“There are no shortcuts to achieve your dreams go after them with a vengeance and don’t stop till you achieve what you really want.”
Brief introduction about yourself and tell us something Winkisan? I’m a single working mother with a 23 year old daughter. After spending more than 25 years of my career working for other people I decided that it was high time I started on my own, not an easy discussion but once I started there has been no looking back.
What ignited the spark in you to start Winkisan? After spending so many years earning money for other people I decided that earning it for myself may not be such a bad idea! Today, I’m an exporter, a buying agent and now a retailer.
Please talk about journey and future goals. My journey as a single working mother has not been an easy one, there have been many ups and downs but I’m proud to say that I’ve managed to overcome all the obstacles and finally reached a stage of comfortable complacency which is where I’m at now! My future goals are to ease up on the Exports and concentrate on building my brand Wisa by Winkisan to a level where the brand speaks for itself.
What all challenges did you face and what were your strategies to overcome them? This is a tough one to answer as with any business you face a new challenge almost each day, my strategy is usually to take one step at a time and sort out each issue to the best of my ability, sometimes with help from friends and family and sometimes on my own.
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? People mostly think that they can take advantage of a situation when they’re up against a woman with no male backing but life has taught me to take care of myself, my daughter and my business on my own. We are way tougher and harder working than our male counterparts would like to believe!
What piece of advice would you like to give to the aspiring youth who wish to pursue their dream of becoming an entrepreneur? There are no shortcuts to achieve your dreams go after them with a vengeance and don’t stop till you achieve what you really want.
According to you, what are the top three essential skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? 1) Be clear about what you want to do and achieve 2) Be conscientious and willing to give it your best 3) Never compromise
How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life? Has the family always been supportive? I’m one of 5 siblings, my parents and siblings have always been extremely supportive, whether it was a baby sitter that was the need of the moment or financial support or just an emotional re-charge that was required, they never let me down!
What are your views and opinions towards the ambiguous need to promote women entrepreneurship and women empowerment in India? I feel that women are more conscientious, hardworking and have way more integrity in whatever they set out to do than their male counterparts and whether anyone promotes them or not they’ll find their own paths to promote and empower themselves.
