startuplife Archives - The Pink Journey

Neha Sondhi’s Journey to The Momly- An app for mothers

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 10:18:18 +0000

I am an engineer by qualification, a product manager by profession, but would better choose to be known as mom to my naughty two year old son, Kabir.

My journey so far- from USA to Lucknow has certainly been the most adventurous, unpredictable but definitely interesting one. A lot changed over the course of the period, however, the one significant factor that altered my way of perceiving things around me is when I embarked on the beautiful journey of motherhood.

To begin with, I never had imagined that I’ll don the role of a mother so soon in my life. Nevertheless, when it happened, I gladly accepted what fate had planned for us, and I couldn’t agree more that it was the best decision of our lives. Well, our fancy plans of a trip to Amsterdam did come to sudden halt, I would unhesitatingly say that it was worth it

During the time of my pregnancy period, while I had the guidance of elders and had a complete to-do and not-to-do list, what I craved for were conversations with girls who were in the same phase of life. To have someone by your side, experiencing the same pain and pleasure as you is definitely a very reassuring feeling, and at times, during that period, that is all that you need.

Now a pregnant-lady’s wish never goes unfulfilled!

One day, at a party, I met a girl who had the same due date as mine. We instantly became very good friends, and started sharing little details, our experiences, answered each other’s questions, clarified doubts, et all. Later, I was added in a whatsapp group of mothers who were expecting. In the due course of time, we all became very good friends, making the journey of motherhood more meaningful, joyful and fulfilling.

Since then, I realised how profoundly these friendships affected my mental state as now I felt I had my tribe to lean back to and seek support. For instance, once I was in dire need of a food processor, and nowhere was it available. To my rescue came my mom’s friends, who instantly got me in contact with a wholesaler of the same. Such incidents recurred time and again, making me realise even more the crucial roles mom friendships play in our lives.

It was this realization that sowed the seeds of the idea of setting up a platform, and I soon discussed with some of my friends, who also had recently acquired motherhood. We realised that there existed no platform that would serve as a bridge between two women, who were on the same stage in life, and wanted to connect. Therefore, to bridge this gap, I decided to create Momly (@themomly)- an app for all the women who are either trying to conceive, who have already conceived and those who have become mothers to make new mom friends living around their area.

It’s been now 6 months since is I started momly with my friend Supriya. We first launched our app (Android and iOS) in March and have so far got 150 active users across different cities in india. Our vision is to make momly your go to friend through motherhood journey. We are constantly improving the app with new features and great user experience. It’s an app by mothers, for mothers.

A few challenges we faced while startup was finding right people to help us on tech and marketing front. Coming from a tech background, building an app was fairly straight forward but what we struggled with most is marketing. Digital marketing is great but it requires constant experimentation to understand your audience and keeping up with the latest trends. We fortunately found a good team of mothers who want to help build the platform with us.

Motherhood is a wonderful journey but what makes it all the more joyous is when you have some amazing mom-friends, cheering for you, supporting you and being there with you when you need them the most.

The post Neha Sondhi’s Journey to The Momly- An app for mothers appeared first on The Pink Journey.

In Conversation With Sharmin ALi- An author, Entrepreneur And Writer

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 09:43:37 +0000

Please share your journey how it started from tech person to storyteller to an entrepreneur

I began my career with Mu Sigma, a technology company, and got the opportunity to work with Fortune 500 companies in the USA. I am an avid reader and hence being a storyteller comes naturally to me. I wrote two books, the first one ‘Y.O.U’ was announced as a best-seller by The New Indian Express & the Oxford bookstores, and the second book was titled ‘How I was forced to become a staunch RACIST’. When I decided to pursue entrepreneurship, I decided to stick to the media space where I authored 70 original scripts. I exited after 3 years when my company was acquired by a Bombay-based production house. My experience with my first start-up gave me the insight that even large corporations make marketing decisions based on how they feel about the content instead of using data to get the best results. Here is where I stepped in with Instoried to help marketers/ content creators or just about anyone to create content that is more empathetic and thereby more likely to convert. Humans are emotionally driven and it is important to communicate with empathy be it in business or in personal relationships. Instoried has been on the forefront of the empathetic revolution for content.

What are the biggest hurdles that you faced in your journey?

My biggest challenge was getting the team in place and ensuring that there are always enough funds to spend for the same. After my savings were exhausted, I had to break my PPF account, despite my parent’s disapproval. Subsequently, I mortgaged my jewelry and used the money to pay salaries. Once the team was set, I was confident of our journey being positive even if it would have a few hurdles in between. I am very happy to share that we now have an outstanding team, 60% of which are women.

Failures are the best teachers so how did you overcome that?

I strongly believe that a failure only happens if you conclude it as a failure. If you are persistent, innovative, and agile you can always convert a failure into an opportunity. In my own case, because I knew that a fund shortage is only a temporary setback if you allow yourself room to innovate and grow, I persisted and invested my own personal savings to grow. You don’t fail if you persist and are quick enough to make changes to the way you do things.

Your opinion on the current situation of OTT platforms or the scope for young writers

OTT platforms provide lucrative prospects to budding content creators. Demand for OTT content based on geo-demographics is on the rise, both within India and internationally. I think the year 2022 is definitely going to be an exciting year for OTT players as the content pipeline will be stronger than ever.

Share 3 advice for young entrepreneurs and storytellers

Persevere and don’t stop!
Team is everything. Running a start-up is not a one man show!
Money, name and success are all transient. The only one that prevails is the relationship with humans. So be grounded, humble and empathetic in life.

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In Conversation with Ms Chulamas Jitpatima, Country Director, MQDC India

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 13:31:45 +0000

In all her roles, she has always imparted a dynamic approach that has helped her find creative solutions to various business challenges. Deploying the same dynamism in setting up MQDC’s brand – Whizdom Club – in India. She shares her knowledge as women entrepreneur and how she entered Indian market with premium co-working project.

Give us a brief about your background

Ms Chulamas Jitpatima: I have over 18 years of experience that includes working as an entrepreneur, working at MNCs and in my current role of Country Director at MQDC India. I began my career at Accenture as a senior analyst, helping form strategy and improving processes at leading companies, including Siam Cement Group and PTT Public Company Limited. Before joining MQDC in 2017, I was working as the Managing Director and Co-founder of Ideas-360, a research and branding powerhouse that we set up in 2007. During this stint, I got the opportunity to work with some renowned figures including experimental psychologist, Dr Howard Moskowitz, who helped us in establishing Mind Genomics as the leading consumer research tool in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

In all my roles, I have always imparted a dynamic approach that has helped me find creative solutions to various business challenges. Deploying the same dynamism in setting up MQDC’s brand – Whizdom Club – in India, I am crafting the Club’s distinctive ethos and character that can act as a catalyst in attracting young professionals, entrepreneurs and enterprises. We are also evaluating different asset classes to grow further in the Indian Market

2. Tell us about your foray into India and your India journey so far

A: MQDC India forayed into the Indian Market with its premium co-working project, Whizdom Club, in 2019. Situated at a prime location in New Delhi, our flagship club offers world class infrastructure along with mentoring support to students, young professionals and strateupreneurs. Also, a large part of our client portfolio consists of several reputed enterprises and SMEs as well. The club has access to all essentials of success including a green and sustainable infrastructure. This was recognized by Realty+ Co-working Summit and Excellence Awards 2020 where we were awarded with the “Co-Working Amenities of the Year” title. The club offers variety of workstation options, especially curated spaces designed to cater to the various needs including Whiz Live is a 75-seater, fully fitted-out event space, Whiz Exchange which help promote the culture of community, where people help one another in work and life.

We took a step further in our journey as we launched, Whiz Café, an extension to our co-working space. The café has exclusive offers for the members of Whizdom Club and is also open to the public at large. We also collaborated with delivery service partners to ensure safe and hygienic food delivery for all our customers. In later part of the pandemic, triggered by the demand for safe and hygienic things among people, we also launched our trading vertical, which has wide range of wellness products like carpets, and rugs for commercial, as well as residential properties.

Before COVID-19, we were in the process of setting up various properties across the country. As things are slowly settling back in, we have reinitiated conversations and we hope to see some movement in that direction soon.

3. What hurdles you have faced to become who you are today?

A: Assuming the role of Country Director in a foreign country and establishing a completely new business in a competitive industry like real estate in India, I have faced several challenges. From the cultural diversity to language to flying between countries every week, before Covid, it’s been one adventurous journey till date.

The previous year has been a crucial one for the organization as a business. Like most industries, office spaces, co-working spaces and cafes were impacted during the lockdown imposed across nations in a bid to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping the morale of the employees high, keeping the members engaged through regular virtual activities, and sustain the company’s revenue systems have been some of the key initiatives undertaken. Due to the lockdown, managing the existing center while also planning further expansions from Thailand has been one of the most stimulating yet humbling experiences for me!

4. One tip that you want to share with the other women to achieve their dreams.

A: We live in a society that still has patriarchal conventions to an extent and therefore it is very easy for women to feel discouraged and lose sight of their dreams. I would like to take this opportunity to remind every women out there that they should never step back from dreaming big and should never feel limited by their own mind. Every feat is possible and today, women are reaching newer heights than ever before. We live in a society where women are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies while at the same time have the vision and strength to launch new businesses and make them a roaring success. It is imperative to stay motivated and also create an ecosystem that supports others as well. As a community, we should always find ways to uplift women around us and remain kind through the process.

5. The pandemic has disproportionately affected women. What can women do to get back into the post-pandemic work game?

A: It comes as no surprise that women all over the world have been impacted due to COVID-19. Not just professionally, women have had to face many challenges in their personal lives as well. In addition to all of this, everything in the world was changing at an exponential rate. The way we conducted business evolved, the skills that were required to keep businesses relevant also evolved; in such a scenario, the only way to go back to work and stay relevant is by constantly learning and acquiring new skills. Utilize the time we have right now wisely, enroll in courses and certification that can add meaning to one’s profile. As employers, we are trying to create a better infrastructure and put in place supportive policies to encourage gender equity and equal opportunities for all.

6. What is your experience of during and post-pandemic work? What were the issues you experience as a person?

A: As a Thai National, when the pandemic started in 2020, I was not able to come to India as per safety protocols and international travel regulations. During that time, I was faced with the challenge of managing the business from Thailand, being away from my team which was based in India. In the beginning, it took us some time to find a balanced work equation but as we adopted digitization and put in place stringent SOPs, we continued working endlessly to ensure business continuity. Thanks to my very capable and proactive team, we were able to retain all our clients and added many new ones.

In these two years, not only have we ensured optimum business output from our co-working space, but also have we launched Whiz Café, an extension to Whizdom Club and a trading vertical that offers a wide range of products with anti-viral allergy free properties, keeping in line with our “Well-being for all” vision.

7. Your thoughts on women-only co-working spaces

A: Like I mentioned, women should come together and nurture an environment that is thriving for all. More than a Women only co-working spaces I believe in providing a safe space for women to take up challenging roles in their professional lives with much more confidence. During the pandemic, co-working spaces have gained immense popularity and have solved the issues that were posed by remote working. The plug and play model presents an opportunity to create a diverse network and enable growth of start-ups, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and many more. Women today are taking up these roles and knowing that there is a space which is safe and also offers mentorship and guidance provides a boost in confidence and encourages them to take up roles, which seemed rather far-fetched till now.

Women focused co-working spaces are the perfect platforms for women who are looking out for options to start their journey in the corporate world.

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