As a part of our BloggersIdeas interview series, today we have inspiring Karishma Shah who is just 23 yrs old and making her living out of her own business. Today s he will be sharing her failures in entrepreneurship, problems she faced in beginning & how she overcome them. Karishma is co-founder of StyleAddress. I am sure you will learn lot from her sheer entrepreneurship skills.
First of all thanks a lot for accepting my interview proposal. My readers are glad to have you here. Please tell us about yourself and your educational background ?
Hello. My name is Karishma Shah and I am 23 years old. I have completed my graduation in Bachelors of Mass Media (BMM) and also have Diploma in 2d, 3d and VFX. Currently I am working for Stahl Décor and I am also a Co-Founder of Style Address.
How did you make your first online income? How much time did it take to make money online?
Made online income for my company( Style Address) in first month itself through social media.
Share your failure story if you have any in your life ?
I have many. Right after my graduation I had joined a model co-ordination company for few months but it didn't work out and I was lost in terms of what to do with my life. Now when I look behind I think all those things were important for self-awakening and have made me what I am today.
How do you share your success with your friends? What you suggest them about entrepreneurship?
I don't consider myself successful yet. So we talk mostly about our day to day struggles and our dreams which are more fulfilling to me. I personally believe to each its own but if you want to be an entrepreneur then make sure you are passionate about what you do and have patience and perseverance to keep doing it without losing enthusiasm when you stumble upon roadblocks.
Karishma as you are very young still, how you manage your time. Brief about it.
I always prepare a to-do list for next day before going to sleep and prioritize according to its importance. So the next day I am pretty sorted about things that require my urgent attention and things that I can complete after I finish my important tasks.
How your parents reacted when you decided not to do job, and get into family business?
I did a job for few months. But when it didn't work out and I was idle, my dad offered me to join him in his company as they were in process of creating a brand where I could help him and during that time my older cousin was solely handling that department. So he asked me why don't you help him until and unless you don't figure out what you want to do.
Little did I know then that I fell in love with my work and there is no looking back ever since. Last year I felt I am young enough and have enough flexibility to experiment with something new. So I went ahead and started working on my own startup while working for my dad.
Did you face any kind of criticism from your relatives as you are not doing job ?
I come from a family where everyone is entrepreneur. In fact I would be a black sheep if I were doing a job.
What would like to say for Girls who are budding entrepreneurs or want to entrepreneur but can't do due to family pressure. Please guide ?
I would like to suggest them that let nobody make you feel that you are not smart or capable enough to do what you want. If you have passion for something and gut feeling that you can make it work then start working on it. It's important to stay focused on your goal and not get affected by someone's negative remark. After all nobody will face the consequences but you so it has to be only your decision. And the regret of not doing something when you had a chance is bigger than doing something and failing in it.
Are you doing any social service for needy people or you work with any NGO's please tell us here.
I had worked for a couple who are environmentalists during my college as a part of project. Also sometimes I tend to buy food for underprivileged.
How you would like to see Girl entrepreneurship in india. Do you think some programme should be run by government to promote female entrepreneurship.
I think this is the best time and age for girls to become entrepreneurs. We have so many successful stories around us and also there are so many ways to promote talent that was never there before. With a little broader mindset that girls are equally capable to achieve anything they want in their respective fields and also can handle multi-tasking well we can encourage more and more girls to become entrepreneurs.
Yes there should be a program or a CSR activity to promote female entrepreneurship or giving them a chance to present their ideas in front of the world.
What is the reason behind your success? Who introduce you to entrepreneurship?
I don't think I have achieved the success that I have dreamed of. I am still on my way. But the reason I can manage working for two companies would be strong family support and friends who are by your side in your ups and downs and always find a way to cheer you up when you are down and out and at the same time keeps your feet firmly to the ground.
They inspire you to be a better person in life and you want them to be proud of you. And that can be a strong motivation for you to work hard every day. As per your 2 nd question, I come from a family of entrepreneurs so I guess it runs in my blood.
What is your dream to achieve at the age of 30. What are your future plans ?
My dream is to see both my companies Style Address and Stahl Décor to reach at the pinnacle of success and excel in their services. Other than that I would like to experiment as much as I can with new things without having the fear of failure.
How you are helping your father in his business. Describe your daily tasks ?
My tasks include social media marketing for Stahl Décor. That is to keep the Facebook page and Linkedin updated with latest projects that we have done. I am also planning to launch my Company profile in other social media platforms. Also to approach architects and interior designers;set up a meeting with them to pitch our company products and how they can use it in their upcoming projects.
Why It Is Important to Teach Girls About Entrepreneurship ?
Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster ride where one day everything works for you and one day everything possible that can go wrong will go wrong and you will feel helpless about it. But what it does teach you is handle success with a humble attitude and meeting failure with grace. It also teaches you to multi task everything with finesse. In life you will come across lot of stressful times but to handle them without losing your insanity is what entrepreneurship teaches you.
What you do in free time. Do you read novels for grooming personality ?
In my free time I hang out with my friends which is a great stress buster. Watch movies or sitcoms and read books. I have read novels for grooming personality but I love reading so I have read books of various genres except for horror and I personally believe that each and every book has the power to teach you if you have an eye for it.
I hope you enjoy this interview with 23 yrs old Karishma. If you have any questions about this interview, please do ask in the comments below !
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