“I dream for Kanelle to reach a place where I can employ more and more artisans who are amazingly talented. This will be my contribution to empowering some of the people (both men & women) in India.”
Brief introduction about yourself and tell us something about Kanelle? I am Kanika Jain, a fashion designer from Delhi. I run a Fashion business in the name of Label ‘Kanelle’. Kanelle was born in Jan 2011 with the vision of bringing to women, timeless trends handcrafted with love. The name Kanelle itself is a combination of ‘Kanika’ & ‘elle’, which represents, ‘Kanika’s creations for her’.
Please talk about your journey and future goals. My journey has been full of learning and great experiences of struggles, challenges, achievements and successes. Having to start business on my own without having a business background in my family was indeed a challenge. But through hardwork, dedication and humungous support from my loved ones I have come a long way and still moving forward. My family & friends have and will always be my greatest support. I dream for Kanelle to reach a place where I can employ more and more artisans who are amazingly talented. This will be my contribution to empowering some of the people (both men & women) in India.
Did you face any challenges while realizing your professional dream? I think everyday is a challenge. When you raise your baby you do come across various small to big challenges and obstacles on a daily basis, through which you only grow. I can say I have only progressed through my learning, be it success or failures in some or the other situation.
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 don’t quite agree to the above because if that would be the situation then a lot of great women wouldn’t be doing what they are doing and achieving success and setting examples. Many of them have been Artists to businesswomen to politicians, educators or even our ex president who was the first female President of India. Women, in today’s time, are the strongest race who is working as hard as men to achieve their professional/personal goals.
What piece of advice would you like to give to the aspiring youth who wish to pursue their dream of becoming an entrepreneur? The idea is not to give up. Nothing is permanent. One must work as hard as they do even tomorrow, whatever maybe the situation. Here, I would like to quote my mentor whose words of wisdom I always swear by. “When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think, “This is never going to work out,” then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight – Daisaku Ikeda” So I wish all the aspiring youth all the luck to achieve their dreams.
According to you, what are the top three essential skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Hardwork Patience Perseverance And being a good human being!
How do you manage the work-life balance? Yes, it is hard to balance out your work & your personal life. But, if you have clear focus and a sense of responsibility, there is nothing that can stop you from balancing things out.
What are your views and opinions towards the ambiguous need to promote women entrepreneurship and women empowerment in India? I feel it is highly important to educate and empower women in India because women constitute half of world's population and are historically responsible for developing future generations. When a woman gets socially, psychologically and economically empowered, she builds the family and community too and becomes a role model for everyone. Hence, for a smart and better society, it is important to empower women.
