4 years ago while I was working as a graphic designer, I would spend hours thinking about the idea of StyleDotMe and its potential. I did not start working towards it until one day a friend asked me “What if someone else comes up with same idea and creates it before you?”
When I decided to give up my job and begin working on StyleDotMe, I had to go through multiple challenges. I wasn’t as confident but I was passionate and my vision was clear. In the journey there were multiple challenges that comes up but for me the top ones were –
Taking that first step:
Women are asked not to go late at night, travel alone, wear short clothes, etc. We are always given that extra protection and so we are used to being dependent on someone from the opposite gender whether its our father, brother, boyfriends or husbands. When we want to start something on own, getting out of that protective shell is sometimes difficult for us and sometimes for the people around us.
I think it’s important to leave your insecurities and fear behind and believe in yourself and standup for something you believe in.
When I decided to take the plunge, there were many people who helped, stood by but many opposed and discouraged. At every step when people told me I cannot do certain things, I worked harder to prove them wrong and moved ahead. I think passion, persistence and perseverance as the most important qualities to start and follow your dreams.
Having the right mentor is also very important. I was blessed to have Mr. Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder of Naukri.com as my first mentor who showed me the right direction at every step since inception of StyleDotMe. Most of the time how to start is the biggest question and I think a good mentor helps in getting clarity, push you when required and helps at various levels with his own experiences. Sanjeev didn’t just stand by my side when it comes to work but also motivated and supported me throughout even when things were not moving right. I am learning from him everyday how to be a good entrepreneur and a leader but more than than I am also learning my biggest life lessons from him. His thoughts, value system and integrity keeps me on toes and teaches me how one should be in life.
Building a great team:
The biggest challenge for me was that I started a tech company without having any technical knowledge. I had the idea, the designs and plan ready with a long-term vision but didn’t know how to execute it. My strengths lie in design, planning and overseeing a project but since I did not have the technical knowledge and I was building a tech product, it was an impossible challenge. A strong team is the most important part of any company and finding talented engineers with limited resources was quite difficult. I outsourced the first version of the product and raised a seed round, but I soon realized building a strong team is the most important part of growing a business. It’s important to have people who believe in the same vision and will be willing to go to any length to make it work. So I started looking for people who will work for passion, who will work for making a difference in the world and I managed to build a great team!
The Tag of Being a Woman Founder
People treat Women entrepreneurs differently. No one calls “Men entrepreneurs” so why is there a different tag for women? I do not walk into any meeting or an investors pitch thinking I am a woman and should be treated differently. I do not expect special attention or benefits, but what I expect is respect & equality. What I expect is that when people make decisions for investment, collaborating or even joining my company it should not be on the basis of my gender. It should be on the basis of my qualification, my vision, my strengths. I resent questions that dwell on my commitment towards my work post getting married or having children. I would like to answer questions on how I can create a difference in the world by the product I am building.
Its difficult for people to accept the fact that a woman is running a company and has raised funds on her own, building her own team, hustling every single day for various things without a sign of demotivation.
For me being a women entrepreneur is my strength and not my weakness and I live up to it fully!
Fundraising
I think a lot of Investors are still hesitant in funding a Female founded company because they are skeptical about the long term plans and that what if the Founder quits after getting married or having kids. I think its important to treat entrepreneurs just as pure entrepreneurs and not on the basis of their genders.
I am glad that I have the best of investors who have seen the passion and persistence in me and the skills to build a great team, strong product and decided to back me for my talent irrespective of the gender.
Being Emotional
Women are considered more emotional than men. Over the period of time I realized that its not bad to be transparent and vulnerable but wrong to show the emotional part and get weak in making decisions.
Women Empowering Women
To be empowered means to be in control of your life, aware of your capabilities, and ready to take on even your biggest dreams. When I met Ameera Shah, Promoter & MD at Metropolis Healthcare, I felt an instant connection with her. I shared my experiences and times which have been difficult for me in my journey and she suggested me ways to deal with them. I could relate to her story because being a women founder has a lot of challenges and the way she dealt with all of them made me feel stronger and confident about myself and what I was doing. She taught me lessons that gave me the courage to always stand for myself and take the right decisions.
About The Author
Juggling roles and harnessing untapped opportunities has always been up Meghna’s alley. Having done her BFA in Applied Arts from College of Arts, she spearheads StyleDotMe by blending her creative expertise, her PR skills and her teensy bit of technical know-how to make it the one-stop destination for everything fashion!
Emerging Issues and challenges for Women Entrepreneurs in this Era of technology
