Check out the ultimate guide to 16 return-to-work programs in India for women
Gargi Shah of The Playce, a co-working space for startups and freelancers in Mumbai, urges you to recognize the hardships of startups, before taking the plunge.
India is increasingly being recognized as a Startup Hub, first because of the e-commerce boom and now because of the Start Up India mandate promoted by the government. With large investments flowing in & valuations soaring, people’s risk appetites have increased phenomenally. Everyone has an idea, which they believe could be the next best thing on this planet. Very few of them go right up to the finish line, though! Autopsy has curated a list of failed startups and the reasons for failure. Read it here.
Gargi Shah, seasoned entrepreneur and founder, The Playce, believes that it is critical to detach yourself from an idea and view it objectively before taking the plunge into entrepreneurship.
She delves into the practicalities of starting up, especially when you are cushioned by a comfortable, well-paying job which takes care of your bills. Gargi says, “If you have an idea in your head, really, wait – because that idea sounds exciting. You may want to start that café, you may want your own pop up cake studio, you may want to start your own photography workshops – but hang in there, it is not going to be easy.”
The idea seems exciting because you have not dipped your fingers in the muck. The moment you snap out of your job in order to pursue your dream, it may be glamorous initially, but if your passion for your idea does not withstand the test of time, one may wonder if it was at all worth getting into it.
Gargi Shah’s advice to the young entrepreneurs-to-be out there is simple and practical. She believes that one should reflect on the merit of one’s idea and spend enough time evaluating the pros and cons of starting out. Most importantly, list out the 3 big reasons as to why you are starting up – simple, right?
Not really. You may have to sift through the chaff in order to arrive at the three biggest reasons which motivate you to get out there and build a company. Reasons which will keep you going when the going is tough; and enable you to sit back and reflect at the progress you’ve made and the long arduous road ahead.
In her own words, “There will be days when you don’t know why you are in it, when you want to quit. It helps to go back to the basic fundamental reasons which you listed out right at the start.”
If you are a startup founder, what are your reasons for starting up? What keeps you going in your darkest days, your toughest times? Let us know in the comments below.
Join the Women’s Web Network for women at work by filling in the form below. You will receive a monthly newsletter from us with great resources, plus we’ll keep you posted on all Women’s Web events in your city!
Email Format
Image source: youtube
I have been in love with the written word for the longest time now. I have had the opportunity to intern with Women's Web in 2016, and continue to remain a proud member of read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
I huffed, puffed and panted up the hill, taking many rest breaks along the way. My calf muscles pained, my heart protested, and my breathing became heavy at one stage.
“Let’s turn back,” my husband remarked. We stood at the foot of Shravanbelagola – one of the most revered Jain pilgrimage centres. “We will not climb the hill,” he continued.
My husband and I were vacationing in Karnataka. It was the month of May, and even at the early hour of 8 am in the morning, the sun scorched our backs. After visiting Bangalore and Mysore, we had made a planned stop at this holy site in the Southern part of the state en route to Hosur. Even while planning our vacation, my husband was very excited at the prospect of visiting this place and the 18 m high statue of Lord Gometeshwara, considered one of the world’s tallest free-standing monolithic statues.
What we hadn’t bargained for was there would be 1001 granite steps that needed to be climbed to have a close-up view of this colossal magic three thousand feet above sea level on a hilltop. It would be an understatement to term it as an arduous climb.
Every daughter, no matter how old, yearns to come home to her parents' place - ‘Home’ to us is where we were brought up with great care till marriage served us an eviction notice.
Every year Dugga comes home with her children and stays with her parents for ten days. These ten days are filled with fun and festivity. On the tenth day, everyone gathers to feed her sweets and bids her a teary-eyed adieu. ‘Dugga’ is no one but our Goddess Durga whose annual trip to Earth is scheduled in Autumn. She might be a Goddess to all. But to us, she is the next-door girl who returns home to stay with her parents.
When I was a child, I would cry on the day of Dashami (immersion) and ask Ma, “Why can’t she come again?” My mother would always smile back.
I mouthed the same dialogue as a 23-year-old, who was home for Durga Puja. This time, my mother graced me with a reply. “Durga is fortunate to come home at least once. But many have never been home after marriage.”
Please enter your email address