"I’d like to see more women push themselves and ask for opportunities, because we are certainly no less talented than men! So why should we be left behind," says Tina Garg, Founder & CEO, Pink Lemonade.
What outlook, Tina the founder, has towards life, career and world? As a person, I’m a go-getter. I guess it has a lot to do with my army background and the fact that discipline was inculcated in me since very early on. Having said that, I am constantly told that I have an affable personality. I do love people with all my heart, even those that have left us to pursue their dreams elsewhere. I am a big believer in the Universe and feel that when you support others, the Universe gives you back manifold in return. Life is all about living your passion, something that I believe I have largely been able to accomplish. When you’re living your dream, nothing is unachievable. As far as work is concerned, I think my team embodies my ethos of perfectionism and excellence. We at Pink Lemonade strongly live by the mantra “Do it right or don’t do it at all.” Today at Pink Lemonade, we’ve evolved into a creative agency that puts that special twist to business communications. We’re in a state of joy when we create and define branding, strategy, and communication for our clients.
How has been your journey so far? Also, share the milestones you have marked? My journey has been absolutely incredible so far. Every day I wake up feeling blessed and grateful for the kind of success we’ve had. It’s not an exaggeration but over 90% of our work so far has come from referrals and word of mouth alone. Despite the fact that my background was in Computer Engineering, I feel extremely proud of the fact that I have built a successful agency from the ground-up, that too with no external funding. In an industry that sometimes reels under the pressures of limited work coming in, we’ve always had more than enough work and that in itself is a milestone achievement. The milestones in our journey have been the various big wins we’ve had over the years, be it some of the biggest names in the healthcare space, Jockey, Qikwell, Microsoft Ventures, Ola Cabs, Tetra Pak, Mahindra Aerospace, Microsoft, Dell, Commonfloor, and many others. Another thing I’d like to talk about is the way we’ve carved a space for ourselves in even highly technical domains, building an ecosystem of reliable partners along the way.
Is there anything about your life, your ideas, your journey or your vision that can be a learning source of aspiring women? I’m a firm believer in the value of long-term planning. I always tell everyone that if one isn’t in it for the long haul, there’s no point. I’m also a big Sheryl Sandberg fan, and I am all for women ‘leaning in’ at the workplace. Sure, as women we are naturally expected to take responsibility of the home in addition to our role at work, but it shouldn’t become an excuse to not be our best selves in our careers. I’ve observed that women are naturally more shy and hesitant when it comes to taking charge of their careers. I’d like to see more women push themselves and ask for opportunities, because we are certainly no less talented than men! So why should we be left behind!
What challenges you faced and how you won over them? As a business owner, I’ve faced the some of the most common yet cumbersome challenges out there. Attrition has been a big problem in the past, like it is in other agencies too. It’s always a hard hit when you’re best people leave at a time when you least expect it, but that’s part of the game. Today, we’ve built a culture where people love coming to work every day and that has tackled the attrition challenge to a large extent. We’ve painstakingly built a team that feels strongly invested in Pink Lemonade and that too has stood us in good stead. I can safely say everyone at PL today thinks for greater good of the organization.
Do you think every woman faces similar challenges? I wouldn’t say these challenges are specific to women alone; these are challenges faced by every entrepreneur and business owner in general. But yes, women do face the additional challenge of having to juggle both work and home, which I do believe at some point leads to women dropping out of the workforce. If more families were to support women, just like mine has, I think we will see a whole new breed of women entrepreneurs take centrestage in the near future. And of course we are seeing this shift taking place, so overall it’s a good time to be a woman in business!
Any message or mantra you would like to share with Indian women? Women today are passionate, driven, and determined. My message to Indian women is to believe in themselves, set their own goals, and not shy away from taking risks. No dream is too big to achieve.
Writers are perceived to be learned and reasonable. What challenges you think Jasminder (Copy Team Lead) that every woman faces in India? And, how can they overcome them? I think women in India, especially young women, are in a very special place now. For once, they are in a more enviable position than men. Never before have Indian women had so many choices in career and education; and with India still being traditional in many ways, women are not expected to shoulder primary breadwinner responsibilities. This leaves them relatively free and unencumbered to pursue interests and unconventional choices. That said, the same traditions expect women to take on all responsibilities of running the house and looking after the children -- making it tough to build a career. Like they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the best way for women to overcome these challenges is to build a strong, reliable support structure and more importantly, value the hard-won opportunities. This makes it easy for an employer to hire and retain women in the workforce.
Client Servicing isn’t an easy job, as you require keeping everyone happy. Plus, being a woman, we are also expected the same in our lives. Tell us, what keeps you Roshnee (Client Servicing Team Lead) motivated and inspires you to keep continuing? And, what can motivate every woman? In a so-called ‘man's world’, it certainly is a challenge to go out into the field but I love it! Meeting people, learning about what they do, and finding ways to help and support them is motivation enough. I also feel that working in a company with the most amazing, fantastic set of designers, copywriters, and digital team makes the job even easier. It's always nice to have someone watch your back and that's exactly what the teams do with their amazing work. On the personal front, coming home to a family that is most supportive of the long hours, working on weekends, and bringing work home helps majorly. Every woman needs to know there is nothing a woman cannot do and I feel there are many things we do better than men!
Being a design head requires a lot of mental strength coupled with creativity. How do you Nidhi (Design Team Lead) conquer every challenges at workplace, along with balancing your personal life? And, what would you like to suggest to every woman struggling to achieve a work-life balance? Yes absolutely, it does require tremendous strength and it’s a constant challenge to maintain the high level of creativity and motivation within the team. Like everybody else, I too have lots of ups and downs at work. Every day is a learning curve and I am proud to say I constantly pick things up from my colleagues. When it comes to work-life balance, let me tell you it’s a myth! But we still try our best. I guess at the end of the day it’s about making a choice and being able to stick with it. Everyone needs to understand what they stand for in a particular instance and balance that viz. a viz. the organization’s goals.
You are a single man in the management ladder of the company and working alongside several women. How you see to it Sudhir (Web Team Lead)? Share your views. I don’t see any major difference working with a predominantly female team. They are all my colleagues and are thorough professionals who have a great amount of integrity. They are very accommodative and bring a whole new perspective to work.
We being women, not only understand but live the state we are into. How would you define the state of Indian women from the perspective of Indian men and how you feel it can be better? The mindset of men towards women is definitely changing; we have learnt to respect them more for their individuality and strength. We need to understand that women are no less than men. I think the recognition of their achievements needs to be made more visible and published to let the world know their capabilities.
Would you all play a role in the betterment of women? Jasminder: More than happy to help, guide, mentor. Roshnee: Yes I most definitely will. Women today are in situations where they are walking out and making a mark of their own. They need the love, understanding, and familial support the most. I was in that position myself and rescued and supported by my own guardian angel; so of course, I will always support anyone who needs that helping hand.
