As part of our ongoing quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world, we invited yet another passionate and purpose-driven entrepreneur – Deepika Ahuja for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. She is an exceptional Business Leader, Happiness Leader & Coach, Mentor, Keynote Speaker, Consultant and Entrepreneur. She is the Founder of DeliverSmiles which aims to create happier work cultures incorporates, to create a happier generation in schools and to prepare students in college to stay happy and stress-free in their work-life in future. Let’s learn more about her journey, her background and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Deepika:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I worked in the Insurance domain as a people manager for 13 years. As a people’s manager, I used to do a lot of trainings and workshops for my team. I really enjoyed doing that.
I was dealing with clinical depression in 2016 and during that time, one of my team members (unaware of my medical condition), asked me to do a workshop on “How to stay happy?” I found it ironical as I was myself dealing with depression, but I took it as a challenge and started reading about Positive Psychology, stress management and happiness. To my surprise, I started developing a lot of interest in the subject and I also started implementing gratitude and mindfulness in my daily life.”
That not only helped me overcome depression but also inspired me to talk more about the subject. I knew the purpose of my life and discovered my calling. I started my company Deliversmiles in 2018 after some unforeseen circumstances.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
Destiny chose it for me. I was happy with my corporate career as I was doing workshops, trainings as part of my full-time job too.
However, sometimes destiny and universe carve out the path for you. We adopted our daughter in April 2018 and when I joined office back in September 2018 post my adoption leave, I was laid off. My husband who worked for the same organisation was also part of the lay-off.”
With no back-up planning and my keen interest in the subject of happiness, I immediately took it as a signal of the almighty and registered my company Deliversmiles by the end of September itself.
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
I strongly feel that I have always been very fortunate and haven’t faced real challenges. Even in my corporate journey of 13 years, I was blessed to have some amazing managers and amazing team members. I never felt the glass ceiling for women in my journey.
As an entrepreneur, apart from business generation and difficulty in convincing business leaders about the importance of happiness at the workplace, there were no real challenges. Fortunately, I am not driven by money and business development, so it never affected me negatively.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
For me, it’s Integrity and Ethics. Nonetheless, I am a very emotional person, but in business, I don’t give more importance to anything except strong business ethics and integrity.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I don’t feel stressed due to work ever. And even if I do, it’s good stress that keeps me moving. I love challenges in work and feel very contented and accomplished each time I overcome them. This might be a by-product of me being a happiness coach. 😊
What has worked well for you so far?
Everything. From my job loss till where I am now, I think everything has worked well for me. Though I didn’t have any contacts in the L&D industry and it really took me a very long time to find work, but that never disheartened me. No matter, how few sessions I have done, I have always got rave reviews for my workshops and that is just enough for me at this point in time. I think I have accomplished a lot due to God’s grace in less than 3 years. I have got opportunities in various prestigious platforms to talk about my journey, have been felicitated by many awards including “Grand-queens Leadership award – Mental wellness”, “Iconic women creating a better world for all”- by WEF, and the most special one when I got recognised as “50 most influential Happiness leaders in the world”. I may not have earnt as much money, but I have surely made a difference in people’s life.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
The feeling of satisfaction that you get when someone messages me after my session and says “Deepika, you really changed my perspective towards life and happiness.”
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
I have no advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs. My advice to everyone out there is to follow your passion. It may not be your full-time job but take out some time to fulfil that.
Do not wait for the right age or adequate bank balance before you start living, before you start doing what you want. With COVID, one thing that has hard hit all of us is the uncertainty in life. So, live life before it’s too late.”
For women, aspiring to be an entrepreneur or trying to get back to profession or even stay at home moms – It’s ok to step out for work and leave your children behind for some time. Kids won’t stop loving or respecting you if you spend a little less time with them. Love and values do not come with the quantity of time spent with your children but are the by-products of quality. Whenever you feel guilty or insecure to start working, thinking that it may lead to less attachment between you and your child, just think do your kids love their fathers less just because they are working? Do you love your fathers less? You can always strike a balance given the availability of various avenues in today’s time. Give your kids the message that it’s ok to pursue your dreams. You are their role model. Be that.
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.
