Search Results

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

< 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. 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

< All Interviews Dakshin Lakshaman Founder and Chairman Entrepreneur Share this Interview: Know more about The Legacy ORG & LUXURIYA D GROUP OF COMPANIES is the parental company under which are 3 companies – The Legacy Org, Luxuriya Fashion And Lifestyle, Payir Corp and a podcast called The Young Entrepreneur’s Podcast which is to empower entrepreneurship. The Legacy Org is a brand and business development company , we offer services such as corporate branding, consumer branding, retail & hospitality experience, digital brand experience, brand innovation, brand research & measurement, country branding, luxury branding, brand environment design, we’ve also partnered with FinRoute.Co to provide business development and fin-tech solutions, at The Legacy Org we offer many other services such as press releases, registrations of companies / organizations, accounting services and many more. Luxuriya Fashion And Lifestyle is India’s and Multiple Countries’ 1st Digital / Virtual Fashion and Lifestyle Experience Brand , our products are purpose-built as we’ve adapted ourselves to develop products under the niches of Techwear and Luxury , for example our jackets can turn into backpacks and our cargo pants can turn into shorts, our products can also handle any harsh climate but that’s not the exciting part, the exciting part is that we’ve also adapted ourselves to the future which is Web 3.0 under which we’re developing our NFTs which are again purpose-built, the best part is that we’re developing a full scale Metaverse which we truly believe will be way better than those of our competitors who’re Facebook and Microsoft . Our 3rd company called Payir Corp is what we believe will save all species on earth from world hunger and will save the planet from climate change , at Payir Corp we’re developing Aggrotech solutions which’ll be able provide everyone with grocery and food products that’re free from pesticides, insecticides, weedicides, chemical fertilizers and even genetically modified seeds, our Aggrotech solutions can grow crops at 3x faster speed compared to normal farming and can even produce 300 to 400 times more crops against an acre of crops being produced in a normal farmland, all these can be done with 94% less water against an acre of crops being produced in a normal farmland, even the waste products at Payir Corp will be used to create renewable energy and hence will allow us to get carbon credit , besides our mission to fight climate change and world hunger our other mission is to be 100% carbon and water neutral , the very near future of Payir Corp is to build Sponge Cities which’re to create ecosystems which’ll fight against climate change – mainly floods and at the same time will replenish ground water . Tell us a little bit about yourself (background) and your journey as a entrepreneur, please; I’m Dakshin, I’m currently a 16 year old residing in India, my entrepreneurial journey started when I was a 14 year old . India is a diverse country but one of the few things in which we aren’t diverse is career choice, most parents or the children themselves believe that becoming an engineer or a doctor is would be the perfect choice for their children or themselves similarly in many other countries parents believe that their children should study well and work for a good company or the children themselves believe the same, I’m not against this idea but I’m against the idea of making the children have no expanse of career options. My journey started like this, my family has 3 generations of doctors and I really respect their occupation but growing up in an environment like that gave me a mind-set that being a doctor would be the right choice for me and at the same time I used to have many crazy ideas, sometimes I wanted to become an astronaut and sometimes I wanted to become a politician, I also had this though that I want to have fame and I want to have a ton of money (which I believe is not wrong when you work hard for it), luckily I have an open minded mother who inspired me and helped me engage in everything and from that engagement I explored a lot of fields, by the end of 8th grade when I was 13 I had explored swimming, debating, public speaking, acting, robotics, 3D and game design, VR development, graphic design and many more, by 9th grade when I first attended the largest design and programming based competition for people aged 16 and younger called the National Design Championship , I designed a drone called Drone To Deliver Medicines which was what I believe the rebirth of supersonic jets , my design proved to have a higher wind resistance than any other drone that was presented at the same competition but unfortunately due to the lack of a team and better designing skills I had bagged the runner up title but that’s what they say right? You must learn from your failures, I picked up my designing skills later and at the same time I was involved in MLM and Network Marketing for which after a while I lost interest but during that period of involvement in MLM and Network Marketing I got what I believe is a partial entrepreneurial mind-set and then came the idea to use my graphic and 3D designing skills to make some money but I didn’t know who a proper entrepreneur was at that moment and hence I had become a freelancer in which I failed as never was I able to get a client and nor did I have the right experience so because of that I started studying more about entrepreneurship from which I got the true entrepreneurial spirit, from which I also understood that entrepreneurship is when as entrepreneur one creates businesses that changes the lives of people or species for the better this is when I got back on track at the age of 15 and used my public speaking skills which helped me convince teens of my age who had competed with me in the same National Design Championship to join my team and from that initiative came The Legacy Org , the first time I with a team as a company helped another business with their new logo from which we made money and though it wasn’t much it gave us the at most pleasure which encouraged us to do more and create value for businesses and the people involved. Then came the second company called Luxuriya Fashion And Lifestyle for which we had initially thought that if we could create some fancy dresses and sell them with fancy prices we could make could money but never could, we slowly understood the struggles and the processes involved and hence we had to drop the very 1st designs we made and from that mistake we learned that we must be innovative and create an impact here and from this we came up with proper business plans and designs that we’re sure is to make an impact as it releases in 2023 and similarly we came up with another idea for this company which was to make NFTs but then we believed that NFTs alone can’t make any big impact and from this came Utopia – India’s and Multiple Countries 1st Digital / Virtual Fashion and Lifestyle Experience which’s our full scale Metaverse under development, we recently presented our company and all that we’re going to do as a company at Latitude 59 which is one of the largest start up and scale up events in the world for which we got a great response making it one of the proudest moments for us. And now came Payir Corp which is an initiative towards the betterment of every species on Earth and the betterment of our planet Earth itself for which we’re researching and when we complete our research and launch this initiative we expect to have an impact on everyone and every species like never before. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? Like I mentioned before I’m from India which is the most diverse country in the whole world but one of few things I which India is not diverse is the occupation that one would opt for, it’s mostly medical science and engineering here there’s always a similar case around the world. Growing up in a country like this and especially growing up in a family with 3 generations of doctors I needed some kind of vastness of career options in my life, luckily I have my mother who made me engage in everything I could from that I had explored swimming, public speaking, debating, acting, graphic and 3d design and as far as I can remember I had never wanted to work for anyone which relates to scenario of occupation options around the world, most of the people would like to work in some company, organization or hospital but why won’t people these people think about owning the company, organization or hospital? And I took the decision to search for this answer, All that I could find is about the mind-set of people which is basically job security but truth is that being an owner of a company, organization or hospital would be hard initially and when one gets the breakeven point there’s no stop which allows them to have a lifetime of financial security, this was the initial reason for me to choose entrepreneurship over a job but now being an entrepreneur for 2 years changed the answer which is to change lives of people for the better which’ll eventually build the lifestyle that I desire and create a legacy. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? Good question. The only motivation to get up in the morning is my life, I believe that one must “ live life to the fullest”. one of the other main reasons to choose an entrepreneurial lifestyles for me is because as an entrepreneur I love what I do, I love everything about my life and this makes me excited to get out of the bed every morning as early as possible and sleep as late as possible, as an entrepreneur I’m able to learn something new every day, implement whatever I’ve learnt, I have the ultimate freedom to create what I want and live my life the way I wish. My mum is also one of the major sources of motivation as she has inspired me to pursue whatever I wish to and she has brought me up in such a way that every moment of my life has been interesting, besides being a mother to me she is also a visionary in all the companies as her ideas and suggestions have never failed us making me want to get out of bed and wanting to gain more from my mum and spend more time with her. What is your brand’s USP? Our USP is very simple in our all our 3 companies which is basically “only if we could provide better value to the lives of our clients we could develop” this statement itself acts an assurance that we’d be providing the best of anything we do and hence our products and services are built in such way that it’ll keep up this promise. Our products and services itself acts as a USP, those who have experienced our products and services irrespective of whether they’re our investors, directors, C-Suites, employees, partners or clients know that our products and services will create massive impacts for sure and in terms of The Legacy Org we’re already providing our services and our clients love it. During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption? From the very beginning we had been a full online business and when most businesses failed due to the online adaptability factor we were succeeding, one of the most important things we did is that we developed businesses which were just starting out and we also made business adapt to the full online version which made us succeed during the Covid-19 crisis as well, in fact the crisis was never a crisis for us and it turned out to benefit businesses like us. What are the three most important lessons you have learned while building your start-up? This is the best question out of all. To keep it short I’d say the best one is learning from failures, if you have gone through the above mentioned then you would’ve noticed that I myself have made some mistakes and failed in some places and we as a company have made mistakes and failed in some places but we learned from it and corrected ourselves, this is something that the people around you, schools or colleges doesn’t allow you, if one is not allowed to make a mistake or fail and is punished for that then there’s no chance for innovation or improvement, in fact calling such things as a mistake or failure is wrong according to me just like the great Sir Thomas Edison said “I didn’t fail a 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.” The next thing is proper knowledge before doing anything, if one would have the proper knowledge about anything the stress is less and the work is less. And comes the team, there must always be a team and this team must be ready to go through anything for the about to come success. There must never be any competition in a team, we’ve always been taught never to help anyone in exams by our schools, academies, institutes or colleges – in their world it’s called “cheating” in our world it’s called “cooperation”. What comes first for you - money or emotions? Obviously as humans we work by going to job, run business or freelance to put food on the table which is not possible without money, there’s this funny quote “Money is like a hand wash solution, it kills 99.99% of all your problems”. I believe that no emotions must hinder an entrepreneur as he or she runs a business for which he or she must take decisions, every moment of an entrepreneurial life is based on the decisions hence when an emotion enters there it spoils the decision. I believe both money and emotions don’t come first as the impact that we’re to create is what matters and when this impact is done without any emotion (which I believe is the right way to do) the money will obviously follow. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Firstly choosing Entrepreneurship for me was because I love what I do as an entrepreneur hence there’s no pressure or stress. Secondly, even if one arises what I’d be doing is taking a break from what gives me the pressure or stress, the way I’d do it is by hitting gym and spending time with my mum, and rarely by attending fun online meets or watching stand-up but at the end one must remember that there’s no point in escaping from that pressure or stress as it’s his / her responsibility to solve the issue and move on. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? There’s no strategy for one to grow as there are a ton of strategies and some would work for one and won’t work for the other but a strategy that I’d highly recommend is the Blue Ocean Strategy . What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? Wow! This one good question. So as an Entrepreneur I’d highly recommend anyone who’s starting out to check out blue ocean strategy and then comes this….please don’t make the same mistakes which I did which is basically starting out without properly knowing everything, I believe that one must research and study everything that they’re going to do in their business and those things related to the same, the next thing one must not do is to depend on a team or someone to do things for them even though you (one) might be the boss. Bootstrap as much as possible, don’t find investors for the money but find them for the potential that they might bring to your company, also be prepared for everything, remember that every single moment you waste is going to have a very bad impact on you and also try to be sustainable in everything that you do. Another thing that I’d add to anyone who’s starting out is basically try to be flexible, the flexibility I mean is to change your methods if it doesn’t suite you but never change the goal, also there’s a chance that everyone around you from your parents to your best friends – mainly the closest one to you might have a huge backlash for what you’ll be doing and they might want you to change your path from an entrepreneur to something else (Never have I directly experience this but I did experience this indirectly and I’ve seen a lot of entrepreneur friends lose their paths because of situations such as these) but don’t listen to them keep going, find entrepreneurial communities such as Yes Fam Entrepreneurs ( https://chat.whatsapp.com/BsCMYnwq0PA3aTeyvPPEMr ) where I’m in too, attending entrepreneurial networking & socializing events and start up & scale up events will help you a lot. If you’d like to know more or want any help please do reach me or my companies with help of the attached links. 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

< All Interviews Trishla Doshi Founder Women Entrepreneur We as VictoryTales believe that those who can motivate others are the real hero. This time we are introducing Ms. Trishla Doshi who helped the students community by launching a platform of Internship to training in the field of Actuarial Science. Trishla Doshi, Founder of “The Actuary Intern” who is still a student and very passionate about mathematics. She attained qualification in the field of Actuarial Science and cleared CT1, CT3, CT5, CT9, CS2 and Data Analytics Project Internship at KPMG. Apart from this she did her internship at Hdfc Ergo General Insurance in Health pricing. Ms. Trishla is also a member of a 400 volunteer club at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries(IFoA) which is a United Kingdom (UK) based institute. Ms. Trishla is a self motivated intern working in the field of Actuarial Science with the objective to train the students aspiring to get themself trained in Actuarial Science i.e. which deals with evaluating risks and maintaining the economic stability of insurance or financial organisations. Actuarial Studies graduates learn how to use Mathematics, Statistics, and Probability principles to anticipate future events and take preventive measures. Ms. Trishla through her venture “The Actuary Intern” prepares aspiring students with her knowledge needed to perform in the field of Actuary i.e to compiles and analyses statistics and uses them to calculate insurance risks and premiums. Share this Interview: Know more about The Actuary Intern The Actuary Intern” is the place founded for the aspiring students to gain experience and practical knowledge in the Actuarial and Insurance field. It also provides a Virtual Actuarial Internship Program which can be completed by the aspiring students at their own pace. On inquiring from Ms. Trishla Doshi about the idea to start something like this and her journey as a Womanpreneur, she apprised that; The idea to start to have “the Actuary Intern” came to my mind when I tried to get myself registered in various institutions for an internship while I was doing Graduation in Actuarial Science and my request to become an intern was rejected because I was an undergraduate. I realized that not all students will be lucky enough to secure an internship in their under graduation. At that point in time, I decided to introduce an internship program based on my learnings in the field of Actuary Science. Thus, I founded my startup “The Actuary Intern” and introduced its first Virtual Internship program in Health Insurance. The purpose of this program is to facilitate the students to get an entry-level knowledge required to work in Insurance Companies. I completed my graduation recently in the year 2020 in Actuary Science. I have done an internship at Hdfc Ergo General Insurance and have also completed 2 project internships at KPMG and Deloitte. I am a volunteer at Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) United Kingdom (UK). My internship at Hdfc Ergo took 8 months of researching companies, applying on company websites, message professionals on LinkedIn. On requesting her, Why did she choose entrepreneurship over a job? Ms. Trishla Doshi explains that; I have always fascinated being an entrepreneur. I used to get ideas while studying which had the potential of being a good business. I knew I had to experience being an entrepreneur at some point in time. The lockdown gave me the opportunity of unlimited time and no distractions to pursue being a Founder. There is no one reason why I became an entrepreneur. I loved the freedom of creativity, no one to answer to, to change things as much as I can, to be truly in charge of something. ​Ms. Trishla Doshi explained to the question of How she found the industry/niche that she is in? I am in an E-learning space in the Actuarial and Insurance domain. I find the insurance industry to be evergreen and blooming even in this pandemic period. Insurance is something very important and a continuously adapting field. A couple of months after the coronavirus struck us, I came across quite a number of Companies who had introduced Insurance products, especially for coronavirus. So, the main thing necessary for survival in the Insurance domain is the ability of research, Insurance product comparison, and innovation which I have included in my Internship program. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? My main motto is to keep working until I do not have to introduce myself. I wake up each morning thinking about the problem I am facing on my business, the desire to just wake up and solve that problem before the day ends. The problems get me out of my bed in the morning. On inquiring from Ms. Trishla Doshi about the challenges/obstacles she faced in her journey so far, She explains that; So far, I have faced numerous problems most of which are the result of the coronavirus lockdown. I find it difficult to work from home, it’s difficult to distinguish my working and my personal space. Additionally, I am facing payment integration problems because the customer support of the payment gateway I am using has reduced significantly. I had to record videos for my program which I had a lot of problems with screen sharing software as I had no prior experience with it. But I am trying to solve one problem at a time. On inquiring about the uniqueness of her startup "The Actuary Intern", Ms. Trishla Doshi explained that; My start up combines the learnings of a course and includes practical projects to mimic an internship. It’s a combination of an internship and a course. It's a virtual program meaning you can complete it at home, at school or anywhere remote. You earn an Internship certificate. This program can be completed at your own pace, no strict deadlines, instantly generated certificate. There is no selection procedure so anyone willing to learn can start this program. There are on pre requisites because any knowledge is taught in the program itself, and projects test that knowledge. On inquiring, how does she handle the pressure and manage stress? Ms Trishla replied that; I take a break to handle stress. When it becomes unbearable, I just take a half hour break from social media and take a nap. I get up with a solution and a freshness to continue my work. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? People from my industry know me. I started posting on the hashtag I created: #actuarialfact since October 2019. At present, the hashtag has more than 800 followers. People have trusted me with their queries and I have mentored over 100 people through LinkedIn. Helping people has given me a sense of accomplishment and I feel that is the one strategy that I believe has helped me to grow. In your opinion what are the keys to success? I feel my key to success is to never quit. Every problem has a solution. We just have to keep our cool and work till the problem is solved. Also, it's ok to take breaks, we are humans, after all. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? First, create an audience on social media. The key to become a successful entrepreneur is 02(two) things, people must trust you to solve their problems and you must add value to them. 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

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

< All Interviews Ishank Anchal Founder Entrepreneur As part of our never-ending pursuit to find an inspiring personality for our readers, this time we would like to introduce one of the passionate entrepreneurs - Mr. Ishank Anchal who is Founder at “RelyMore” a Digital Marketing Company deals in Website designing and Business branding. Mr. Ishank Anchal is also a PhD Management Scholar who did an MBA in Marketing and B.Tech in Electronics Engineering. Prior to become an Entrepreneur, Mr Ishank Anchal worked as Assistant Manager at Godrej Hicare besides worked at Reckitt Benckiser & BSNL. “RelyMore” is a company which drives awareness, nurture relationships, increase conversions, and accelerate business results with a focused approach to help their clients in better acquisition rate. On enquiring about the idea of opening RelyMore company, Mr. Ishank Anchal replied that his journey as an entrepreneur started when He completed his Masters in Business Administration and selected on-campus placement in a company where he was part of e-cell at his campus and from there, his inclination towards entrepreneurship started. Share this Interview: Know more about RelyMore “RelyMore” works for bringing brands name to life with vibrant storytelling, with technology and various designs from strategy to activation, we collaborate with our partners to craft the content, moments, and messages that build modern brands as per the demand of their clients. Let us know more from Mr. Ishank Anchal more about his exciting journey as an entrepreneur. Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur; My journey as an entrepreneur started when I completed my Masters in Business Administration and got campus placement. I was part of Entrepreneurship Cell (E-Cell) at my campus. As you know E-Cell is like a club run by students and driven by the management of the institute, since then I organize various activities from end-to-end and enjoyed that moment and from there my inclination towards entrepreneurship started so I achieved my aim and become Founder of the company titled “RelyMore” Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? My instinct to start from the scratch lured me to build something for the digital world from my available resources which were very minimal at the time of startup. As you know it looks exciting to build something of your own from the scratch and in a complex and today’s rapidly changing world, collaboration and openness are vital nowadays. I believes in sharing technology, ideas, and thinking with others for mutual benefit and better outcomes which would not be possible in Job. So I prefer to open up “RelyMore” to achieve my objective of becoming an entrepreneur rather than working as in job in some company. What’s your source of motivation? Sustainable business growth and never-ending learning opportunities are my sources of motivation. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? While building a perfect Team in the competitive marketplace I feel maximum challenges. I feel this came in my journey due to a lack of awareness which I have faced in the last 2 years. Tell us about the uniqueness of your startup, please; In RelyMore the Frugal Innovation is our core competency which allows us to achieve more by using fewer resources. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? I feel I don’t feel pressure on me however, As you know when you do what you love to do and the stress is not felt in life. I manage stress by listening to music which I love the most besides this I do workout sessions and spend quality family time to keep my stress at bay for me. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? The One strategy which I believe has helped me to grow as a startup entrepreneur is being transparent to clients & a collective/updated team definitely helped me grow as a professional. ​ In your opinion what are the keys to success? In my opinion the PRESERVERANCE, ABILITY TO LEARN AND EXECUTE EFFECTIVELY FAST, SELF CONFIDENCE, AND GRATITUDE are the keys to success. ​ What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? The best advice I feel I would give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur is “Stop ideating. Start Executing”. ​ 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

Professionals Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Go to Interview... Gamethon Professional Gamers Go to Interview... Neeru Bhaskar Principal Go to Interview... Load More

< All Interviews Paras Khanna Founder Entrepreneur Paras Khanna, Founder of Dezign2build while chasing his dreams believes in quality standards and timeline commitments achieving 100% customer satisfaction. With almost 17 (seventeen) years into Indian and international retail industry, working with different brands at a different level and capacity gained the experience which no one teaches. Having the best panel of experienced, visionary craftsmen and with the theme of Customer’s choice, Paras Khanna & his team provides interior design services from classic traditional to modern graphic or fusion pattern. Mr. Paras Khanna chooses Job over entrepreneur initially to learn besides having clear thought since his young days to become an entrepreneur. He is of the opinion that God has given one life to make it big in respect of creating an impact and if luck is with you everything you plan will create wonders. A hard-working experienced personality, Mr. Paras Khanna is an example for others who believe that ones you are an entrepreneur, you work round the clock even in your sleep/dreams and chase the desired goal in life. Share this Interview: Know more about Dezign2build Dezign2build with its motive “design beyond imagination” is a group of an experienced team that provides holistic interiors designing, consultant, and planning services in North India. It’s a close-knit team of experienced designers and interior architects who love to enthusiastically work to transfer clients’ ideas, thinking, and desires into the reality of successful interior designing projects, residential as well as commercial projects. All projects, including the one you need to renovate with fresh impressive looks or an iconic style new one. The experienced team focuses on providing exceptional services related to conceptual interior designs, space planning, minute detailing for all types of projects so to build an ideal attractive spacious environment for home, office, or commercial establishments. Teams of Dezign2build provide design ideas and total design built up solutions for ease of clients. The company works with one single motto to create an impact via its designs, using its skills and experience so that an intended feel is generated in a given space. The most vital part begins by understanding the client’s requirements as this is the only theme company carry-on for further work. 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 always inclined towards home business solutions and the idea of setting up a brand for luxury interiors came 5 (five) years back. we were very clear that we wanted to offer end to end solutions, so we kept the name as “Dezign2build”. With 16-17 years into Indian and international retail industry working with different brands at a different level and capacity gained the experience which no one teaches you. “Let’s Go with full efforts and catch your dreams” Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? One line which always pushed me from last 20 years “ Gulami karte hue paida hue hai, gulami karte hue marnge nahi” Unfortunately in the beginning had to choose a job over entrepreneurship since I wanted to learn otherwise I was very clear in my thoughts from young days I will die as an entrepreneur. You have one life- make it big, make an impact, and if luck is with you and you get the right opportunity to change lives, Go for it. Creating something from nothing. Every business starts as an idea. You get to create it from the ground up. Go for it -- nothing is stopping you! Every single decision that involves your business is your responsibility, from the initial concept and branding to the growth and goal setting. Nobody will get in the way of your vision. “If you are born poor it's not your mistake, but if you die poor it's surely your mistake” What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? I started this because of my passion. I don't care for profit as crazy as that sounds. We build dreams and nothing is as excited as to build n fulfill your own dreams and it gives you wonderful fillings when you have given the opportunity to do for your clients. Everyone has a different choice. Some people do things simply for money few want to get away from the 9 to 5 desk job so they do a start-up for freedom. Others do it passionately like me. Everyone is different and no answer is wrong. What’s your source of motivation? Become an entrepreneur, Motivation will come automatically by force. You will wait for the next day in the excitement of new challenges, new opportunities, new ideas, new business, new goals, new learnings that will shake you to wake up. How many hours a day do you work on average? Ones you are an entrepreneur, you work round the clock even in your sleep and dreams. So by mind 18-20 hours by body 8 hours. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? So far there is no pressure there is no stress because we do the right planning. With a highly motivated team any work any task becomes easy, every team member knows their job. Keep the right balance between personal and professional life and enjoy life….. As simple as that. “I do not believe that your best creative work is done when you’re stressed out” How do you generate new ideas? Experiment new things within your own, learn from mistakes, launch it, and make it a hit. For all creative people, your experiment becomes a new idea for others. How did you come up with the name for your company?? “Dezign2build”. The name itself justify and describe our work nature. What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? Understand your field interest, identify your positive points and strengths. Keep trust in your skills and abilities, Teamwork by far the most important thing. Have the right experience, there is the right time to enter. Networking. Patience is the key to success as an entrepreneur. ​ 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

< All Interviews Pulkit Kumar Scientist & Founder Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its objective to strive and grope vigorously to bring most of the meaningful and powerful inspirational stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community, this time we are introducing Mr Pulkit Kumar, Founder of the UofA Cancer Society. Pulkit Kumar (known as Pulkit), is an Indian-born Canadian scientist from Alberta, Canada. He is also known for his discoveries in the field of medicine and technology. He aims to provide more effective treatments for the future, which challenges current treatments in all aspects. He also aims for net-zero carbon emission and plans on creating clean and renewable energy resources, which will decrease the net carbon emission and will keep the average earth temperature in the ideal range. Pulkit published a paper in May 2020, while touched upon the future of anti-depressants. The paper proposed an alternative treatment for a potential add-on, which in the previous studies was proven to be almost at the same level as the current treatments, with almost zero side effects, even when taken for a period of 7–10 years. This got a lot of attention since the proposed treatment costed almost nothing when compared to the billion-dollar medicinal industries. Later, in October 2020, Pulkit published another paper that proposes the idea of using plant-based compounds for the treatment of cancer. Though he faced lots of challenges with this (since very little research has been done in this field), he took it upon himself to solidify his claims and to encourage more research in this direction. His study, also published on Research Gate, a well-respected platform used by scientists to host their findings, is one of the most widely read with more than 1,000,000 views to date. In his popular paper Pulkit methodically breaks down the scientific findings surrounding the use of Ocimum sanctum (OS), a popular cancer treatment in Ayurvedic medicine. Share this Interview: Know more about The UofA Cancer Society The purpose of the UofA Cancer Society is to raise awareness/funds for cancer research. The main objective of this (organization) is to educate the people on Cancer as the (organization) believes that the first step in combating this disease is to educate the populace by imparting education and making the people aware. This (organization) also works for fundraising and educating people more about the Cancer so that the people can distinguish between disorder & disease and for that they distribute handout brochures and help answer most questions on the topic as well as informing the public on what they can do to help the cause. The (organization) (also accepts) donations for the noble cause. The second aspect of the UofA Cancer Society is to treat cancer. They believe not just antibiotics or any drug, but anything can be used to treat cancer. So, if you have any original ideas to treat cancer, do share with this Cancer Society and the Society will guide through each step! Tell us a little about your organization and your organization’s journey so far. The purpose of this group is to raise awareness/funds for cancer research. Our main goal is to educate the public on the topic as we believe the first step in combating this disease is through education. On top of this, we also fundraise and educate people more about this so that they can distinguish between disorder and disease. The second aspect of this group is to treat cancer. We believe not just antibiotics or any drug, but anything can be used to treat cancer. That is why we promote all types of original ideas and ways to treat cancer. Tell us a little bit about yourself (background) and your journey as an entrepreneur /scientist please. Since my childhood, I have always been fascinated by different innovations taking place to improve life efficiency and how these innovations have helped humans. As a kid, I have always liked the idea of reverse engineering, which plants an image in my brain of how everything works. I have always been actively participating in science symposiums and have liked discussing new ideas with different people who have similar interests. The more I talked and observed other people, the more I encouraged myself and bent upon towards my goal. Thus far, I am happy that I have contributed positively to the society, whether it’s my discovery about antidepressants, cancer research or the fundraising we’ve done, and I hope I will continue to do the same! What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? In my opinion, the source of my motivation comes from within me itself. You see, no matter how many motivational speakers you listen to, or quotes you read, you will not be truly motivated unless there is something inside of you, driving you towards that goal. In simpler terms, you must be passionate about what you do! If you are passionate, you will automatically love what you do, and do not need any external motivation. There will be a force inside of you, which drives you towards your goal. However, if you do not like what you are doing, nothing will motivate you and often it’s a good indicator to quit and start afresh with something more exciting. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? During my first year in the university, I got diagnosed with clinical depression. At some point, it got worse to a point where I had no idea whether it was day or night, or what day and date it was. It was really a hard time for me. Also, since I was only 18 and had never experienced anything like that before, I had no idea what to do, whom to ask for help. But luckily my doctor helped me to get out of that situation. In retrospect, this became the reason for my very first discovery, where I discussed what patients with Major Depressive Disorders (MDD) go through and the amount of side effects they experience because of the antidepressants they consume. Thereafter I wrote my very first paper, highlighting how we have antidepressants which have little to no side effects. What comes first for you - money or emotions? Being a scientist and the way, I have been raised, I have always been an emotional person and I think I have been able to empathize with people. On top of this, science and my own personal experiences in life have led me to the person I am today. I believe that if we must grow together and improve our lives, we would have to support each other. During this pandemic, people need more mental and moral support than financial. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Although I stay excited almost all the time, during pressure situations, I tend to calm down. This is because I believe that our body needs to be in equilibrium and any decisions, we take in these situations may have a higher impact on our life in future. During stressful times, I tend to be a little more cliche and start singing songs (which is one of my hobbies since I was 13) and this helps me with my dopamine levels and calms me down. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? I think the strategy of “letting things go” has helped me personally to grow. This also helps with my overthinking. So, instead of overthinking situations (which may never happen), I tend to use the same amount of thinking in something productive. In your opinion, what are the keys to success? Personally I feel you must experience down before you go up which will balance you for future crest and turf. So, according to my philosophy, any kind of heartbreak--which puts you down, will be the reason for your success. Other habits like hard work, determination, enthusiasm will follow once you find your passion and start chasing your dreams. What was the main idea behind your discoveries? I used to shadow a psychiatrist back in 2019. During my time there, I observed how many patients experience the adverse side effects of the modern antidepressants, especially teenagers and young adults. This really struck a bell in my mind and a thought sparked in my mind, that there must be some other way to treat patients with MDD with medicines that have virtually no side effects. I did some research online, read scientific literatures and even visited libraries in the US and the UK, just so I have enough information to draft my paper. Fortunately, I was able to come up with a medicine which almost had everything I was looking for. Similarly, I was heartbroken to learn about the aftereffects of patients diagnosed with cancer. So, following the similar procedure, I started digging on the internet to find a potential medicine that can help people with cancer. Luckily again, I was able to find it. Although it had almost no research done on it but, the chemical compounds it possesses, have a great amount of anti-tumour properties in them and I’m confident that this will open gates for new research in this field. At last, I just wanted to say that my vision is to create a very sustainable future, where science and technology is used to help people and virtually no one is on the receiving end of any kinds of side effects due to science. 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

< All Interviews Prabhu Velusamy Founder and CEO Entrepreneur We as Victorytales believe that life without motivation is like we are sitting in a dark room with lots of fear inside. This time we met with a self-motivated person named Mr. Prabhu Velusamy, who has the most admirable qualities and grew as not to withdraw his decisions, and accepted all the challenges which came his way. He is self-motivated, an inventor, who works with self-introspection, Mr. Prabhu Velusamy, Founder & CEO of “Greenstan Technologies”. At one time Mr. Prabhu Velusamy’s dream of becoming inventor faded, when he was not selected in the final round for getting funding to support his invention by some people who were selected through political ways. That was the only time when he decided to take a decision by motivating himself to fulfil all his needs and dreams by starting his own company “Greenstan Technologies”. Share this Interview: Know more about Greenstan Technologies Greenstan Technologies is an Electrical Engineering Firm based in Renewable Energy and was established in 2019. With an emphasis on leadership and collaboration, its talented team of engineers works hard to deliver high-quality solutions. Greenstan Technologies promotes innovative ideas that enhance the future, through a variety of engineering services, it uses the latest technologies to improve the way our communities run. The talented team of Greenstan Technologies serves its clients across various sectors with its practical engineering services. On inquiring from where did the idea to start something like Greenstan Technologies came from and requested him to tell us about his background and his journey as an entrepreneur, Mr. Prabhu Velusamy apprised that; My journey to entrepreneurship began after I graduated from college. At that time I was a young Inventor, aiming to bring my invention to the people. My life as an inventor has never been easier. This is because there is not enough awareness about patents and inventions in our country. At the same time, my family was expecting income from me. I was defeated in the final round by some people who had been selected political ways to get fund opportunities in many places. As my dream of becoming an inventor faded away, after a few months I asked myself a bold question. Why did I not start my own company? I can make my invention myself and sell it and my income also will improve. It's only solution fulfills all my needs and dreams. Getting me into that position was not easy. It was new to me to plan and act accordingly in advance for each day to come. Whatever you do in advance, some days will be better than anticipated, but many days will end badly. My experience during the invention helped me recover from this. Because during my invention I experienced a lot of failures and dead-end results. Every day I will meet new people and new characters. Failure teaches me how to overcome that problem. On inquiring from Mr. Prabhu Velusamy, why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? He explains that; I am of the opinion, I am not born to live like a machine by revolving around a fixed sphere, then studying, earning, and living a family life. But I wanted to live one step above the normal person. and If I do so then no one can destroy or damage my reputation. I always wanted to be an icon. Ultimately by opening a venture titled Greenstan Technologies, I made my dream come true and helped my clients to provide them quality service under one umbrella of Greenstan Technologies. How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? I don't know how others choose their suitable industries. Some prefer market-specific business, and some prefer according to the capital as well as profit return of the industry. But I chose this field which is related to my invention and feeling satisfied while doing what I know well. It will give job satisfaction whether we earn more money or not. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? To be honestly speaking, my source of motivation is my knowledge of my invention and I think I am at the beginning of my entrepreneurship. but I feel whenever I will be in a bad situation, there will be sleepless nights. But at the first light of the next morning whatever happens will be tackled with the motto that "life has to smoothly move forward". So I always believe that there are not only 1(one),2(two), 3(three) chances but Infinity i.e nth chances are lined up for me and whatever I have to do will be an outcome of my deeds and I have to face those problems with courage and my knowledge Tell us about the uniqueness of your startup, please; My start-up is unique because it is based on full inventions and future technologies. Because people always want innovation and new things. They like to upgrade. so Greenstan Technologies is a perfect match for inventions and technologies. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? I handle the pressure and manage stress in my own way. I feel most of the time playing and spending time with friends ease my pressures. Because whenever we are with our friends we completely forget all the problems. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/start-up? Uniqueness of my start-up. In business, the uniqueness of the work is a key factor. Whatever you create, sell, and do, people are always eager to know what novelty you are using. In your opinion what are the keys to success? What field we choose is the key factor. We should Choose the field which gives us satisfaction. To achieve the objective for a successful business we should work out the Strategy and do hard work. We have to make goals and targets and apply strategies to achieve those goals and targets. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? I want to advise everyone who wants to be an entrepreneur that they should go with your dreams, be bold, and never lose your confidence. Don’t forget to learn new things. There will be always a second chance, grab that chance, and become a successful man. 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

< 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. 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

< All Interviews Shailender S Tripathi Co-Founder and Director Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its prime objective to bring meaningful success stories of entrepreneurs from around the world this time introduces Shailender S Tripathi, Co-Founder at Indyo Organic Private Limited. Shailender is an effective communicator with perfect relationship building & interpersonal skills with vast experience in consistently raising sales and profitability for the company. With over 10 years of experience in Sales and Marketing, Key Account Management, Distributor/Channel management, Sales Promotion & Team Management Shailender added extensive experience in exploring and developing new channel partners, CNF, Distributors for accelerating growth & achieving desired goals. Shailender came from a farmer background and being a farmer means that you get to go to bed each night knowing that you have contributed to something that people need on a most basic level. Right from his childhood, he has seen his Grandfather, Father, and other people of their village working very hard in their farmland for their livelihood. The whole idea came in the mind of Shailender of being an entrepreneur from the rich experience he has developed through his Organic journey in top-notch companies and their operations from farm to fork. Share this Interview: Know more about Indyo Organic Pvt. Ltd. INDYO ORGANIC ensures a consistent and stable supply of organic commodities and has a diversified cultivation base with a network of 2500 Farmers in 3 states i.e.Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, and Meghalaya. The company has its own geographically diversified cultivation base and with its continuous improvement in cultivation methods, it ensures that these agricultural products are sold domestically and used as raw materials at its own processing facilities. Indyo Organic has more than 100 organic commodities to offer to its consumers. INDYO ORGANIC believes that changes are required in the present social, economic, political operations of the society in order to make this beautiful earth sustainable to ensure the longevity of life of all the living entities on this planet through Plantation, Agricultural developments, crop cultivation & its care and Indigenous crop conservation and recycling. INDYO ORGANIC has a vision for the Farmers and various Farmer’s Welfare Special efforts are made to educate the farmers about organic cultivation in order to reduce the cost of production and set them free from debts by using their own preparations. The company also helps the farmers by providing them technological support for pest management, fertility, and quality management by organic methods. 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 come from a farmer background where I see my Grandfather, Father, and other people working very hard in their farmland for their livelihood using fertilizers and pesticides to yield more grains which they don’t know about their future consequences. During my traveling to various states and visits to different Organic Farms, I came to know the alternative of using fertilizers and pesticides which keeps our life healthy and most important conserve our Mother Earth. The whole idea of being entrepreneurship came from the rich experience I developed through my Organic journey in Top-notch companies, their operations from farm to fork. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? To be an entrepreneur one day was always there in my mind. But before that, I need to know the depth of knowledge in the functioning of the whole operation and have a chance to interact with interesting people. During the course of time, I realized this job as monotonous and humdrum where I completely found myself at a loose end. So, I planned to drop this 9 to 5 job to give myself more productive time and make my vision more diverse in the field of Organic for the sustainable development of our farmers who are the real winners. What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? The farmer background and rich experience in the Organic Journey made my path challenging but more enjoyable and satisfying where I get an opportunity to transfer my knowledge to farmers making them aware about the Organic Farming. What’s your source of motivation? The answer to this question is more or less the same answer as I explained earlier: my inner desire to do something for my farmers and sharing with them my knowledge which I have learned during these years so that they can do justice to their mother Earth by making the land and soil sustainable. How many hours a day do you work on average? Truly speaking I do not believe in quantity but the quality I use to spend in my entrepreneurship journey which gives me immense satisfaction that YES, I am going on the right track. Hours and Hours is being spent on interacting with people and learning from them new skills such as how to fill the lacunae and improve the whole system and make it more affordable to the common people. What is the uniqueness of your startup? Serving with utmost quality to the health loving consumer. Availability of a large variety of affordable products without any intention of high profit-making. Always ready to serve with the best and authentic quality and service. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? Being an Organic lover, I know the importance of eating healthy foods and feel the strength and vitality of the product which makes me more confident to handle pressure and stress. There are times I come across few customers who find reluctance in buying Organic foods due to its high price without knowing its deep health benefits to his or her family, which I believe is complete insurance to the whole family. Pressure does come sometimes in the availability of products throughout the year which I am keenly working to make it available to the consumer at large. How do you generate new ideas? Rich experience and meeting with new people all over India and abroad keeps me motivated and helps me in learning innovative things to make this whole journey more comfortable and satisfying. How did you come up with the name of your company? As I mentioned previously, I am from a farmer background and 70% of our population depends on agriculture which I believe is the real winner and economic booster of our country Bharat. So, I formed my company as a patriot and salute to our Mother Earth in the name of INDYO ORGANIC , which has given so much to us as its rich biodiversity in the world. What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? Believe in yourself. Find your strength weakness, avoid rat race, avoid comparing yourself with others. Every individual has its own unique strength. Believe in your dreams and follow them wholeheartedly. Do not panic from failure, trying again and again one day you will surely get the right path to follow and achieve your dreams. GOOD LUCK! 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