It is an art, not a science, to be an entrepreneur. It is a collection of unique characteristics that is honed through time via knowledge and experience.
Pooja Gupta, Co-founder of Skill2Gether, a SaaS platform dedicated to Skill-Preneurs and skill-based businesses. A platform that facilitates them with the power of technology to create their brand in the market and to get recognized for their skills.
Her mission is to make growth easier for Skillpreneurs. She is enthusiastic about encouraging more individuals with skill/talent to reach their full potential and inspiring women to realize their aims, desires, and ambitions. Her experience includes working in Real Estate and E-Commerce industries. Skilled in Analytical Skills, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Project Management. She is an MBA with a specialization in Marketing based in Pune, India.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Pooja Gupta: Working in Real Estate, E-Commerce, and raising a lovely baby daughter are all part of my background! However, because I chose the path of parenthood, I, like many other moms, opted to leave my job and devote my whole attention to my daughter. I realized it was time to begin my job when she was 2.5 years old and started attending preschool. It takes a lot of courage to re-enter the business world after becoming a mother of a wonderful girl. And that’s when your daughter isn’t quite ready to be apart from you for even an hour. That’s when I decided to pursue my interest and share my enthusiasm. Because I am an enthusiastic dancer, I decided to begin with dancing lessons. I began with my society, but I did not receive the enrollments I expected because it is a tiny one. So I asked my friends where they thought I should promote and how I should go about doing it. Then it occurred to me that many of them wanted to establish their own business but were unable to do so owing to a lack of assistance and direction.
This is exactly when I wish there was some kind of resource or platform that might assist with micro-networking inside the city and comparable passions. I had the pleasure of meeting some Mompreneurs who run their home businesses with their families. Based on their problems, such as limited reach, managing business operations, and maintaining an online presence, as well as my own experience, I decided to take this issue more seriously and began developing a platform that would address all of these concerns while beginning and expanding a skill-based business.
Was there somebody in your life that inspired you to take that specific journey with your business?
Pooja Gupta: It is certain that you will experience life-changing experiences. I got my first experience of marketplaces and e-commerce platforms when I began at “Collab Solutions Pvt. Ltd.” Over the course of nearly three years, I learned a lot about starting a business from scratch. The best part of being here is you could always suggest new ideas at “Collab” that would benefit the company, its consumers, and, of course, yourself. The only way to progress is to improve yourself, your team, and your company.
I set different goals in my life and for each one, I get inspiration from different personalities, however, the one who is the inspiration for this specific journey is Mr. Sandeep Thakur. He is the one who guided me through this journey. His leadership and decision-making qualities always inspire me. In his words, success can only achieve by knowledge and applying the same in your business. He always says follow your heart & think BIG. Also, keep improving your abilities and expertise while learning new things.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Pooja Gupta: Firstly, is being stuck with “What If?” Starting a new business is nerve-wracking and not for the faint-hearted. It’s normal to be afraid of failure and rejection, but allowing yourself to be trapped by this fear will hamper your growth. Recognizing common issues is an excellent first step since it reassures you that you are not alone.
Secondly, Assuming you can do it all yourself! It’s reasonable to believe that no one can do the job as well as you can at first. You know your product inside and out, and you’re the one who truly has the passion to make the business succeed. This, however, is not just a recipe for burnout; it may also seriously hamper your progress.
Having a skilled, experienced consultant or mentor on your side may provide you with a much-needed impartial viewpoint on your company and market.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Pooja Gupta: Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from harsh life experiences and survive adversity. Stress, emotional upheaval, and pain are all part of life for resilient individuals. Some individuals mistakenly associate resilience with mental fortitude, but resilience also entails overcoming emotional anguish and suffering.
The decisions we make on a daily basis affect our ability to be resilient when things go wrong. Discover the key to surviving in difficult times. Stay Tough and Keep growing. Pick yourself up, as many times as it takes.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Pooja Gupta: The only platform which offers a Single Store (Digital) for all Offerings (Products/Training/Services/Events) with End to End online Transactions for Skill based businesses.
We power small skill-based businesses with Individual Digital Stores. An Online store has features such as inbuilt accounting, order management, analytics, payment, and shipping. This will also help in efficient management and competency building. This portal is not just a medium to reaching a broader market for your skills and expertise in training, product selling, and services. “Everything you need to take your first step into a better future”.
This, in turn, will motivate more and more people to live their dreams without worrying about the obstacles and with a community ready to push them to take their leap of faith.
What do you consider are your strengths when dealing with staff workers, colleagues, senior management, and customers?
Pooja Gupta: My answer would have to be:
- Keep the channels of communication wide open.
- Being authentic and genuine – just be yourself!
- Listening Skill & Empathy
- Treating others as individuals with unique strengths, weaknesses, needs, etc.
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Pooja Gupta: Personal branding that is strong will set you apart from the competition and help you to get the trust of potential consumers. It is a powerful tool that, when used correctly, may be your most important asset. It takes time and effort to build a strong personal brand.
It’s critical to be able to authentically express your purpose and objective to your audience. Your honesty, transparency, and authenticity are what will differentiate you in the long run.
What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Pooja Gupta: My favorite leadership style is lead by example.
I lead from the front by doing what needs to be done, demonstrating what needs to be done, and keeping my team organized so that we’re all on the same page and contributing equally.
Do you think entrepreneurship is something that you’re born with or something that you can learn along the way?
Pooja Gupta: It is an art, not a science, to be an entrepreneur. It is a collection of unique characteristics that is honed through time via knowledge and experience. Yes, Entrepreneurship is something you can learn along the way.
Entrepreneurs are made. These are people who are upbeat and have a lot of self-assurance. Such individuals do not grow overnight, but they grow with time.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Pooja Gupta: “Obstacles aren’t roadblocks, they’re road signs”
When I was resuming my career to attain work-life balance, I started with Dance classes. Though due to some obstacles I was not able to succeed in the same. So started with a full-time job, while working on the project had the privilege of interacting with some Mompreneurs, who manage their home business with the family. Based on their challenges like Limited reach, managing business operations, online presence, and my experience, I decided to work on this aspect in a bigger way and started working on a platform that could take care of all these issues while starting and growing a skill-based business. The obstacles faced by then lead me to build this platform for Skillpreneurs.
You have to believe in yourself and believe that what you are doing is making a difference.
This interview was originally published on ValiantCEO.
