A Conversation With a Young Woman Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is all about the mindset, ambition, hard work, and motivation. Do you want to become an entrepreneur? This article is for you.

I recently had an opportunity to talk to Deepika Shah, a young woman entrepreneur from India, and she shared her insight on entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurs. 

She aims at helping females to build their life and dreams through mentorship and skillSet training.

Here's what she had to say:

Q: Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

Deepika: Well, it was decided even before I was born. My Grandpa was a Supreme Court Lawyer, dad owns a Travels Business and mother a Photo Studio. My other family members also own different types of businesses such as Gold trading, Photography, Women's clothing business, etc.

Being surrounded by such hardworking and ambitious people, I always wanted to do something of my own too. 

The job at Being Human helped me gain clarity on what I should be doing with my life and rest is history. 

After failing, struggling and learning I now own 3 businesses in Clothing, Digital Marketing, and Education Sector.

Q: How does your startup help people out there?

Deepika: My startup (The Fempreneur zone) is aimed at powering Females to start their own venture by helping and guiding them overcome their limiting beliefs such as the constant Negative thoughts, Low Self Esteem, Unable to Let Go of Past Experiences, Assumed Fear of the unknown. 

It’s my dream, my vision. A vision to help females across the Global to discover their Power. To help them realize they are more than a Girlfriend, Wife, Mother, Daughter-in-law. They are their own Superhero and they need to live their fairy tale without worrying for a Prince Charming.

I want them to be able to pay for their own bills and not be Financially Dependant on anyone. To take decisions that Empower them and their sisters everywhere. 

Like My Mother says: 

"Don't shift, throw or smaller your Crown to please someone. Find a person who is okay with you wearing a Crown"

Q: How would you define entrepreneurship?

Deepika: Entrepreneurship for me is giving your Dreams a chance to take birth. Yes, taking chances and risk is scary but if we don't believe in them who will. I had a corporate life for 4 years and it took a toll on me. It made me feel stuck and depressed. I constantly questioned myself. 

'What Am I Doing Here?' 

Between all this internal chaos I decided to take a chance. A chance to let everything else go and just focus solely on what makes me feel alive. 

I think in simple words Entrepreneurship is simply letting yourself feel excited each day for achieving your goals 

Q: Why Does India need more women entrepreneurs?

Deepika: Women constitute 48% of our population but only 14% of them are Entrepreneurs!

Isn't that a huge loss in what could be achieved if all 48% join the workforce? It would be such a boost to the economy.

But more than that India needs more Women Entrepreneur because it's high time we empower them too. Women have long struggled and have been made to believe they can't achieve anything. This makes them totally dependant on their husbands and as time moves forward they also suffer from Identity Loss. She can't make better decisions for herself, feel frustrated and often lost. 

On the contrary, if she is allowed to work and discover herself, it also helps the society and other females in her circle. She empowers everyone around her.

Q: How difficult is it for a woman to start a business?

Deepika: I think it’s much easier if the family supports otherwise it's just a long struggle. Somehow our society still at large believes that a married girl should stay at home, take care of the family and give up on her dreams. Only then she can become a better Wife, Mother, and Daughter-in-Law. 

So she is often left in a dilemma of choosing her happiness or of her family. Being Indian Girls we have been told to sacrifice because that's our duty. So, in the end, she gives up.

This cycle will continue if she does not stand for herself and her vision for life. 

Though I know lots of females who made it. Gave wings to their dreams! There are still lots of them who cry in the night hoping for a chance to turn their life around but their voice is lost in the sea of Male Ego and Dominance 

Q: What have been your key learnings?

Deepika: The best lesson I have learned is to never Give Up no matter the situation. Become your Own Inspiration.

Q: What's your best advice to women who want to start a business?

Deepika: You really need to Let Go of what everyone thinks about you because it really does not matter. Have the courage to Accept Yourself & don't be afraid to be alone when nobody supports you. 

We females have this amazing strength that I can't even define. This power helps us to come out of any situation no matter how worse it is. But in order to gain that power, you need to surrender to that higher power and have this utmost FAITH that:

'YES! YOU ARE WORTHY & YOU DESERVE ONLY THE BEST. NO COMPROMISES ANYMORE. PERIOD.'