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Information is not knowledge. - Albert Einstein Top Stories Meghna Joshi A dedicated advocate for social impact & sustainability and the founder of SWAN Livelihood, committed to empowering the workforce through tailored training programs and workshop sessions. Read full Interview Sai Poorna Patnaik With his firm beliefs & determination, Sai came out of the hardship he faces after the demise of his father who was a Teacher in Railway runs School. Read full Interview Exclusive Interview Sailesh Nair Mr. Sailesh started at the age of 16 years as he was fond of machines/vehicles and spent his time studying them and repairing faulty components in vehicles. Read full Interview Top Stories Soumita Sinha she has grown comfortable managing litigation files, preparing and negotiating contracts, and performing an array of legal tasks. Read full Interview Dr. Sushindri Sridharan If you dedicate your mind towards your goal, you will achieve it so as I am doing to achieve my goals. Read full Interview Interview with Women Entrepreneurs View More Interview with Entrepreneurs View More Entrepreneur Sai Poorna Patnaik With his firm beliefs & determination, Sai came out of the hardship he faces after the demise of his father who was a Teacher in Railway runs School. Entrepreneur Shankar Sahai Mr. Shankar Sahai started his career as a marketing executive in a small IT start-up and gradually raised his rank in various companies and gained experience. Entrepreneur Anand Mani Tripathi It is the destiny and karma which guides you to generate the ideas by itself. Entrepreneur Rahul Todi Rahul's honesty and intention for good work have been the strengths... Entrepreneur Tushar Kansal I always try to make sure that I empower the right people for the right work. This way I do not feel overburdened with work that leads to stress. Entrepreneur Ranjit Baruah Mr. Ranjit Baruah, Founder of AROMICA TEA with his vast experience of working in Mcleod Russel India Limited, the largest tea company in the country for the last 20 years Entrepreneur Prabhu Velusamy I feel most of the time playing and spending time with friends ease my pressures. Entrepreneur Dr. Vipul Lunawat Vipul did Level 02 Coaching certification from Australian Ice Racing (AIR) in Short Track Speed Ice skating, & certified by Olympic Solidarity, Melbourne, Australia. Entrepreneur Shailender S Tripathi Shailender is an effective communicator with perfect relationship building & interpersonal skills with vast experience in consistently raising sales. Entrepreneur Amrit Singh Job restricts your boundaries, and Art like Designing needs no boundaries... Entrepreneur Siddharth Deshmukh Sport is an integral part of Mr. Siddharth’s life and in fact, his “head is in technology and heart is in sports”. From being a competitive athlete to a game-changer Entrepreneur Paras Khanna Paras Khanna & his team provides interior design services from classic traditional to modern graphic or fusion pattern. Inspiring Tales Read More Apr 9, 2021 2 min Jessica Cox Jessica Cox graduated from the University of Arizona in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in communications. Apr 9, 2021 2 min Sergey Brin Brin immigrated to the United States with his family from the Soviet Union at the age of six. He earned his bachelor's degree... Apr 9, 2021 2 min Sara Treleaven Blakely An American businesswoman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She is the founder of Spanx, an American intimate apparel company with pants... Apr 9, 2021 2 min Nick Vujicic Mr. Nick is a world-renowned motivational speaker born in Melbourne to Dušanka and Borislav Vujičić, Serbian immigrants from Yugoslavia. 1 2 3

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

Interviews Read more... Meghna Joshi Founder & CEO A dedicated advocate for social impact & sustainability and the founder of SWAN Livelihood, committed to empowering the workforce through tailored training programs and workshop sessions. Read more... Sai Poorna Patnaik Founder With his firm beliefs & determination, Sai came out of the hardship he faces after the demise of his father who was a Teacher in Railway runs School. Read more... Shankar Sahai Co-Founder and Director Mr. Shankar Sahai started his career as a marketing executive in a small IT start-up and gradually raised his rank in various companies and gained experience. Read more... Bhavini Khakhkhar Founder I decided to provide my customers the best Cosmetics and for that, I aspires to build the best cosmetic products line in India under the brand name Lely’s Read more... Dr. Ruchika R. Jha Doctor & Public Healthcare Consultant Dr.Jha has experience in Ayurveda Medicine practice as well as Allopathy General Medicine practice. Read more... Anand Mani Tripathi Founder and CEO It is the destiny and karma which guides you to generate the ideas by itself. Read more... Gamethon Professional Gamers Gamethon offers not only gaming platform but also offers to win money through their online gaming skills. Read more... Rahul Todi Managing Director Rahul's honesty and intention for good work have been the strengths... Read more... Tushar Kansal Founder & CEO I always try to make sure that I empower the right people for the right work. This way I do not feel overburdened with work that leads to stress. Read more... Ranjit Baruah FOUNDER DIRECTOR 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 Read more... Prabhu Velusamy Founder and CEO I feel most of the time playing and spending time with friends ease my pressures. Read more... Dr. Vipul Lunawat Founder and Director Vipul did Level 02 Coaching certification from Australian Ice Racing (AIR) in Short Track Speed Ice skating, & certified by Olympic Solidarity, Melbourne, Australia. Select Category Load More

< All Interviews Dr. Sushindri Sridharan Director Women Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its objective to strive and grope vigorously to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of entrepreneurs, this time we are introducing Dr. Sushindri Sridharan, Director of “S10 SafeCare”. Dr Sridharan is working to organise the health services and dedicated to offering affordable & frictionless healthcare to make it personalised & Hi-tech to millions of needy people in the planet. Dr Sridharan was working since long to create a digital medium to connect both needy patients and qualified doctors to make healthcare accesible. The doctors and the tech experts devised the most relevant feature rich App S10.fit Dr Sridharan pursued medicine from Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chennai. Since her early days she is a passionate personality and always aspired to be one of the youngest achievers by delivering high performance in all walks of life. She also did studies on entrepreneurship from most prestigious Harvard Business School and have also done AI In healthcare from Stanford University. Winner of Young Entrepreneur Award 2021 given by Indian achievers Forum, Dr Sridharan always been a hustler and hard worker.She has been recognised as the times most influential personality 2021 . Share this Interview: Know more about S10 SafeCare "S10 SafeCare”, is an offshoot of S10 Health Trusted by more than 600 healthcare facilities worldwide, which is passionate about improving the lives of people by channelizing the fragmented health care system with the growing essential needs for a better health and well-being. S10 Health is a network of ambulatory care clinics and many S10 SafeCare minute clinics which are dedicated to "Health and Wellness" to the day-to-day lives of individual health seekers, schools, and corporates. S10 health bridges the gap between the health seekers' needs and doctors' practice objectives by synchronization of the healthcare delivery process. It could be increasing the number of patient encounters and reducing the wait time of patients of high traffic practices or increasing the patient flow of a budding practice. Tell us a little about your organization and your organization’s journey so far; About my organization, I would like to apprise that “S10 SafeCare” is an offshoot of S10 Health, started off as a network of ambulatory care clinics with a funky sports medicine & high-performance center and many S10 SafeCare minute clinics. We took "Health and Wellness" to the day-to-day lives of individual health seekers, schools, and corporates. It was awesome. Our model of care made people feel amazing — but was hard to access at home. We needed an easier way to bring these magical elixirs to people's daily rituals...so we hit the App button! We set out on a mission to create the most relevant, feature-rich App on the planet. Our doctors and technology experts after 3 years of experimenting with people and meticulous designing unraveled this wonderful set of Super Apps! Here we are, buckled up for a long haul to make a meaningful impact Tell us a little bit about yourself (background) and your journey as an entrepreneur, please; I did my schooling from sacred heart matriculation higher secondary school and further pursued medicine from Chettinad hospital and research institute in Chennai. I was a passionate individual from the beginning and always aspired to be one of the youngest achievers by delivering high performance in all walks of life. To add to my skills and knowledge, I also completed a course in the most prestigious Harvard business school on entrepreneurship. And have also done AI In healthcare at Stanford University. I have won the young entrepreneur award for the year 2021 by the Indian achiever’s forum. I have always been a hustler and a hard worker. Along the journey as a doctor, I realized the importance of converting my knowledge into healthcare for improving lives and took up entrepreneurship. I wanted to use software and technology to help people get the best and easiest solution for their healthcare needs. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? I chose entrepreneurship because I always wanted to improve lives. I have always been intrigued by entrepreneurship and read success stories of all successful entrepreneurs. You see –For any entrepreneur, the route from an idea to an established business is a long and winding one. I was always into building things. As an entrepreneur, there are just certain skills that are integral to your success. No one is one hundred percent prepared to be an entrepreneur and an expert at it, so you’ll inevitably learn quite a few things during your tenure as an entrepreneur. So I’m on my journey of establishing and building my brand with my mission to provide healthcare to all needy patients. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? It is very much true that everyone is of different calibers and that includes what motivates us and our perspectives of rewards. Some people are more intrinsically motivated by a task while other person sees the same activity extrinsically. Being challenged every day helps me to work at a continuously optimal level of work towards meaningful goals and stay positive. During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption? As the business is born during COVID, each measure is taken to ensure that the model aligns with the challenges of the pandemic. Our business model consists of a lean team that is not at all resource-heavy and has minimal overheads. Every aspect of the business is online and tech-enabled to ensure automation as much as possible. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? I feel every day is a new challenge, a new adventure a new opportunity for. So, if you dedicate your mind towards your goal, you will achieve it so as I am doing to achieve my goals. This is what drives me to work hard and achieve my dream for the betterment of healthcare for the needy. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? The one strategy that I believe has helped me grow is the ability and desire to learn powerful skills that can have a positive impact on many areas of my professional life. Learning can take place in a traditional sense through reading or studying, or in a more interpersonal sense through listening. Either way, it's a crucial aspect of my personal development. In your opinion what are the keys to success? I will say it straight that there are many factors but if you really must have the key elements then to me these are the ones: Build high self-esteem, belief in yourself, have confidence, like and feel good about yourself, take pride in what you do. Focus with a positive attitude Always expect the best possible outcome for what you do. Set powerful goals Give your brain a place to aim. Persevere Never quit. Maintain a healthy mind, body, and spirit What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? I would like to advise the aspiring entrepreneur, First of all, choose your occupation wisely. Before you decide to pursue any career ask yourself this question: "Can I see myself doing this all day, every day, for many years?" When you choose an occupation, make sure it's a good match for your personality, interests, aptitudes, and work-related values. Most importantly don’t let anyone tell you what’s right for you. Root for yourself. If you aren't your own biggest fan, who will be? Take note of and pride in all your successes and positive attributes. Don't wait for someone else to tell you “Job well done!" Reflecting on your achievements will spur you on to accomplish even greater ones. Some people see only the negative side of things and always find something about which to complain. Don't be that person. You will bring yourself and everyone else down. A negative attitude saps your energy. Don't ignore problems, but instead of just complaining, look for ways to fix them. Follow S10.fit: Website: https://www.s10.fit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s10.fit/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S10.Fitapp/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/s10.fit/ Email: sales@s10.fit S10.clinic: website : https://www.s10.clinic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s10.clinic/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S10.Clinic Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/s10-safecare Email: sales@s10.clinic 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 Anuj Sehgal Founder and CEO Entrepreneur This time, In our latest interview on VictoryTales, we would like to introduce Mr. Anuj Sehgal, a very unique and admirable personality who is having God’s gift in his life to make millions of millions of people Laugh through his very unique idea to bring Comedy as his main objective to make the world happy. Mr. Anuj Sehgal is the Founder and CEO at “Comedy Munch”. Mr. Anuj with his mission to spread happiness among businesses, their employees, and customers. He is the Founder & CEO of Comedy Much, a company that helps brands in employee & customer engagement, brand communication, community building, and online integration through humour & entertainment. The journey of Mr. Anuj Sehgal as a startup comedian started since 2015 when on one evening he attended his first stand-up comedy show in Delhi. Share this Interview: Know more about Comedy Munch Anuj was inspired by the quality of the content and the kind of crowd-puller which led him to the creation of “Comedy Munch”, an exclusive digital platform for comedy. By then at the age of 37, Mr. Anuj Sehgal had over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, strategy, and operations as Country Manager for European MNC and Sales head for OTT player- NextG TV, and later as the co-founder and director of IT solutions company Inavit Digital. On enquiring from Mr. Anuj Sehgal about himself and his journey as an entrepreneur, he replied that It was one evening in the year 2015 that shaped his new start-up when he attended his first stand-up comedy show in Delhi. Mr Anuj apprised that he was inspired by the quality of the content and the kind of crowd-puller it was in that stand-up comedy show. That got him thinking and led to the creation of “Comedy Munch”, an exclusive digital platform for comedy. Then at the age of 37, Anuj had over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, strategy, and operations as Country Manager for European MNC and Sales head for OTT player- NexG TV, and later as the co-founder and director of IT solutions company Inavit Digital. Mr Anuj further said that when you think of comedy nowadays, in a world full of technologies and endless opportunities, we can imagine some witty humorous people performing stand-up comedy. ROFL is no more just a slang, it has become more relatable owing to the new age comics. And what if on that stage, we see a backbencher comedian from our class performing and making people crack out of laughter or someone we’ve always known for making everyone laugh at correct timings, how overwhelming of an experience would it be! That’s the exact idea of having a platform where people from all walks of life who are like any of us would come together to put their best jokes together and share with people what they’re best at. And as we all know nothing is greater than a morale boost and appreciation from the audience the artists work for; live for! Comedy Munch believes in spreading happiness and with this agenda in mind they organize happiness sessions and gigs across the country which is a one-stop destination for relieving out all the stress accumulated by the discomforts of life. With an online content platform, public shows and corporates, brands integration, adding that dose of laughter boosting to live up to the higher aspirations for brands, corporates, and the public in general. Your introduction and journey so far; Anuj is on a mission to spread happiness among businesses, their employees, and customers. He is the Founder & CEO of Comedy Much, a company that helps brands in employee & customer engagement, brand communication, community building, and online integration through humour & entertainment. The company plans and organizes events and programs for dealer/vendor/corporate meets, brand/product launch, community building, and online audience engagement through a unique integration of comedy and entertainment content. In his 15+ years of experience, Anuj has been part of many successful projects. He launched the First Telco OTT Platform in India at Aplaya Technologies, LIVE Streaming of IPL on Mobile TV Platform, and the successful launch of Timwe – An European MNC Operations in India. He has been instrumental in planning, launching, and managing these and many other projects. He is almost always involved passionately in running a growing Comedy Munch and making businesses a happier place. You would find him meeting with HR/Marketing Heads and CEOs and discussing unique ways for them to make their employees and customers happy and how humour and entertainment can help them in their missions. He loves to travel and decode life through a spiritual process and music. That’s where he gets most of the unique ideas about living a more enriching and fulfilling life. That's what drives Comedy Munch at the core and keeps the company fresh and innovative. Get in touch with Anuj to discuss unique ways on how comedy, humour, and entertainment can help you build a positive and happy brand image, keep your employees and customers happy and more engaged. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? I always wanted to create value in the ecosystem and give it back to the society, there was always a hunch to do something creative around performing arts and comedy came as a boon and exciting to live like a dream. As Steve Jobs says “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life”. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? Good Question. I would say not just in but at night, it usually happens. I am always fond of figuring out something niche or new, which may create a proposition for me and the public at large. I usually keep this mode on all the time and it serves as the source of my motivation all the time. The kind of positivity the smiling faces bring around me is so encouraging. Making people laugh while making money seemed like a win-win idea. We all seek peace in the busy city lives after working 9 to 6, five days a week, I thought what if I could make those days better? That’s how I get motivated every morning and plan on spreading happiness amongst the stressful environments of any working space. As we are in the business of creating happiness, it does not feel that getting to work is a task in the morning. What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? Every business has risks. Our risks are associated with the right skill set that we look for expansion in the future. We already have a core niche team but I see from future expansion perspective, we would need innovative minds, with a flexible thought process. Although, with a clearly defined process, and innovative means to reach out to search resources, we are confident enough that we will mitigate it. Finding the right team/talent/partners is the constant battle and we have achieved some milestones with their support. What comes first for you - money or emotions? I am an emotional person. Business needs to have emotions, not personal, obviously, but business ones like concern for quality deliverables, client satisfaction, targets & roadmaps, you planned & how you will achieve it, etc. Money is obviously the priority but I believe if your value creation process is right for others, the money will automatically come as an outcome of it. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? The meditation, exercise, right food and right people around you is the key to manage the pressure and stress. I have been lucky to be around the right people in the form of family support, an amazing team that helps me to balance the day to day stress and pressure. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/start-up? In my journey so far what has helped me immensely is the lean methodology and the relationships with people/team/partners. In your opinion what are the keys to success? There are a few and you can learn it on your way up. As long as you have a growth mindset it is not a problem. Persistence, Discipline, Empathy are some of the keys, and if you love what you are doing, you will gradually succeed. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? I always work on a tag line ‘add value to get value’. Don’t focus primarily on money or investments but keep your focus on creating a sustainable venture & value creation. I believe, rest things will automatically set with time. Don’t start the business to raise money, start to add value, and solve the problem. 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 Dr. Shweta Singh Founder & CEO Women Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its objective to bring more inspiring stories around the world, this time introducing Dr. Shweta Singh, Founder & CEO of Ennoble IP, and WIEF who is on the mission to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem for women, where their skills and entrepreneurial qualities can be dug out and enhanced. Dr. Shweta Singh did her education in Intellectual Property Rights(IPR) from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Geneva, Switzerland, and MBA. After pursuing her education and returning to India, she started working in the IP industry and with academia. Post gaining experience and finding more core problems i.e IP pain points in academia and start-ups she started her company “Ennoble IP” that provides IP consultancy to various clients including Startups, SMEs, and Universities. Share this Interview: Know more about Ennoble IP, and WIEF ENNOBLE IP is a techno-driven platform enabling Universities, SMEs, and Startups to Identify, protect, and commercialize their Intellectual Assets. We deal with Patent, Trademark, Design, and Copyrights. As a responsible Intellectual Promoter and Developers, Ennoble IP is the best platform for anyone who wants to take an innovative role in the 21st century for developing, protecting, and monetizing IP via-Customized services and techno-learning process. Ennoble IP had a group of IP Lawyers, Patent Agents, IP Experts, and Specialists to support and smoothen the IP services and training programs. Ennoble IP’s clientele includes Universities, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, in-house legal departments of large corporates, and others. Besides this also undertaking various short term certificate programs in the areas of Patent Agent Exam Enablement, IP Audit Training, Trade Marks Agent Training, IP Portfolio Management, Patent Analyst training, etc. Besides Ennoble IP, Dr. Shweta Singh is also the founder of WIEF i.e Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Foundation. WIEF’s vision of creating one of its own kind of entrepreneurial ecosystem for women, where their skills and entrepreneurial qualities are being dug out and enhanced. WIEF’s aim is to start from India and slowly capture the global ecosystem. We have a wide range of programs for the entrepreneurs and skilled force to Identify and Enable them to be financially independent with strong determination. On inquiring from Dr. Shweta Singh, Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as a womenpreneur; she replied; The instinct to start an IPR firm started when I was pursuing my IPR program from the WIPO, where people were criticizing Indians, claiming that Indians are highly intellectual, but not competent enough to safeguard their property. That’s why India had a very weak IP ecosystem and India’s are way behind in global innovation Index ranking. Since that very moment, I was intent that once I am back in India, I shall work for it. Hence after coming back, I started working in the IP industry and with academia. Post gaining experience and finding more core problems i.e IP pain points in academia and start-ups I started Ennoble IP. And the main story behind starting WIEF is my own journey toward being an entrepreneur and struggle for creating my own identity. When I look back to the time when I was still working towards achieving the dream of becoming an entrepreneur I remembered facing many problems especially because of the fact that I was a woman hailing from a small town where women had very limited exposure to opportunities. My struggles became the primary source of my inspiration to start something to support other women who hail from small towns and cities as they get very less exposure to the business ecosystem compared to those who come from metros and tier 1 & 2 cities. I realized that women are still far behind in achieving equal rights, and the main problem lies in the patriarchal system of our society which considers women as mere subordinates to men and creates different types of methods to subjugate them. I realized that there was a need for acknowledgment about the situation that lurks upon our society, which ranges from violence against women to lack of nutritional needs. On inquiring about, Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? Dr. Shweta Singh apprised that; When I got a pre-placement in MBA, the first thing my dad said to me was that if I had the proficiency to be recruited by someone else it means I do possess enormous potential. So, instead of working for someone else why don’t I work for myself in a direction where I can actually make a difference to the world? And since I always had the vision to do something on my own and make my unique identity of myself, I knew that entrepreneurship was a way to do that. Along with this, I knew being an entrepreneur I will always have an opportunity to do something for the society and change lives. Therefore, I chose Entrepreneurship over a job. On inquiring about her source of motivation, Dr. Shweta apprised that; I always try to find a new source of motivation every day. Initially, my parents gave me the greatest motivation to become self-independent and make my own identity. Further, my own journey and the gratification of overcoming obstacles is my greatest motivator. The feeling of accomplishment that comes with exceeding challenging goals is what drew me to start up my career in IP. Also, I’m motivated by the fact that, when I leave work at the end, I know I have helped some women and helped some start-up in putting afoot in this never-ending competitive world. Along with this, all the people from my company motivates me in some or other way. On inquiring about the uniqueness of her startup WIEF i.e Ennoble IP & Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Foundation, Dr.Shweta Singh recounts that; The uniqueness of my enterprise lies in the fact that we aim to support and empower the people who are relatively newer in their businesses. We work for the IP generation and protection of small and medium enterprises, start-ups, and educational institutions which boosts their economies and as a result work toward the development of the economy of the country. And if I talk about WIEF, it is dedicated to the cause of empowering women so that they could achieve their full economic potential. We seek to inspire women from both rural and urban areas so that they become advocates of change, innovators, leaders, and decision-makers who can bring a much-needed change in their community. WIEF is helping the women aware of their ability and make them aware of various government initiatives, it not only helps to start their own business but will also support them with entrepreneurial, marketing and financial guidance and monitor their growth for coming years. The vision of WIEF will help the women to overcome the various societal barriers and change their mindset which will help them to be vocal about the much-needed change in society and be independent. On inquiring, how did she handles the pressure and manage stress when comes in her way, Dr. Shweta said that; Honestly, pressure and stress are a part and parcel of life. I have learned to be aware as well as acknowledge it fully. Also, there are two kinds of pressure. One that’s the survival kind and the other one that pushes you to grow. As long as it’s the latter (growth), I don’t mind it! It helps in learning something new and improving myself. Moreover, I don't like to let stress take over a situation. Instead, I like to stay focused on the task at hand. For example, if a client isn't happy with our services, instead of dwelling on it, I like to focus on proactively communicating with them. I like to get to the bottom of the issue, troubleshoot it, and then find a common ground that'll allow us to move forward. Moreover, I'm a very foodie person. I like to try different cuisines, so when stressed, I love going out and trying different cuisines and spend some quality time with my kid. This works as the best stress-busting therapy for me. On inquiring from Dr.Shweta about how did she generate new ideas, she replied that; For me, there is no fixed plan or one stick solution/ way to generate new ideas. I always try new things. But few things which have always worked for me are: firstly examining old mousetraps and then building a better one, deep study of the particular field and finding out the loopholes and then thinking about the solutions to meant them have always helped to generate new ideas, moreover always being inquisitive and being interested and involved in what is going around the world and finding at least 30-60 minutes a day to read popular blogs, news portals, etc have also helped me in idea generation. On inquiring about her opinion about “the keys to success”, she explains that ; According to me, the very first key is faith. If you honestly believe in yourself and in your goals and work towards it with lots of patience nothing can stop you to be successful. And try changing your relationship with failures. This will bring you tremendous freedom. Another key is consistency, to find success is to be great at something and to be great at anything it involves practice and practice is being consistent. Whatever it is that you do or love to do, working on your craft and dedicating the time to it every single day will surely deliver success at some point in time. I love how a famous American author Zig Ziglar, quotes “Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment” How did she come up with the name for her company? On inquiring Dr. Shweta apprised that; I took around 4-5 months to decide on my company’s name as I wanted it to be very different and unique and something which should reflect my vision and since my vision was to help Indian firms in a unique way, therefore basing the name on a noble cause after a rigorous mind mapping I came up with “ENNOBLE IP” which was a combination of noble work in an innovative way. What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? Follow your passion, as an entrepreneur, it is very important to do what you love. Doing something that has meaning to you will provide the motivation needed to get through the rough patches and tumultuous times that are an inevitable part of building any new venture, secondly, network constantly because a strong professional network often makes the difference between success and failure for your business and lastly always remember if you’re starting a business, remember that companies need to take a risks to grow, and sometimes these risks, lead failure, so always understand that failure is a path of the process and should be taken as a teachable moment. There's only one life, so be confident and determined to create your own identity because once you know who you are "you are unstoppable" - Dr. Shweta Singh ​ 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 Vivek Sharanappa Co-Founder and CEO 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 Mr Vivek Sharanappa, Co Founder & CEO of BuymyEV for an interview with us. Vivek Sharanappa is basically an engineer with almost 20 years of working experience in the software industry. Vivek started his career as an associate at Polaris Software Labs, Chennai and his last job was at Hewlett Packard Enterprises before opening his venture BuymyEV. The idea to be an entrepreneur came as Vivek, had to commute to work from his home to office located at mahadevapura in Bengaluru everyday and there was no metro rail on his route. This tiresome journey was quite a challenge for him everyday. Specially spending long hours commuting was always forcing him to look for alternatives. Since he is an avid cyclist and even he tried cycling twice a week to reach his office(~20 kms one side) but had to give up due to air pollution affecting his health. So that's what encouraged me to look for alternative commute options that were economical, eco-friendly and perhaps the root cause or the idea to start an option for commute means in EV space was thus born. Share this Interview: Know more about BuymyEv BuymyEV is a company that manufactures electric eScoot. BuymyEv comprises a bunch of enthusiasts trying hard to make the urban commute fun and also trying to provide the best foldable eScoot from the globe to the urban population so that they can enjoy the ride as well as contribute to nature by zero air/noise pollution and eco-friendly drive. eScoot is an electric Personal Mobility Device that makes Urban commute simplified. eScoot is a mobility solution that can be used as a moving device to go to the office for work, coffee shop, gym, and literally everywhere. To know more about BuymyEV you can visit the website: https://www.buymyev.in/. Even if you need to know more about eScoot please get in touch through email: support@buymyev.in 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 am basically an engineer with close to a double decade experience in the software industry. I started my career as an associate at Polaris Software Labs, Chennai and my last longest stint was at Hewlett Packard Enterprises. While I had to commute to work from home to office located at mahadevapura in Bengaluru before the introduction of metro rails it was quite a challenge. Specially spending long hours commuting was always forcing me to look for alternatives. Since I am an avid cyclist I even tried cycling twice a week to the office(~20 kms one side) but had to give up due to air pollution affecting my health. With Metro although it was a little breather the last mile/first mile commute was still a challenge so that’s what encouraged me to look for alternative commute options that were economical, eco-friendly and perhaps the root cause or the idea to start option for commute means in EV space was thus born. Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job? Well to start with I did not have any choices as such to pick either a job or entrepreneurship. I was doing good at the job and perhaps you may even say in a comfort zone. But, the basic instinct of problem-solving got a new dimension when I started exploring the possible solutions for the short mile commute option. This is where I guess the turning point from a job to be an entrepreneur happened. What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? When I started exploring the solution it was a new skill that i had started developing that kept me pushing through a lot of learning with EV Technology. This new learning that I started implementing became a key driving force to become an entrepreneur. What’s your source of motivation? So when I realized that my solution could make a distinct difference to the lines of people as an entrepreneur, I realized that wealth creation in this way is much more satisfactory to me as a person and this is my biggest motivation. How many hours a day do you work on average? I work for about 12-15 hours on average in a day although my schedule is very dynamic and flexible. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? I am active with one or the other physical activity. I go for a run early in the morning 2-3 times a week, or go on long cycling trails over the weekend(depending on my schedule). For the everyday stress buster I look forward to playing with my son. Off late due to COVID19 restrictions I have learned some cooking skills to impress my teen daughter & spouse. That is also a new way of stress buster. What is the uniqueness of your startup? Our mission is to make hyperlocal commute clean, green and tech enabled through our electric bikes. We want to achieve this at a scale where it is a lifestyle change rather than a mere commercial short term engagement. As part of this plan we have attractive subscriptions that are light on the consumer pocket. This makes us standout. How do you generate new ideas? That is a very non formula based question :). Ideas are part of your thought process that is always running on your mind. Infact every human will have this as an individual. You don't explicitly dedicate a window for it especially in a startup. Once you are in the skin, they keep coming to you and how well you articulate, plan and execute and bring that idea to life is a different ball game. How did you come up with the name for your company? We wanted to build a platform for all the niche EV’s in India specifically for the hyperlocal market and that’s how we coined up the name as BUYMYEV . What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs? That is a very tricky one :). While I do suggest them to get their hands on, on all that experiments they want to conclude, I would like to say as much that work experience before being an entrepreneur is more important, since this gives you an advantage to understand a lot about your human behavior which ultimately is a requirement when you would like to start something which none have tried earlier. 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 Paras Saluja Founder and Director Entrepreneur VictoryTales with its mission to bring more and more inspiring stories for our readers, this time we are introducing Mr. Paras Saluja Founder & Director of Shayana Ecounified India Pvt. Ltd who is on the single point focus to reduce the dumping of plastics in the environment and save the planet. Mr. Paras Saluja, is an entrepreneur, environmental advocate, an inventor, and presently Founder & Director of SHAYNA ECOUNIFIED INDIA PVT.LTD. With his innovation, Mr. Paras has turned plastic waste into reusable material and created affordable structural materials from plastic waste, and thus creating a better tomorrow for the generations to come. He gave the world community reusable products by turning plastic waste into High-Density Composite polymer (HDCP) tiles and blocks. Previously, Paras remained involved in his pharmaceutical business. Being an enthusiastic traveler, he has been to many Asian and European countries in the past and he has trekked until Advance Base Camp of Mount Everest. His movement from mainstream business to being an environmentalist has inspired several young entrepreneurs to continue to narrate his story as a TEDx speaker. Mr. Paras has pooled various government & private organizations like Municipal Corporations of Gurugram, and Hyderabad L'oreal and TATA Motors to solve the plastic pollution crisis by deploying HDCP tiles in their principal offices. Share this Interview: Know more about SHAYNA ECOUNIFIED INDIA PVT LTD Shayna EcoUnified India Pvt. Ltd established with a single focus to reduce the dumping of plastics in the environment and save the planet. By using eligible plastic waste materials, the Company turns plastics into High-Density Composite polymer (HDCP) tiles and blocks. These final recycled/converted materials are weather-resistant, chip-resistant, acid-proof, durable and offer better structural stability at a lower cost as compared to other conventional. The final product is composite, affordable, and contributes to the societal benefit. The company strives to deploy cost-effective architectural tiles further restructuring the recycling base of India and taking it towards a new and much-required evolution. On inquiring from where did the idea to start something like Shayna EcoUnified came from and requesting him to tell us about his background and his journey as an entrepreneur, Mr. Paras Saluja apprised that; I joined my family business after completing my educational journey from Delhi Public School, Ghaziabad, and Bachelor of Business Administration from I.T.S college in Ghaziabad. I shifted my focus after 15 years and took my first steps towards my life-long issue of reducing, reusing waste that’s present all around us, all the time. As I grew, I became an avid traveler and during one of my trips, I was in Vietnam where I saw that they were very aware and sensitive about the waste they produced and how they managed to dispose of it. That is when it struck me that India is a big and populated country with a huge problem of waste being produced daily but not disposed of properly. I think that was the time when I decided to do something for my country and also wanted to contribute to the ongoing government of India’s “Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan''. When the idea to make a difference in the way we (humanity) were operating about our plastic waste struck me, I did not want to lose even a single minute of my time not doing what I could for it to become a reality and change what can be changed. Then I researched more regarding what I wanted to work on and contacted CSIR-NPL and together we came up with this technology that was later transferred to us. On inquiring from him about what was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur? Mr. Paras Saluja replied that; I belong to a business family so doing business was not something new for me. However, starting something new of my own in a sector I have no idea about was something that I didn’t foresee. When the idea struck me then I just followed my dream to do something for the environment which is sustainable and long-lasting and also helps all strata of society and can in turn do something for our country. On inquiring from Mr. Paras Saluja, why he has chosen to become an entrepreneur over a job? He apprised that; I belong to a business family and my upbringing was always done accordingly. I never really thought about a corporate career. Growing up I always wanted to do something of my own and to learn the ropes I chose to become the part of the existing business. During this time, between other qualities, I realized about my leadership skills, decision-making ability, and most importantly the ability to recognize an opportunity when it presents itself. After more than a decade of learning and growing it, when the idea to make a difference in the way we (humanity) were operating about our plastic waste struck me, I did not want to lose even 1 minute of my time not doing what I could for it to become a reality and change what can be changed. ​ When the opportunity presented itself then I wanted to make a product that is eco-friendly, something which did not wear and tear and could be used by us but since it came from waste, it shouldn’t touch our skin directly. Shayna’s products help clients with easy, economical, and speedy construction. Hence came out with the concept of tiles initially and later other products were introduced as well, which helps the society in using green technology to build smarter and greener ways of living. Can you please share with us your source of motivation for becoming an Entrepreneur? My belief in myself and my dream motivates me to keep going on. The passion and drive to finally be able to do something for our environment keeps us going and reaching out to people. Also, the support of our clients and environmental enthusiasts provides the much-needed boost that inspires us to strive for more. On inquiring how do you generate new ideas? Mr. Paras Saluja told that; The ideas just flow when one has a need. I live and follow the habits of sustainable living in my everyday life and I happen to notice a lot of things around me, some of them bother me, that’s the moment when I am on a constant lookout for inspiration which can help me and my curious brain to eradicate the issue I encounter and this habit gives birth to new ideas which I try and build into new products. On inquiring about the Uniqueness of his company Shayna EcoUnified, Mr. Paras apprised that ; Recycling is not a new or innovative business. My product is unique, not the business. What makes us different from other recycling companies is that we aim at unifying and bringing new solutions to cater to almost all the problems of pollution and help provide clean, healthy living conditions for all people, economies, and areas whether urban or rural. How did you come up with the name of your company? Shayna means Shine and Ecounified is the vision we have as we want to unify and bring a one-stop-shop solution for all things related to recycling, pollution, and the environment. We want to make a sustainable and eco-friendly living into an everyday reality for all. We want to generate more ideas and concepts and unify the needs of the environment and just make this reality shine bright. On inquiring, How many hours a day do you work on average? Mr. Paras explains that; I work as and when and what the need of the business is. Being a start-up currently, my work hours are anywhere between 10-12 hours a day. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? Patience, perseverance, commitment to the end goal, and always see and keep the big picture in mind. Obstacles come for everyone whether big or small, young, or seasoned entrepreneurs. What makes one sustain in the business is one’s patience, persistence, and the knack for looking for different possibilities from all sources known and unknown and waiting for the right time till things don’t work out. ​ 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 Aditya Pratap Singh Founder Entrepreneur We as Victorytales, In our latest interview, spoke to yet another passionate student cum entrepreneur Mr. Aditya Pratap Singh Chauhan who has developed his project MICROPA which is a novel device for the detection, quantification, and filtration of microplastics in drinking water. Mr. Aditya was selected for the first-ever batch of the most wonderful program by ISRO Young Scientist Programme YuViKa 2019 as one of the only three students from the state. He has Attended a 15-day residential event at U R Rao Satelite Centre (URSC) Bangalore along with a visit to Sriharikota launch base and special interaction with Dr. K Sivan. The program was primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science, and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their interest in the emerging areas of Space activities. Mr. Aditya is the finalist of the Regeneron ISEF 2020 organized by Society for Science and the Public to represent India in the world's largest science innovation fair in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Mr. Aditya is also a winner of the Grand Award at IRIS - the largest science fair of India for high school students. He is selected as one of the 20 teams to form team India and Represent the nation at Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, held annually in the United States. Mr. Aditya is a recipient of a two-time cash award under CSIR Innovation Award for School Children. He received Rs. 5000/- in the year 2018 from the Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan, and Rs 10000/- in the year 2019 from the Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan in the presence of Honourable President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind. Share this Interview: Know more about MICROPA What is basically your innovative idea that you turned into something that would affect a large number of people? So, along with my partner, I worked on a project developing MICROPA, a novel device for the detection, quantification, and filtration of microplastics in drinking water. It is a unique device that could identify, count, and remove microplastics that are present in the drinking water in about 83% regions of the world. Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please also talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur; There was an incident in my locality when a person was found to be infected by the water-borne disease. On the test of his drinking water supply, a surprising presence of microplastics was found. That was when we first came across this term. Later, we found newspaper articles on microplastics. We then decided to research deeper on it and found out that microplastics pose a really huge threat by marking their presence in drinking water around the world. These ultra-tiny plastic particles are not easily identified or removed. Hence we made up our minds to come up with a simple but efficient solution to the problem. What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation? I wake up every day with a strong mindset to face all the challenges that I would come across throughout the day with my full efforts. I have just one motive, “Just learn more and more, always be ready to gain knowledge from all directions, and never fail to spread your knowledge and implement your skills for the betterment of others and only for the good.” What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? There have been many setbacks in the journey so far. There were many situations that left us clueless on how to proceed further. There have been times when we lacked the resources to continue our work. But it was all our perseverance and dedication to succeed, no matter how hard we have to work. I basically tried to think deeply about the problems and tried to come up with a solution, which I eventually would every time. So, I can say that peace of mind and perseverance is really necessary for this venture. ​ Tell us about the uniqueness of your work, please; Ok, so my project is MICROPA, it is a device for the simple but very much accurate detection, quantification, and filtration of microplastics in drinking water. Currently, there are not many ways other than complex lab processes to actually identify or remove microplastics from water samples. So, our device actually marks a milestone by providing such a facility directly to the hands of people. How do you handle the pressure and manage stress? There were literally many instances when I had to handle a lot of pressure and stress. Keeping my mind calm and peaceful was the best way to overcome these situations. Regular yoga and meditation help me clear my path through these problems by giving me proper peace in my mind to enable myself to think more. What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup? For me, I would say it is my never-ending spirit to learn and the patience that helped me grow up to what I am now. I would never leave a chance to learn a new skill and practice it to further refine it. My patience is what empowered me to get through tough times with a peaceful mind and proper implementation of ideas. I also always put my complete efforts on anything that I do, which definitely brings out the best result. In your opinion what are the keys to success? In my opinion, the true key to success is one’s passion for something and his dedication to making everything possible. One must be willing to give time to nurture his idea to make it successful, only then he receives good results. One must have a lot of patience and endurance to survive and overcome all problems that he faces. I would just say, “Find something beneficial not for yourself, but for the society, and just never stop on that path, you would definitely get success along with respect.” What have been your key achievements in the course of your journey? In all these times when I worked upon the project, there were real ups and downs that we faced. But the best parts were when the work was recognized and certified in international and national platforms. The project qualified to represent team India at the International Science and Engineering Fair(ISEF 2020)[The largest high school STEM Innovation Fair in the world] after it was awarded the grand award at IRIS National Fair (India’s Largest STEM Innovation Fair). The work is also qualified to be represented at the International Genius Olympiad, along with its national certification like the CSIR Innovation Award that was handed over by respected Science and Technology Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, in the presence of honorable President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind. Apart from these, with a strong profile, I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of the three students to represent my state in ISRO’s first-ever Young Scientist Program YuViKa. Could you tell us about what did you achieve from this journey of yours till now, apart from the awards? This awesome journey from planting the seeds of this idea to actually bring it to the existence has been way more explorative, informative, and educative than just fun. There are countless skills and abilities that I gained through all this time. Leadership, communication, presentation are some soft skills that I seem to have improved on a lot. Most importantly, I learned how to never get stuck in a situation and always make your way out of it. Also, I would like to suggest a person that one must always follow his passion and interest, no matter how hard the path is. 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 Raja Guha Co-Founder and CEO Entrepreneur We as VictoryTales team keep scrolling for more and more meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of entrepreneurs, this time we are introduction Mr Raja Guha, Co-Founder & CEO of OORJAMATIC TECHNOLOGIES who have a personal work experience of more that 20 years with various global repute organisations since completing his engineering. He pursued his education and also completed his executive MBA within the first 6 years of working. Raja Guha is a man possessing lots of possibilities within himself including professionalism, seasoned expertise, knowledgeable and more importantly experienced entrepreneur working as Co-Founder & CEO of OORJAMATIC TECHNOLOGIES. He was the first employee in Eastern India to set up the business operation for TaeguTec India where he worked for 4 years. Besides this he was also the first employee in Eastern India for Bose Corporation where he worked for more than a decade. He also worked with Johnson Control before opening his venture. Share this Interview: Know more about OORJAMATIC TECHNOLOGIES OORJAMATIC TECHNOLOGIES is a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) firm established on 13th December 2017. It is registered with Registrar of Companies, Kolkata and recognised startup from Government of India it was started up with the aim to enhance business revenue using various technologies and giving the customer a clear picture of the return on his investment. Presently there are many areas where no data is evolving to empower customers to make the right kind of investment decisions in marketing or promoting their products or solutions. Oorjamatic Technologies have a 360-degree approach to empower customers not to miss a single opportunity to gather data and it works on a couple of technologies. We use these technologies to create disruptions, changing the way people do few things presently and while changing it we provide concrete data to our clients. These data help our clients to plan well for the future. We make marketing campaigns ROI driven. On inquiring from where did the idea to start something like OORJAMATIC TECHNOLOGIES came from and requesting him to tell us about his background and his journey as entrepreneur, Mr Raja Guha apprised that ; I was on a lookout for a new thing which people are not aware of and the only reaction which people will give hearing the disruption which we will make is –Wow! We wanted to change a few things which people in India were doing. It may sound very simple but it has an impact. Hence we started to work with three technologies and develop applications using them to change the things we do presently. Innovation is what we focus on and makes simple disruptions with a very high impact on what and how we do. I have a personal work experience of 20+ years with various organizations with global repute after completing my engineering. I completed my executive MBA within the first 6 years of working. I was the first employee in eastern India to set up the business operation for TaeguTec India for which I worked for 4 years and also the first employee in eastern India for Bose Corporation for whom I worked for more than a decade. My last job was with Johnson Control. I was in the domain of sales and my success in sales always motivated me to do on my own. So whenever I was in front of my customers I always kept in mind that someday I will start my own venture and then they will be my asset. Hence till now, I have personal relations going with most of my key customers with whom I had come in contact during my days as a salaried person. Over Commit and under-delivery was anabsolute NO in my personal philosophy. Hence I could and continue to maintain excellent relations with my customers. Even if I cannot provide them a solutiononly be cause that, not my domain, I redirect them to specialists/organizations from where they couldget their solutions. Oorjamatic Technologies LLP was incorporated on 13th December 2017 and it works on a couple of technologies. We use these technologies to create disruptions, changing the way people do few things presently and while changing it we provide concrete data to our clients. These data help our clients to plan well for the future. We make marketing campaigns ROI driven. Being an entrepreneur is a totally different game altogether. You suddenly have to change the total mindset and you are within your comfort zone. But the capability to adapt to the change through learning, planning, networking is key to success. The applications which we have developed issuing few technologies are so new and have such a huge range of applications across sectors that covering the entire market segment is a huge challenge for a startup. So we are finding various innovative ways to cover the market. But we are always keeping in mind that we should expand till we can support the customer. Hence we are cautious yet aggressive in our minds. On enquiring from him about the choosing entrepreneurship over job, Mr Raja Guha narrated that; “I wanted to come out of the comfort zone, the glamour of the corporate world, five star stays, and so on. I was waiting for the right moment to quit the job. Hence came out of a job in November 2017. As I was always a customer-centric person, I was confident that I will be supported by my customers whom I have gained during my salaried days”. Entrepreneurship gives you the freedom to think out of the box, create your own strategies, and grow your own organization. Now I am free to implement my ideas and strategies and define my own goals and work towards them. I would love to use the learnings during my salaried days and use it to create jobs, offer new solutions, and create an impact on what and how we do. How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in? Mr Raja Guha explains that; It provides huge opportunities ranging from healthcare to Retail, Transport to Sports. It has applications in every domain and sector. The imagination and creativity is the only limit for the application which we provide. In the post-COVID 19 days, it will be more significant as it will avoid a touch. Our applications can generate data from apparel to bottles, posters to standys, and many many more. It gives people a tool to take the right kind of marketing decisions. On inquiring about what gets him out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s his source of motivation ?, Mr.Raja Guha explains that ; I am extremely passionate about what I do. I don’t feel the passion, usually I don’t do that or become unsuccessful. To me every day is a new day, a new beginning, and can be a game-changer. On inquiring about what challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far? Mr Raja Guha apprised us that; The most and only obvious challenge is to manage the cash flow of the organization especially when we don’t have an investor on board. We from the first day had been focusing on customer acquisition rather than moving behind an investor. Besides this another challenge is to find the right kind of manpower with the right attitude who will have learning capability, right skill set, and customer-centric skills. Besides many don’t want to join a startup as they are not sure whether it will be a revenue-generating one. Hence it becomes very important for the founders to strive hard to make the organization and success. On inquiring about the uniqueness of his startup OORJAMATIC TECHNOLOGIES, Mr Raja Guha explained that; Our start-up is aimed at enhancing business revenue using various technologies and giving the customer a clear picture of the return on his investment. Presently there are many areas where no data is evolving to empower customers to take the right kind of investment decisions in marketing or promoting their products or solutions. We have a 360-degree approach to empower customers not to miss a single opportunity to gather data. It can be from 3-4 cm from a promotion campaign to 200 meters. It can generate data from a bottle to apparel, from a standy to a poster, and so on. Innovative consumer engagement strategy clubbed with technology is a very powerful tool and we do that. Stress at work is an increasingly common feature of modern life, however on enquiring from Mr Raja Guha about how he handles the pressure and manages stress, he explains that; I don’t hesitate to reach out to my friends or industry senior seeking help and guidance. In the initial days due to the change of habit, cash flow there is bound to be stress. Reaching out to your friends, seniors help to reduce stress. Winston Churchill rightly said that if you have five friends whom you can count on five fingers then our life is made. This proves to be very true in the initial days of entrepreneurship. Another thing is to have confidence in yourself and speak to yourself. If one is successful in the past cannot be a straight failure. Recount my success stories about how I acquired difficult accounts and continued to manage them. On enquiring about the strategy that he believes has helped him grow as a person/startup, Mr Raja Guha narrated about the parameters responsible for developing it; I have always believed in developing my personal brand image. It is the most important parameter as it plays an important role to ascertain as to how one is perceived by others. The perception is the reality and it plays a role in where you can be successful or not. Your personal brand image is responsible to know how much help you can get from others. Getting and seeking help in the early days of entrepreneurship is not bad at all as during that time one’s mind is clogged with too many ideas and challenges. Hence help is required. Developing customized solutions having a huge impact backed by the right kind of policies to support customers is another important parameter for a start-up to be successful. Start-ups cannot afford to over commit and under deliver to earn revenue. If that happens then the startup will not go too far as it will develop a wrong perception in the market. It is important to remember that a product or a brand cannot talk or move. It depends on the qualities and perception of the person who represents it and the person represents the organization. Hence Personal brand image clubbed with company policies are key to success. On inquiring about his opinion about “the keys to success”, he explains that ; The key to success will be to have patience and to have self-confidence. Start-up is like a newborn baby and it has to go through the steps to be a consistent and formidable organization in days ahead. One should keep in mind the short and long time implication of any decision one is taking. One should revisit the drawing boards to review if we are going wrong anywhere and its implication. Success doesn’t come overnight and easy. One thing is constant in every scenario. That is the capability to learn and be flexible and adaptable. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur? Any aspiring entrepreneur should consider taking any action, decision, keeping in mind that at one point he or she aspires to be one in the future. Creating your personal brand image-based one four pillars like Respect, Integrity, Knowledge,Passion is of utmost importance from Day1. One should develop the networking skill not limited to his or her own domain but across sectors as it will be key to success during days of entrepreneurship. Last but not least, educational qualification is not the only parameter for being successful. One should rigorously work in a job and then should start his or her own venture. Only Money, Only Knowledge, or Only Contact will not help. It has to be a perfect blend depending on individuals. 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