Vertika Pant, a qualified engineer who worked in IT for 5 years before taking the plunge into her first entrepreneurial venture – PIKABOO in 2014, currently a well-renowned kids fashion brand.
Brief introduction about yourself and tell us something about Pikaboo? Hi, I am Vertika Pant, the owner at Pikaboo which is a children fashion boutique. I was constantly bored by the constants of a “9 to 6” job. The challenges were far and few and I did not feel that it was bringing out the best in me. When I felt that there is an opportunity in the kids’ fashion market with the current growing economy, the idea of stepping into an entrepreneurial field for kids’ fashion really appealed to me since I knew it will be challenging, interesting and will suit me, since I was always keen on doing something related to fashion.
About your journey as an entrepreneur. The journey so far has been a source of immense learning. Learning something new almost every day is what keeps me going. Yes, there are challenges but people who love entrepreneurship, love challenges. It is all a part and parcel of being an entrepreneur.
Please share your future goals. The future goals do keep changing in a market as dynamic as we have right now. But, some goals that remain a constant are the goals to overdo your own performance and to reach the top run in the ladder, your business is trying to climb. I aim to see Pikaboo as the one of the most famous and loved brands in children fashion and glamour.
What all challenges did you face and what were your strategies to overcome them? Like in any e-commerce start up, order handling, packaging procurement, inventory management etc. are our big challenges. That apart, we also do B2B dealings. Hence, to be able to work on the B2B along with the retail segment and managing to work on the pace of our B2B clients was initially a challenge. We have worked on these aspects for quite some time now and devised our process flow to accommodate all these challenges.
What are your views on the thought, that as compared to male counterparts, it’s harder and more struggling for females to make a mark professionally? I agree and disagree. I agree because there are certain people who are not extremely happy with women being the boss and being answerable to women. I have experienced this. But, at the same time, I have seen that there are people who respect your work even more when you are a woman because they know how hard you would have to had to work to achieve what you are achieving in the kind of society we are in. So, these people believe in your work and your sincerity because they realize that women are quite more dedicated towards anything they do and any role they play.
What piece of advice would you like to give to the aspiring youth who wish to pursue their dream of becoming an entrepreneur? Follow your passion. Be flexible and firm. Be assertive wherever needed. And always remember, the sky is the limit.
According to you, what are the top three essential skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? 1. Ability to handle a lot of work pressure that you should not buckle under 2. Ability to make good and thoughtful judgments 3. Flexibility and Open-mindedness- soak up the best practices around like a sponge.
How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life? Has the family always been supportive? Yes,My family tries to be supportive as far as possible. Also, to be successful, one may need to be a little selfish as well. It is difficult for most women to do that. And that is the reason that women settle for mediocrity many times. I do not let my work affect my family life and I don’t let my family life affect my work either. I set clear boundaries and expectations.
What are your views and opinions towards the ambiguous need to promote women entrepreneurship and women empowerment in India? Promoting women has to be done at various levels in our country. It needs to start right from their homes and families and should extend to the society and then government. Women have many capabilities that can make them excellent entrepreneurs- multi-tasking being the biggest of them. All that is lacking today is the passion and desire to lead. If women cultivate these two qualities, we do not need a lot of external motivation but we can empower ourselves and achieve what we want.
