Sankara NarayananStaying comfortable in a secured and taking the risk to starting up are the two possible ends of anyone’s professional journey. While respecting her family’s views where a secured job is always appreciated, Shreya’s passion to do something of her own was drawn from the inspirational stories of great businesses.
“I understood very early that I was inclined towards the creative side of life. Having said that, I was always told that I am very good with administrative roles. So, I simply took the two qualities and decided firmly to start on my own” she commences.
Totzny was introduced as an affordable way to wear everyday life clothes designed by creative people around the world. The brand -up encourages artists from various professions and backgrounds to discover their creative side.
While it is good to have a diverse set of designers from different backgrounds, be it a painter, designer, bank manager, an advocate or even a student, the challenge that come along with it is bigger than ever.
One of the many challenges in her current role is decision making, as she needs to be very conscious about end consumers’ satisfaction and affordability for every minor tweaks in design.
One cannot teach someone to be an entrepreneur. They are born with such qualities, and who is to say if you have them or not, unless you try.
Starting up can be quite scary and one should not be scared of failure, not hesitate to try and definitely should not be scared of being disappointed. “One cannot teach someone to be an entrepreneur. They are born with such qualities, and who is to say if you have them or not, unless you try” she challenges.
While questioning oneself is good, she adds that there is a thin line which differentiates between questioning and doubting yourself. “What if my idea is not good enough? What if people reject me? What if I end up losing all my money? I suggest reverse these questions, what if your idea is good enough? You just did not try!” she remarks.
Entrepreneurship was once considered a man’s domain, but the tide has shifted.
Shreya’s entrepreneurial journey was not an instant hit, she had seen her fair share of failures in the beginning. She would run out of capital, and had no funding at that time. In fact, she got so many negative remarks from most people she knew who believed that she was wasting her time.
Entrepreneurship was once considered a man’s domain, but the tide has shifted. While the numbers are growing, there are still too few female investors and start-up entrepreneurs, which can make it more challenging to raise capital and find mentors.
Related Read: Women Entrepreneurship – Steps Taken By The Government To Promote Women Entrepreneurs!
“I believe that remaining true to yourself and finding your own voice are the keys to rising above preconceived expectations” were her words. We have social expectations, when women entrepreneurs talk business with primarily male executives, it can be unnerving.
Being a woman, first thing I was told was to get a job and get married, secure your future.
Most common statement is technology and women do not go hand in hand. While a lot of initiatives are being taken to encourage women entrepreneurs in technology, tech start-ups owned by women entrepreneurs are always look upon with skepticism.
The overall portrayal of women in the field of technology entrepreneurship and IT hints at her being “less worthy” of this role compared with male counterparts. She states, “being a woman, first thing I was told was to get a job and get married, secure your future.”
But, being an entrepreneur she knew how to fall and stand back up again every time. She asked herself, who knew the idea better, her or them? and it gave her so much joy every time she figured out the mistake, got up and did it all over again but just better this time.
Related Read: Dear Women, Empowerment Comes From Within!
“There is so much potential in all of us. We just are scared to give ourselves a chance. Trust me when I say, a true entrepreneur does not know what he is doing, unless he does it” she quotes.
Divided we fall, united we stand is our motto!
A start-up’s backbone is its team members; being a firm believer of team spirit, Shreya feels that it is so important for team mates to be satisfied with the job they have. This will give people trust and loyalty towards the enterprise.
Job satisfaction is a word well exploited, but when you give your people the right work-life balance they will never betray you. As a senior, one of her major responsibilities is managing her team efficiently. Identifying the potential of every employee and assigning them responsibilities accordingly.
Speaking on her priority for the people, Shreya says, “My priority is to give them constant growth and opportunities where sky is the limit. Strenuous working hours will not help you achieve your goals, I encourage smart work rather than hard work”.
I believe entrepreneurs and small businesses can leverage technology as an essential tool to unlocking a competitive edge in today’s accelerating small business landscape.
Technology has been a data warehouse to drive efficiencies and insights. The advantages run far deeper than mere operational efficiencies. “Whether it’s automating basic tasks or leveraging data to unearth insights that were previously inaccessible, technology can make a small business more productive, efficient and informed” says Shreya.
Advanced technology has leveled the playing field, allowing you to scale your small business and go head-to-head with large corporations. In turn, those unique advantages that small businesses have always had – close customer engagement, niche products and services and strong company identity – will be even more valued in the eyes of the customer.
Find something that you love, and then let it own you.
While curious to know on how she maintains her work-life balance, she states that irrespective of gender, all entrepreneurs have to deal with work-life balance. The subject herein may be amplified by the fact that the business environment in the country, subjects a class of society as weak in some sense, however, she believes in the fact that one has to keep working in what they believe in.
Related Read: Work Life Balance For Women Entrepreneurs !
“I believe that to keep a clear head one needs to have a holistic outlook and activity in life, including emotional satisfaction, keeping your priorities sorted and managing all affairs simultaneously” which she is able to maintain by indulging in some yoga, playing badminton regularly, going free running and jumping in on any adventure that comes her way.