To succeed as an entrepreneur with no MBA, no business background, and in a space dominated by fresh-faced IIT and IIM graduates, while being a single mother, is no easy feat. However, Preeta Sukhtankar, founder of lifestyle brand The Label Life, didn’t just do it, she excelled at it.

In today's episode Preeta takes us through that journey - the ups, downs and everything in between.

“Women on Top in India” powered by Ladies who Lead is a fortnightly show that brings forth the journeys, struggles and breakthroughs of female startup founders and thought leaders across India. 

You can listen to the podcast on all podcasting platforms. Stay tuned for more details. 

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Follow Gauri Devidayal: 

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We have often heard the old adage, that a sound mind resides in a healthy body.

The pandemic has been a reminder for all of us that there should be no compromises when it comes to health. Today, we are looking for ways to stay fit and healthy, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. And a wellness center can act as a place for us to destress and rejuvenate our mind, body, and soul.

To share more insight, I have invited Sharmilee Kapur, Co-founder of Atmantan Wellness Centre, as a guest on my show. In this episode, Sharmilee shares her journey of getting into holistic wellbeing, balancing being a mother and an entrepreneur, the challenges they faced in fundraising, the future of the luxury wellness industry, and much more.

Do what you love, love what you do. 

This is a cliché we tend to throw out the window once real life sets in. Because of this, it isn’t surprising to find out that 70% of employees actually hate their jobs. What we don’t realize is that we all are driven by our passions in some way or the other. But how many of us have the courage to pursue our passion and build a business out of it? 

To share more insights on how to successfully convert your passion into a business, I invited Sanjana Chatlani, Founder of The Bombay Lettering Co. as my guest on the show - Women on Top in India. 

Through our conversation Sanjana shares: 

- Transitioning from being an employee to an entrepreneur

- Importance of testing the market before launching a full-fledged business, 

- Challenges creative entrepreneurs face

- Scaling a skill led business

How many of us have suffered from skin issues at some point in our lives? Most of us land up going to dermatologists, experimenting with different products, going to salons for various skin care treatments, and trying all the home remedies we get to hear about. 

One such person was Megha Asher who suffered from hypersensitive and acne-prone skin for over a decade due to PCOD. After consulting with numerous dermatologists, Megha found that the products simply lacked efficiency. 

So in 2014, she along with her husband Pritish Asher started the company Juicy Chemistry. 

It was born with the aim of providing simplified skincare through its formulation with absolutely no chemicals or preservatives. Today it spans over 100 products in the Indian and international markets.

In this episode, Megha shares her journey of starting out, building a great product and brand, how they kept their head high and feet on the ground while scaling up, working with her husband as a business partner, and much more.

For most of us, “we-don’t-have-the-time” was a frequently heard excuse when it came to working out. 

However, this has changed with the dawn of the pandemic, where priorities were put in order. The idea of health has become of paramount importance and the fitness industry realised that there was a need for change too. Traditional gymming and dietary programs have always given the desired results, however, the focus is now on fitness ‘activities’ that offer more flexibility and freedom to experiment, and that are engaging and can be followed consistently despite the hectic daily routines. 

To share more insights, I have with me today Mallika Parekh, a health & wellness expert, and the owner of Physique 57 India, a barre-based workout that originated in New York and launched in Mumbai in 2018.

In this episode, Mallika talks about the evolution of the fitness industry, how a workout that was designed for physical interaction was adapted for the online format and what trends in health tech we can expect to see in the future.

India has been known for its rich musical cultural heritage. We have produced one of the most vibrant musical forms and musicians in the world. However, we are still to adapt music as a formal subject in mainstream education. 

Music is an art that is synonymous with discipline and devotion. This can be a bit overwhelming for young kids to follow. But what if music is taught in a way that children become excited to learn the art?

Making music fun is a distinctive art that renowned musician Bindu Subramaniam along with her brother Ambi Subramaniam seem to have mastered, as they carry the important life lessons, values and the legacy of their parents’ violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam and playback singer Kavita. K Subramaniam to run the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts, known as SaPa. 

Since the pandemic, they have moved all classes online and are consistently working towards creating online content that’s engaging for their over 1 lakh students in India and 14 countries around the world.  

In this episode, Bindu talks about her journey from being an artist to becoming an entrepreneur and how she is making a mark in the Indian education system.

In the mid-1990s, Sooraj Barjatya gave movie-goers Salman Khan, wedding songs and Tuffy, the Indian spitz in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun! Tuffy umpired cricket matches and played cupid wearing hats and bow ties.

 About a decade later, an engaging ad campaign by mobile service provider Hutchison Essar featured a pug following a boy through green fields, under coconut trees, trudging along slippery paths. It was a depiction of the tag line “wherever you go our network follows”.  

In the years that followed, an increase in urbanisation, disposable incomes and the humanisation of pets spurred a boom in India’s pet-care industry.

 One such pet owner was Rashi Narang. After getting a little pup into her life in 2007, Rashi struggled to find any kind of quality product for her four-legged baby. While most of us would have simply succumbed to the limited options available in the highly disorganized pet market, Rashi Narang set out to create products from scratch.

 What began as a passion project for her puppy Sara, soon fuelled into a successful entrepreneurial venture - Heads up for tails. Her journey from building a better world for her dog to making sure that every pet gets only the best is what makes her a true visionary.

 In this episode, Rashi talks about creating the pet care category from scratch to becoming a leader in the segment.

If you thought India is no place for women entrepreneurs, think again.

Lizzie Chapman has always loved India. Growing up as a child of working-class parents in London, the 41-year-old would spend weekends mostly watching Hindi movies back to back, something that even her South Mumbai-bred husband hadn’t done all his life. Chapman’s connection with India came largely from her mother, who had worked with Red Cross in India, and it also helped that she lived in a part of London where more than half the population was South Asian. 

That’s precisely why she didn’t have any qualms about moving to India a decade ago when many of her colleagues weren’t ready for the big gamble, even though they knew the fintech revolution in India was only starting out.

Listen to her story of how she is building ZestMoney, a revolutionary fintech company, breaking the norms, shares her insights into problem-solving, mastered the art of fundraising and much more.

You can listen to the podcast on all podcasting platforms. Stay tuned for more details. 

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Follow Gauri Devidayal: 

Instagram - @gauridevidayal 

LinkedIn - Gauri Devidayal 

Twitter - @gauridetails 

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Follow Ladies who Lead: 

Instagram - @ladieswlead

Facebook - @ladieswholead.in

Linkedin - Ladies who Lead

It is said that necessity is the mother of all invention… and here is the story of a mother, who when faced with a common dilemma that all parents encounter-a dearth of natural skincare products for their children in the market, decided to set up her own enterprise to produce exactly that. She started a homegrown company producing toxin-free, natural, personal care products for moms, babies and millennials.

The brand that started in 2016, today serves over 1 million moms across 15000 pin codes.

The guest of my show today is none other than Malika Sadani, Founder, of The Moms. Co. 

In this episode, we will uncover her journey from how she started from being a banker to an entrepreneur, the challenges that she faced along the way, her success story of getting funded and becoming a 100+ crore and much more.

“Women on Top in India” powered by Ladies who Lead is a fortnightly show that brings forth the journeys, struggles and breakthroughs of female startup founders and thought leaders across India. 

You can listen to the podcast on all podcasting platforms. Stay tuned for more details. 

____ 

Follow Gauri Devidayal: 

Instagram - @gauridevidayal 

LinkedIn - Gauri Devidayal 

Twitter - @gauridetails 

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Follow Ladies who Lead: 

Instagram - @ladieswlead

Facebook - @ladieswholead.in

Linkedin - Ladies who Lead

Content is Everything; Content Is Everywhere

I remember if I was travelling to Delhi and wanted a recommendation for an authentic sushi bar or wondering if there was some alternative theatre in Mumbai over the weekend, I would turn to the Little Black Book (LBB). It felt like a one-stop shop for everything from food and fashion to theatre and shopping.

LBB is the brainchild of Suchita Salwan, my first guest on the Women on Top in India series. 

What started out as a Tumblr blog has become a thriving business today with their pivot to building a tech e-commerce platform.

Listen to our conversation as we dive deep into why omnichannel presence is key to succeeding, how to build a loyal customer base, how to approach prejudice at work and much more.

In new India, women entrepreneurs are navigating unchartered territories and turning innovative ideas into successful businesses. They are providing solutions to very real problems and impacting millions of lives. Not only are they smashing the patriarchy, they are setting an example for the young girls to pursue their passions and dreams.

With the launch of my new podcast show, it is my endeavour to bring forth inspiring stories of women entrepreneurs. 

“Women on Top in India” powered by Ladies who Lead is a fortnightly show that brings forth the journeys, struggles and breakthroughs of female startup founders and thought leaders across India. 

You can listen to the podcast on all podcasting platforms. Stay tuned for more details. 

____ 

Follow Gauri Devidayal: 

Instagram - @gauridevidayal 

LinkedIn - Gauri Devidayal 

Twitter - @gauridetails 

-

Follow Ladies who Lead: 

Instagram - @ladieswlead

Facebook - @ladieswholead.in

Linkedin - Ladies who Lead