Over the past decade, there has been a gradual shift in the employment sector where a trend to launching new ventures and start-ups has been on the rise – quite a stark contrast from the days where public service was considered the primary goal for any aspiring skilled worker. In fact, today India is known worldwide for its countless entrepreneurs who are ideating and sprouting up with start-ups that are revolutionising not only the philosophy of career itself but also the Indian economy.
While the start-up movement is surely something to look up to, Indian societal norms and traditions may pose a serious question among everyone : Where do women stand here? While the country is rapidly embracing and developing practices to encourage gender inequality, there is still a large amount of the population who consider a professional life to be a second priority for women.
Well, there are some who are breaking the walls of this very notion and have grown up to be successful entrepreneurs that are providing support to India’s start-up sector as well as bringing a chance to the gender-biased population of India. On Mother’s Day, we salute these entrepreneurs who did not stop their careers after attaining motherhood but instead rose up gracefully to set themselves as pillars of equality and personal freedom.
Reema Batta, CMO, Babyhugz.com
After a stellar career that includes names like HotWire, HotelTonight and Snapfish, Reema Batta today is the CMO of Babyhugz.com, an online portal that provides parenting advice as well as baby products like apparel, skin care products, diapers and toys, among others. She is responsible for the marketing and PR-activities of the company while conceptualizing strategies for online retention and baby products.
Babyhugz.com aims at building on baby care in the e-commerce industry of India and it is due to women like Reema that such companies are growing up to be notable names in the economy as well as among the public. Despite her hectic work schedule, Reema finds her solitude in spending quality time with her family.
Monika Pal Sood, Co-Founder, Youshine
An alumni of Indian Institute of Fashion Technology, it was motherhood itself that became a milestone for her company Youshine. After running a fashion apparel export business from 1996 to 2004, Monika took a break from everything to start a family with husband Ashish Sood. In 2009, the husband wife duo started Youshine, a fashion jewellery and accessories brand for women. Starting from humble beginnings with a kiosk-only model, today the company has 15 physical stores along with 10 e-tail platforms.
Monika is the brains behind Youshine’s design division and her immense knowledge of hi-fashion helps the company at being in a safe and formidable position in the cluttered marketplace. Youshine aims at reaching out to the urban cosmopolitan women who have disposable income and strong purchasing potential. At 41, her journey has been a remarkable as motherhood did not stop her from chasing her entrepreneurial dreams.
Shefali Singh, Founder, Mysha
Shefali Singh’s tryst with the travel and tourism industry, particularly MICE tourism goes back for more than twenty years. Her vast experience and expertise led her to form Mysha where she aims at using her knowledge and entrepreneurial skills to promote the company’s growth as well as building a brand identity. After her successful stints at leading travel companies like Cox and Kings and Yatra Online, today, she’s the Managing Director of Mysha and plans to make it a trusted as well as global platform that seamlessly provides efficient and hassle-free travel solutions.
Moreover, she encourages the spirit of independence and entrepreneurship by providing countless women with work-from-home opportunities. She is also behind the Mysha Foundation, an initiative towards empowering women. Her constant spirit to strive towards personal freedom is a fitting example to all women entrepreneurs in India. She lives with her two sons and loves to unwind by reading, writing, cooking, gardening and listening to music.
Radhika Ghai Aggarwal, Co-founder, Shopclues.com
Radhika Ghai Aggarwal founded Shopclues.com along with Sanjay Sethi in 2011 and since then, it’s been no looking back. The company is one of the leading names today in the e-commerce marketplace today and raised a funding round of $100 million from Tiger Global four months ago. Radhika has been a key player in the company’s growth due to her previous experience in the retail industry. Being a mother of two boys did not stop her from guiding her career to new found levels of success.
Check out our Plunge TV piece on Shopclues where she speaks about her role and the vision which drives the company.
The story of these entrepreneurs is just a hint of how much potential Indian women have in the working sector. While it sure may take some time, the day women escape from the clutches of society’s rules and restrictions, India will surely reach a new benchmark for global entrepreneurship.
