At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week, we invited Durdana Simran to know more about her inspiring journey and the way forward. She is a Journalist, Writer, Entrepreneur and the Founder & Editor-in Chief of The White Letter. Let’s learn more about her journey and her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with her:
Tell us a little bit about yourself (background) and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
I’m a 22-year-old Journalist, Writer and Founder of The White Letter. I hold a Bachelors’s degree (triple major) in Psychology, Literature and Journalism. Currently, I live in Mumbai and am pursuing my Masters in Mass Communication. I was born and brought up in Bangalore, growing up I was always engrossed in new activities, whether it was doing classical dancing since the age of 3, singing or even playing football. I enjoyed doing things that would make me happy.
Though it hasn’t been easy to get this far, what happens behind the scenes is a lot less fancier than the outcome.”
Whether it’s the unending phone calls, lots of early morning traveling and wishing for more than 24 hours in a day. But I have cherished all the moments. Every day I feel my journey has just begun and this helps me stay motivated.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I’ve said this many times, when I started this, I was still a college student who was trying her hand at various internships in the field of Media. Just the idea of working 9-5 didn’t go too well with me and I knew I wanted to build a community for like-minded individuals who lack the platform, that’s where the tagline of the company, ‘You are the color’ came from.
My idea was simple, I wanted to celebrate art in its truest essence, in all varieties, with no restrictions whatsoever”
How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in?
We started off as a personal website in 2015, solely used to as my creative outlet, which was then revamped as a creative arts group in 2017. Specializing in event curation and conceptualization, we’ve always worked with using the digital medium to provide a safe space to artists and brands, especially the ones starting out to keep them away free from all kinds of pressure and judgment.
There’s competition in every field and without that there’s no learning either. So while being both and event and creative arts group its double for us. However, we’ve never fallen prey to delivering quantity over quality content and always learn from our personal growth while being respectful to our contemporaries.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
Literally speaking, it would be two good cups of cold coffee. Otherwise, it’s the feeling of being able to do what I love the most and have always dreamt off. Some of us are lucky enough to live a life we had imagined for ourselves, I’m one of them. I come from a family of writers and my father, Khalid Anjum was a journalist and my biggest motivator too. Ever since I remember watching him work, I knew this was my calling. So on my ‘bad days’, it serves as a motivation. Also, the idea of future and the unknown, makes me curious. So I live in the moment only to be grateful of what I have, especially my support system- both family and friends who’ve always been a safety net for me.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Personally, without challenges I believe there would be no growth. I think when you learn how to get through the tough times it becomes easier to cherish the success. Whether it’s pitching an idea at meetings, not being taken seriously because of my age, collaborating with different brands or even managing both my professions simultaneously – I’d say all of these are challenges.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way either, because without these obstacles I wouldn’t even know the things I could pull myself and the team out off. Currently, we’re working in different time zones, managing roles from their own location just to do what we love. So at the end, every risk you take is worth it as long as you believe in yourself.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
I think having a balance between these two and also not equating them is necessary. I only add emotions to my business when it comes to sticking to our vision and maintaining brand values. The problem starts when the sole mission is to make money and fame because most people forget that it’s momentarily. Having said that, when your work speaks for itself and you deliver good content which your audience appreciates, the outcome will be rewarding. So working smart and financial planning has worked well for me!
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
Honestly, I’m a restless person by nature, so the stress kicks in really fast. Of course I have my days where I wouldn’t want to do anything and the ones where the best of my work has come out when there’s a pressure of deadlines. In no way should one glorify that stress=high success rate. Knowing when to pause, breathe and take a break is necessary, especially when it comes to your mental health. Even if it means losing out on a client or not replying to a simple mail. I wouldn’t lie, I’m still learning on how to cut down my extra hours and try less screen time. So planning in advance, discussing the schedule with my manager to know how my month is going to look like is helping.
For me, being organized automatically cuts down the stress and tells me how much energy needs to be invested where. Also a plate of sushi and long drives would make me feel better in a min, there I said it, that’s my secret of staying calm”
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup?
I was just 17 when I started out, so in the last 5 years not only have I evolved as a person but so has the company. Whether it’s the perspective of a young teenager trying to do it as a labor of love to investing half my time into it. From working on my bedside table with a laptop and discussion with my parents to working with different clients and many meetings later, all while leading a team of people. I’ve seen it grow from scratch. My strategy for growth has always been simple, its to always think out of the box, not confine myself to one idea, and being open to new ones. It not only helps break the monotony but helps you test yourself too. Sometimes we don’t know how capable we are ourselves until we are told or reminded about it. For instance, due to the COVID-19 issue, planning on-ground events had to be stopped, so we switched back to our old idea of using social media to curate new series of projects and started collaborating with companies to conduct LIVE sessions and workshops, not only did this help us network well but also made us realize our own worth of trying to make the best out of the worst situation.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Success is subjective and the idea of it could change from time to time. For me it’s always been being true to myself and my work while I put in all the hardworking that’s required. I don’t believe there are any shortcuts in life and the journey to the top isn’t fun without all the pauses, failures and learning either. As long as you have a never give up attitude, everything works in your favor. Never forget your own worth and don’t let others tell you what to do. I never liked taking orders and it landed me here, so if you feel the same, navigate through life yourself.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
My only advice would be to enjoy what you do and never forget why you started. It’s alright to be confused, not know where you’re headed, but during this process of self-doubt just ask yourself what else would you rather be doing if not this? If I had to give my younger self this advice, it’d still be the same. So don’t be harsh on yourself and remember breaking the glass ceiling for women has always been tougher but we have so many who’ve already done that. What seems to work for them and me might not be the same for you, but what’s common between all of us is the fire of getting to the top and never giving up. Good luck to everyone starting out!
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.
