So here I am, Chetna Mahajan, at the age of 42, beginning the second innings of my career with something that took a back seat in my life 25 years back. It is painting and sketching.

Let me take you to the flashback where a seven-year-old me used to draw and paint pictures all by myself while my fellow kids used to take help from their parents. Soon I was taking part in various painting competitions in school and winning them too. Even the kids from my vicinity used to come to me with charts and big smiles to get their projects made by me. And I was always happy to Help.

At that time, being an artist was not considered a profession and since I was good academically too, I did B.Tech and then MBA and landed a job in the banking sector. I used to write in my CV that my hobby is Painting and Sketching. So once an interviewer asked me to make his sketch. So, forget about the questions, there I was, making his sketch impromptu and guess what!! I cleared the interview.

After my marriage, I was still working until the birth of my daughter. In the absence of any support, I took the most difficult decision of my life i.e., quitting a successful career to take care of her. After four and a half years, I was blessed with my son. I have enjoyed motherhood to the fullest and have been a hands-on mother to them. Both my kids are also interested in painting and often make lovely pictures. It’s been 10 years of career break and with two kids, I am a full-time homemaker. I never regretted my decision to quit my job but yes, the financial independence as well as the urge to do something on my own was something I always missed.

So last year, I started searching for a job preferably WFH so that I can give enough time to kids too. Even after Six months of trying I could not find a suitable job. Then, my sister and cousin motivated me to start a page on Instagram and post my work as they were aware of my talent and insisted that there is so much recognition of artwork in the last 2-3 years.

Like every housewife, being too occupied with our household priorities and routines, it took me another 4 months to actually START. Yes, that’s a big word for us. I made an Instagram page and started posting pictures of hand-painted little things initially like bookmarks and fridge magnets. Even making reels and managing social media accounts was a big challenge for me. I was not confident about where this page will lead but one thing, I was confident about was the quality of my work and my dedication.

Now, after seven months, the amount of love and feedback I get keeps me going. I truly didn’t expect to grow this much that now I am getting good orders, am taking workshops also, and will be launching my own art & craft classes and that too without compromising my responsibilities at home.

My mantra for life is “Whatever you do, make sure it makes you Happy”. Even the tiniest of things that make you happy, should be part of your life. It’s the happiness that painting gives me that motivates me and the thought that one day, my kids will be proud of me.

My message to all my fellow artists or moms is to START. Take that small, tiny step to follow your dreams. One step will lead to many more steps and will take you on the right path. The journey will bring many challenges but keep on moving nonetheless how slow it may be. Believe in your talent. If not successful, this will surely make you happy. And that’s what we all want in life. Right?

You can reach me out on Instagram

@art_vibesbychetna   

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Who Are They?

The founders are a mother-daughter duo on a mission to make traditional practices accessible within modern living. Thanuja, a 50- year old Yogi with a personal passion for Biohacking to enhance her own mental and physical well-being and optimize the quality of life is supported by her daughter Prarthana. She is living her entrepreneurial dreams through her mother whilst working as a business analyst in Australia.

Thanuja often found herself exploring the traditional and natural way of life and the prevalent theme was always a heartful connection to the way our ancestors nurtured the earth, nourished their bodies, and developed their divine selves to be a part of the communal society.

“As a mother, I understand the significance of honesty, truth and doing the right thing. I carry these values into our business with each decision made with integrity by following a holistic path to wellness by having you and your family in mind”, says Thanuja.

Problem Statement

As she began to evolve in her wellness journey, she discovered that most of the most of the ‘healthy’ products available on the shelves these days are riddled with chemicals, preservatives, and sugars to lower the prices. 72% of the oils consumed by Indians were imported from other countries, one of the main ones being Palm Oils.

She also noticed that farmers were shifting away from cultivating oil-extracting seeds and other fresh produce as most of the products were imported from other countries. This led to farmers losing their share to industrialization and mediator traders, which affected the rural economy.

What Else?

Tani Naturals prides itself on being healthy as well as easy on the planet. They produce their range of products in small batches by managing waste, which helps them to be sustainable with minimal carbon footprint. They only use ingredients that are 100% ecofriendly and their containers, labels and packaging materials are biodegradable. Their promise is to achieve 100% sustainability in the coming years by following a “Zero Hazard “approach in the production line.

The Journey Of Tani Naturals Oils

• Handpicked ingredients

The finest 100% natural raw materials are sustainably sourced from farmers across South India to ensure the wellbeing of consumers.

• Sun dried

Their raw ingredients are thoroughly cleaned, and sun dried to retain its natural essence and aroma at their farm located in an area which is free from pollution.

• Cold pressed

Their oils are traditionally extracted with a natural slow process where the raw ingredients are crushed, and wood pressed without using heat or additives to retain the natural flavour, aroma, and healthy nutrition value of the seeds.

• Manually Filtered

The extracted oil is left to settle in Tin cans for about 3 days after which it is filtered using a cotton fabric to remove any sediments. Additional chemicals are not needed for any enhancements as the extraction process is slow.

Hence, Tani Naturals exists to manifest the positive holistic shift we desire to see in the natural wellness movement and share our experiences and passion for ancestral knowledge and REAL food with our modern community.

To buy these products visit: Tani Naturals

The post Tani Naturals Aims to Bring Age-Old Food Traditions To The Contemporary World- Prarthana Nagaraj & Thanuja BK appeared first on The Pink Journey.

Just 20 years ago, the idea of a female entrepreneur heading up her own company would have seemed too ambitious idea. Today female entrepreneurs are leading and starting their own companies even more.

Female entrepreneurs are entering into every sector be it finance, media industry, technical field, medical equipment, and revamping the ever-evolving world of technology. They are definitely breaking that glass ceiling and climbing through.

Check out these must-read books for female entrepreneurs and get inspired to create your own entrepreneurial story!

1. The Confidence Effect: Every Woman’s Guide to the Attitude That Attracts Success.

Author- Grace Killelea

Every day many talented, hardworking women are passed over for promotion. It’s easy to blame corporate structure that we think favours men, author Grace Killelea identifies another culprit: Confidence. Men tend to overestimate their abilities and women often sell themselves short.

The Confidence Effect helps women to speak out, take a risk and assume leadership positions with assurance. And teaches women to be more confident and take one step at a time. In this book, women learn practical strategies with the 4 R’s of success- Relationship, Reputation, Results, and Resilience.

2. She Means Business: Turn Your Ideas into Reality and become a wildly successful Entrepreneur.

Author- Carrie Green

Are you ready to hop on the entrepreneur train? Do you want to turn your ideas into reality and build a successful business? This is your best time to say yes! In this book, Carrie Green shows you how to face the challenges you get in running a business, and from her experience, she teaches all this. She first started her online business at the age of 20- she knows what it’s like to be an ambitious and creative woman with big dreams and determination.

This book helps you guide in moving past your fears and doubts that can get in the way. Understand your audience, so you can truly connect with them. Create a brand and build a tribe of fans, subscribers, and customers. This book provides with honest, realistic, and practical tools you need to follow and bring your vision to life.

3. Girl on Fire

Author- Cara Alwill Leyba

As the cover page says- How to choose yourself, burn the rule book, and blaze your own trail in life and business. This book truly teaches you to keep going in your toughest times too.

Entrepreneurs need constant motivation to keep going, Girl on Fire is the right book that will push you to get things started. It advises women to keep going and find their opportunities and not just keep waiting for them. It teaches women to create their own opportunities by being trailblazers and believing in their intuition.

4. Lean In

Author- Sheryl Sandberg

 If you are a woman who wants to climb a professional ladder or enter an entrepreneurship journey, Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In is best to follow. Packed with personal experiences and practical tips, the book is monumental for helping women reach their full potential.

You might have heard a few stereotypes such as either choosing your career or family. You can’t handle both at the same time. This is what the author of this book explains, that it’s possible to have both, no matter what others say.

It also throws light on gender differences in the workplace and how women can overcome them and discover possibilities.

5. Thrive

Author- Arianna Huffington

 In this book, Arianna Huffington makes a compelling case for the need to redefine what being successful means in today’s world.

Being a women entrepreneur can be exhausting, and it affects our mental health as well. This book provides research-based advice to slow down and connect with yourself in between. It is inspired by the personal health challenges faced by the author when she fell down and broke her cheekbone and had a nasty gash over her eye. This was all result of exhaustion and lack of sleep. As the cofounder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group — one of the fastest growing media companies in the world — celebrated as one of the world’s most influential women. After all this, she wondered is this what success feels like.

She has linked her drive for money and power to two legs of a three-leg stool. They might hold up for some time but in long run will collapse. We need a third leg—third metric for defining success to really thrive.

There you go a comprehensive list of 5 must-read books for female entrepreneurs to succeed regardless of challenges and obstacles. Let me know which one was your favourite.

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FIA Global was one of 4 winners from India among the BRICS countries, to have been awarded the BRICS WBA award for 2022

12th July 2022: FIA Global, India’s leading financial services organization with a mission to bring financial inclusion to every doorstep in the subcontinent, has won the international BRICS Women Innovation Contest 2022, held in Beijing in June 2022.

Seema Prem, the CEO and Co-founder of FIA Global, has been recognized as an outstanding, and dynamic woman entrepreneur, committed to the vision of making financial inclusion simple for banks and their rural customers.  Seema has been instrumental in creating socially impactful products and services to meet the needs of unserved communities and markets and lead FIA’s efforts to expand its global footprint. Emphasizing technology driven, integrated solutions, her focus is on building high impact, sustainable programs to reach the last mile. She is also responsible for advocacy, governance, and building strategic relationships with governments, financial institutions and other key partners to support and scale social innovations.

Seema is the recipient of the UN Women Transforming India Awardee, 2018 and is the finalist in the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2021, by the Schwab Foundation.

About BRICS Awards

The BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (WBA) aims to promote women’s entrepreneurship and women’s potential in the BRICS countries. The Contest is open to all business women in BRICS countries, and will recognize outstanding business women devoted to promoting social welfare and economic development in different fields across BRICS nations, and promote the exchange of best practices and innovative initiatives led by women, thus to advance the cooperation among business women across BRICS nations. This year, the BRICS WBA Mulan Award was granted to 15 candidates as part of the BRICS Women Innovation Contest and FIA Global was one of 4 winners from India to have won the prestigious award this year.

The BRICS Women Innovation Contest is co-sponsored by the Indian, Russian, Brazilian and South African Chapters of the WBA. The contest is for all women entrepreneurs across the BRICS countries to unleash women’s potential and innovation in the market.

About FIA Global:

FIA Global, founded in 2012 and headquartered in Gurgaon, India, is in the business of making financial inclusion simple by leveraging technology through its neobanking solution, FINTAP, and creating avenues of outreach for the delivery of financial services to the unbanked and underserved. FIA is enabling and empowering millions of people deprived of banking services by bringing it to their doorstep.  For more, please visit  https://fiaglobal.com/

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1. Please share your journey, how it started as an Entrepreneur?  
   I come from a business family, and I remember spending my holidays from school going to office with my parents. We would spend time together in the office and when they were in meetings I would sit and listen to all that was unfolding before me. It used to feel really amazing to see how meetings were held, what they would talk about and how somehow everyone would come to conclusion that they seemed happy with. This kind of thing always peeked my interest and I knew that this is what I wanted to do. The main thing however that I admire about entrepreneurs is how they take an idea and make it into so much more. I would like to think I am on my way every day to do just that, make my idea more than just an idea. When I was studying law in the UK, I saw how easily available legal services were online and how easy it could actually be to find a lawyer. That’s when the idea of Rest The Case came about. I wanted to create a place where anybody can Rest their case (put it to an end) and find the help they require.
2. What are the biggest hurdles that you faced in your journey?
   Starting anything new takes time and a lot of getting used to. There were a lot of things I still had to learn then and still have to learn now, that I think has been the biggest hurdle.
   Starting young definitely has its perks but it did sometimes affect me negatively. A lot of people I talked to didn’t think I knew what I was doing, in fact I was asked once if this was just a hobby or I wanted to do this long term. This had been my idea and my goal; it was never a hobby but because I was younger when I started people thought that.
   Finding the right team was a difficult as well. I was so driven by this idea it was all I thought about and all I think about even today, and to find people who will give it just as much importance as you is difficult, but I think now I have been able to find the right people, slowly but steadily.
3. Failures are the best teachers so how can one overcome that?
   This may sound like a cliché, but I do really believe the best thing that failure does is teaches you to rise after every fall. Overcoming failure is not easy, but when you do, you realize you come out as a different person, and so I think that we must do different things, try to do what scares us and then even if we fail we will have learnt something about ourselves or about the work at hand that we didn’t know before.
   For me what works best is to discuss my failures with someone else because they see it in a light that I don’t, I talk it out with my family you could talk to anyone who you wish to share with. It also helps me see it more clearly that way because I have explained it out loud. Don’t be scared of failures, they definitely are the best teachers, they help you understand yourself in a way you didn’t even know.
4. What Inspired you to start ‘Rest The Case’ at such a young age?
   The idea of Rest The Case came to me when I was studying, and I wanted to start it as soon as I could because I thought it will solve a problem. The problem I saw was that in our country people find it extremely hard to find a good lawyer to help them with their basic legal requirements. We have resources available in our country, but we don’t really know where to find it, so I wanted to create a one stop solution for all legal services and information. When the lockdown happened and the entire world seemed to be changing the need for legal help increased even more and that when I decided I didn’t want to wait any longer, I wanted to start now.
5. Share 3 advice for young entrepreneurs.
   a. Be brave- I know this sounds redundant but I think this needs to be told to everyone who wishes to start their own business. Don’t think about what will happen, don’t ponder on the same things you have been thinking about all this time, the time is now, get up and get started.
   b. Plan- I think it’s very important that you know what you want to do and also very important to be sure of what problem you are trying to solve. Put it down on paper, it helps to clear your thoughts.
   c. Believe in yourself and your ambition- this is the most important part of doing anything, if you don’t believe in yourself and your idea, nobody will.

The post In Conversation with Gen Z Entrepreneur Shreya Sharma, Founder- Rest The Case appeared first on The Pink Journey.

Sharing stories of victories and defeats with others is important to heal. The healing that happens when you’re heard and validated is remarkable.

Healing 2 Peace is the journey of different brave souls from suffering to surviving their pain. It is not just mine or my kids journey, anyone can join us. It doesn’t matter what they survived, it only matters that they did.

One time I was listening to Oprah Winfrey, she said –

” If they don’t offer you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair with you next time.”

I was deeply touched by this line and I created my own platform. This is not just mine, who ever was never heard or validated, I am here for you, to hear you, to support you.

Our mission is to promote the self-reliance and empowerment. We educate and empower others about the abuse we suffered, how we survived and what resources we found helpful for us to over come our suffering.

Our aim is to provide a platform for victims/survivors, to tell them about available resources and other coping skills. We will tailor this platform to meet the special needs of other brave souls who are overcoming hardship.

After devastating events, getting back to normal is hard. For some of us, financial insecurity becomes a major obstacle. Yes, there are many resources available to help us but when we are in the healing process, it is overwhelming to ask for help. It feels like we are asking for too much. So when we are in therapy, using our pain, creativity and skills, we create awesome and amazing things.

Join us, maybe you will also find your passion.

It is a wrenching feeling going from being self- sufficient to need money (from others) for every little thing.

Come and join me in our healing journey…

You can reach out to me anytime through the email at www.healing2peace.com or Instagram @anju29peace or @healing2peace

Stay connected to learn more about mental health, parenting, home decor, healing, mindset transformation, resources to get help for domestic violence and child abuse.

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Having Half Knowledge of any subject is the most dangerous thing in life.

People often have half knowledge about Communication Skill. We keep on hearing that Communication is fundamental and crucial skill required in any individual or organization for achieving a great success. But why people or organizations are not able to attain that?

Let’s Understand Communication in deep manner.

It is not a one sided story. Communication is a 2-way process.  When one person conveys message, one needs to confirm that the other party has understood that message clearly. Usually, People just convey the message but do not verify it.

Let’s directly go to the main Idea: Why Communication is critical for individuals and organizational success?

I will describe 3 major points here:

1. It saves time if there is an effective communication in place:Imagine, there is no proper communication between team members or colleagues. Every Message or passing information takes several days, no proper clarity on task which can lead to repeating information and repeating the same tasks which wastes, time, energy and resources.
   

   2. It Drives Performance: 
   The study shows that companies that communicate effectively had a 47% higher return to shareholders over a five-year period (mid-2004 to mid-2009). HBR.

   If senior staff involves employees for their ideas and opinions, their performance are much higher. Involvement, appreciation and recognition are highly important in one’s motivation to work. It should not be like they just received the order from top level management and they have to perform. If they are involved in a process, there will be a more clarity and satisfaction in their task.

   3. It helps build Brand:

   “Without proper communication, even the greatest of ideas can easily go unnoticed, and eventually, wasted.”

   Especially, when organization has to market or advertise themselves. Let’s put it this way: when company wants to market its product/service and there is no clear communication to the viewers or customers about it? What disaster can it take? Even though the product is great, all hardware and goes wasted.

   So clarity and proper communication is extremely important be it interdepartmental or intradepartmental in the company.

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The idea of Blend Community was triggered during the pandemic when Razia saw how badly the F&B industry suffered and she wanted to help food brands revive their business without bleeding for profitability, courtesy the food aggregators. Personally, food, fashion and fiction are her passion areas, and she noticed that there weren’t any platforms that cater to these three themes specifically. She wanted to create a platform that curates and distributes relevant content all in one place rather than users having to go to different pages for different topics. That’s how the whole idea was born of creating an online community that celebrates, shares and curates stories around these three specific categories.

After establishing Blend Community, her co-founder, Hariprasad Shetty and she wanted to find a way to monetize the community they had built. That is when they got the idea for ‘Blend For Food’. With that, they are building India’s first Content to Commerce Food Tech Platform powered by Creator economy & Community Tech. BFF will be a one-stop destination for all things food. Consumers need not have different apps scattered for different needs like, ordering in from restaurants, groceries, recipes, etc. They are the only players in the market that will bring all your various food choices in one place to make it a hassle-free food ordering experience.

What gets Razia excited about her startup is the fact that this idea is still so new in the country and she doesn’t see anyone else doing it as of now. This makes her feel secure in the fact that they’re on the cusp of something extremely special.

This sense of security does not shield her from paranoia. She says that a start-up is the founder’s brain-child or baby. Due to this, the success of the start-up is a lot more personal not just tangibly but emotionally as well. Hence, there’s undeniable paranoia around “What if”. What if the brand tanks, what if no one resonates with the idea, basically what if nothing works out. However, she has found that the way to overcome that is to understand that ideas don’t exist in perfection. You’ve just got to start and keep working on perfecting it.

Being not just a start-up founder but also having a full-time corporate job definitely makes it challenging to have a work-life balance for Razia. But, she has found that finding the right partners, teammates and resources is very important in order to manage it. She believes, as you’re establishing your idea, you need to try to attract talent and team members to not only believe in your vision, but also be able to execute it. Finding the right brands and companies to partner with, is another important aspect in executing your vision the right way.

Razia Ali started her career with banking sales, but she always had a penchant towards communication which made me make an early switch to advertising. She realized she had a passion for shaping brands and consumer perceptions. She loves ideating with people from varied niches and finds great joy in helping translate them into realities. She led the Consumer and Small Business marketing efforts of a large tech company. She currently has her a full-time job while also working on her start-up. She was also an Angel Investor to aspiring Start-ups and entrepreneurs. She has leveraged her passion towards brands, fashion, food and her experience in the advertising and marketing industry and brought to life a brand and community of her own. The ability to do that, in a male-dominated, food-tech industry is what sets her apart.

Inputs- Razia Ali, Founder, Blend Community

The post Razia Ali’s Journey As An Entrepreneur appeared first on The Pink Journey.

The brand is redefining the industry by focusing on design and structure of their products that can reinvent itself to Indian women with a better fit and comfort.

The sister- duo state, “The utmost priority in the intimate apparel industry is the experience on how you wear your lingerie. What we as a brand really understood during the lockdown was that everybody wanted to stay comfortable at all times, so our attempt was to try, and create bras, and underwear that really feel like your second skin, and feel like a part of your body.”

Candyskin has worked on different types of fabrics. Looking back at pre-covid times, the brand has worked on anti-bacterial, anti-itchy, sweat-absorbent fabrics. The brand aims to constantly work on light, nice, breezy, airy fabrics like organic and pure cotton, cotton-like modal, and more. With comfort being it’s top priority, the idea is to develop an identity of being called a second skin to women’s body that fits into the Indian weather conditions.

Candyskin products are designed in-house by our creative team, keeping in mind the style, body type, weather, fabric focusing on Indian body type. The design team spends months on research and development to carefully curate and create fashion-forward designs that are not in the market. They also focus on the final product that offers functionality and is a step ahead in style following the fashion trends.

Each collection is made considering the season, hence, not only giving the perfect fit, lift and comfort but also matching the weather conditions. Each product goes through a step-by-step process from the beginning till the end. Once the product is ready, it goes through a fit trial and quality check before being launched into the market.

Our products are available in 21+ sizes suitable for all ages and body types. Although our brand might seem young and fashionable, we cater to older women, too, as we understand their comfort, and all that they are looking for, or require while searching for the perfect lingerie.

Their collections focus on creating sexy, comfortable, great fitting styles with an X-factor at affordable prices made from high-quality materials. Candyskin stand for luxury, quality and comfort at its finest and want to create an Indian brand that Indian women can resonate with easily.

To shop & view their latest collections visit www.candyskin.com

Inputs by- Candyskin

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