Home Hello Womeniya Meet 9 Famous Woman Entrepreneurs from Kerala and Bengaluru who share their exceptional Entrepreneurial Journey on International Women’s Day

Meet 9 Famous Woman Entrepreneurs from Kerala and Bengaluru who share their exceptional Entrepreneurial Journey on International Women’s Day

0
Meet 9 Famous Woman Entrepreneurs from Kerala and Bengaluru who share their exceptional Entrepreneurial Journey on International Women’s Day

Accept Happy Women’s Day from Hello Mumbai News.com Team :

Each year, Hello Mumbai News takes the privilege to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th to propagate and recognize women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements through featuring stories on their successful journey in their field and to call for gender equality

This is with a goal to raise awareness about the need to end gender-based violence, promote women’s leadership, celebrate their contributions, promote entrepreneurs, startups and advocate for women’s economic empowerment around the World.

We, Hello Mumbai News Team have compiled a list of noteworthy and inspiring Entrepreneurs drawn from Kerala.

We hope their stories will inspire one and all.
So guys read on :

Anooja Bashir:

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Anooja Bashir: Hello there. I am Anooja Bashir, a serial entrepreneur, a DEI Evangelist and a startup mentor. I am also the 

FOUNDER & CEO, OUREA – CO FOUNDER & CMO, FLEXICLOUD – CMO, POKKET CFO  – COO, LIKES – Founder Anooja initiatives 

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women?

Anooja Bashir: On this day, it is very important to recognize the contributions of women and to acknowledge the challenges they face, including discrimination and lack of representation in leadership positions. It is also a time to celebrate the progress that has been made, and to renew our commitment to creating a world in which every woman and girl can reach her full potential. 

To all the women out there, know that you are valued and appreciated, and that your voices and perspectives matter. Keep striving for your dreams, breaking barriers, and pushing for positive change. 

Hello Mumbai News: You come from South India which is considered a talent hub of Entrepreneurs. How’s atmosphere there for Entrepreneurs and scope.

Anooja Bashir: One of the most notable initiatives is the Kerala Startup Mission, a government organization that provides incubation, acceleration, and funding support to startups. The mission has established a strong network of incubators, accelerators, and mentorship programs across the state, which have helped many entrepreneurs to build successful businesses. Kerala has also been investing heavily in digital infrastructure and connectivity, which has further facilitated the growth of startups in the state. The high literacy rate and skilled workforce of Kerala have also been instrumental in attracting entrepreneurs to the state. 

The scope for entrepreneurs in Kerala is wide, with a variety of sectors showing strong potential for growth, including healthcare, tourism, technology, and agriculture. Kerala has a strong healthcare infrastructure, which has led to the development of numerous healthcare startups in the state. The state’s tourism industry is also growing rapidly, providing opportunities for entrepreneurs to build innovative products and services to cater to the increasing number of tourists. 

In conclusion, Kerala has a promising atmosphere for entrepreneurs, with a supportive government, strong digital infrastructure, and a skilled workforce. With the right support and resources, entrepreneurs in Kerala have the potential to build successful businesses and contribute to the state’s economic growth

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Anooja Bashir: Entrepreneurship is not everyone’s cup of tea. I never thought i would be an entrepreneur. I am an accidental entrepreneur. I feel my driving force is a variety of factors, such as a desire to create something new, solve a problem, make a positive impact in the world and maybe even pursue my financial independence. 

Hello Mumbai News: How did you come up with the name for your company?

Anooja Bashir: The word Ourea in Greek means Mountain. Though it’s a struggle to climb up, eventually hard work and efforts take you to the top of success. The bird in the logo symbolizes the phoenix that never gives up or breaks and even if it does, it rises from the ashes symbolizing our failures and gradual success. 

Ourea’s business model is built around a unique system representing the 7 primordial deities of Greek mythology: Nysa | Athena | Kithairon | Oreus | Olympus | Helicon | Athos. These 7 entities represent 7 human traits or personas that are embodied in our culture and work philosophy. These entities are further split into our 7 core domains that serve specific business functions: – Consulting| Training | Marketing | IT | Events | Interiors | Photography.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Anooja Bashir: Building a successful customer base is a crucial factor in the success of any business. We should firstly understand our Target Market. This includes their needs, preferences, pain points, and behaviors. At Ourea, we provide Exceptional Customer Service, which is again another important factor to retain your customers. Building Brand awareness as well as delivering Quality Products or Services is very important. Use a mix of online and offline marketing strategies to reach your target market. Another point is to keep engaging with our customers through social media, email marketing, and other channels to build relationships and foster loyalty. We also have always delight our customers by offering incentives and discounts. Continuously analyze your customer base to understand their needs and preferences and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

Anooja Bashir: If I mentioned the tactics, then it would be my secret. Jokes apart, I would advise to develop a strong brand identity and build a professional website. These are to clearly communicate your value proposition and provide a way for potential customers to contact you. Always use your social media platforms and create valuable contents. Use email marketing and paid advertising. These channels help you reach a larger audience and generate leads more quickly. Or they can always contact me or my team at Ourea. Finally attend industry events. Networking opens another channel of potential customers and collaborations. 

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Anooja Bashir: The working hours are not what matter but the productivity and result of the work put in are what matters to us. All of our team members work towards creating the best out of everything. 

Hello Mumbai News: Can you describe/outline your typical day?

Anooja Bashir: The days of 9-to-5 were over when I started my own startup, one of the most challenging hurdles, I had to overcome was sticking to the particular daily routine. It’s not that I have to adhere to the traditional concept of 9-5 working time. On some days I would arrive at the office at eight am, while on other days I would come to the office a little later and stay well into the evening. This flexibility has been stressful but is of course liberating. The working hours are not what matter but the productivity and result of the work put in are what matters to us. All of our team members work towards creating the best out of everything. 

I spend the majority of my time in the office as our company works on different verticals. And so many clients from all across the globe to handle, the timings actually matter. So I cannot precisely tell the number of hours I work in a day. It all depends on when my client needs the service. We strive to provide 24/7 service. 

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Anooja Bashir: Being a woman, it’s indeed a tedious task to manage my responsibilities towards my family as well to my organization. I balance my personal and professional life by planning things priority-wise. Thoughts tough but I somehow juggle my time between work and my family and friends. I think both needs to be given equal importance and it’s a matter of taking up the responsibility and doing it maximum perfectly as you could.

Hello Mumbai News: What motivates you?

Anooja Bashir: People, innovation, any idea that leads to growth, and various other factors motivated me as it’s an evolutionary process. But my biggest motivation is to challenge me constantly as I keep refining my skills and upgrading me personally and professionally. When I face a tough situation, I start by making all the possible positive outcomes from that situation. At the moment, my motivation has been leading my entire team to higher successes as we are in process of scaling up and expanding.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you generate new ideas?

Anooja Bashir: A Good question. I and my team, we do a lot of brainstorming sessions together. This technique involves generating as many ideas as possible without criticism or evaluation. We also follow and observe the new patterns and trends in the ecosystem. These actually inspire to have ideas. Another factor that we as a team do is a lot of reading and Research as well as trying new ideas and experiments. Remember don’t be afraid to take risks or try new things to see what works.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Anooja Bashir: The biggest fear is to maintain the expectation that your entire team look up towards you. It definitely was a very hard struggle to reach the position where I am today. I think my team looks upon me to take the venture to the next level. The hopes and aspiration of my co-founder also gives me makes me anxious which really I am always struggling to maintain their expectations. Besides being a DEI evangelist and closely working with different diversity initiatives, the woman communities look upon me as their role model and to keep up their faith and to maintain that status quo is very hard sometimes send a chill down my spine.  

Hello Mumbai News: What are your ideals?

Anooja Bashir: I believe that there is nothing in life that can’t be achieved. A mind in its own place can make a hell of heaven and heaven of hell. It’s your willpower and the intense passion that leads you. I believe that if you have an intense dream, the entire universe will conspire for you to achieve it. No one else can stop you from having anything or being anyone you decide to be. Be kind and considerate to fellow beings and always work towards mutual benefit for all.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Anooja Bashir: The word Success is subjective. In my success doesn’t mean only earning a lot of money. If we could create innovative things and contributes towards the transformation of a system or an individual along with generating revenue from the concept you built, then definitely it can be called Success. The blend of the perfect team is also a success as it leads to growth in the future. To get the perfect team is yet again a very tedious task.

Hello Mumbai News: Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

Anooja Bashir: We always believed that any dream can be achieved as long as we have a perfect strategy and a resource to fulfill it. The experience I had gained from the corporate world and the associations gave me a better perspective of entrepreneurship.

As I failed a couple of times whilst establishing the venture, it taught the dos and don’ts that made us function more specific and focused. Mr. Vinod, our IT Director has been the IT Mozart who always has an IT solution for everything that comes across which made the task less difficult.

The rest of my crew are so hardworking and dedicated towards our organization that we developed our ecosystem with utmost passion and belief. We believe in our team. Together we stand still to achieve more and more.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Anooja Bashir: Entrepreneurship has refined me to a better person and helped me to improvise my niche talents. Also made a perfect professional and a better person. Besides it, I could also understand that I was capable of doing an N number of things which I have never imagined that I could do. Besides that, entrepreneurship has strengthened me as a person. The entire journey has made me bold, courageous and empathetic. 

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Anooja Bashir: Every leap that my ventures makes are definitely my satisfying moments in business. Getting featured in prestigious publications like Forbes, Fortune India and many others as well as being recognized in the ecosystem are definitely a recognition and appreciation. But I believe that my most satisfying moment is yet to come.

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Anooja Bashir: Nothing is built in a day. We need a lot of perseverance, endurance, and commitment to reach our goals. Never ever give up on your dreams 

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Anooja Bashir: I always wanted to create an innovative system that would be one of a kind. Since I handled different job profiles in my career and had acquired enough knowledge to bring out the best version of me, I just flowed along. I would not want to do anything differently at all. It was Entrepreneurship that chose me as if I was born to evolve in this system of creating and innovating new wonders. I feel I never gave up because I knew deep down that it was my passion to develop a company with talents and skilled collaborating into a perfect system, to generate revenue for everyone associated with us. We also believe to contribute to society with our skills. It’s bliss to evolve into a 360-degree business management consultancy which brought me recognition, stability, and strength. 

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Anooja Bashir: The only constant resource of the company which doesn’t lose its relevance and importance is the powerful and inspiring leaders. So according to me, leadership is the first quality that an entrepreneur needs to possess for being successful.

In my opinion, the other key qualities that an entrepreneur needs is to be effective in delegation and result orientation.

In addition to this, we must have a deep understanding of the necessities of CxO’s expertise in the field which allows us to get an in-depth knowledge of the needs and trends allowing us to train and manage HR accordingly

Hello Mumbai News: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Anooja Bashir: As an entrepreneur we will be having a very busy schedule. In order for me to stay on track, I always follow some pointers that has helped me. Some of them are 

Setting Clear Goals

Prioritizing the Tasks

Creating a Schedule

Taking short breaks

Minimizing Distractions

And most importantly delegating tasks and using Productivity Tools.

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Anooja Bashir: Entrepreneurship is not easy.  I would recommend them to develop a clear and compelling business plan. This will help them to identify potential obstacles and opportunities and ensure that they have a clear roadmap for success. Another is to build a strong team as well as to focus on customer needs. Collect feedback from customers and use it to refine your offering over time. They should also develop their personal and professional skills. The entrepreneurs should invest in creating a memorable and distinctive brand that stands out in the market. This may include developing a unique visual identity, crafting a compelling story, and building a strong online presence. They have to continuously innovate and adapt. Stay on top of industry trends, keep an eye on your competition, and be willing to pivot and adapt your strategy as needed. Don’t be afraid to take risks and experiment with new approaches.

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Anooja Bashir: Indrani Nooyi is my role model in business as I always felt she had very sharp and logical approach to every issue that she encounters. She is a woman of strong mind and always showed boldness in speaking up matters. She is an inspiration to the eve race who always gave example of how to balance personal and professional life. My mother is my role model on a personal front as she is woman who inspired me to never give up on my dreams. I got my multi organizing skills from my mother who is a disciplined organizer. My mother has always motivated me with her strong will and always taught me to believe in myself.

Hello Mumbai News: If you had a magic stick, which are the three things you would change in the world?

Anooja Bashir: Excellent question. The first thing would be to end the gender disparity around the world. If I had a magic stick, I would use it to promote equality and ensure that everyone has equal opportunities and rights, regardless of their background.

Another one would be to end world hunger and poverty. I would want everyone to have and access to the resources they need to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Third would be to combat Climate Change. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today, with rising temperatures, sea levels, and extreme weather events threatening the future of our planet. So yea, these three things.

Hello Mumbai News: What is the part of your life experience you would alter if you had the chance to?

Anooja Bashir: Frankly, I would not change any part of my journey. I believe that I have reached so far due to my hard work, wonderful support from my co-founder and the incredible team that stands behind my back and my beautiful family. 

Dr Lini Basil:

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Dr Lini Basil: I am Dr Lini Basil, Founder &CEO of Bylin Medtech Pvt Ltd, a medical devices company working on innovative devices which improve the quality of life in patients with chronic illness.

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women?

Dr Lini Basil: Women are a special tribe who can manage anything in the life. They don’t need to strive and fight for equality because they are unique. But the world has created certain stigma that can harmfully affect the inner self and confidence amongst us. To solve this, women should empower women and help each other. Because we only know our strength and we only can create this world a better place for fellow women.

Hello Mumbai News: Share your Recognition and Achievements.

Dr Lini Basil: Selected as one among the 75 women biotech entrepreneurs who were felicitated by Hon .Prime minister of India during BIRAC 10 th anniversary celebration

  • Selected as Best Women entrepreneur by MG university
  • Recognised as 1st women to get all the grants of BIRAC in SINE IIT Bombay.
  • TiE kerala Chapter winner for women pitch fest and represented India in TiE Global women pitch fest 2022

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Dr Lini Basil: The passion to do something new and to create change in the medical sector was the first driving force to think about a venture. As a doctor, I was always serving people to treat them. By understanding that the medical treatment options are costly in India due to the importing of quality medical equipment and treatment options. Then why not create our own medical devices in India in a better cost effective way and make the treatment options more beneficial for people- This was the thought behind my venture.

Hello Mumbai News: Tell us about your start-up? Its innovativeness! The USP and how it started.

Dr Lini Basil: Bylin Medtech has created a hydrating patch for people who suffer from Dryness of mouth. The whole R&D was done in SCTIMST by my team which is predominantly women. The hydrating patch of Bylin is completely biocompatible, has inherent anti-microbial properties and it adheres to UN s SDG goals by being totally degradable product. We got India patent for our invention and USA patent is under examination

Hello Mumbai News: How did you come up with the name for your company?

Dr Lini Basil: My company is the product of my thoughts, I am the nurturer of y company, So I named it BYLIN which means its “BY LINI”

How did you raise funding for your venture?

Dr Lini Basil: I have raised 1.25 Cr INR as grants from BIRAC, GoI (SIIP fellowship, BIG grant, and SBIRI grant), DST (Nidhi Prayas) and KSUM (Productisation grant) 

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Dr Lini Basil: Our company is in a pre-revenue stage as our first product is under clinical trials. But we are moving forward with the Manufacturing licensing agreement with a reputed company. We will be launching our Pilot product this year soon.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

Dr Lini Basil: Networking through LinkedIn, conferences and through different Biotech programmes I have connected with the major players in my sector and trying to build collaborations with them.

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Dr Lini Basil: 15 hours

Hello Mumbai News: Can you describe/outline your typical day?

Dr Lini Basil: Every day I give some time for my R&D work then attend talks, do sessions for the incubators, team building and management takes some of my time. As a mother of three teenage girls, I take care of the family too successfully.

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Dr Lini Basil: The time we spend with the family has affected nbut I am setting an example for my three daughters and I am showing them that being passionate in what we do is what build us as a better human being

Hello Mumbai News: What motivates you?

Dr Lini Basil: I motivate myself, the successful women around me motivates me. The failures motivate me and above all the beauty of innovations motivate me to create new innovations

Hello Mumbai News: How do you generate new ideas?

Dr Lini Basil: As a doctor, I have the knowledge about diseases. But I talk to patients, doctors and then understand the real issue of treatments or diseases and then brainstorm it with the whole team and develop ideas.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Dr Lini Basil: I don’t fall for fears usually. But, the greatest fear is people who de-motivates make me and if they are unavoidable people from life that makes me desperate. Otherwise, I rise up from failures.

Hello Mumbai News: What are your ideals?

Dr Lini Basil: Empathy, Integrity and straight forwardness 

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Dr Lini Basil: Success is when you create a product and it becomes useful to the end users and they are benefitted from our product. If one patient recommends my product as useful to another person, I will say I am successful. Money comes after that only

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Dr Lini Basil: Controlling our own fate and decisions

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Dr Lini Basil: When one of my patients said, that trying on my product makes her hopeful that her pains because of dry mouth will hopefully stop I felt satisfied

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Dr Lini Basil: Get out of the comfort zone, try fast, fail fast, don’t let the failure stop you but move fast and create newness. Entrepreneurship is not a bed of roses, it’s a hard way where you have to fight many battles but at the end of the path, there is a great garden which you have created during the journey unknowingly.

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Dr Lini Basil: I would do entrepreneurship again and again.

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Dr Lini Basil: Take Risks

Break rules and try new things 

Perseverance & hard work

Hello Mumbai News: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Dr Lini Basil: Keeping in touch with the people you have done networking. Help others to grow, so that you will also grow along with them

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Dr Lini Basil: Networking, getting updated about latest technologies, study more about matters which you feel that you are weak, Branding your company and read more about success and failure stories and apply that in life

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Dr Lini Basil: My greatest inspiration has always been my mother. She has shown me how a woman can stand straight and face al, the negatives throughout in life and still become a successful professional.

In Entreprenurial, Ratan Tata is the inspiration, C Balagopal is an inspiration.

Elizabeth:

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Elizabeth: I’m Elizabeth Thomas, a speech language pathologist and founder of Phonologix, which is an assistive technology venture making speech therapy and early intervention accessible to children with communication disorders or delays. Phonologix is on a mission to democratize speech therapy and help millions of children overcome communication challenges from a very young age, thereby improving their quality of life.

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women.

Elizabeth: My message on this International Women’s Day is one of empowerment and solidarity. As women, we should never doubt our own worth. We have the power to achieve great things. We must continue to support and uplift one another, both personally and professionally. We must challenge the gender biases and stereotypes that still exist in our society, and fight for equal opportunities. We should not let go of our dreams and together we can create a brighter future for women everywhere.

Hello Mumbai News: Share your Recognition and Achievements.

Elizabeth: We were among the top 20 women led ventures from 10k plus ventures of the WSP Program at NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore.  We received the NCPEDP- MPHASIS universal design award for accessibility in 2021. We were chosen by DPIIT and startup India to showcase our venture at the Dubai Expo 2020. We were also among the Top 6 finalists of the Stanford Seed Spark Program and the global finalist from India at the She Loves Tech 2022 competition.

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: The key driving force that propelled me into entrepreneurship was making a positive impact in the lives of children and help them reach their full potential. As a practicing speech pathologist for more than two decades, I have seen many individuals struggle all their lives due to communication challenges which could have been addressed in childhood. I wanted to use my skills and talents to address unmet needs of thousands of children instead of helping a few children as an employee.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you come up with the name for your company?

Elizabeth: The term ‘Phonology’ stands for the study of sounds and Speech Therapy includes treating any difficulties in developing sounds and words. The name Phonologix was derived from this term.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you raise funding for your venture?

Elizabeth: We are a bootstrapped venture. We received grants from Startup India and Kerala Startup Mission, which has helped us build our venture.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Elizabeth: We have a good referral network of healthcare professionals as they are the first point of contact for any child with developmental challenges

Hello Mumbai News: How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

Elizabeth: We have referral programs, partnerships with organizations, digital marketing and training’s for parents. Referral programs and digital marketing have been the most successful in marketing.

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Elizabeth: On an average 7-8 hrs a day

Hello Mumbai News: Can you describe/outline your typical day?

Elizabeth: A typical day starts with a briefing with my operations team by 10 am. We review all appointments, pending work and plan for the day. Before this I make sure all my responsibilities at home are over and my child is packed off to school. During the day time, I either work on content creation, supervision of therapy sessions or client feedback calls. On alternate days, I visit the clinic during the day where I take consultations. I take out an hour during the daytime to exercise or have some time to myself. We wind up by 7 pm with a team meeting with the speech pathologists. After 7 pm I spend time with my family.

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Elizabeth: Entrepreneurship involves being available 24/7. I have become much busier than before but I started off at a time when my children were older and independent. My family has been fully supportive in this journey. This has helped me balance work and family.

Hello Mumbai News: What motivates you?

Elizabeth: The positive feedback we get from parents are the most motivating in this journey.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you generate new ideas?

Elizabeth: Brainstorming with the team, our advisors, friends and fellow entrepreneurs is how I generate most of the ideas. I have frequent feedback meetings with parents of my clients and many ideas and suggestions come during these meetings.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Elizabeth: As an entrepreneur, I believe that fear is a natural and important part of the journey towards success. It motivates and drive us to push past our limits. One of my biggest fears is the fear of failure. The idea of putting in all the hard work, to have it not succeed, can be quite daunting. Over the years, learnt to see failure as a learning opportunity, a chance to grow and improve, rather than something to be feared. Having a strong sense of purpose and a clear vision for where you want to go can also help alleviate the fear.

Hello Mumbai News: What are your ideals?

Elizabeth: Integrity, empathy, fairness

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Elizabeth: I believe success is being able to create a positive impact in someone’s life. When a customer is grateful because you have solved a long standing problem of theirs, that’s when all the hard work and struggles you went through finally has meaning.

Hello Mumbai News: Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: There is no particular formula as such for becoming a successful entrepreneur. All successful have entrepreneurs have these traits in common – Focus, hard work, determination and perseverance.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: The favorite part is the flexibility entrepreneurship offers and the satisfaction of creating impact and creating jobs.

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Elizabeth: Some of the recognitions we got as a venture creating social impact have been the most satisfying moment, especially the NCPEDP-MPHASIS, Universal Design Award for Accessibility.

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Elizabeth: Start young when you have fewer personal commitments and your risk taking capacity is highest. Be prepared to hustle and remember, that as a founder, you need to wear many hats. Talk to people, observe things around you and if you have a wonderful idea and you feel you have all the necessary skills, still ensure that you validate the idea with as many people as possible before building the product.

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Elizabeth: I would have started entrepreneurship much earlier if I had the chance.

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Elizabeth: Hard work, persistence and agility

Hello Mumbai News: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Elizabeth: I document everything diligently and create to-do tasks to complete on the basis of priority. I try to switch off from work and take micro-breaks to rejuvenate. Being an entrepreneur, we are always hustling or preoccupied with so many things. So it’s very important to take frequent breaks where we leave aside all the worries and responsibilities.

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Elizabeth: Networking is one of the most important activities entrepreneurs should invest time in. Every meeting can be a new learning, a new perspective and every connection you make will add value in some way or the other. Spend as much time with existing and potential customers is important to validate your idea, receive the much needed feedback and gain insights into their behavior patterns and likes and dislikes. Reading up about the journeys of other entrepreneurs and the mistakes they made and how they overcame challenges can be a good learning too.

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Elizabeth: As an entrepreneur, I have been fortunate enough to be inspired by many people and things throughout my journey. However, if I had to pick one person who has had the greatest impact on my life and career, it would have to be my mother. She has been a mentor and role model for me always. I have been inspired by her efficiency, hard work and multitasking skills which have taught me valuable lessons about being true to ourselves and giving our best to any task we do. She managed her career as a professor, her family and still found time to follow her passion of sewing and baking. Her inspiration and guidance have been instrumental in helping me in my journey as an entrepreneur.

Lakshmi Das:

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Lakshmi Das: Lakshmi is the Co-founder and Product Evangelist at Prophaze. She holds a degree in Computer Science Engineering and began her professional journey at Infosys where she was involved in the development of their banking product. She has over a decade of experience working across various industries, including healthcare, cybersecurity, Retail, and Logistics. Her expertise in data security and understanding of international regulations has been invaluable in the early stages of Prophaze’s development. With her background in corporate culture, she now leads operations at Prophaze as COO.

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women?

Lakshmi Das: Women are born leaders, as we can see that mothers are our first teachers, teaching us how to stand on our own two feet and take our first steps on the path of life. As a result, we must all embrace our femininity and challenge societal stereotypes that hold women back from pursuing certain careers. We have the ability to pursue all of our dreams, and the only thing standing in our way is our own mindset, which we will have to change for good.

Hello Mumbai News: Share your Recognition and Achievements.

Lakshmi Das: We built our company from the ground up in the cyber security space. We were asked to base our operations in the Bay Area in the US so that we could easily sell the solution to international customers. But we went against all norms, we got headquartered in Kerala, set up our business operations in Delhi, started selling during the Pandemic. We were the first company to be listed as Innovation Leaders, alongside international leaders in the Web Application Firewall industry. We were also awarded as most innovative product of the year by Data Security Council of India, and we also won the Kerala grand challenge award of Rs. 50 lakhs.

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Lakshmi Das: My entrepreneurial journey was not planned. But we ended up in this space by chance, as if we were destined to be there. But while working for more than a decade in the IT industry, seeing the struggles of women workforce in the corporate field, always had a thought of coming up with a space offering a supportive environment for the women workforce where they feel comfortable to come back after a break.

Hello Mumbai News: Tell us about your startup? Its innovativeness! The USP and how it started.

Lakshmi Das: Prophaze, a Made-in-India Cyber security product company, is a cloud native security provider that helps secure enterprise applications and ensures data security. Prophaze was an early proponent of Kubernetes driven SD WAF solutions which is its main USP. I and my co-founder Mr. Vaisakh set up this company to bridge a market gap in the cybersecurity space by bringing out quite a niche product solving critical issues of Web application security

Hello Mumbai News: How did you come up with the name for your company?

Lakshmi Das: Prophase is a critical phase of cell division , similarly security being a critical part of Product life cycle we named our company as Prophaze , which is the new phase of Security! And on a lighter note, all the other domains were taken on goDaddy so we badly needed a domain for our webpage. 

Hello Mumbai News: How did you raise funding for your venture?

Lakshmi Das: We were incubated with India Accelerator in 2021.  We had a few international customers on board and a few Indian customers and were in a revenue generating phase, thus they were interested in investing in Prophaze in a pre-seed round. This was our first round of funding in 2021

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Lakshmi Das: In the field of cybersecurity, only a Proven Product can have a successful customer base. Due to the fierce competition posed by international brands, it was difficult for an Indian brand to break into the market. Initially, we had to go through all of the difficulties of convincing customers ourselves by cold calling, emailing, having n number of Demos, and conducting long-term pilots with prospects in order to gain product acceptance and trust cybersecurity is all about these two factors. We eventually became involved in the channel partner ecosystem, both in India and abroad, in order to leverage their influence to gain more customers. This worked for us.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

Lakshmi Das: We do a lot of digital marketing as our client base is global. Content marketing is the best strategy for product companies like us. We do targeted Ads as well. Branding also comes through various global and national events that we participate in

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Lakshmi Das: On an average, I work 9 hrs. a day. Few of the days we would have to be on business travels or participating in events as well.

Hello Mumbai News: Can you describe/outline your typical day?

Lakshmi Das: Begin my day with a morning walk along the beach, followed by preparing my daughter for school. Following a power pack breakfast, I begin my workday with stand-up calls and other meetings. Finish the day with an hour of yoga and meditation in the evening, followed by family time.

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Lakshmi Das: Being an entrepreneur has helped to give my life direction because I believe that everyone’s life should have a goal to focus on. This can make life more meaningful and assist us in remaining motivated. For me, the most important aspect is to be productive. If it is not a working day, I try to stay active by trying new recipes, spending time with family, doing other house chores, or picking up a new hobby.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you generate new ideas?

Lakshmi Das: As and when a need arises some new ideas pop up in the mind, it just comes along the way.  Do get brilliant ideas from the Prophaze team and mentors as well

Hello Mumbai News: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear

Lakshmi Das: Cybersecurity is a highly critical and sensitive field in which anything critical can occur at any time. I believe that the only way to overcome fear is to confront it.

Hello Mumbai News: What are your ideals?

Lakshmi Das: Bringing passion to whatever I do. Giving my 100 percent effort and accepting the outcome as it comes my way

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Lakshmi Das: Grabbing the opportunities that come my way without any hesitation and making the best out of them. End results are never under your control but acceptance is always the key.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Lakshmi Das: Work becomes a part of your life and you have 100 percent drive to chase your dreams. Holidays never matter

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Lakshmi Das: Being awarded as the most innovative product of the year 2022 by Data Security Council of India competing with the best cyber security companies in the country

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Lakshmi Das: Always try to live a life that allows you to make an impact in society. When you have a great idea, step out of your comfort zone and do your best without thinking about the consequences

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Lakshmi Das: Not at all as the experience gained through the ups and downs is what made me what I am today

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Lakshmi Das: Patience, perseverance n faith

Hello Mumbai News: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Lakshmi Das: To have a daily to-do list and your goals clearly defined in front of you and well defined priorities

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Lakshmi Das: Entrepreneurship is a never-ending learning process. Learning can never stop as each day you learn something new. Invest time in your product, learning the market trends,  Networking with the right people and connecting with the right mentors Above all keep some time to oneself to reflect within and to stay peaceful and self-driven

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Lakshmi Das: My Family

Neenu Rathin:

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Neenu Rathin: I’m a Neenu Rathin, Founder of The Social Town, a volunteer turned Social Entrepreneur, Project Consultant, and a TEDx speaker from Kochi, Kerala. I am also a homemaker and a mother to a 8-year-old boy. I’ve been actively involved in the social sector since 2013, and I’m passionate about bringing people together and creating impactful programs for social change. The term “Social Catalyst” resonates with me strongly.

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women?

Neenu Rathin: My message to women on any day is …

Taking charge of your own life is the most straightforward approach to navigate today’s societal climate. The initial step is to begin the process of self-empowerment from within. Cultivate a sense of self-respect and acknowledge your worth and dignity. Recognize your rights and obligations, and voice your opinions clearly and assertively. Make your own decisions and take accountability for your actions and thoughts. Remember, only an empowered woman can catalyze change in her home and society. Instead of waiting for the world to change, focus on transforming yourself first and setting an example for others to follow. Let your light shine bright and guide other women towards self-empowerment.

Hello Mumbai News: Share your Recognition and Achievements.

Neenu Rathin: The success of my startup, The Social Town, is a testament to the impact we are creating in the community. We have been honored with innovation grants and have been selected for prestigious programs like Women Startup, Impact Orbit Program by NSRCEL, IIM-Bangalore, and Stanford Seed Spark, among others. Additionally, I was one of the 20 social entrepreneurs from South India who were selected for a fully-funded leadership program by Amani, a global nonprofit dedicated to developing professionals for social impact. I have also had the opportunity to share my ideas and experiences at TEDx (TEDx Countdown) and various other respected forums.

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Neenu Rathin: My key driving force to become an entrepreneur was my desire to make a significant difference in the society. As a volunteer and social project consultant, I realized that there was a need for a platform that could bring together individuals and organizations to work towards social change. Above that, I love to lead and solve problems.

Hello Mumbai News: Tell us about your startup? Its innovativeness! The USP and how it started.

Neenu Rathin: My startup, The Social Town, is a platform leveraging technology that enables and empowers individuals and organizations in the social development sector. My intention is to provide all the tools and resources required to create social impact under one roof, including information, opportunities, volunteers, knowledge, connections and more. In short, TST is a repository of social engineering resources.

Our USP is our multi-stakeholder approach, which enables us to bring together various stakeholders to solve social problems collaboratively. It will be the only one platform which allows direct and indirect networking. We are innovating the way different stakeholders in the social impact sector interact with each other.

The Social Town started from my desire to combine various impactful programs through social innovation and create a minimum of 10 Million volunteering hours by 2030.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you come up with the name for your company?

Neenu Rathin: The name The Social Town reflects our vision of creating a social community where individuals and organizations can come together to create social impact.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you raise funding for your venture?

Neenu Rathin: The Social Town is a fully bootstrapped nonprofit startup. We’ve raised funding for The Social Town through start up grants, and paid activities.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Neenu Rathin: As a socially responsible nonprofit organization, our focus is on creating impact. We strive to build a community of changemakers whom we engage and empower, and who in turn become our successful customer base by recognizing the value we provide. We aim to establish a strong brand presence through effective marketing strategies and positive word-of-mouth promotion.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

Neenu Rathin: We market our business through various channels, including social media, events, and partnerships. Our most successful tactic has been through building relationships and partnerships with like-minded organizations.

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Neenu Rathin: Being an entrepreneur, a homemaker and a mother, I work long hours, and the average can vary depending on the workload and priorities for the day.

Hello Mumbai News: Can you describe/outline your typical day?

Neenu Rathin: My typical day involves a mix of meetings, research, strategy planning, and operational tasks. I also dedicate time for family and personal development. “Me time” is very important for me to recharge myself which helps me to be more productive while working. Although it’s not possible every day, I enjoy indulging in my hobbies like traveling, reading, and watching movies.

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Neenu Rathin: Being an entrepreneur is demanding, but I prioritize taking care of myself and spending time with my family to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Despite the challenges, my journey as an entrepreneur has helped me develop smarter ways to multitask efficiently. Communication and cooperation from my family and team are also crucial for my success, and I make sure to keep them informed and involved in my work.

Hello Mumbai News: What motivates you?

Neenu Rathin: I am motivated by the potential to create positive change and impact the society positively through my work.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you generate new ideas?

Neenu Rathin: I generate new ideas by engaging in deep work, staying updated with the latest trends, maintaining an open mind, actively seeking out new experiences and perspectives, and collaborating with individuals who share my vision.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Neenu Rathin: My greatest fear is not being able to make a significant impact on society. To manage this fear, I maintain a positive outlook, set realistic goals, and celebrate even the small accomplishments along the way.

Hello Mumbai News: What are your ideals?

Neenu Rathin: Honesty, Integrity and self-responsibility.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Neenu Rathin: I find success in my personal happiness and contentment. As a social entrepreneur and leader, I measure success by the positive impact I am able to create and the satisfaction it brings me.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Neenu Rathin: My favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur is the freedom it offers. Being an entrepreneur allows me to be creative, innovative, and to work towards a greater purpose that is bigger than myself. It is incredibly fulfilling to see my ideas come to life and make a real difference in people’s lives. I also love the challenge of constantly learning and growing, both personally and professionally.

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Neenu Rathin: One of my most fulfilling moments in business was when I was chosen for the Women Startup Program by the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. At that time, The Social Town was just a concept, and being selected validated our vision and the potential impact we could make.

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Neenu Rathin: Don’t be afraid to take risks and fail, as failure is a learning experience that can help you grow as an entrepreneur. It is also important to network with other entrepreneurs and seek out mentorship to gain valuable insights and guidance. Finally, be prepared to work hard, stay focused on your goals, and never give up on your dreams.

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Neenu Rathin: If I could go back and start my career over again, I would have taken the opportunity to work on social impact projects earlier. After completing my studies, I initially started my career as a lecturer in an engineering college, turning down an offer from a leading IT company. Later, I took a long break to reassess my priorities and discover my passion for creating social change. I eventually fully committed to the idea and took the leap into entrepreneurship. Although it took me some time to get to where I am today, I am grateful for the journey and the experiences that have brought me here.

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Neenu Rathin: Adaptability, Communication and Resilience

Hello Mumbai News: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Neenu Rathin: I take regular breaks to recharge and refresh my mind, which helps me to be more productive in the long run. And I block time for deep work.

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Neenu Rathin: Building strong relationships, continuous learning and development, strategic planning and goal setting, fostering innovation and creativity and last but most important personal well-being.

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Neenu Rathin: I find my greatest inspiration in my fellow entrepreneurs, particularly the women who have overcome barriers, built thriving businesses, and are making a positive impact in the society. Their determination, resilience, and ability to create change despite facing numerous obstacles continue to inspire me to push forward in my own entrepreneurial journey. I am also grateful for the support and encouragement I have received from them.

Nimisha J Vadakkan:

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Nimisha J Vadakkan: I am Nimisha J Vadakkan, Co-founder and Managing Director, Aceware Fintech Services Pvt Ltd. 

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women.

Nimisha J Vadakkan: As far as I am concerned, the first step to freedom and independence is financial freedom. I wish every women to be educated and employed so that they  don’t need anyone else financially help them for their needs.  Financial independence is necessary to take strong and bold individual decisions.

Hello Mumbai News: Share your Recognition and Achievements.

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Certificate of Appreciation from Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. 

  •  Go Global Award of International Trade Council 
  • Promising Entrepreneurs Award of Economic Times
  • FMB Award by Unique Times Magazine
  • Women Entrepreneur Award of Samrambham Business Magazine
  • Recognized by Headstart Network Foundation as one among the 23 start-ups to watch out for in Kerala in 2023

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Apart from traditional business concept, start-ups are established out of an innovation. They would solve a problem that was never addressed before. I came across a problem in my life where I had to struggle to arrange some liquid money during the lockdown time. The very first product of Acemoney, Door-step ATM, was born from that crisis. So, basically, I had an intention to solve a common issue in the society.  The whole journey started from there.

Hello Mumbai News: Tell us about your start-up? Its innovativeness! The USP and how it started.

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Acemoney is a Fintech start-up providing Digital Banking and Financial services. We operate through channels including co-operative institutions and rural financial institutions to reach out to millions of rural people aiming at financial inclusion. Our line of products includes UPI QR, Wallets and Cards, Mobile Banking, Micro Insurance, Payment Gateway, WL ATM/ CDM, Neo banking and the like. We also serve businesses with all kinds of fintech solutions they need. Acemoney Teora Wearable Payment Rings are the latest addition to our product line. This is a lifestyle product that would make payments the most convenient and stylish thing to do.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you raise funding for your venture?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Currently we are bootstrapped. As our expansion plans are going on, we will be going for fund raising. Mostly, we prefer Angel and VC fundings. 

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: I believe that the basic element of customer acquisition is the quality and reliability of products and services we offer. In that terms, Acemoney has proved itself a great source of digital banking and payment solutions. Apart from that we follow a unique business model wherein we reach out to end users through channels like co-operative banks and societies, NBFCs, BC points etc. This B2B2C model is really effective in building customer base.

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: As the founder the business definitely demands more time investment from my side. There are no fixed timings. And it will not help too.  To say an average, it would come around 10-12 hours a day.

Hello Mumbai News: Can you describe/outline your typical day?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: On a normal day I will be reaching office at 8 in the morning. There will be meetings scheduled internally and externally. There will be unexpected programs that are out of the schedule. Also, I am responsible for the financials of the company. In short, I will be at office till 6-7 in the evening. 

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Being an entrepreneur has never affected my family life. One of the reasons is that I will always find time for my child and family. Also, my husband is the co-founder of Acemoney which helps us to work from the same page. Definitely, the travel needs and staying away from home will make me miss home.  But the cause I am working for is much bigger. 

Hello Mumbai News: What motivates you?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: The vision of Acemoney to make digital banking and payment solutions accessible for millions of digitally illiterate people and make them financially included motivates me to go forward. 

Hello Mumbai News: How do you generate new ideas?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: New ideas will come from understanding of the current shortcomings. I always think of innovations in the present product line. Me and my team are working to make banking and payments easier, comfortable and faster for people. I try to identify the needs of people in this regard and will think of ideas to solve it.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: The fear of running out of ideas.  To manage it I keep on studying and researching.

Hello Mumbai News: What are your ideals?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: To be genuine in what you do. And to keep on improvising on what you do.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Success for me is contentment and it for me comes from the self confidence that I am doing and working on something that would make a good change in the world around me. The satisfaction of being a changemaker and resulting happiness is success. 

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: My favourite thing about being an entrepreneur is providing job to around 100 employees. When I opted not to be an employee but to be an employer, the risks were high. But the fact that now I have successfully built a team gives me so much satisfaction.

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: During our last product launch, we launched two products; Offline UPI for the underprivileged population and Teora for the luxury seekers. It is a matter of real proud to be touching people in all categories of the society with the solutions they need.

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Notice everything around you. You will find an unsolved issue somewhere, that is your opportunity. Start working on solving it. Make maximum use of technology and come up with a detailed and precise start-up plan. Keep improvising the plan.

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: I will choose to be an entrepreneur anyway.  Definitely, I will start chasing for an unidentified problem again… And the story repeats… I wish!

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Patience. Smart Work. Planning.

Hello Mumbai News: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: To have the vision on which you established the company on your mind is very important.  To have a supportive and dedicated team. Consistency in everything you do. 

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Research on market need, customer needs, potential risks and market trend. Have enough background study before you go for even planning.

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Nimisha J Vadakkan: Mr. Jimmin J Kurichiyil, my husband who is also my co-founder, is my best inspiration. The way he is constantly making effort to build the company and be a wonderful team lead always inspires me.

Sheethal GK:

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Sheethal GK: I am Sheethal Gk a Company secretary by profession and entrepreneur by passion, Co-founder of Bluehour Technologies. 

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women?

Sheethal GK: Change the classical example of women in society that you are not only a daughter, mother or wife you are way more than that. We are stronger than we think, we should be supportive of one another.

Hello Mumbai News: You come from South India which is considered a talent hub of Entrepreneurs. How’s atmosphere there for Entrepreneurs and scope.

Sheethal GK: Yes, I am from Kerala, which is a hub for startup and we can also see a lot of women entrepreneurs here and KSUM is providing a lot of support to entrepreneurs.

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Sheethal GK: Even though I am not from a business background, it’s always my dream and passion to be an entrepreneur. Satisfaction of doing something which I am always passionate about and to be impactful.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you come up with the name for your company?

Sheethal GK: Bluehour is my company name, Blue hour is the time that comes right after golden hour, immediately following the sunset. Since we are into photography we believe this is the best name.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you raise funding for your venture?

Sheethal GK: We are now in the pre seed round and are raising funds through angel investors and VCs.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Sheethal GK: Building a customer base takes time. It involves not just attracting customers but maintaining them long term for multiple purchases. By establishing a brand, to know the proper targeted audience, through proper customer service etc.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

Sheethal GK: Our targeted customers are mainly ecommerce, literally online sellers. We use social media marketing, Cold calls and emails, influencer marketing, Contents-SEO. We are in the early stage so still figuring out which one will be most successful.

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Sheethal GK: More than 12 hours

Hello Mumbai News: Can you describe/outline your typical day?

Sheethal GK: Before hitting the bed, I like to plan for tomorrow. Having a schedule and routine keeps me more focused. I usually use the time to work with the team and discuss the strategies and make overall plans. Also, things like working on the research and making things move forward. I try to do a work-life-balance so I spend some time meditating and doing yoga.

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Sheethal GK: Becoming an entrepreneur can be emotionally draining and time consuming. It can turn into a very stressful situation for our family sometimes. As an entrepreneur, we learn to hold ourselves accountable, or we will not succeed. Becoming more responsible in business made me more accountable in my personal life as well.

Hello Mumbai News: What motivates you?

Sheethal GK: My passion towards the business, 

Hello Mumbai News: How do you generate new ideas?

Sheethal GK: Networking, research and reading a lot, understanding pain points of customers etc

Hello Mumbai News: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Sheethal GK: There are lot of fears which will come across being an entrepreneur, Fear of being wrong, to please everyone, not being an expert etc. Fears tend to have a negative connotation, but you can adopt the right attitude to deliver a positive response. Try to focus on how you cope with the fear rather than how it limits you. Always try to accept whatever comes 

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Sheethal GK: Being the best version of myself, and having a positive impact on the lives of people by inspiring them to think and act in ways that they may not have considered before.

Hello Mumbai News: Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

Sheethal GK: No

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Sheethal GK: Facing challenges, Makes us stronger day by day and every day we get to learn something new.

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Sheethal GK: Working with the team and assisting in solving the problem

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Sheethal GK: Network – Meet people with similar mindset and whose skills could complement yours. Persevere – You will face failures along the way but it is your choice to take it or to learn from the experiences, learn everywhere and love the process

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Sheethal GK: No, I don’t regret becoming an Entrepreneur. I would choose this 1000 times over if given a chance over anything else!

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Sheethal GK: Ability to learn and listen, Initiative and confidence

Hello Mumbai News: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Sheethal GK: Meditation and Take break when required, Eliminate distractions, focused on what I am doing.

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Sheethal GK: Adopt a learning mindset. Utilize the professional network. Invest time in yourself -physical and mental health is equally important

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Sheethal GK: There are many people that have had an impact on my life and influenced me in many different ways. However, greatest inspiration is my mom, she is always a support to me and tells me to believe in myself

Hello Mumbai News: If you had a magic stick, which are the three things you would change in the world?

Sheethal GK: To remove the indifferences and to treat all equally, to eliminate poverty and Give education to all the kids

Hello Mumbai News: What is the part of your life experience you would alter if you had the chance to?

Sheethal GK: Eliminate poverty, Give education to all the kids and remove the indifferences and to treat all equally

Ashwathy Venugopal:

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Ashwathy Venugopal: I am Ashwathy Venugopal, Co-Founder and CEO of Avasarshala. I am a TEDx Speaker, Social Entrepreneur and a Leadership Board Member at Kectil International Youth Leadership USA and one of the 75 woman founders featured in ‘75 Womenpreneurs of India’ 2022 released by Atal Innovation Mission as part of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. I wish to guide young minds to make their life interesting- one day at a time.

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women.

Ashwathy Venugopal: Each of us have our own stories of breaking biases and carving our own space in the world of innovation and business. No matter how much or how less you have struggled to pave your own way- always realize we are standing on the shoulders of ‘S’Heroes of yesterday. It is our responsibility to lend the same strong shoulders for women innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. 

Having a first-hand knowledge of the challenges you overcame to move ahead in your journey, show the world how an empowered woman leads and innovates- encourage to Embrace Equity. 

Hello Mumbai News: Share your Recognition and Achievements.

Ashwathy Venugopal: I have been selected into international fellowship programs such as Cherie Blair Foundation Mentoring Women in Business, Vital Voices GROW Fellowship, WEDU Asian Rising Star, Youth IGF India as well as EIR at IIM Kozhikode. I am the former City Curator of Global Shaper Community (World Economic Forum) and part of Headstart Entrepreneur’s Network.  

In 2020, I have been recognized among Top 5 Social Innovators from India and People’s Choice Awardee at Youth Co:Lab India (in partnership with Atal Incubation Mission and UNDP India). I am the recipient of Eastern Bhoomika Iconic Women Awards 2020 and my venture Avasarshala has been Internationally recognized as Top 10 Purpose Driven Innovations by Bridge for Billions and Top 30 Most Inspiring Digital Innovations by Partos, Netherlands.

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Ashwathy Venugopal: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”
I grew up admiring my dad who has not gone to work for a single day in his life. He has always been an entrepreneur, transitioning across enterprises over the years. With him I have experienced many highs and lows of entrepreneurship- the joy when the customer pays, the pang when you incur a loss, the emptiness when a business (unfortunately) shuts down and the thrill when you begin the next venture.
Not surprisingly, I truly believe (and know for a fact) that the world is full of opportunities- there is always a new door to open. Maybe this is the reason why it did not give me a cold foot to quit a well-paying Managerial role at Amazon to become an entrepreneur today.

I had a good stint as a Software Engineer and an MBA later I landed my dream job with Amazon as Team Manager in Operations. Then some of the best things started to happen in my life, and I left Amazon and Co-Founded Avasarshala. 

Hello Mumbai News: Tell us about your startup? Its innovativeness! The USP and how it started.

Ashwathy Venugopal: As a student, I was not aware of the huge number of leadership programs and fellowships available nationally as well as globally. I always thought my academics and college activities were enough exposure. Once I joined the corporate jungle I was hit by the need to up-skill and stay relevant. What started as a hunt for webinars and online courses led me to the world of leadership programs and international fellowships. I was surprised at the number of avenues that are available for youth. I started applying, and had to go through numerous unsuccessful applications until I was selected for the 2017 Kectil World Leadership Program. From being part of the Kectil Youth Leadership Conference (2019) at Atlanta, USA to a mentor and regional coordinator later, today I sit on the program’s leadership board. This has been a huge avenue for me to meet many world leaders, engage in problems faced by youth around the world and truly reflect on what more I can do as youth in my own society back in India.
As women the avenues for us are abundant- now more than ever. If you are on the lookout, the possibilities for you are infinite. I have set myself in the path of realizing my dreams and ambitions, and I move with a mission to help as many young people achieve the same, with me. This is the core idea behind my venture Avasarshala.

Avasarshala is a personalized opportunity discovery and comprehensive profile building platform for school students. The platform connects each student with local, nation and global opportunities, recommended to them based on their age, location and interest areas. Students gain exposure as well as a framework to utilize these avenues to create a personal profile to grow further in their chosen interest areas.

Link: https://www.avasarshala.com/
https://app.avasarshala.com/

Hello Mumbai News: How did you come up with the name for your company?

Ashwathy Venugopal: I realize, life is what you make of it. There are abundant opportunities to gain exposure and bring change to your own life and others around you- just that we should be ready to receive it when it comes by. I have set out to curate an recommend the best opportunities to students to help them grow and fully utilize their potential- where else can they find the best opportunities than at Avasarshala, literally the Hub of Opportunities. ‘Avasars’ means opportunities and ‘Shala’ means hub in most Indian languages.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you raise funding for your venture?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Avasarshala is bootstrapped and funded by Innovation grant from Kerala Startup Mission, EIR from IIM K LIVE, Cochin University CITTIC RUSA grants and revenue from business operations.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Ashwathy Venugopal: The fundamentals of building a customer base is to find the pain points faced by the customer and articulate the right problem statement they are facing. Now create a solution that they absolutely need- a painkiller (and not a vitamin that’s just an option or an alternative they can probably live without). Your first few customers are probably the strongest brand ambassadors you will have- they would help you go forward a lot more than you would realize. I started by reaching out to friends, family and their referrals to validate my business idea. They are still the biggest cheerleaders we have for Avasarshala. 

Hello Mumbai News: How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Each business and product will have its own ideal channel and techniques for marketing. For an opportunity curation platform like Avasarshala, referrals have been the most effective way for growing the business. When happy customers share testimonials and talk about us, more people trust us and come on board. We have tried a combination of high touch marketing (direct interactions, seminars) and digital marketing. 

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Almost 24×7. Don’t ask me if it’s good or bad, but my startup is my baby and its always on my mind. Even when I watch shows or read books, I end up drawing inspiration for my work and company. Isn’t that what happens when you are passionate about business?

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Ashwathy Venugopal: An entrepreneur often requires the emotional support of friends and family to survive and become successful. There will be days when you need encouragement to get up and set things right, there are days you need the applause for achieving milestones. Surround yourself with people who truly celebrate you. For me this has been my family. My husband is my co-founder at Avasarshala- we dream and build the company together. My biggest fans are my parents. No matter how small or big my achievement they get super excited and happy- that just gets us charged to do more. 

Hello Mumbai News: What motivates you?

Ashwathy Venugopal: I am part of entrepreneurial networks and leadership connects like Headstart, Global Shapers (World Economic Forum) and so on where I get to see other entrepreneurs in action and interact and know their stores first hand. Everyone has so many inspirational stories- I love listening to people and learn from their journeys. Their energies usually motivate me to go back home and double down on my efforts with Avasarshala. 

Hello Mumbai News: What are your ideals?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Celebrate life. Small or big, make it a point to celebrate every milestone in life and business. 

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Success is defined by the story behind each milestone. I have an entrepreneur friend who once told me, success and failure is defined by yourself and not others. If you fall, but pick up a lesson from the incident- decide to use it to fly ahead, then you are successful.  I think she is absolutely right. 

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favourite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Ashwathy Venugopal: The fire in the belly to do something fantastic when you wake up each morning. And the fact that you can actually experiment and innovate at your workplace because it is your own company.

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Ashwathy Venugopal: I work to connect students with opportunities for growth. So I utilize each and every opportunity that comes my way and show the students that it is possible to fulfil all your dreams if you allow yourself to grab new ‘Avasars’. I knew I was doing the right thing when little girls came up to me and said they want to be like me one day. Moments like that are too powerful and I feel too happy I set out in this journey to build Avasarshala. 

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Try atleast one business idea when you are in college. Try and fail, but this experience will give you so much clarity around selling and purchase, innovation, product development, customer service, finance and money and building a team. If you are on the right track, maybe this can even be a business you develop beyond your college days. 

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Nope. Every highs and lows and decisions have contributed to my current journey and I cherish it the way it is. 

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Tenacity to keep trying. Energy to create meaningful network. An eye for finding the right business tools to make your life easier. 

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Be part of as much networks as possible. Meet new people and listen to their stories. They will definitely introduce you to their own networks and circles.
Surround yourself with people who do very different things- your own innovation and ideation will improve when you can learn and draw parallels from unrelated areas of work.
Cut out people who are negatively influencing your mindset. Not every contact is a good contact- if you think they are eating up your energy or time, they may not be able to add value going forward. Be unapologetic about putting your mental happiness first and allowing yourself to focus on building your company. 

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Ashwathy Venugopal: Me and my co-founder inspire each other to work smarter each day. Since we work on the same company and share all the highs and lows, there is no other fitting source of inspiration and motivation to drive each other forward every day. 

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: 

Based: Bangalore

Hello Mumbai News: Introduce yourself for our readers.

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Sudeshna is the Founder & CEO at Flurgo. An early-stage company creating a no-code, interactive campaign builder platform for growth marketing teams of consumer brands.
Previously, she had co-founded and grew, Techweirdo, that delivered AI models solving for supply chain for enterprise customers across India, USA & Europe.
A computer science engineer by education, she had been a mentor for incubators across IIMs, Asian Confluence, US consulate’s Nexus startups and more.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sudeshna-mukhopadhyay/

Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day for Women.

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Celebrate yourself everyday, keep backing yourself and don’t wait for validation from people who don’t directly impact your growth.

Hello Mumbai News: Share your Recognition and Achievements.

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: 1. Asia Berlin Enpact fellow ( Top 10 woman founded tech business from India)
2. Recognised by the US Consulate as a woman in Tech building an AI first business
3. Mentor to founder cohorts at IIMs, Asian Confluence and more

Hello Mumbai News: What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: To be able to solve large problems and drive impact at scale

Hello Mumbai News: How did you come up with the name for your company?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Techweirdo, my last venture reflected the culture of misfits – ones who exist around us but aren’t seen for who they are. For everyone, who have felt like a misfit but made quality contributions, genius is mostly weird, it’s a reflection of being a non-conformist.
This laid the path to build what I am building today, Flurgo – which means going to a bigger and better place.

Hello Mumbai News: How did you raise funding for your venture?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: We have bootstrapped our growth to a 7-figure business and we are continuing to grow

Hello Mumbai News: How do you build a successful customer base?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Everything in business, boils down to who you know how well. Building high quality relationships with your customers is a key to success.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Most underrated channel are your customers yourself – organic growth is slow to get started but if you keep at it, it’s compounds into exponential growth. Tactically and strategically, your product should inherently use UGC in all marketing efforts.

Hello Mumbai News: How many hours a day do you work on average?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: An average of 10-12 hours

Hello Mumbai News: Can you describe/outline your typical day?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Really tough – there’s nothing typical for my days, but my days are batched, everything, personal and professional commitments are on calendar and I stay on top of it daily.

Hello Mumbai News: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: There’s always a thin line of balance to tread and choose only things that you are happy to do not as obligations – this can diminish the feeling of feeling affected during the process of building.

Hello Mumbai News: What motivates you?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: My team and impact we are driving with technology.

Hello Mumbai News: How do you generate new ideas?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Practicing better thinking. Using mental models, journaling, idea sketches, being curious helps.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Periodic paranoia maybe not fear. Fear dies the moment you take action into a forward direction rather than succumbing.

Hello Mumbai News: What are your ideals?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Grit and grace – leading with these is my ideal

Hello Mumbai News: How do you define success?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Having complete ownership of your own time.

Hello Mumbai News: Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: I won’t think that but consistency in solving problems incrementally better over a period of time is key trait of people who do well as entrepreneurs.

Hello Mumbai News: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Having intellectual freedom to think & execute

Hello Mumbai News: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: The first meet with my team – we grew as a remote company and it felt surreal to meet my team after 2 years after lockdowns eased

Hello Mumbai News: What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Be keen to explore, index on finding problems that you deeply feel connected to and be hungry for knowledge and momentum.

Hello Mumbai News: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: I can’t dwell in the past that is hypothetical, not a question that I resonate with

Hello Mumbai News: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: People are dynamic and skills are subjective to one’s own strength and weakness. Being aware of that for yourself will help.

Hello Mumbai News: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Batch days, don’t make to-dos.
Say no to things that doesn’t move a needle anywhere. Hire smart and ethical people.

Hello Mumbai News: What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Reading, reflecting and itching their curiosity

Hello Mumbai News: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay: Many people over various period of time – ranges between everyday folks I met and folks I came across on the internet.

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.