As part of our relentless efforts to identify and share some of the meaningful stories from India and around the world, this week we invited passionate womenpreneur Abha Maryada Banerjee for an interview with us. She is a Thought Leader, Mentor, Keynote Speaker, Growth Expert, Author and Founder of SUCCESS INDIA. Let’s read more about her interesting journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive Interview with her:
Talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur/coach, please;
I am a lawyer turned People building expert and initiated the personal development industry as it exists globally in India in 2008-9. With a vision around People Building and making this education Asia-India centric, I re-educated myself in the field at the age of 34 with a clear intent to pursue this in all its possible formats as a life calling.
I introduced several path-breaking ideas around people’s growth and work, noteworthy being the introduction of Peak Performance and Mental Strength Coaching for Indian Olympians, that got India berths in London Olympics and medals at the Commonwealth Games.”
The first foray into the field was with the visionary project and company called SUCCESS INDIA founded in 2010-11, to make success a possibility for all of us through people interventions. Coaching is a part of the education and I am a qualified Business Growth, Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Success Coach, amongst the top in Asia. I was named India’s first internationally acclaimed woman motivational speaker and amongst the top ten coaches in Asia Pacific with several accolades and achievements that followed in the field.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I have visions around social change and social design that would not have been possible in a job, as the space to test new things or create something other than the work profile gets restricted. I chose law as my first choice of career as it kept me close to the social sphere and allied me to engage in a lot of social work.
Being an expressionist and growth expert, I find myself better placed as an Entrepreneurial Educator because the field has no ceilings and the opportunity to add more is always there.”
I also use my creative streak for people building activities which may not be a welcome thing in a job. However, I have had the privilege of working with several corporates in a Partner Consulting capacity where the same creativity and need to find new solutions became an advantage.
How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in?
The Industry is still building in India and being constructed, the systems are still borrowed, so there is a lot of space to bring about more structure and new offerings that are customized to the needs of India/Asia.
Having said that, it is a much-needed industry as the country itself is going through massive transitions and people do not just need to be built but be cushioned/insulated at times around the changes they are adapting to.
I have had the good privilege of working in India and in different parts of Asia, worked as a speaker across the world, learning about different cultures, working in varied environments, traveling to over 18 countries, thanks to being a Speaker and Coach. I bring all that experience with me and hope to make a difference.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
Over the years I have become a walking talking personal development and people building work station. The Vision of social change through people building, making each one of us a success in all areas of life, has been at my heart every breath of the day so I am not sure if I ever go to sleep and if I ever wake up without the vision running through my system and what I need to do around it.
Self Discipline, 80 hour work weeks, 20 years, Immersion and the desire to experience the change that I am seeking is what I live for and around. My motivation is the rising Sun and the gift of another day to do what I have committed myself to. My motivation is also my family that has been part of this fantastic journey.
I also wake up to ideas that drop in my head, while I am dreaming or half asleep or some ideas that I am working on and need my first bit of attention in the morning. Sometimes, it is also the need to go to the toilet 🙂
I am an early riser and spend the first few hours of the day either working or working on some new ideas, I always catch up on reading and meditative messages for each day.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
The biggest challenge lies around the value that this industry creates, the value is still undermined and lacks definition. That makes selling the value or products slightly difficult. With all the changes, however, the biggest support comes from technology and its power to create outreach. It has also opened opportunities to combine or partner with other industries. There is competition as well and due to lack of proper rules or systems, confusion sometimes takes the lead. Its a matter of time, we will be able to streamline these things.
I also faced a lot of obstacles being a woman pioneer/leader being in a completely male-dominated field 10 years ago. Women are not trusted and it was difficult to raise money to run this as a business. For many years I worked as an individual brand and put back all earnings in my own business until we managed financial partners and investors who had spent more than half a decade with us to build that trust and who was totally fascinated with the results of what we did as Educators and Coaches.
The other challenge is plagiarism, content gets diluted to that. We make it up with exceptional delivery to keep up with the value differential.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
Emotions any day, not because I am emotional but because I understand that emotions are the guidance mechanism of my body. I rely on my emotions for ideas and creations, understanding people, their motivations, studying markets, strategies as well as staying emotionally connected to the Vision.
Money is the consequence of value creation so I stay focused on value creation and achieving tangible results.
Money being the exchange for value, is equally important and is the oil to the wheels of business. Keeping that in mind, the money stays in the mix as an essential with emotions as the guiding light to all pricing, selling, marketing, strategizing and partnering.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
Being a lawyer and having practiced law full time for a good 10 years, gives you an edge to solve problems, even if other peoples. The legal education also runs you through literally every existing people scenario and solutions around it. I take that as an advantage because it gave me a mindset that did not worry about being stressed or in the midst of conflict. In fact, we enjoyed being under pressure and solving issues, fighting came naturally and was appreciated 🙂
As an extension of my legal standing, adding people building to my repertoire gave me a deeper understanding of many issues and the key to growth lies in clearing the roadblocks or removing roadblocks to keep the momentum going, whether in people’s minds or on the ground. I work quite well under pressure because the focus is on the results and I have trained/conditioned my mind to treat problems as friends who need help 🙂
I also am very active physically, engage in creative endeavors to keep both sides of my brain functioning at all times, indulge in poetry, writing, cooking, calligraphy, sports, and music. These are very stress busters.
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup?
Blue Ocean Strategy
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
There are many but these should be looked into more:
Growth Mindset, Absolute Integrity towards work and people, Self Discipline, Self-Awareness, Perseverance, Failure Proofing, Clear definition of success, Hard Work, Creativity, Passion
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
Embrace yourself as a Value Driver and as a woman, who knows the value she brings to the table. Be upright, straightforward in dealings and avoid ambiguity at all costs. Keep your family close as they get a lot of brickbats for your dreams, have a good support system, and a trusting network of friends. Entrepreneurship is a crazy ride and can be an emotional roller coaster but so is life..:-)
As an author and educator on Women’s Leadership, I have worked with, coached, and mentored several Women Entrepreneurs and joined some ventures as an advisor. Getting the right mentors and right people on board is an important piece of the start-up puzzle and women must take note of the same as it has in the long run to face any challenges that come along the way.
Abha’s Rule to live by –
“Excellence reveals integrity, mediocrity the lack of it, dishonesty the absence of it” – AMB
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
I also faced a lot of obstacles being a woman pioneer/leader being in a completely male-dominated field 10 years ago. Women are not trusted and it was difficult to raise money to run this as a business. For many years I worked as an individual brand and put back all earnings in my own business until we managed financial partners and investors who had spent more than half a decade with us to build that trust and who was totally fascinated with the results of what we did as Educators and Coaches. 