Moms mean business

Start-up is the catchword in business ecosystem that is breaking many stereotypes – gender being on top of the list. And an estimated 250 million women entrepreneurs worldwide are a testimony to this. In India, too, there are more than 8 million women entrepreneurs and the pitch is being prepared for having at least 25 per cent women entrepreneurs in the country by 2025. However, at present just 14 per cent of businesses are being run by women entrepreneurs. Traditional mindsets as well as stereotyped social roles as mother and wife are the main roadblocks in the onward march of women entrepreneurs. Being a mom running an independent business is indeed a tall order and a tough career choice. But taking up the challenges head on is the brigade of mompreneurs, who have carved a special place for themselves on the business turf. Their ventures range from upscale, high-end and high net worth ones to the small home-grown ones. There is a whole new army of these young and driven moms who have set their feet in the fields of IT, HR, education,  finance, skilling  etc and are making waves. The awakening has slowly trudged into the tierII and III cities too. Here some such mompreneurs from the region share their success stories, challenges and work-life tips: 

Corporate guide

Prerna Kalra, the founder of Open Hand Solutions, a consulting firm for start-ups

Her success story

An MBA from Delhi Prerna had an experience of over 20 years and she was the IBM HR location leader when she decided to quit and start something on her own. Before that she had worked with  Quark and Dell. Just a few years into her venture today she  can keep an audience of more than 1,200 captive and involved and has companies virtually eating out of her palm. 

Driving force

No matter how good you are at your work and  the position that you hold, in a job one is limited to one’s assigned role and there are a number of restrictions. “Flexibility and the freedom to do what you like were the major inspirations for me”, she says while recalling how her boss at Seattle-based health care software company, Edifecs inspired her. 

The challenge

When I started my own venture I was smug thinking that my 20-year experience would make it a cakewalk to run my own company. But I was mistaken as being an entrepreneur and a mompreneur was completely different ball game. All those years I was used to working with big teams, but now suddenly, I was the one-person team and I had to get the clients, do marketing, keep track of accounts and bills and a hundred other things. Adjusting to this changed status took some time and I realised that there was so much that I needed to learn afresh. 

Moreover, when you come with such a big knowledge base and vast experience then one can figure the larger perspective of every small decision and change, but it is difficult to convince the clients to widen their horizons, especially if you are a new company.

Work-life tip

A mother of two, Prerna says she has had her brush with guilt of not being there “enough’ for her children, especially in the case of her older son who is 18 now. “After the initial guilt trips, I realised that it is something that we, mothers, build up. If we put the self-criticism aside then we will realise that children adapt to the situations more easily, become more independent and stable individuals. Moreover, it is not about the quantity of time spent with them that matters, it is whether they have the confidence that you are always there for them.” 

Happy vibes

Kusha Kalra, Founder HappyLives

Her success story

Before she called it quits, Kusha had been training in the corporate world for over 15 years. A BCom with an PG degree in insurance, Kusha had worked with MAX Life insurance and was heading the entire Northern region for the company. She was earning a six-figure salary, but three years ago she decided to walk out of her secure job and start her own venture and this how Happylives was born. The reason why this single parent gave up a cushy job was her son as  she wanted to give complete attention to him as he had just started going to school. “I felt that at this stage he needed me more to be aorund him and my high-profile job required me to travel extensively”. She is a freelance trainer and holds workshops on women empowerment, leadership, team management and is a certified life coach also. She is just venturing into the field of graphic design from this year and is doing it specifically for social media. Her son is now 8 years old. 

Driving force

For Kusha positive feedback from clients is the biggest motivator. “It is satisfying when your work is appreciated and companies actually seek your advice on different issues and incorporate the suggested changes”. Freedom of her own work is what she loves the most. “Sanctioning my leave when I want and I can say no to a client when I want, this gives me a high”, she adds. 

The challenge

The biggest challenge is time and setting a routine. In a regular job there is a set routine but this is one thing which is missing sand one has to maintain self-discipline while deciding on the work assignments. When you are on your own you need more discipline and should know how to prioritise”.  Handling and managing the business aspect is also a tall order, she admits. She is a one-woman team. “When I started making a bill was also a challenge. Lack of emotional support is another challenge as a single mother she does find it getting overwhelming at times. 

Work-life tip

“You don’t have to prove that you are a superwoman. At the end of the day there will be something that will remain unfinished and lacking but don’t sweat over small stuff. I was not able to attend my son’s annual function, but the heavens didn’t come crashing down over this. One has to understand this and it is very important to not embark on guilt trips frequently and for mompreneurs this is the key mantra of success”.  

Value addition

Renu Mehta, portfolio management 

Her success story

Renu Mehta, a mother of two teenaged sons, is a law graduate from PU who tried her hand at private practice but left after her marriage. In 2000 she entered the insurance field and was the first woman business associate with Tata AIG. There she was handling a team of 135 people and covering the Punjab, Haryana and J&K region. After the birth of her second son she took a break and returned to work as an independent portfolio manager. “This was a new field for women at that time. Even today very few women are into portfolio management”, says Renu. She is planning expansion into mutual funds

The challenge

When you have your own set up, then there is work 24x7 as one has to concentrate on getting the clients, following up with them and also to update oneself professionally to stay ahead of the competition in the business. Finance is a quickly changing scenario and it is very important to keep track of the developments on a day-to-day basis. 

Work-life tip

“When I am with my children I  am 100 per cent with them and when I work I am completely immersed in it. I feel that being half way through both the areas is what makes working more stressful and one should avoid doing it”. 

She has been balancing work and family by adjusting her timings accordingly. “I schedule most of my presentations and client meeting in the morning hours so that I can spend time with my sons in the evenings, but in case I have to work in the evenings my kids know that I am just a phone call away in case they need me.”  

 We travel a lot and this is a way to connect for the family as well as to unwind from work pressures.

Don’t neglect the self

Priyanka Sud, practising lawyer 

Her success story

She has been working independently for the past 11 years and has recently finalised a tie-up for her law firm. “Women with professional degrees, but not in 9 to 5 jobs  also fall in the entrepreneur category. So, my law firm is my start-up”, she says while sharing. Dreaming big has been a habit with this mother of two daughters. And it was this spirit that made her convince her husband to shift his business from small town Yamunanagar to Chandigarh as it had better prospects for her career. “There was lot of resistance from the family and relatives as very few could understand the compulsion of a happily married woman with two young kids to ‘disturb’ the settled life and move to a new city just because it meant she could work. But it was my husband who supported me through this period and I was able to do what I wanted to do”.

The driving force

The best thing about having your own work is that it leads to a discipline in life whether it is on the home front or on the professional arena. There are many who are just waiting to see when you fail or make an error or falter ever so slightly. It is a great feeling to see them frustrated on seeing you manage well and succeed as a mother as well as a professional.  This is a motivation for the children, too, as they imbibe the importance of work and working mother. My work is the route to add value to my children's lives as well as to be a more satisfied person.

The challenge

Major challenges were to get clients in the beginning but now over the years she has international clients, too. She handles civil and constitutional matters. It is not an easy task, she recalls, while remembering her initial years in the court where she had to work extra hard just to prove the point that she can win cases on the basis of her calibre rather than the fact that she was a woman, a good looking one at that. “Hard work and the potential to beat your competitors is very important”, says Priyanka.

Work-life tip

To balance home life and work her mantra is to plan in advance. “It is not just work-life balance that working mothers need to achieve, it is work-life and self balance that one should aim for. Giving time to yourself is very important and most women sacrifice this’, she says. 

All for a fresh start

Neha Bagaria, CEO & Co-Founder of JobsForHer

Her success story

Starting her venture JobsFor Her in 2015 with a team of six women  who had taken career breaks for myriad reasons, Neha Bagaria today is the flagbearer of the “back to work” movement for young mothers. “What my team had in common was the fire in their bellies to prove themselves again, and this is what matters”, she says. Starting with strong advisors to fill in the gaps in tech, HR, she has build up a scalable start-up, and her confidence.  “I was determined to build a team of other career-break women like me to understand the challenges an employer would face and benefit from the fact that they were experienced, recharged and ready to join me immediately”.  

The challenge

When I decided to found JobsForHer, there were a lot of challenges in my way:

• I had just started working again, just a year ago, after taking a 3.6 year-long career break devoted to motherhood
• I hadn't yet started working full-time and I felt that not picking up my children from school was a deal-breaker
• The last time I had founded and run a company was 12 years ago and I didn't have kids then,
• My past work experience in education and pharma was diametrically opposite to the fast-paced rollercoaster of tech start-ups. 

Changing paradigm in tier II and III cities

While things are changing for the better, there is still a huge amount of mindset-change required for Indian workplaces, especially in Tier 2 cities, to welcome back mothers into the corporate environment.  

An effective platform

Who can understand the challenges of a mompreneur better than a mompreneur herself. And this is what made Chetana Mishra come up with Mompreneur India — a platform where all such businesswomen can share their concerns and get help. “Most of these women are solopreneurs and they don't have a big staff. Most of them do most of the work themselves so in this sense the stress of work is more for them. This is where we provide support to them”, says Chetana. 

Mompreneurs India is a platform that has over 40,000 members across India. The members get an opportunity to not  only share their issues and concerns but also provide help and support to others facing similar challenges. This platform also holds regular meets wherein the women in business can get valuable inputs as well as get training from experts. It has a footprint even in  smaller cities city like Vadodara. “Several training sessions have been held there wherein women have shared their experiences. 

Mompreneur India has centres in Ahemdabad, Vadodara, , Mumbai, Surat, Chennai, Bangalore and Pune.