised that ; My first acknowledgement was with the domain Industry came through a Godaddy customer executive call who told me to sell my domain name at Godaddy aftermarket which I was dropping which I eventually turned into a full time domain investment business. I am from Karnal,Haryana, a middle class family and tech background. I was in M.Tech Chemical final year in IIT Roorkee when I started working on my idea. I started investing with my college stipend and with a few college students as a freelancer. Initially I had zero guidance, no resources, no guidance, I was really tough, it took me 1.5 year to make my first deal. I started with very small money which I invested and reinvested, after 1 year of passing college, I opened a small full time office in chandigarh and later in Noida. I had always learnt by experimenting things. It has been really tough these days. Many times I had no money, I thought about joining a job, but something inside me kept me moving.I also faced a lot of criticism initially from family, friends and relatives. I was living and running my company alone. It had too much mental, work related and societal pressure on me but nothing affected me. Someone says that if you want something badly, the universe conspires to get you all that. Finally I became successful in making it big. Today I am a prominent name in my industry, I am also tagged as “First prominent female domain investor” in Asia. I also launched my “Digital Investment” online Training program where I train people to learn secrets of domain investment and trading. This is the first digital investment training program in India.Name of my school is “Domain Investor Hub”. I have successfully trained 100s of students to become successful domain investors. On inquiring from Ms. Neha Gupta, why has she chosen to become an entrepreneur over a job? she apprised that; I did not choose entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship chose me. I was never motivated to work to do a job ,I am a creative soul who values creativity, passion and freedom to work, I always wanted to start and create something of my own. Job feels like work but entrepreneurship is not work but it is a way of life, Entrepreneurship is my inner call who keeps me feeling alive every second and minute and I cherish each moment of my work. For me, Entrepreneurship is like a journey of self realization.Entrepreneurship gives me freedom to do what I love and a higher purpose for life. What’s your source of motivation? I feel my daily source of motivation comes from the fact that learning and implementing new things daily which excites & makes me feel alive on a daily basis. My long term motivation comes from the fact that the feeling of pride that comes along in making a difference in the society. It’s the pride and a sense of accomplishment that one feels in offering services to the community. Feeling to create something real, supporting my family, giving back to society and creating a life of purpose and impact for myself motivates me. On inquiring from her about what was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? Ms. Neha replied that; I always wanted to do something unique and innovative. It excites me when we don’t know what is coming next. Doing and learning something new always excites me. Having a constant stable life does not kick with me, Instead I like when there are new challenges to solve daily, new things to learn, new excitement. I love the process of creating something from zero and growing it big. Moreover, I enjoy freedom to work according to my schedule and not compromising my creativity. Most important is doing something you feel passionate about does not feel like you are doing any work.It also gives me freedom to be my own boss, do whatever I love. Entrepreneurship gives me internal satisfaction to make a change in society by providing jobs to people,adding value by creating something new. In the whole process, I also urge to create more wealth and money in the long run. How many hours a day do you work on average? On average , I work around 12-14 hours per day. Kindly tell us what is the uniqueness of your startup? We work in alternative investment funds which are domain names which are quite unique and new concepts especially in indian market. In India, people do invest in stocks, real estates and gold but no-one invests in digital assets like domain names. We do consult and help business/startup/ investors to invest in digital assets/domain names and value of domain names. We also started an online school “Domain Investor Hub” to educate aspiring entrepreneurs to learn how to invest money in domain names and earn money. This is the first kind of school and program in India which is changing the way we invest our money. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? As said in Bhagavad Gita, I always believe in “Do your Karma and leave results on God”. Right attitude is the key to managing pressure on a daily basis. Knowing the fact that everything is part of life and work and that too shall pass. Only things needed to be patience and be calm. If I am facing too much stress, I do cut off from the world, do meditation, read good spiritual books and take a small trip and prepare myself again for more work. How do you generate new ideas? I always keep on reading different things, looking for what new startups are being launched, what other people are working on and always keep looking for gaps in the market, how I can implement things people working on in my industry. I observe things carefully and try to understand different business models. Besides reading, I do a lot of traveling which keeps me educated about how people live in different parts of the world, how those societies work socially as well as economically, their culture and their interests and which are largely different from ours and it gives me a lot more ideas. How did you come up with the name for your company? As my company is a naming company which helps companies/startups brand their name ,help them acquire domain names, I wanted my company to start with the word”Name”. So, I took Name and different suffix and put them in a name generator tool which give me many naming options, one of which was “Namaxis” which was created by adding (“Name+Axis) and removing A, it is an invented name just like google,accenture etc. I sent all the names to my friends and namaxis got maximum votes, so it names my company “Namaxis”. What piece of advice would you give to college graduates or the aspiring individuals who want to become entrepreneurs? Entrepreneurship is a cool trending profession nowadays among college students. Most tech savvy students think it is cool to be an entrepreneur. But don’t be an entrepreneur because you think it is cool. Entrepreneurship is not cool and glamorous, It is something which requires 1000% of output and outcome is not sure. There are endless tough days and sleepless nights when you think that you should quit and you have chosen a wrong path and 99% people quit. Only 1% percent are able to make who are really determined and passionate about entrepreneurship. We want to make it work no matter what sacrifice they have to make. Entrepreneurship requires another level of patience. Entrepreneurship is not for the weak hearted. Research on your idea properly before executing Always create a thorough plan before executing Always test your market before launching your product. Keep your expenses low initially as low as possible. Don’t trust people easily. Work on idea you need passionate about, which excites you,which keep you awake Keep your ego low Keep experimenting always, more you fall, more you learn Believe in yourself and keep your ears deaf , no matter how much people criticize you initially either your parents , relatives and friends, things fall in place with time. Don’t shy in taking help from others 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

Well I didn't choose entrepreneurship, it chose me. For me, Daily routine of 9-to-5 lifestyle felt too rigid and restricting. < All Interviews Sumeet Mukherjee Co-Founder and Director Entrepreneur Here in VictoryTales, we always looks forward normally unique personalities who inspire others with their best deeds in life and become role model for young entrepreneur who worked hard in their life to reach the heights after starting from small openings. Share this Interview: Know more about Macro Webber “Macro Webber” is the most valued Web Designing, and Digital Marketing Service Provider based in Mumbai, India after starting from Siliguri, west Bengal. Having an experienced professional team of Macro Webber which has excelled in the Digital Marketing services related to Website Designing and Development, UI/UX Designing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Marketing like Facebook and Instagram Marketing, Pay Per Click Ads, and E-commerce websites. The company also provides custom-tailored plans, so that the client has flexibility in choosing services as per their need. Macro Webber also likewise concentrates on making SEO friendly web sites which assists to acquire leading rankings on a different online search engine, lately, Macro Webber have also begun actually in making receptive sites which additionally helps people improve their search rankings and also to boost the user’s experience. 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 read a lot of books, I belong to a small lower middle class family, residing in a small town, Siliguri, West Bengal. After graduation in BCA from Siliguri Institute of Technology, I pursued Digital Marketing course from a renowned institute, after that I started working at an E-Commerce store as a Digital Marketing Intern. Worked there for a year, I always had a craze of starting something of my own. So with lots of struggle, mentorship and a good partner, I finally started my own startup, Macro Webber, a fully fledged Digital Marketing Company here in Siliguri. Initially at the beginning the work started from home, where me and my partner worked Day and night to fulfil our clients need. We were lucky enough as our first client was an International Client. Slowly and steadily, we started getting good exposure and we started getting more and more clients. After a year of starting our business, we finally took the risk to have our own office setup in Siliguri, and now we have a team of 15 employees working for us. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? Well I didn't choose entrepreneurship, it chose me. For me, Daily routine of 9-to-5 lifestyle felt too rigid and restricting. I wanted a life of freedom and flexibility, one that would allow me to do things I like without any limits. I love to work. I am a workaholic, but I have my own way of working. Entrepreneurship requires tremendous amount of hard work. In the beginning you will work long hours for very little pay, you must be truly passionate about your business. It will also give you the opportunity to re-invest most of the money your business makes back into the business. Breaking the corporate mold as a millennial all comes down to two things: putting in the work to establish your expertise and setting yourself apart from the crowd. It wasn’t a complicated process that required climbing mountains after being trained by a guru. It simply came upto figuring out what path could lead to my lifestyle I wanted, and then took the right steps to become an expert. How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? Well to be honest, I heard the term Digital Marketer in lot of movies, but it never intrigued me. But after graduation, I had choice of pursuing MCA or doing something else, I did some research on latest trends and took the other path and pursued Digital Marketing. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? I never get out of my bed in the morning, I am a nocturnal person. Coming back to my motivation, I love to take new challenges and everyday your life is different as you don't know what's gonna happen next. That vibe keeps me motivated always. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? A lot of challenges, initially the first thing I came across were, to make my parents understand the difference of job and entrepreneurship, which I guess they still don't understand. Also, When it comes to money, most startups end up spending too much and exhaust their budget too early and frivolously, or on the other hand, they stay too conservative and end up not expanding at the right pace making them obsolete. And the biggest challenge is coming to the realization that big changes don’t happen overnight. If you see a goal, whether it’s greater fitness, a leaner figure or more strength and conditioning, it may seem far away. Too far away to feel realistic, but you must also realize that big changes can be broken into small, achievable, segments. If you can only manage 10 pushups today, it may seem worthless to do them. What difference can only 10 pushups make? But once you understand that you’re 10 pushups closer to where you want to be, if you manage to take a step, any step forward, you are making progress. And sooner than you may realize, those progress steps start to feel (and look) tangible. Noticeable something you can feel. Build on that. Harness it. Relish it. And don’t beat yourself up if you mess up - because you will. Each day is another chance to start again, if you let it. Tell us about the uniqueness of your startup, please; In a competitive landscape, a key consideration is standing out from the crowd. For startups, this is important because the barriers to entry are relatively low, while new or innovative ideas can quickly be replicated by agile rivals. It means startups needs to discovery how they are unique and different to position the brand and carve out a competitive edge. If this can’t be achieved, then startup can come across as just a me-too product. Being unique or different, however, is not easy. There is so much competition that startups have to be creative, flexible and bold. By doing a competitive analysis, a startup can see the best opportunities to stake a claim on how it different or unique. For us, well we believe in quality over quantity. We may work with less number of clients, but we try providing them a good quality of service. We believe in Value for money. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? I'm very sensitive to the nuances of group dynamics. If there’s an unhealthy amount of stress within the team, I can pick up on some of that stress too. So, what I do is to try to proactively listen to the concerns of the people around me, checking in frequently to see whether they, themselves, are under stress. If they are, I think about how I can help them with their workload so the collective stress of the team doesn’t escalate. When the team’s happy, I’m happy. In your opinion what are the keys to success? In my opinion there are 3 (three) Keys to Success in Life (That You Can Start Doing Now) Write down Your Goals Create a Powerful Belief System Invest in Yourself What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? I am not exactly a successful entrepreneur, but yeah I can be considered as an aspiring one as well. These are a few quotes that I look up to, these are extracted from different mega successful entrepreneurs. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” -Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway The trust of consumers requires time and effort to nurture slowly, however any mistakes made by your company, might end up in a very undesirable outcome. “Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” -David Rockefeller, CEO of Chase Manhattan Corporation There are opportunities all around you. If you put in hard work and discipline to really search for such opportunities as well as develop them. You will succeed eventually. 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

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. < All Interviews Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO Women Entrepreneur VictoryTales always make efforts to bring most of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. VictoryTales also believes that this inspirational interview will encourage you to follow your dreams, treat others with kindness, and never give up on yourself. We are pleased to introduce Ms. Meghna Joshi, Founder & CEO SWAN. She is a dedicated advocate for social impact & sustainability and the founder of SWAN Livelihood, a Delhi-based social enterprise committed to empowering the workforce through tailored training programs and workshop sessions. A six Sigma Black belt professional with a diverse academic background, she has earned honour in Business Economics and completed post-graduation in Environment and Development. Meghna brings over a decade of experience from the corporate, development, and start-up space. With a professional focus on skill development, women’s empowerment, and fostering sustainable change by empowering communities. Meghna is the recipient of the ‘Ambassador for Good Award’ from Global Women for Good and the ‘Exceptional Women of Excellence’ award by the Women Economic Forum. Her relentless pursuit of inclusive economic growth aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), positioning her as a driving force in the realm of regenerative leadership. Share this Interview: Know more about SWAN SWAN is a social enterprise, working with an objective to empower workforce through specially designed training programmes and counselling sessions. We advocate Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) and decent work opportunities to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth. SWAN’s prominences on skill development, education, women empowerment, social impact, climate justice and sustainable change, creating a vibrant ecosystem of livelihood opportunities for a brighter future of Indian youth. Tell us a little about your organization and your organization’s journey so far SWAN (Skilled Workforce Advancing Nation) Livelihood is a social enterprise based out of Delhi dedicated to empowering workforce through tailored training programs, counselling sessions, and fostering a vibrant ecosystem of sustainable livelihood opportunities for a brighter future. We started our operations in January 2020 to make a meaningful impact on the lives of disadvantaged youth. This initiative aimed to upskill economically disadvantaged urban youth, aged 18 to 28, by providing them with comprehensive training and connecting them with employment opportunities in the retail industry. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, our team’s unwavering determination led us to conduct extensive surveys to understand the specific challenges faced by various groups, including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, college students, and working professionals. This research proved instrumental in shaping SWAN Livelihood's programs and strategies. Through strategic partnerships and stakeholder support, SWAN successfully made a positive impact through experiential learning & mentoring sessions also extending their reach to rural villages in Uttarakhand. Our unwavering commitment to inclusivity propelled us into collaborative efforts with the Mission Shakti program of the Uttar Pradesh Government, where we extended our expertise to empower marginalized women workers in Delhi/NCR's factory regions. These women, who had endured severe hardships during the lockdown, benefitted from our training sessions on government schemes and application procedures. Recognizing the critical need for counselling and skill enhancement, SWAN Livelihood spearheaded 'Skill-X,' a comprehensive platform offering hands-on learning workshops, mentorship sessions, and strategic partnerships with grassroots organizations. Within the purview of SWAN's initiatives, experiential learning workshops, mentorship sessions, collaborations with grassroots organizations, and training of the trainer (ToT) programs were also integral components of their overarching mission. Currently, SWAN Livelihood’s focus lies on the 'Mera Business Programme,' which empowers rural micro women entrepreneurs in Haryana & Rajasthan. This initiative, powered by ACIC Foundation and BML Munjal University, Hinduja Foundation, Ashok Leyland and Ambuja Foundation reflecting their dedication to bridging gaps, providing support, and fostering holistic development and workforce inclusion. Tell us a little bit about yourself (background) and your journey as a entrepreneur, please; Drawing from a decade of diverse experience in the Start-up, Environment & Development, and corporate sectors, I had finely tuned my abilities in Program Delivery, Project Management, and Skill Training across a range of disciplines. Whether leading Citizen Science initiatives, overseeing Skill Development Centers' operations, or enhancing the capabilities of the informal workforce throughout Delhi/NCR and PAN India, I feel that my unwavering dedication revolves around empowering lives and fostering enduring transformations. With a Bachelor's degree in Business Economics (Honours) and a Master's degree in Environment and Development, my interdisciplinary education provided me with the necessary knowledge and skills to tackle intricate social challenges. My unwavering commitment to social justice and sustainable development formed the bedrock of my future endeavours. Focusing on technical and vocational education (TVET), women's empowerment, and sustainable change, my visionary leadership has transformed SWAN Livelihood into a beacon of hope for marginalized youth and rural communities. I feel my guest lectures on Social Entrepreneurship have inspired college students, igniting hope and inspiration. My relentless pursuit of inclusive economic growth aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), positioning me as a driving force in the realm of regenerative leadership. Through my dedicated work, I has earned numerous accolades and awards, including the Ambassador for Good Award (Global Women for Good), Exceptional Women of Excellence (Women Economic Forum), 100 Influential Indians (Fox Story India), and the Glantor X Women Leadership Award. What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur? The ability to innovate and address critical issues affecting grassroots communities and the gig workforce is paramount for me as an entrepreneur. By thinking outside the box and delving deeply into existing problems while empathizing with the community, I have developed innovative programs to bridge the gap between the urban poor and the affluent. Engaging with young minds and fellow innovators to share challenges and experiences has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of being an entrepreneur. What do you find most challenging about being an entrepreneur? One of the significant challenges about being an entrepreneur is making the startup space more gender-inclusive, especially as the investor panel remains largely dominated by men. What is your brand’s USP? I feel proud to apprise that our brand’s USP is that we are specialize in providing the following services: Community Development Programs: We implement community development programs aimed at empowering individuals and providing sustainable livelihood opportunities. Capacity Building: We curate programs that offer hand-holding support for program implementation to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and grassroots organizations. Specialized Workshops: Our experiential training workshops and upskilling programs help individuals realize their full potential by enhancing their cognitive capacities and improving their skill sets. In addition to these core services of SWAN, we actively partner with various college societies to run programs focused on social entrepreneurship and sustainability, encouraging youth to become future changemakers. How is your brand different from the competitors? Regarding brand difference from our competitors, we believe in creating a greater impact at the community level, which is why all our programs are customized based on the specific needs of our target audience, geography, and socio-cultural context. Before launching any program, we conduct a thorough needs assessment to ensure that our training programs and workshop sessions are tailored to the prevailing conditions. This approach allows us to avoid directly replicating or digitizing content, whether in offline or online modes, and ensures maximum impact and relevance for the communities we serve. What have been your most significant failures, and what did you learn from them? Having a mentor whose vision aligns with your company's vision is crucial, especially when you're starting up. Additionally, building a strong team of individuals who share and support your startup's vision is essential for success. What makes an entrepreneur successful? I feel that the following things can make an entrepreneur successful: Clear Vision: Understanding what you're working on and identifying whose problem it will solve is fundamental. A clear vision provides direction and purpose. Aligned Mentorship: Having a mentor whose vision aligns with your company's vision is crucial, especially at the startup stage. This guidance can help navigate early challenges and opportunities. Empowering Leadership: The ability to lead by empowering the people around you is vital. Building a strong team of individuals who share and support your startup's vision creates a cohesive and motivated workforce. Sustainability and Purpose: Ensuring your idea is sustainable and having a strong "why" or reason for starting your business provides long-term direction and resilience. Problem-Solving and Innovation: The ability to decipher problems and continuously work on creating innovative, out-of-the-box solutions sets successful entrepreneurs apart. Empathy: Being empathetic allows you to understand and address the needs and concerns of your team, customers, and stakeholders, fostering stronger relationships and trust. Consistency and Patience: Being consistent in your efforts and patient for results is particularly important in the early stages. Success often requires time and perseverance. Combining these elements helps create a solid foundation for entrepreneurial success. In your opinion, what is the importance of a good team? In my opinion, An entrepreneur needs to realize that one cannot run their business alone. A strong team of empowered members who share the vision and are enthusiastic about taking on leadership roles based on their capabilities is essential. This not only distributes the workload of the founders but also fosters a collaborative environment. Founders should focus on building the capacity of their teams, ensuring that members are willing and able to take on new and challenging roles in the fast-paced startup environment. A good team is crucial for: Shared Vision: Team members who abide by the company’s vision help maintain a unified direction and purpose. Distributed Leadership: Empowered team members can take the lead in various areas, leveraging their skills and expertise to drive the business forward. Workload Management: Sharing the workload among capable team members ensures that no one person is overwhelmed and that tasks are completed efficiently. Innovation and Agility: A team that is ready to embrace new challenges and roles can adapt quickly to changes, fostering innovation and maintaining agility in a dynamic market. Sustained Growth: Investing in team development and capacity building ensures that the team grows alongside the company, ready to meet future challenges and opportunities. A good team is not just a support system but a critical component of the business's success, enabling sustainable growth and resilience in the face of challenges. How do you plan for your business's future? Since inception, we’ve expanded to include both classroom and virtual training sessions. Looking ahead, we intend to expand into e-learning to reach a larger number of people with skill-based learning, as well as begin our in-class, community development sessions in the areas of skill development, education, and women empowerment. Future projections appear brighter as skill development gains traction, as evidenced by the SDGs-2030 (Sustainable Development Goals), which advocate for technical, vocational education and training (TVET), decent work opportunities and assistance to young adults. Making our programmes tech inclusive to reach out to a wider audience is in the goal list. What do you look for when building a team? We are seeking individuals who share our zeal and enthusiasm for working towards a common goal and mission. Our organization thrives on the collective passion of its team members to bring about meaningful change. Since our inception, we have attracted like-minded individuals who have contributed to our collective success and growth. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? I manage stress and pressure by engaging more people to share the workload, allowing for effective distribution and ensuring high-quality work is submitted before deadlines. Taking intermittent breaks to refresh myself is crucial; as an avid trekker and ardent birdwatcher, I find these activities rejuvenating. Attending conferences on climate change, ESG, and sustainability helps broaden my perspectives, especially since my work intersects with social and environmental issues. Additionally, being an art lover, I seek out spaces where I can learn about new art forms, which provides a creative outlet and further helps in managing stress. What do you consider non-negotiable in your business? The delivery of quality work within the specified timeline is non-negotiable for us. In your opinion what are the keys to success? I feel that the Key elements for success include having a growth mindset, empowering and supporting your team, thoroughly understanding problems before seeking solutions, maintaining consistency in work, and empathizing with your target audience. When did you know you wanted to become an entrepreneur? The past experience of working in Development Sector showed that there were youth who were unemployed, there were youth whose employment history had been short lived and there were employers who were either not getting suitable employees or whose experience with past employees had been miserable. All these situations required deep understanding and delicate handling of both sides. SWAN saw a niche in bridging the aspirations of the youth as per the requirements of the industry and we got started. What marketing tactics do you find most effective for reaching new customers? Word-of-mouth referrals, capturing video testimonials from our beneficiaries, and showcasing our work on social media have been our most effective marketing tactics for reaching new customers. Who do you look toward for advice? My mentors, team and family What goals are you still working towards achieving? We are currently focused on integrating sustainability and technology into our operations. These efforts aim to align with the Sustainable Development Goals and accelerate our growth. Simultaneously, we are collaborating with more like-minded organizations working at the grassroots level to continue to empower rural women to enable sustainable livelihood opportunities. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? Always believe in yourself. Consistency in your work will take you a long way. 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 Gamethon Professional Gamers You may also like to read

Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty, after working & consulting for advertising agencies for 9 years and having the will to be her own boss < All Interviews Samriddhi Chakraborty Founder Women Entrepreneur As part of VictoryTales relentless efforts to identify and share some of the meaningful stories from around the world, this time we are introducing a passionate Womanpreneur, Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty, Founder of “The Calibrate” It is said that there are smooth paths to promising humans and the same thing also seems to work for Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty who did her master's in Advertising and the Creative Economy from Kingston University, London (United Kingdom) with an objective to become a Womanpreneur one day. Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty, after working & consulting for advertising agencies for 9 years and having the will to be her own boss, decided to go ahead with her own Digital & Data specialists firm "The Calibrate". There are very few people who think about disabled people. Ms. Samriddhi, not only gives training to them but also employ them. She has built an inclusive team to apprise the world that people with disabilities can also do what normal men/women can do. Share this Interview: Know more about The Calibrate “ The Calibrate ” - its a Digital and Data Specialist firm with its focus pillars revolving around digital marketing, data mining, & machine learning, creative branding and strategy, and professional development. The Calibrate has managed to have another office in Singapore that handles the data mining side of “The Calibrate” The Services “The Calibrate” offers are : Ideation & Branding: Brand Manual & Guidelines | Production | Contests & Campaigns | Strategic Planning & Account Management Social Marketing & Media Management: Social Media Marketing & Online Reputation Management | Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) | Search Engine Marketing (SEM) | Email Marketing Digital Communication & Personal Development Consultation On inquiring from Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty about the idea to start something like this and her journey as a Womanpreneur, she apprised that; My latent interest in becoming an entrepreneur came to light while completing my master’s at Kingston University, London (United Kingdom). It was a part of our curriculum to have to make startups and compete for inter-university. So our startup went on to win a lot of accolades and we received a lot of funding. Once I got back to India, taking pay off from my startup there, I went back to working and consulting for advertising agencies and startups, but deep in my heart I would yearn to be my own boss and after working for 9 years - I decided to go ahead with my own firm. On requesting her, Why did she choose entrepreneurship over a job? The ability to be your own boss and take ground-breaking decisions with regard to campaigns and strategies. Also, employ and train people with disabilities and build an inclusive team. How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? Advertising has always been my passion and the idea to not change your field while forming a firm, but to continue following your passion motivated me to start my own firm. My industry is competitive, with so many agencies mushrooming across India on a regular basis - I have found my niche. A collaborative model where I work with different agencies as a team to offer the client what is best for him. Thus, as a collaborator, I have managed to have another office in Singapore that handles the data mining side of it. This gives my agency a wider edge than my supposed competitors. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? The urge to make it bigger and better and the dream to establish a group of companies in the next 5 years under The Calibrate banner. Right now, I have a digital wing in Kolkata and a data mining wing in Singapore. On inquiring from Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty about the challenges/obstacles she faced in her journey so far, She explains that; Brands have the perception that since the agency is new and has low clientele/low brand equity - they can make them work at a dearth-cheap pricing. So I have had to say no to a lot of brands asking for services at a dearth cheap rate. This has been the biggest obstacle that I have faced as an entrepreneur. On inquiring about the uniqueness of her startup Glow Entertainment, Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty explained that; My firm is all about inclusion and collaboration. I work with people with disabilities as well as normal people. And I have a lot of agencies up my sleeve with whom there is a collaborative model in place. So this offers a wider scope for my startup to operate. When stress persists, it can take a toll on your health and well-being. On inquiring from Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty that How she handles the pressure and manages stress, She explains us that; Stress is an integral part of the initial days for any startup - especially when you are bootstrapping it. For me - I manifest my stress into energy to get the venture up and rolling. I don’t let downfalls and setbacks affect me. Rather I stand up and face what’s coming with conviction and positivity. On inquiring about what is one strategy that she believes has helped her grow as a person/startup? Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty said that; As a person I have always believed in a personal relationship than a mere professional relationship. So in the last 9 years of working as an account strategist - I have harbored innumerable relationships with clients who have become friends and have helped me immensely through the course of my career and now my startup business. In your opinion what are the keys to success? You cannot always pick pointers that can be solidified as keys to success as it is quite variable. For me keys to success would include a happy team working in silos for the greater good, a common goal to make The Calibrate a success. A plethora of happy customer testimonials and pull factors while acquiring newer retainers from existing clients to name a few. On asking her about the advice she would like to give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur, Ms. Samriddhi Chakraborty says that; As it is said that constant Focus is the key to success and does not lose hope when things are not working out. One should Look for loopholes before the hiccups come into play and salvage the situation before it takes a drastic turn. 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

Made4ever is India’s #1st online earning and matchmaking web portal for Marriage Bureaus. Working for the community for the last 7 years, the company has upgraded its software to help their customers. < All Interviews ASHISH NARANG FOUNDER & CEO Entrepreneur VictoryTales keeps scrolling for more and more meaningful and powerful inspirational stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of entrepreneurs. We are privileged to introduce Mr. Ashish Narang who is on a mission to prove that the Marriages are made in heaven and consummated on Earth. Ashish is founder and CEO of made4ever that works with a goal to create a connection between marriage bureaus, allowing for wider choice for individuals looking to get matches for their clients. Ashish possesses deep understanding of the needs of the families and has been working for the last so many years with the mission to change the mindset of finding relationships through optimum use of technology. Graduated from Punjab University, having aptitude and expertise to drive a move through Made4ever for the populace looking for genuine relationships. Made4ever is India’s first online earning and match making web portal for marriage bureau with growth mantra "Our commitment to this noble business will be the biggest reason for our mutual success" Ashish is on the mission to guide for right Technology & Features which will help many to grow their marriage bureau businesses across India. Share this Interview: Know more about Made4ever Made4ever was established in the year 2016 and developed a software/platform for Local Marriage Bureau in India. The company provide services to the local marriage bureaus and fulfilling their dream of working from home for getting matches for their client’s profile. The company has also developed made4ever app now for better approach for its clients. The company works with a goal to create a connection between these bureaus, allowing for wider choice for individuals looking to get matches for their clients. With so many years of experience in the matrimony field, Made4ever has a strong understanding of the matrimony field and the need for this solution. Made4ever is India’s #1st online earning and matchmaking web portal for Marriage Bureaus. Working for the community for the last 7 years, the company has upgraded its software to help their customers and deliver seamless experience as per expectation of the clienteles. The founder & CEO Mr. Ashish Narang feels privileged to announce that MADE4EVER MATCHMAKING SOFTWARE (exclusively for Marriage Bureaus) has made its presence in 10 states namely Delhi-NCR, Chandigarh-Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, U.P, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra with 2500+ members as on date. Where did the idea to start something like this come from? We have been working in the matrimony field for 20 years. We observed that there is no connection between different marriage bureaus that connect them and thus provide opportunity to them for wider choice. A great idea to bring local marriage bureaus together and provide more options for individuals seeking to get married. By developing a software and a common platform which provide wide scoop for local marriages, we feel proud that we are able to streamline the process of matching likely souls and make it easier for people to connect with the right match. It is as of date is India’s first venture for local marriage bureaus. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? I belongs to a business family and I think that whenever a person wants to bring a big change within the country, it's then when many wise minds and likeminded people work together with true hearts, then the society changes. What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? I feel that the driving force within me who inspire me to become an entrepreneur is my understanding about the bitterness, problems coming in human relationships in the families within the society. I am on the mission to understanding the reasons for most of the divorces happening in today's time and workforce to eradicate Divorces for better life among couples. Having proper knowledge & limitations of the marriage bureaus and the problem-solving capacity within me inspire me to make such platform to bring onboard all the Marriage bureau. To solve all these problems, Made4ever was formed. Startup failure is highest in the market but Made4ever has proven its idea by executing it well since last six years. Our solutions are designed to solve all matchmaking issues across all castes and religions for all customer segments in India, thereby establishing the quickest matchmaking revenue model business in India. What’s your source of motivation? My source of motivation is our Indian traditions and its process of matchmaking or relationship discovery by families in India. I feel that Matchmaking tool is in four steps. 47% marriages are arranged marriages in India and 8% marriages are love marriages and is done in villages, small towns, including families residing in metro cities are conducting in their own way. 20% marriages of families have relationships with their community and independent organizations like Pandit Ji, Arya Samaj, Temples, Gurudwaras, Deras and other religious places and social events like marriages, family events. 12% marriages are fixed by match-making work through print media (newspapers). It is observed that on an average in a year, about 24 million users search for matchmaking through newspapers. 13% of Indian households are spending on an average from Rs 100/- to Rs 100000/- on finding matching (Rishta) only. Matches are found through online matrimonial websites and offline matchmaking done by local marriage bureaus. How many hours a day do you work on average? As you know that I am working on my dream to convert it into the happening and achieving goal to serve the community leads to uncountable my daily hours in this mission. I have many more social obligations too as such normally I am devoting 10 to 11 hours for this every day. What is the uniqueness of your startup? About uniqueness of my startup, I can tell you there is no B2B business/venture or tech company for marriage bureaus within the country. Made4ever is the only Unique company available for the community as of date. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? It's always great to know that we are committed of doing good work for society, especially for girls. Doing good work can not only improve the lives of individuals and families, but it can also bring positive changes to the wider community. And when people receive blessings and support, they are often better equipped to handle the challenges and pressures that come with making a difference. By working together and lifting each other up, we can make a real impact and create a better society for all. So, I never feel pressure or stressed as I manage with the blessings and support of our clients by doing noble cause. How do you generate new ideas? I feel that the idea evolves once you are having a clear understanding of why & what you are doing, as well as what your goals, values, and strategy are, is crucial for success in any endeavor. This provides direction, focus, and helps to ensure that everyone is aligned and working towards the same objectives. Having a clear structure and philosophy also helps to build trust with stakeholders, as they can see that you have a well-defined plan and a commitment to doing good work. So, it's important to take the time to define and communicate these important elements in order to achieve the desired outcomes. How did you come up with the name for your company? The ideal to name the company comes with its objective and Made4ever was adjudged as the best option available with us. Frankly saying, somebody had to come forward in the country to do this work with pure spirit and I feel the company’s innovation concepts has the ability to convert the made4ever from a short-term company (startup) into a long-term company (institution). What piece of advice would you give to college graduates? With this belief, I would like to draw the attention of young generation's attention towards the serious but untouched issue of decreasing family harmony in today's time and the extreme difficulties being faced in finding and maintaining relationships in every family. The young generation should understand the family is an institution where elders trained their children/grand children and grow them for developing better societies. 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

Mr. Aditya Pratap Singh Chauhan who has developed his project MICROPA which is a novel device for the detection, quantification, and filtration of microplastics in drinking water... < All Interviews Aditya Pratap Singh Founder Entrepreneur We as Victorytales, In our latest interview, spoke to yet another passionate student cum entrepreneur Mr. Aditya Pratap Singh Chauhan who has developed his project MICROPA which is a novel device for the detection, quantification, and filtration of microplastics in drinking water. Mr. Aditya was selected for the first-ever batch of the most wonderful program by ISRO Young Scientist Programme YuViKa 2019 as one of the only three students from the state. He has Attended a 15-day residential event at U R Rao Satelite Centre (URSC) Bangalore along with a visit to Sriharikota launch base and special interaction with Dr. K Sivan. The program was primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science, and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their interest in the emerging areas of Space activities. Mr. Aditya is the finalist of the Regeneron ISEF 2020 organized by Society for Science and the Public to represent India in the world's largest science innovation fair in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Mr. Aditya is also a winner of the Grand Award at IRIS - the largest science fair of India for high school students. He is selected as one of the 20 teams to form team India and Represent the nation at Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, held annually in the United States. Mr. Aditya is a recipient of a two-time cash award under CSIR Innovation Award for School Children. He received Rs. 5000/- in the year 2018 from the Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan, and Rs 10000/- in the year 2019 from the Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan in the presence of Honourable President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind. Share this Interview: Know more about MICROPA What is basically your innovative idea that you turned into something that would affect a large number of people? So, along with my partner, I worked on a project developing MICROPA, a novel device for the detection, quantification, and filtration of microplastics in drinking water. It is a unique device that could identify, count, and remove microplastics that are present in the drinking water in about 83% regions of the world. Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur; There was an incident in my locality when a person was found to be infected by the water-borne disease. On the test of his drinking water supply, a surprising presence of microplastics was found. That was when we first came across this term. Later, we found newspaper articles on microplastics. We then decided to research deeper on it and found out that microplastics pose a really huge threat by marking their presence in drinking water around the world. These ultra-tiny plastic particles are not easily identified or removed. Hence we made up our minds to come up with a simple but efficient solution to the problem. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? I wake up every day with a strong mindset to face all the challenges that I would come across throughout the day with my full efforts. I have just one motive, “Just learn more and more, always be ready to gain knowledge from all directions, and never fail to spread your knowledge and implement your skills for the betterment of others and only for the good.” What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? There have been many setbacks in the journey so far. There were many situations that left us clueless on how to proceed further. There have been times when we lacked the resources to continue our work. But it was all our perseverance and dedication to succeed, no matter how hard we have to work. I basically tried to think deeply about the problems and tried to come up with a solution, which I eventually would every time. So, I can say that peace of mind and perseverance is really necessary for this venture. Tell us about the uniqueness of your work, please; Ok, so my project is MICROPA, it is a device for the simple but very much accurate detection, quantification, and filtration of microplastics in drinking water. Currently, there are not many ways other than complex lab processes to actually identify or remove microplastics from water samples. So, our device actually marks a milestone by providing such a facility directly to the hands of people. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? There were literally many instances when I had to handle a lot of pressure and stress. Keeping my mind calm and peaceful was the best way to overcome these situations. Regular yoga and meditation help me clear my path through these problems by giving me proper peace in my mind to enable myself to think more. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? For me, I would say it is my never-ending spirit to learn and the patience that helped me grow up to what I am now. I would never leave a chance to learn a new skill and practice it to further refine it. My patience is what empowered me to get through tough times with a peaceful mind and proper implementation of ideas. I also always put my complete efforts on anything that I do, which definitely brings out the best result. In your opinion what are the keys to success? In my opinion, the true key to success is one’s passion for something and his dedication to making everything possible. One must be willing to give time to nurture his idea to make it successful, only then he receives good results. One must have a lot of patience and endurance to survive and overcome all problems that he faces. I would just say, “Find something beneficial not for yourself, but for the society, and just never stop on that path, you would definitely get success along with respect.” What have been your key achievements in the course of your journey? In all these times when I worked upon the project, there were real ups and downs that we faced. But the best parts were when the work was recognized and certified in international and national platforms. The project qualified to represent team India at the International Science and Engineering Fair(ISEF 2020)[The largest high school STEM Innovation Fair in the world] after it was awarded the grand award at IRIS National Fair (India’s Largest STEM Innovation Fair). The work is also qualified to be represented at the International Genius Olympiad, along with its national certification like the CSIR Innovation Award that was handed over by respected Science and Technology Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, in the presence of honorable President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind. Apart from these, with a strong profile, I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of the three students to represent my state in ISRO’s first-ever Young Scientist Program YuViKa. Could you tell us about what did you achieve from this journey of yours till now, apart from the awards? This awesome journey from planting the seeds of this idea to actually bring it to the existence has been way more explorative, informative, and educative than just fun. There are countless skills and abilities that I gained through all this time. Leadership, communication, presentation are some soft skills that I seem to have improved on a lot. Most importantly, I learned how to never get stuck in a situation and always make your way out of it. Also, I would like to suggest a person that one must always follow his passion and interest, no matter how hard the path is. 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

After spending many sleepless nights and finally, one day came up with an idea... < All Interviews A Parthiban Founder and CEO Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its objective to strive and grope vigorously to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of entrepreneurs, this time we are introducing Mr. A Parthiban, Founder & CEO of Virtue Sense. Mr. Parthiban is an IT Engineer with vast experience in different fields. He worked in the field of sales, marketing, and even as a gym trainer before deciding to raise a company called “Virtue Sense”. After spending many sleepless nights and finally, one day came up with an idea of starting up a software company on his own which is a Customer-centric and Employee friendly workplace. Mr. Parthiban wanted to decide on his own, freedom of agreeing and disagreeing, to set an example for the future in terms of work culture, dealing with clients, and satisfying them. Mr. Parthiban has a healthy habit of being on the internet mostly and searching for existing business owner’s struggles, upcoming technologies, and business models to see how he can benefit them. Keeping himself engaged and updated with new business models drives him through. Share this Interview: Know more about Virtue Sense Virtue Sense is a digital product development firm that transforms business through design and technology. Beating the common belief to make a trade-off between price, features reliability, and customer satisfaction, Virtue Sense strives to secure steady growth of its customers by producing applications that are highly reliable, rich in functionality, and yet extremely affordable. With its motto "We Inspire from Great Ideas, Innovate with Technologies and Impress with our Works!" Virtue Sense always goes for interesting, challenging, and exciting opportunities to make it fit into any market any time through its varied expertise in Web & Mobile App development, On-Demand App development, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain Technology, AR/VR development, Digital Marketing and many more. On inquiring from where did the idea to start something like “Virtue Sense” came from and requesting him to tell us about his background and his journey as an entrepreneur, Mr. Parthiban apprised that; Like many of the people I have joined Engineering B.Tech (IT) with Zero-knowledge, I was an average performer in academics during my school days but I went below that in the Engineering days. Luckily I was able to complete my degree. I was totally blank after my 4 years of engineering and despite having arrears and zero knowledge in coding I have no guts to apply for an IT job. I tried many companies in and around my city for various job roles, Many companies rejected me because I was overqualified for that job. After many rejections (after 6 months) I got a Field Marketing job (Part-time) initially it was a bit uncomfortable for me to face some really worst situations and I equipped myself and did a good number of sales. As it was a contract job I worked for 4 months and again I was unemployed. Thereafter I decided to join as a GYM instructor (morning time) and after that, I started attending interviews and one fine day one of my friends neighbor was in a plan of starting his company and was in search of some candidates and I went along with 3 of my friends and joined the company (Night Shift) and that was a pure sales-oriented company and within a few months all of the 3 friends left the job and I was the only one survived and did a great number of sales and was promoted as a team leader. One day, I thought of switching to a day shift job and this time I was confident enough to apply for many IT companies and got many good offers in Night shift but at that time my only preference was day shift and then I’ve got into a company where I learned how a software company works, etc., I was promoted as a regional head of sales in a short period. Naturally being transparent, straightforward and honest not only to the company but also for my clients there were some unorganized stuff inside the company so many of the clients were unhappy with their project deliveries, despite being in a very comfortable position I have decided to switch my company and that was even worse and then I have decided to start a company with a strong focus on Business ethics, Transparency, Trust, Affordable and Satisfaction to my clients. On inquiring from Mr. Parthiban, why has he chosen to become an entrepreneur over a job? He apprised that; I wanted to decide on my own, freedom of agreeing and disagreeing, to set an example for the future in terms of work culture, dealing with clients, and satisfying them. On inquiring from him about what was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? Mr. Parthiban replied that; After spending years in the IT industry and working closely with many clients, personally I have never got satisfaction from the works done. Most of the companies are much concerned about their revenue. rather than customer satisfaction. Many sleepless nights spent and finally one day came up with an idea of starting up a software company on my own which should be a Customer-centric and Employee friendly workplace. I strongly believe that “True Entrepreneurship is delivering success to everyone” and hence came up with “VirtueSense” we are here to stand unique and create a revolution in IT and Customer relationships! Can you please share with us your source of motivation for becoming an Entrepreneur? Being from an upper-middle-class family, It was initially hard for me to break the shell but I always wanted to be on my own and to do what I love and here I am with my own Name and proud to say that every single penny earned is with my belief and struggles. My family respected my dream and allowed me to self think and decide what is right and what is wrong. On inquiring from Mr. Parthiban about the number of hours a day he normally works on an average? He conveyed that; I don't have a specific time, I will work on my necessary and comfortable timing. I always make time for myself, family, and friends. On inquiring about the Uniqueness of his company “Virtue Sense”, Mr. Parthiban said that ; At Virtue Sense, We strive to be more of a partner than a vendor. Partners understand each other and bring value to the business. A strong focus on providing an excellent customer experience helps us attract and retain customers of all sizes, across a wide range of markets and industries. Our company runs through profits, private ownership, and a debt-free structure also allow us to offer our customers stability and the promise that we will continue to offer them support long after the close of a sale. We are UNIQUE . Nowadays it is said that Pressure and Stress are becoming part of everyone’s life, On inquiring how you handle the pressure and manage stress? Mr. Parthiban replied that; Well, Every human undergoes this, I used to spend time with my family and friends and do regular workouts and travel a lot to keep my mind and body healthy. I won't make promises which I can’t keep and I don't take up commitments that I cannot afford. On inquiring, how does he generate new ideas? Mr. Parthiban apprised that; I have a healthy habit of being on the internet mostly and searching for existing business owner’s struggles, upcoming technologies, and business models to see how I can benefit them. Keeping myself engaged and updated with new business models drives me through. How did you come up with the name for your company and what was the thought behind deciding the name of your company? We believe that Our name speaks: Virtue = High morals and Ethics Sense = Sensing the future Sensing the future technology with Virtue On inquiring about what piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? He replied that; We should allow future generations to self think, analyze, plan, and execute their dreams. We shouldn’t compare ourselves with anyone, We need to find our best and work for it. We shouldn’t worry about others getting settled in their life so soon, we should be happy that we still have more opportunities to explore. Ask WHY? and know WHY? Remember “A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of a sheep - Tywin Lannister”. Nowadays many entrepreneurs are budding like me, No matter whatever business you’re into let us understand the core value of the business and never let the standards down. If we have worked for something good we should know how to sell, Selling something for less than the worth is not real business it will affect the entire ecosystem. Let’s have a healthy business and be happy. Good luck! 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

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 < All Interviews Ranjit Baruah FOUNDER DIRECTOR Entrepreneur As part of our persistent efforts here in VictoryTales to identify and share some of the meaningful stories from India and around the world, we have invited Mrs. & Mr. Ranjit Baruah for an interview with us. 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 in various management capacities started his venture with the motive to help small tea growers to find a good market and a remunerative price for the tea they grow and offer something beautiful to the tea lovers across the world. Mr. Ranjit was supported by his wife Ms. Dolly Sharma Baruah, Co-Founder and started AROMICA TEA in the year Nov 2018 with 05(five) basic tea blends and gradually started developing many specialty tea blends each having its own health benefits. Presently AROMICA TEA has about 26 blends of tea with its own unique taste and flavor. All teas are based on authentic Assam Teas and produced by the marginalized Small Tea growers. This beautiful couple has created many tea blends using natural ingredients which are traditionally known to have health beneficial properties i.e., Mint, Tulsi, lemongrass, Ginger, Black pepper, Rose, Hibiscus, etc. According to Mr. Ranjit, the BLUE TEA (a blend of superfine organic green tea and Butterfly pea flower and some Indian herbs and spices) and the BHUT JOLOKIA TEA (a blend of Assam Black Dheki tea and Ghost pepper, ginger, and lemon powder), are the unique tea blends of their brand. Share this Interview: Know more about AROMICA TEA AROMICA TEA inherits 20 years of experience in tea plantation and manufacture accumulated by founder Mr. Ranjit Baruah, a tea planter by profession. from different Organic tea gardens in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh supporting the local producers to get a good value and a steady market for their produce. Infusing our long experience in the tea and blended under expert eyes, teas are handcrafted with passion and love to provide you the perfect blend of Green Tea rich in aroma, flavor, and taste have also introduced Blooming Green tea for the first time in the region. Experience the exotic floral display and enjoy the aroma and fragrance of the Blooming green tea. 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 was working in Mcleod Russel India Limited, the largest tea company in the country for the last 20 years in various management capacities. Having worked in various tea estate across Assam and due to my posting in different places of Assam, I have come across many small tea growers who were producing fantastic teas in their small units but having difficulty in finding the right market for their produce. AROMICA TEA was started with the motive of helping these small tea growers to find a good market and a remunerative price for the teas and offer something beautiful to the tea lovers across the world. I had done my graduation from Cotton College in B.Sc( Anthropology) and thereafter completed my Hotel Management course from IHM, Guwahati, and worked for a few years in the hotel industry. In 1999 I got an opportunity to join Williamson Magor Tea Ltd. Joining as a Management Trainee rose up to the ranks of Dy.Manager in my career spanning about 20 years. I got to learn of Tea manufacturing, production, and Tea Tasting while at the job and my deployment in the tea gardens and factory. I have also done a course on ENTREPRENEURSHIP from IIM, Rohtak and this has helped me in learning the intricacies of the business. I started AROMICA TEA in Nov 2018 with 5 basic tea blends and gradually started developing many specialty tea blends each having its own health benefits. Presently we have about 26 blends of tea with its own unique taste and flavor. We forayed into the Wellness Tea segment and all the tea blends carry intrinsic health benefits. The basic idea was to promote health through a cup of tea. My wife Dolly Sharma Baruah joined me as the Co-Founder. The firm was registered as a Pvt.Limited Company with 5 Directors which included Dr.Utpaljeet Baruah (by elder brother), Ranju Rekha Sharma Baruah (my sister-in-law )( both law professionals), and Kakolee B.Bordoloi (my sister) who has 14 years experience in the tea industry. In 2019, the CEO of a reputed Wellness aggregator firm from Mumbai Get A Life Fitness ( GALF), Mr.Amit Vasistha appreciating our endeavor forged an alliance with us to promote corporate wellness Following this, the Founder Director of Tea Coffee Association ( TCA) Mumbai Mr.Pramod Wakode also associated with us to promote the small tea vendors and growers. In Feb 2020, we were selected by Assam Start-Up as an incubatee and in March 2020 we were selected by IIM Calcutta Innovation Park as an incubatee making us the first tea company in the country to be incubated by any IIM. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? Being an entrepreneur gives you more freedom to think and work as per your own conditions. I can give shape to a product and create a market for my own. Greater independence and a zeal to support the Small Tea Growers is what inspired me to be an entrepreneur. Jobs had its own limitations and scope of doing things. How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? Tea is a competitive market and I was well aware of it before planning to become an entrepreneur. So the first step was to create blends that would be beneficial to health, good to taste and provide wellness in totality. We embarked on a journey that was not frequently trodden but held good promise. Wellness is a promising sector and we created Tea blends that cater to wellness in totality. All our teas by means of value addition were created to promote wellness. It was difficult initially as we had to compete with a minimum of 52 tea blends that were already in existence at any point in time but with time, we have been able to create a niche market for our teas and the sales are slow and steady. Encouragingly, the sales have been throughout the country and to overseas markets also. We have been able to get a very good response in social media and word of mouth which has helped us a lot. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? Very interesting query! The zeal to create something new and provide to the tea lovers keeps me going and trying newer blends. With the health and wellness segment opening up like never before post the advent of COVID 19, we have been trying Immunity boosting tea blends and offering to our patrons. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? The main challenge is product placement and letting customers know about our products. It’s not an easy task given that many reputed brands are already in the market. People find it difficult to switch over to a new brand. However, we have been successful to create our own client base and they have been encouragingly patronizing our products. Secondly is arranging the funds to produce, promote, and market the teas. As these are wellness teas, a lot of expenditure goes to R & D and certifications. Also, there is a constant challenge of creating newer domestic markets for the teas and exploring the export market. Brand promotion entails a huge expenditure and for a new Start-Up and funds are a constant challenge. Tell us about the uniqueness of your startup, please; All our teas are based on authentic Assam Teas and produced by the marginalized Small Tea growers. We create tea blends using natural ingredients that are traditionally known to have health beneficial properties. Examples are Mint, Tulsi, lemongrass, Ginger, Black pepper, Rose, Hibiscus, etc. We have been able to create some unique tea blends which include the BLUE TEA and the BHUT JOLOKIA TEA. The BLUE TEA is a blend of superfine organic green tea and Butterfly pea flower and some Indian herbs and spices. The BHUT JOLOKIA TEA is the only one of its kind in the world. It is a blend of Assam Black Dheki tea and Bhut Jolokia ( Ghost pepper), ginger, and lemon powder. (“Dheki” is a wooden foot mortar used to crush the rice. “Dheki” tea is a handcrafted black tea which is made by crushing the green tea leaves in the Dheki) The uniqueness of our startup is the UNIQUENESS of the tea blends we have created. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Reading journals, newspapers and successful entrepreneurial stories boosts me up and helps to relieve my stress. Also, my time with my 3 kids is a great source of energy for me. ( They are aged between 6 months - 6 years) What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? “Never give up” has been my motto. The entrepreneurial journey is full of uncertainty but the never give up attitude helps me to pivot out a solution from every hurdle. I believe in a saying ‘There is always a way out’. A sincere focus with an honest intention and the motivation to uplift the marginalized small farmers has helped me to grow into a better person. At the end of the day, the smiles that my effort brings on the faces of these people boost me up and motivates me to do better. Besides these, we strongly believe in Women empowerment and 80 % of our employees are women. They are a force behind my journey. After all, they have all the patience in the world to carefully do the blending and create our teas out of passion and love. In your opinion what are the keys to success? There is no fixed formula for success but there are certain things that go a long way in helping to fulfill your dreams. The first thing is a strong belief in yourself and your idea. This has to be backed by a strong passion to give shape to your dreams. It works wonders and definitely helps. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? One thing that has helped me and I would like to share that if you have an idea go for it. There will be many hurdles and not many will encourage you. But a strong determination and a single focus will help one to come out successfully. Nothing happens overnight but the taste of success is very sweet. 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

Vipul did Level 02 Coaching certification from Australian Ice Racing (AIR) in Short Track Speed Ice skating, & certified by Olympic Solidarity, Melbourne, Australia. < All Interviews Dr. Vipul Lunawat Founder and Director Entrepreneur We as Victorytales, In the latest interview, spoke to yet another passionate entrepreneur Dr. Vipul Lunawat. To understand more about his interesting journey as a sportsman and an entrepreneur, the quest started at an early age because he was fond of Roller Skating and has been a skater since an early age of 5. Dr.Vipul Lunawat did Ph.D. in Sports Management, MSc Electronics from the University of Pune, Master’s Programme in Business Administration from Institute of Management Education, Pune, and BSc Electronics from the University of Pune. Besides above, Vipul did Level 02 Coaching certification from Australian Ice Racing (AIR) in Short Track Speed Ice skating, & certified by Olympic Solidarity, Melbourne, Australia. He also possesses the Certification in the International Skating Union (ISU) Regional Officials Course for Short Track Speed Ice Skating. Dr. Vipul was part of the Indian contingent as a coach for the Short Track Speed Skating teams at the Singapore Open, 2014 and the Thailand Open Championships, 2013, South-East Asian Trophy 2019, Singapore. Competed in Roller Skating World Championships in Venezuela-2003 as a part of the Indian Junior Team. Competed in Roller Skating International Championships in Ostend, Belgium-2001, Serpa, Portugal-2001. National medalist in RSFI Senior Mens Inline Speed Skating. State Level Gold Medal, Basketball. Coach, Roller & Ice Skating at Snohvit International Ice Skating Club and ISST Sports Academy, Pune. Coached 3000+ students in roller & ice skating since 2004. Vipul has also been involved in organizing various world-class sports events, since 2004. Share this Interview: Know more about Institute of Sports Science and Technology Institute of Sports Science and Technology i.e ISST is the first institute in INDIA providing courses in Sports Education & Sports Management Education. Modern sport covers a broad range of areas, be it ethics, medicine, technology,finance, law, education or sociology, to name a few. ISST with its modern course structure will provide a launch pad for those who wish to pursue a career in the field of sports and believes that at the beginning of a new era, the sport is in urgent need of higher competent, well trained and experienced sports administrators. The ISST will have a unique network of multi field expertise; it will develop and apply knowledge to the study of sports in connection with technology, management, medicine biology, law, economics,logistics and sociology, to name just a few. ISST supports sports innovations, technology transfer and business development. On inquiring from where did the idea to start something like “ISST” come from and requesting him to tell us about his background and his journey as an entrepreneur, Vipul apprised that ; I have been a Roller Skater at an early age of 5. My mother is a national level basketball Gold medallist and so the love for sports runs in the blood. She was the one to introduce me to sports and skating. With the vision of my mother, dedicated efforts, and a lot of hard work, I went on to represent India at the Junior World Championships in 2003 in Venezuela and also in various other international events. Due to my focus in academics, I quit the professional sport in 2006, and just to be connected with the sport, started coaching young kids in roller skating. During my days as a skater and also a coach, I experienced a huge gap in how my sport is governed and managed. There was absolutely no structure in place to develop, nurture, and promote young athletes in the field of sports. Hence in 2007, I applied for a Masters in Sports Management in various Universities/institutes in Europe. I was pursuing my MBA at that time in Pune with Dr. P.C. Shejwalkar, a senior educationist as my guide and mentor. While discussing going abroad for higher education, where the fees for the course were much higher, he suggested that I start a sports management program in Pune itself, given my background in sports. And so in 2008, under the guidance and support of Dr. P.C. Shejwalkar and my mother, Ujwala Lunawat, established India’s first dedicated sports management institute, the Institute of Sports Science & Technology (ISST). The initial years were tough, as this was a totally new and innovative initiative, and I had no experience in starting a new venture. But with Shejwalkar sir’s support and the direction we established one of the first sports management courses in India. On enquiring from him about the choosing entrepreneurship over the job, Vipul narrated that; I have done my Masters in Electronics which has never interested me much. My interest was always towards playing sports and I have been actively participating until the first year of my masters. The IT sector was booming at that time and there were new opportunities available but I chose not to go for any interviews. I always wanted to do something different and had a passion for giving back to my sport in some way or the other which made me start coaching even after I discontinued my sports participation. Secondly, coming from a business family I was more aligned towards starting something of my own rather than working for someone else. And with luck, I got a career opportunity of my liking and started ISST. What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? I have always believed innovation happens when you do something out of the box. And I think, to be a successful entrepreneur or for that matter a successful human being, you should have a profound passion for whatever you do. India has a rich sporting culture, and we are just lagging behind in the field of sports as we don’t have a proper management structure in place. The want for doing something fruitful to uplift the sports scenario in India has been a driving force for me as an entrepreneur. It took me a while to realize that one should keep working towards the goal with excellence and other things follow. Please tell us about your source of motivation? My mother has been a constant source of motivation. She always wanted me to achieve what she could not as an athlete in her sports career. She has gone through all odds to support my career in sports. Apart from that, I get a lot of motivation from young kids I coach. The hard work and dedication these young kids put to develop their skills are truly inspirational and motivating. Please tell us about your source of motivation? My mother has been a constant source of motivation. She always wanted me to achieve what she could not as an athlete in her sports career. She has gone through all odds to support my career in sports. Apart from that, I get a lot of motivation from young kids I coach. The hard work and dedication these young kids put to develop their skills is truly inspirational and motivating. How many hours a day do you work on average? Almost 9-10 hours a day. But as an entrepreneur you have to be alert and attentive 24X7, so the work goes on like forever. Tell us about the uniqueness of your startup? ISST was started, not with the motive to make huge profits and make money. It was started with a noble idea of supporting the sports industry with innovative management practices to help develop better athletes and bring laurels for the country. The most unique feature of ISST is that it is a self-funded organization. ISST has been able to generate revenue streams that have helped it to be self-sustainable. The distance education programs which we offer help us to break geographical barriers to education and students enrolled from all over the world. Another USP we have is that ISST runs its own grassroots sports coaching academies providing students an opportunity to learn through coaching kids and managing various sports events. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? When you start something new, it is obvious that stress and pressure come along. My biggest stress buster is the coaching I do with kids for roller skating. It actually takes my mind off from all other things I am involved with. For me, the other best way to handle stress, pressure, and be productive is to divert the mind from the thing which gives us stress. I keep myself either occupied with work, or hobbies, or playtime with my dog. One tip for being stress-free is to keep a light heart. Don’t think much about things which give you stress and it will be taken care of. How do you generate new ideas? I don’t think there is a formula or process to generate new ideas. They just come or let us put it in this way, it’s god’s gift to get innovative ideas. I think for any entrepreneur to be successful the idea is the most important. You can surely achieve success if the idea is different and innovative enough. A quick tip would be to think out of the box or to do things in a different way for generating new ideas. How did you come up with the name for your Institute? Sports in this era is not just limited to on-field practice or play but also the use of science and technology to improve performance. When we started ISST, we intended to interlink the fields of science and technology with the field of sport and hence the name Institute of Sports Science & Technology (ISST). What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? One mistake every entrepreneur does is to expect fast results. I think young students should first do sound research, backed with educational qualifications for starting anything new. They should have a clear vision and goal of what they intend to achieve and what work they want to put in to achieve their goals. Without passion, there is no success. Students should keep working hard passionately, and not just hard, but skilfully hard so they move towards their goal. Results don’t come overnight and it may take a while for anything new to show results. Malcolm Gladwell in one of his books says you should work 10000 hours to achieve mastery in any field. And if we apply the same rule to new ventures, it takes 1000 years for any business to flourish. So if you put 10 hours of passionate work for 1000 days, you can become the master in that field and your business will surely show shoots of success. 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

Each morning looks like an empty canvas to me. And the sheer possibilities of how I can fill that canvas is super exciting. < All Interviews Simran Sahni Founder and Creative Director Women Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its objective to bring inspiring personalities from around the world and to share their inspiring journey, this time we are introducing Ms Simran Sahni, Founder & Creative Director of the “Goddess”. Simran started Goddess because she believes that women are equally, if not more creative. But sadly, the industry is dominated by only male creative stalwarts. Not only does Goddess seek to canvas meaningful content and campaigns for women targeted brands, but also desires to impact the highly precarious position that women hold in today’s new age India. As a young girl Simran was always enamoured by the power of advertising and how creativity could give definition and identity to inanimate brands. Simran also has determined that in today’s changed idealistic scenario, she can be a game changer, by not typecasting but understanding the new dreams and aspirations of women around the world. Simran is an army kid and have travelled a lot due to her father’s postings. So right from the beginning, at home every time she moved to a different place, made new friends and un-packed our boxes, it opened a new world within her. She guesses much of her inclusivity and opening boxes spirit comes from there. Having worked for over 17 years on top brands like NOKIA, LAYS, BOOST, PEPSI, SAMSUNG, across the top agencies in the country like LOWE, JWT, BATES, CHEIL and having won golds and slivers awards at the most prestigious advertising festivals across the world. Cannes, Cleo, Adfest… She believes she still needed to open more boxes! Share this Interview: Know more about TheGoddess Goddess Advertising is India’s only, all-female creative boutique and powerhouse lead, managed, and defined by women challenging the rigid norms of a massively male dominated industry. “I started Goddess because I believe that women are equally, if not more, creative. But sadly, the industry is dominated by only male creative stalwarts. I often wondered what was keeping strong, capable and super creative women away from the limelight? We seek to canvas meaningful content and campaigns for women targeted brands, but also desires to impact the highly precarious position that women hold in today’s new age India. “As a young girl I was always enamoured by the power of advertising and how creativity could give definition and identity to inanimate brands. I remember watching sanitary napkin ads where the girls wore tight white pants and climbed rocks, and always wondered WHY?? Why would any woman with cramps and heavy bleeding want to do this stunt? In today’s changed millennial scenario, we can be game changers, by not typecasting but understanding the new dreams and aspirations of women”. “But we are not feminists, we are empowerists! It’s not that we only work on women brands, we work across brands that excite us, have strong stories to tell, because we always come from a space of emotional intelligence and defining aesthetics”. Goddess Advertising is here to change the current landscape of women targeted advertising. They can be reached out at simran@thegoddess.in and suruchidutt@thegoddess.in . Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? One day I was sitting at a high-profile meeting with at least 20 senior planning and accounts people in the room. After I had made the creative presentation, each one had a speaking role, on how this idea does not work, is too far ahead of its time, is too clever, is not what the client will buy, can we tone it down, can we reimagine it, It’s great but… Now, I have an irrational fear of what follows the word ‘BUT”, Cause then it makes everything before the BUT irrelevant. And sitting there listening to the cacophony of opinions, I realized that this is not what I want. If I have to work so hard, first on the idea, second on convincing 20 people, then third, I’d rather work hard for myself and go convince the client myself. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? Each morning looks like an empty canvas to me. And the sheer possibilities of how I can fill that canvas is super exciting. And when you are always thinking what more, how else, what colors, what shape, what words to give to your painting, it’s like an auto-pilot-motivation mode. Also song lyrics, humor, observing the daily grind, the routine, when someone says something which triggers something totally unexpected in your head, all these are wow, During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption? As the business is born during the COVID-19 crisis, each measure is taken to ensure that the model aligns with the challenges of the pandemic. Our business model consists of a lean team which is not resource-heavy and has minimal overheads. The freelancer model ensures each & every work can be handled remotely, where we don’t need to do physical meetings. Every aspect of the business is online and tech-enabled to ensure automation as much as possible. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? The biggest challenge we face as a creative agency, is when you want to go after the Big Clients, They are: Hey your ideas are great, but… the proverbial but, how large is your team? Do you have a planner? how many people in servicing? And of course, as a start-up, one doesn’t have the luxury of a ‘Vanir-sena’, so you lose out. And on then the smaller clients, they are: Hey your ideas are great, but why is your cost so high, if we pay a big agency X rupees you should be charging 70% less! Dear clients, we are charging for the idea, for the quality we bring to the table. And if you don’t pay us then how will we become big and if we don’t become big, we won’t be able to hire the Vanir sena you guys totally deserve. So, it is a Catch-22 situation, really. What comes first for you - money or emotions? I believe Emotions comes first in me. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Que Sera Sera! I have reached the stage where I just concentrate on the joy of creating, hustling, pushing aggressively and passionately. Beyond that the universe takes over, and I sit back, listen to music, dance, meet friends, family, paint, cook and write. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/ start up? Fall. Get up. Go. Repeat. This is one strategy I believe has helped me. In your opinion what are the keys to success? Success is very hard to define, to be honest. For me getting a script out just like I had seen it, is success. Or a coming up with an idea, that even I thought I was not capable of this success. It’s transitory. Success every day. It’s a journey. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? GRIT and BELIEF in the morning and WINE and MUSIC and LAUGHS in the evening can take you further than even what you envisaged. There is no other way. 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