As part of our ongoing quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur – Arpita Ghosh for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. She is a business leader, mentor, advisor, speaker, counsellor, consultant and a seasoned entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of MeSpace.
A true motivator and inspiration to old and young alike, she believes every individual has the potential within to excel. With over 12 years of experience in Training and Facilitation programs for middle and senior Management. Arpita has successfully trained people across industries – Hospitality, IT, Education, Service, Pharma, Media, Real Estate, Customer Relationship/ Service to name a few. Arpita’s innate ability to connect with people and counselling skills has been instrumental in creating an impact on individuals to bring about a desired change in professional & personal life. A Masters in Chemistry, Arpita experienced her crucible moment in the journey of life to reach where she is today. Her learnings come from the school of life, nature, books, internet and people. She has travelled extensively in the US since 1999.
Let’s learn more about her inspiring journey and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Arpita:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur/coach, please;
A Bengali with roots in Kolkata and born and brought up in Mumbai, I am a hardcore Mumbaikar. I did my schooling from Christ Church, Byculla and thereafter went to Wilson College, Chowpatty to pass out as a PG in Chemistry. So far, so good – went with the flow. Then it dawned that I have absolutely no chemistry for the kind of jobs Chemistry had to offer.
Took up a job with Eureka Forbes and thought it was cool – travelling, meeting people but what did not suit me was the routine of a job. A series of jobs with some of the best companies could not give me stability and satisfaction. There began the quest for what do I really want? A time pass job with Ask Me services led to my discovering my strength in my voice – this set me off in the direction of Radio.
That first duty as an announcer made me realize that media it is. Left no stone unturned – Radio, Voice-overs, Advertising, TV, Print, Corporate film making and Journalism – acting on stage and film too. All the while kept juggling between various media projects. It gave me a high. Not for long….. the quest for something more egged me on to further enhance my talent as an effective communicator. Pursued my diploma in Counseling & Personality Development and established myself as Soft Skill trainer. Counselling for me is more innate, I would say, ‘cos for along time I counselled many but never thought of it on commercial terms.”
Learning for me is a continuous process and began adding more value to what I knew by pursuing Dance Movement, Voice movement, Drama based therapy. The process took me through a shift from trainer to a creative facilitator. Adapting and catering to the need of the day, counselling n coaching started becoming my focus and today I can say with pride I have found stability and satisfaction in my job as a counsellor for Christ(Deemed to be)University, Lavasa. It was a journey of almost 26 years and it still continues.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
The secret lies in choosing a profession you love – then life becomes one long vacation. Way back in 1997 when I was introduced to the Bhagwad Gita – one line stared at me loud n clear – “Lift yourself by yourself”
No looking back since then, look for the good and you always find goods look for positivity in life and you will find positivity.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
It is the freedom to be your own boss that is very attractive as an entrepreneur. However, this requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline and self-motivation too.
How did you find your passion and purpose and started working with it?
Passion and purpose came very late in life. Here is where we need to understand that life teaches us, leads us to our destiny. I moved from Marketing & Sales to Media.
In the process I realized my love for travelling, interacting with people and my potential as an effective communicator. The ability to impact total strangers in a short span of travel journey was discovered only when some of them actually got back to me and mentioned how they felt influenced and were following my FB page. That motivated me to continue what I was doing ‘cos one never knows who we impact – so speak, act and behave such that it leaves a lasting positive impact on others.”
That’s how I discovered my passion and purpose and came up with my signature line – Empowering Individuals, Touching Lives.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
Another day, another opportunity to live life to its fullest, to bring a smile to another, to comfort a broken heart and last but not the least another day to love me and be grateful for all I have.
How do you manage yourself and keep on going despite the challenges? What drives you?
I strongly recommend self-management sessions for all working professionals. After all, it is when I can manage myself well, only then will I be able to manage others – so managing my time, my emotions and my life with care.
Moreover, challenges are part of life. Overcoming them is what we learn. If we learn to change the way we perceive challenges, we can overcome them. I perceive challenges as an opportunity to push myself to the next level, it is an opportunity to build confidence and discover something more about the self. After all the seed of greatness exists in all.
What drives me is the basic understanding that we have but this one lifetime and especially with the pandemic times and the uncertainty of life we have – live each day as though it is your last.
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
Some of the leadership traits we need to develop our Acceptance of situations, people and self, Adapting to changing times, an attitude to learn, learn n learn, emotional maturity, critical thinking, compassion and effective communication skills.
Please share with us – what has worked well for you so far?
Faith and trust in the Universe, my prayers that no matter how tough – all will be taken care of and belief in the self that I have overcome the worst – I can handle this too.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
Do Good Anyway – sow the seeds of goodness today so that we enjoy a garden of goodness tomorrow.
In your opinion – what is more necessary: Idea or a good team for a successful startup?
Both idea and a good team go hand in hand along with a good leader to navigate the team. A good idea lacking a good team to implement it – will not work. Likewise, a good team working on any idea will have not to stand out.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned building your startup?
1 – Trust your Instincts
2 – Believe In Yourself & your dream
3 – Build a strong foundation of trust, transparency and inclusivity
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
First and foremost see yourself as an individual, a human being, recognize your potential and believe that you can achieve it.
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.
